[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 115 (Thursday, June 14, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27781-27782]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-12660]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket No. CDC-2018-0057]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, 
Public Scoping Meeting, and Request for Comments; Acquisition of Site 
for Development of a Replacement Underground Safety Research Program 
Facility for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (CDC/NIOSH) in Mace, West 
Virginia

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 
Mace, West Virginia, and the development of this site into a 
replacement of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and 
Health (NIOSH) Underground Safety Research Program facility (Proposed 
Action). The current acquisition and development would replace the 
former Lake Lynn Experimental Mine in Fayette County, Pennsylvania and 
would support research programs focused on miner health and safety 
issues. The site being considered for acquisition and development 
includes 461.35 acres located off of U.S. Route 219 in Randolph and 
Pocahontas Counties near Mace, West Virginia.
    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. Following the scoping meeting, a Draft 
EIS will be prepared and circulated for public comment. CDC is the lead 
federal agency for this Proposed Action.

DATES: 
    Public Scoping Meeting: A public scoping meeting in open house 
format will be held on June 26, 2018 in Slatyfork, West Virginia. The 
meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. and end no later than 8:30 p.m.
    Written comments: Written scoping comments must be submitted by 
11:59 p.m. on July 14, 2018.
    Deadline for Requests for Special Accommodations: Persons wishing 
to participate in the public scoping meeting who need special 
accommodations should contact Sam Tarr at 770-488-8170 by 5:00 p.m. 
Eastern Time, June 19, 2018.

ADDRESSES: The public scoping meeting will be held at the Linwood 
Community Library, 72 Snowshoe Drive, Slatyfork, West Virginia 26291.

[[Page 27782]]

    You may submit comments identified by Docket No. CDC-2018-0057 by 
either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov 
(Follow the instructions for submitting comments).
     U.S. Mail: Sam Tarr, 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: Sam Tarr, 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, Institutes, 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 ensure safe and healthful working conditions for 
every working person in the United States.
    In 1997, NIOSH assumed the lease for a facility referred to as the 
Lake Lynn Experimental Mine (LLEM) when the mine safety and health 
function was transferred from the Bureau of Mines (BOM) to NIOSH. The 
LLEM facility had been leased by BOM since 1982. The LLEM was located 
60 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The LLEM and above ground 
fire testing facility was primarily used for studies and research on 
mine explosions, mine seals, mine rescue, ventilation, diesel exhaust, 
new health and safety technologies, ground control, and fire 
suppression. After December 2012, the property was no longer available 
for long-term leasing. CDC attempted to purchase the LLEM underlying 
property, but LLEM was vacated by the Government after market-based 
purchase offers were rejected by the property owners.
    In 2013, CDC completed a Project Development Study to outline a 
design solution for the replacement of the LLEM. The study presented 
the facility and site requirements and design concepts for the 
replacement facilities. In 2016, to identify potentially available 
locations that could accommodate the space requirements defined in the 
2013 study, GSA issued (on behalf of CDC) two separate Request for 
Expressions of Interest (REOI) for a site, developed or undeveloped, 
that could be used for the new underground safety research facility. 
The first REOI, advertised in June 2016, contained a limited delineated 
area within a 200-mile radius of the LLEM. The REOI set forth criteria 
that would be used to evaluate the suitability of the submitted sites. 
One expression of interest that had the potential to meet the minimum 
criteria was received. After further evaluation, however, the site was 
found to be non-viable.
    The second REOI was issued in October 2016 and expanded the 
delineated area to the contiguous United States. Three expressions of 
interest were received. One did not meet the minimum criteria, and a 
second expression of interest did not contain all necessary information 
to evaluate the offer. The offeror of the second site did not respond 
to subsequent GSA inquiries.
    The third potential site met the minimum criteria and was 
determined to be a viable site. The site is located near Mace, West 
Virginia, and straddles the Randolph and Pocahontas County lines.
    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 
underground safety research facility 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 underground safety 
research facility) and the No Action Alternative.
    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 Mace, West Virginia, and the development of the Site 
into an underground safety research facility; to provide information on 
the nature of the Proposed Action; and to initiate the scoping process. 
The public scoping meeting will be held on June 26, 2018, at the 
Linwood Community Library, 72 Snowshoe Drive, Slatyfork, West Virginia 
26291, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time. 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 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 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: June 7, 2018.
Sandra Cashman,
Executive Secretary Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2018-12660 Filed 6-13-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P