[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 223 (Monday, November 19, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 58304]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-25088]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Sacramento
Peak Observatory, Sunspot, New Mexico
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) announces the
availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for
Sacramento Peak Observatory, Sunspot, NM. This Final EIS identifies and
analyzes the potential environmental consequences of the following
alternatives: Alternative 1, Continued Science- and Education-focused
Operations by Interested Parties with Reduced NSF Funding; Alternative
2, Transition to Partial Operations by Interested Parties with Reduced
NSF Funding (Agency-preferred Alternative); Alternative 3, Mothballing
of Facilities; Alternative 4, Demolition and Site Restoration
(Secondary Agency-Preferred Alternative); and the No Action
Alternative, Continued NSF Investment for Science[hyphen]focused
Operations. It also proposes mitigation measures to minimize the
adverse impacts from alternatives that include demolition where such
impacts may occur.
DATES: The National Science Foundation will execute a Record of
Decision no sooner than 30 days after the date of publication of the
Notice of Availability published in the Federal Register by the
Environmental Protection Agency.
ADDRESSES: The Final EIS is made available for public inspection online
at www.nsf.gov/AST. A copy of the FEIS will be available for review at
the following libraries:
Michael Nivison Public Library, 90 Swallow Place, Cloudcroft, NM 88317
Alamogordo Public Library, 920 Oregon Avenue, Alamogordo, NM 88310
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Elizabeth Pentecost, Re:
Sacramento Peak Observatory, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Room W9152,
Alexandria, VA 22314, [email protected]; 703-292-4907.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Sacramento Peak Observatory is located in
Sunspot, New Mexico, within the Lincoln National Forest in the
Sacramento Mountains. Established by the U.S. Air Force via a
memorandum of agreement with the U.S. Forest Service in 1950, the
facility was transferred to NSF in 1976. NSF and the U.S. Forest
Service executed a land use agreement (signed in 1980) to formalize
this transition and the continued use of the land for the Observatory.
The primary research facility in operation at the Sacramento Peak site
is the Richard B. Dunn Solar Telescope (DST), currently managed by the
National Solar Observatory (NSO). The DST is a high-spatial resolution
optical/infrared solar telescope.
Through a series of academic community-based and portfolio reviews,
NSF identified the need to divest several facilities from its portfolio
in order to retain the balance of capabilities needed to deliver the
best performance on the key science of the present decade and beyond.
In 2016, NSF completed a feasibility study to inform and define options
for the site's future disposition that would involve significantly
decreasing or eliminating NSF funding of the Sacramento Peak
Observatory. NSF issued a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS on July 5,
2016, held scoping meetings on July 21, 2016, and held a 30-day public
comment period that closed on August 5, 2016.
The Draft EIS was made available for public review and comment from
February 8 through March 26, 2018. The full Draft EIS was also posted
on the NSF, Division of Astronomical Sciences website (www.nsf.gov/AST)
and hard copies were delivered to local libraries. A public meeting on
the Draft EIS was held in Alamogordo, NM on February 28, 2018. During
the review period, the NSF received over 30 comments. After considering
all comments received, the NSF prepared the Final EIS. There are no
substantive changes to the range of alternatives considered.
Alternative 2 is identified as the ``Agency-Preferred Alternative'' and
Alternative 4 is identified as the ``Secondary Agency-Preferred
Alternative.''
Dated: November 13, 2018.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2018-25088 Filed 11-16-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P