[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 134 (Friday, July 14, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32553-32554]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-14474]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket No. CDC-2017-0059]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, 
Public Scoping Meeting, and Request for Comments; Acquisition of Site 
for Development as a New Consolidated Campus for the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention/National Institute for Occupational 
Safety and Health (CDC/NIOSH) in Cincinnati, Ohio

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice of intent; announcement of public meeting; and request 
for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within 
the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in cooperation with 
the General Services Administration (GSA), announces its intent to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze and assess 
the environmental impacts of the proposed acquisition of a site in 
Cincinnati, Ohio, and the development of this site into a new 
consolidated CDC/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH) campus (Proposed Action). The site being considered for 
acquisition and development is bounded by Martin Luther King Drive East 
to the south, Harvey Avenue to the west, Ridgeway Avenue to the north, 
and Reading Road to the east.
    This notice is pursuant to the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) as implemented by the Council 
on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508). 
CDC, in cooperation with GSA, also intends to initiate consultation, as 
required by Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act 
(NHPA), to evaluate the potential effects, if any, of the Proposed 
Action on historic properties.

DATES: 
    Public Scoping Meeting: A public scoping meeting in open house 
format will be held on August 1, 2017, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The meeting 
will begin at 6:00 p.m. and end no later than 9:00 p.m.
    Written comments: Written scoping comments must be submitted by 
August 14, 2017.
    Deadline for Requests for Special Accommodations: Persons wishing 
to participate in the public scoping meeting who need special 
accommodations should contact Harry Marsh at 770-488-8170 by 5:00 p.m. 
Eastern Time, July 26, 2017.

ADDRESSES: The public scoping meeting will be held at the Walnut Hills 
High School, 3250 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45207. Attendees 
should use the Parking Lot D entrance.
    You may submit comments identified by Docket No. CDC-2017-0059 by 
either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov 
(Follow the instructions for submitting comments).
     U.S. Mail: Harry Marsh, Architect, Office of Safety, 
Security and Asset Management (OSSAM), Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE., MS-K80, Atlanta, Georgia 30329-4027.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
Docket Number. All relevant comments received will be posted to http://www.regulations.gov (personally identifiable information, except for 
first and last names, will be redacted). For access to the docket to 
review background documents or comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Harry Marsh, Architect, Office of 
Safety, Security and Asset Management (OSSAM), Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE., MS-K80, Atlanta, Georgia 
30329-4027, phone: (770) 488-8170, or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: CDC is dedicated to protecting health and promoting 
quality of life through the prevention and control of disease, injury, 
and disability. NIOSH, one of CDC's Centers, Institute, and Offices, 
was established by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. 
NIOSH plans, directs, and coordinates a national program to develop and 
establish recommended occupational safety and health standards; conduct 
research and training; provide technical assistance; and perform 
related activities to assure safe and healthful working conditions for 
every working person in the United States.
    Three NIOSH research facilities--the Robert A. Taft Campus, Taft 
North Campus, and the Alice Hamilton Laboratory Campus--currently are 
located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Even with multiple renovations through the 
years, these facilities no longer meet the needs of modern research. 
The facilities' deficiencies adversely affect NIOSH's ability to 
conduct its important Cincinnati-based occupational safety and health 
research. The facilities' outdated designs create health and safety 
challenges for NIOSH laboratory employees and administrative staff. It 
is not possible to renovate the facilities located on the three 
campuses to meet current standards and requirements. Additionally, the 
current distribution of NIOSH activities across separate campuses 
results in inefficiencies in scientific collaboration and the 
duplication of operational support activities. Therefore, CDC is 
proposing to relocate and consolidate its Cincinnati-based functions 
and personnel (approximately 550 employees) currently housed at the 
three existing campuses to a new, consolidated campus in Cincinnati.
    Potential locations for the proposed new campus were identified 
through a comprehensive site selection process conducted by GSA on 
behalf of CDC. In June 2016, GSA issued a Request for Expressions of 
Interest (REOI) seeking potential sites capable of accommodating the 
proposed new

[[Page 32554]]

campus. The REOI specified minimum and additional functional, 
geographical, and environmental criteria that would be used to evaluate 
sites for suitability. In particular, candidate sites were to be from 
10 to 17 acres in size and located in Cincinnati, within a certain area 
(Delineated Area) defined by factors such as transportation 
infrastructure, proximity to other research facilities, and the 
residence patterns of current NIOSH employees.
    In response to the REOI, GSA received seven expressions of interest 
(i.e., Solicited Sites). Following an assessment of each site based on 
the minimum and additional criteria, GSA found that only one site 
qualified for further consideration. During this screening and 
assessment process, GSA identified one additional site (i.e., 
Unsolicited Site) that was added to the qualifying Solicited Site to 
create a larger parcel better capable of supporting the development of 
the proposed campus. The resulting combined site (i.e., the Site) 
encompasses all land between Martin Luther King Drive East to the 
south, Harvey Avenue to the west, Ridgeway Avenue to the north, and 
Reading Road to the east in Cincinnati, Ohio. All other Solicited Sites 
were eliminated from further consideration because they did not 
adequately meet the selection criteria specified in the REOI or, in one 
case, were withdrawn from consideration by the offeror.
    In accordance with NEPA, as implemented by the CEQ regulations (40 
CFR parts 1500-1508), CDC is initiating the preparation of an EIS for 
the proposed acquisition of the Site and construction of a new 
consolidated CDC/NIOSH campus on the Site. Under NEPA, Federal agencies 
are required to evaluate the environmental effects of their proposed 
actions and a range of reasonable alternatives to the proposed action 
before making a decision. At a minimum, the EIS will evaluate the 
following two alternatives: the Proposed Action Alternative 
(acquisition of the Site and construction of a new consolidated CDC/
NIOSH campus) and the No Action Alternative (continued use of the 
existing campuses for the foreseeable future).
    Scoping Process: In accordance with NEPA, a public scoping process 
will be conducted to establish the range of issues to be addressed 
during the preparation of the EIS. Scoping is an early and open process 
for determining the scope of issues to be addressed and identifying 
issues that should be taken into account in selecting an alternative 
for implementation. To that end, during the scoping process, CDC will 
actively seek input from interested people, organizations, Federally-
recognized Native American tribes, and Federal, state, and regional 
agencies.
    The purpose of this Notice is to inform interested parties 
regarding CDC's plan to prepare an EIS for the proposed Site 
acquisition in Cincinnati, Ohio and the development of the Site into a 
new consolidated HHS/CDC/NIOSH campus; to provide information on the 
nature of the Proposed Action; and to initiate the scoping process. The 
public scoping meeting will be held on August 1, 2017 at the Walnut 
Hills High School, 3250 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45207, from 
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Attendees should use the Parking 
Lot D entrance. The public scoping meeting will be in open house 
format. General information on the Site and the Proposed Action will be 
provided and representatives of CDC and GSA will be available to answer 
one-on-one questions. There will be no formal presentation or question-
and-answer session. Participants may arrive at any time between 6:00 
p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Comment forms will be provided for 
written comments and a stenographer will be available to transcribe 
oral comments. Through the NEPA scoping process, CDC will also 
facilitate consultation with the public as required by Section 106 of 
the NHPA.

    Dated: July 6, 2017.
Sandra Cashman,
Executive Secretary, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2017-14474 Filed 7-13-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P