[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 162 (Tuesday, August 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 42303]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-17707]



[[Page 42303]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket No. CDC-2017-0059]


Notice of Availability of Record of Decision for Site Acquisition 
and Campus Consolidation for the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (CDC/
NIOSH), Cincinnati, Ohio

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

ACTION: Notice.

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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 U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), announces the 
availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the acquisition of a 
site in Cincinnati, Ohio, and development of this site into a new, 
consolidated CDC/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH) campus (Proposed Action). The site to be acquired 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.
    CDC published a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for this 
action on July 20, 2018 pursuant to the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 as implemented by the Council 
on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508). 
CDC carefully considered the findings of the Final EIS when making its 
decision.

ADDRESSES: The ROD is available for viewing on the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal: http://www.regulations.gov (reference Docket No. CDC-2017-
0059). A limited number of printed copies are available upon request to 
[email protected] or 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. 
All U.S. Mail communications must include the agency name and Docket 
Number.

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, 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 assure safe and healthful working conditions for 
every working person in the United States.
    Currently, three NIOSH research facilities--the Robert A. Taft 
Campus, Taft North Campus, and the Alice Hamilton Laboratory Campus--
are located in Cincinnati, Ohio. These facilities no longer meet the 
research needs required to support occupational safety and health in 
the modern workplace. The facilities' deficiencies adversely affect 
NIOSH's ability to conduct occupational safety and health research in 
Cincinnati. 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 in Cincinnati results in inefficiencies in scientific 
collaboration and the duplication of operational support activities. To 
address these issues, CDC proposed 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 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 
campus. In response to the REOI, GSA received seven expressions of 
interest. Following an assessment of each site, GSA found that only one 
site qualified for further consideration (the Site). 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.
    Under NEPA, as implemented by CEQ Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-
1508), 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. In 
compliance with NEPA, CDC published a Draft EIS for the proposed site 
acquisition and campus consolidation on February 9, 2018 and a Final 
EIS on July 20, 2018. The Draft EIS was available for public review and 
comment for 45 days. All comments received were considered when 
preparing the Final EIS. The Draft and Final EIS analyzed 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). The Final EIS identified the Proposed Action 
Alternative as CDC's Preferred Alternative.
    After carefully considering the Final EIS and all comments 
received, CDC has made the decision to implement the Proposed Action 
Alternative. CDC's rationale for this decision is detailed in the ROD. 
The ROD incorporates all the mitigation and minimization measures 
described in the Final EIS.

    Dated: August 13, 2018.
Sandra Cashman,
Executive Secretary, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2018-17707 Filed 8-20-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P