[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 13 (Monday, January 23, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7831-7832]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-01380]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[Notice-PBS-2016-02; Docket No. 2016-0002; Sequence No. 27]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Department of Labor Headquarters Consolidation and 
Exchange of the Frances Perkins Building

AGENCY: Public Building Service (PBS), General Services Administration 
(GSA).

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
and public meeting.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), GSA plans to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the proposed Department of Labor Headquarters (DOL 
HQ) Consolidation to guide the evaluation of alternatives for a new 
permanent location for the DOL HQ, and to look at the impacts from the 
exchange of the Frances Perkins Building. GSA also will be initiating 
related consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act (NHPA) for the project.

DATES: Effective: January 23, 2017.
    The public scoping meeting dates and location addresses are:
    1. NoMa Site: Tuesday, February 7, 2017 from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 
p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Address: 1200 First Street NE., Washington, 
DC 20402.
    2. Capitol Riverfront and Poplar Point Sites: Wednesday, February 
8, 2017 from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Address: 
Southwest Neighborhood Library, 900 Wesley Place SW., Washington, DC 
20024.
    3. Frances Perkins Building location: Thursday, February 9, 2017 
from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. eastern standard time. Address: Martin 
Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street NW., Washington, DC 
20001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexis Gray, NEPA Compliance 
Specialist, GSA, National Capital Region, at 202-260-6895. Also, please 
call this number if special assistance is needed to attend and 
participate in the scoping meeting.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42 United States Code (U.S.C.) 
4321-4347; the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 40, chapter V, parts 1500-1508); and 
the GSA Public Buildings Service NEPA Desk Guide, dated October 1999, 
GSA plans to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 
proposed DOL HQ Consolidation to guide the evaluation of alternatives 
for a new permanent location for the DOL HQ. GSA also will be 
initiating related consultation under Section 106 of the National 
Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), 36 CFR part 800 (Protection of 
Historic Properties) for the project.
    GSA intends to prepare an EIS to analyze the potential impacts 
resulting from the proposed action, which encompasses two parts: (1) 
Acquisition of a consolidated DOL HQ at a new permanent location; and 
(2) exchange of the Frances Perkins Building parcel.

Background

    The purpose of the proposed action is to: (1) Consolidate the 
existing DOL HQ offices and divisions into one location in Washington, 
DC; and (2) provide the DOL with a headquarters facility that meets the 
Interagency Security Council (ISC) Level III security standards.
    A consolidated DOL HQ is needed to consolidate approximately 4,400 
DOL personnel currently scattered in both federally-owned and leased 
locations into one federally-owned building. Currently, the Frances 
Perkins building is outdated with inefficient floor plates and support 
spaces that impede more than aid the agency in performing its missions. 
In addition to the age of the property and the building's 
inefficiencies, there are significant costs for repair and replacement 
of major building systems.
    GSA is the lead agency for the DOL HQ consolidation and exchange of 
Frances Perkins, and associated NEPA and NHPA compliance. DOL and the 
National Capital Planning Commission

[[Page 7832]]

are cooperating agencies for NEPA and signatories for NHPA.

Frances Perkins Building Exchange

    The new DOL HQ would be built by a developer, on one of the 
acceptable sites identified by GSA and DOL through a site selection 
process that concluded with an announcement of shortlisted sites on 
November 29, 2016. Following construction of the new DOL HQ and 
acceptance of the DOL HQ by GSA, the title to Frances Perkins will be 
transferred to the developer to offset the cost of the new DOL HQ.

Alternatives Under Consideration

    As part of the EIS, GSA will study the impacts of developing 
approximately 1 million rentable square feet consolidated DOL HQ on 
three site alternatives. These sites are:
     Site 1 NoMa--this site is located at the intersection of 
North Capitol Street and New York Avenue in the Northeast quadrant of 
Washington, DC.
     Site 2 Capitol Riverfront--this site is located at the 
intersection of M Street and South Capitol Street in the Southwest 
quadrant of Washington, DC.
     Site 3 Poplar Point--this site is located in Anacostia and 
bordered by interstate 295, Howard Road and Suitland Parkway in the 
Southeast quadrant of Washington, DC.
    Additionally, GSA will study potential indirect impacts related to 
the exchange of the Frances Perkins parcel. GSA also will evaluate a 
``No Action Alternative'', in which DOL would remain in its current 
locations without consolidation at a new permanent location.
    Resource areas to be addressed in the EIS will include, but not be 
limited to: air quality, noise, land use, socioeconomics, traffic and 
transportation, infrastructure and community services, natural 
resources, biological resources, cultural resources, and safety and 
environmental hazards. The analysis will evaluate direct, indirect, and 
cumulative impacts. Relevant and reasonable measures that could avoid 
or mitigate environmental effects will also be analyzed. In conjunction 
with the NEPA process, GSA will undertake any consultations required by 
applicable laws or regulations, including NHPA.

Scoping Process

    In accordance with NEPA, a scoping process will be conducted to: 
(1) Aid in determining the alternatives to be considered and the scope 
of issues to be addressed; and (2) identify the significant 
environmental issues related to the proposed DOL HQ consolidation that 
should be addressed during the preparation of the Draft EIS. Scoping 
will be accomplished through a series of public scoping meetings; mail 
and email correspondence to potentially interested persons, agencies, 
and organizations; social media and other web-based communications; and 
meetings with agencies having an interest in the DOL HQ consolidation. 
GSA is also using the NEPA scoping process to facilitate consultation 
with the public under Section 106 of the NHPA (36 CFR part 800). GSA 
welcomes comments from the public to ensure that the agency takes into 
account the effects of the proposed action on historic and cultural 
resources.
    GSA will publish announcement notices in the Washington Post and 
the Washington Business Journal approximately one to two weeks prior to 
the public scoping meetings. After receiving scoping comments, GSA will 
respond to them in the EIS and through the Section 106 consultation 
process. GSA will make available to the public a comment/response 
matrix summarizing the scoping and Section 106 comments in the Draft 
and Final EIS.
    Written Comments: Agencies and the public are encouraged to provide 
written comments on the scoping issues related to the EIS for the 
proposed DOL HQ consolidation in addition to, or in lieu of, providing 
comments at the public scoping meeting. Written comments must be 
postmarked no later than March 1, 2017, and sent to the General 
Services Administration, Attention: Alexis Gray, NEPA Compliance 
Specialist, 301 7th Street SW., Room 4004, Washington, DC 20407. Email: 
[email protected] using the subject line: DOL NEPA Scoping Comment. 
Comments may also be submitted via the Web site: www.gsa.gov/dolhqexchange.

    Dated: January 13, 2017.
Mina Wright,
Director, Office of Planning and Design Quality, National Capital 
Region, Public Buildings Service, General Services Administration.
[FR Doc. 2017-01380 Filed 1-19-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6820-Y1-P