[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 31 (Thursday, February 14, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4070-4072]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-01910]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[Docket No. CDC-2018-0057]
Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement,
Public 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).
[[Page 4071]]
ACTION: Notice of availability; 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 the availability
of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed
acquisition of a site in Mace, West Virginia, and the development of
this site into a replacement for the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Underground Safety Research
Program facility (Proposed Action). The proposed 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 U.S.
Route 219 in Randolph and Pocahontas Counties near Mace, West Virginia
(Site).
The Draft EIS and this notice are published 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). In parallel with the NEPA process, CDC is
also conducting consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act to evaluate the potential effects, if any, of the
Proposed Action on historic properties.
A Notice of Intent for this Draft EIS was published in the Federal
Register on June 14, 2018 (83 FR 27781).
DATES:
Public Meeting: A public meeting in open house format will be held
on March 6, 2019, in Slatyfork, West Virginia, to present the findings
of the Draft EIS and to solicit comments. The meeting will begin at
5:30 p.m. and end no later than 8:30 p.m. In case of inclement weather,
please send an email to [email protected] or call (770) 488-8170
to check on the status of the meeting.
Written comments: Written public comments must be submitted by
11:59 p.m. on April 5, 2019.
Deadline for Requests for Special Accommodations: Persons wishing
to participate in the public meeting who need special accommodations
should contact Sam Tarr at 770-488-8170 by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time,
February 27, 2019.
ADDRESSES: The public scoping meeting will be held at the Linwood
Community Library, 72 Snowshoe Drive, Slatyfork, West Virginia 26291.
Copies of the Draft EIS can be obtained at:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov
(reference Docket No. CDC-2018-0057).
Linwood Community Library, 72 Snowshoe Drive, Slatyfork,
West Virginia 26291.
By written request (electronic copies only) to: [email protected].
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, when the mine safety and health function was transferred
from the Bureau of Mines (BOM) to NIOSH, NIOSH took over the lease for
a facility referred to as the Lake Lynn Experimental Mine (LLEM). BOM
had leased the LLEM facility since 1982. The LLEM is located 60 miles
south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The LLEM and its aboveground fire
testing facility were 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
NIOSH vacated the LLEM after market-based purchase offers were rejected
by the property owners.
In 2013, CDC completed a Project Development Study to outline a
design solution to replace 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 Requests 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 entire contiguous United States. Three
expressions of interest were received for sites in Kentucky, Missouri,
and West Virginia. The Kentucky site did not meet the minimum criteria,
and the Missouri site expression of interest did not contain all
necessary information to evaluate. The offeror of the Missouri site did
not respond to subsequent GSA inquiries.
The potential site in West Virginia 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), with GSA as a cooperating agency, CDC prepared a
Draft 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
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before making a decision. The Draft EIS evaluates 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. No other alternatives were considered because
only one qualifying site was identified through the site selection
process discussed above.
Impacts on the following resources are considered in the Draft EIS:
Noise and vibration; geology, topography, and soils; water resources;
utilities and infrastructure; and biological resources--vegetation and
threatened and endangered species. Cultural resources were dismissed
because a phase I archaeological reconnaissance survey identified one
isolated artifact and confirmed low potential for additional
archaeological resources. Viewshed and vibration analyses indicated
that the potential for affecting historic structures would be
negligible. No observable direct impacts on cultural resources are
anticipated. Section 106 consultation under the National Historic
Preservation Act is ongoing and will be documented in the record of
decision. The status of the Section 106 consultation process to date is
documented in Chapter 1 of the Draft EIS.
The purpose of this notice is to inform interested parties
regarding the availability of the Draft EIS for review and to solicit
comments. To facilitate public comments, a public meeting will be held
on March 6, 2019, at the Linwood Community Library, 72 Snowshoe Drive,
Slatyfork, West Virginia 26291, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern
Standard Time. The public meeting will be an open house format. Copies
of the draft EIS will be available at the meeting, and poster stations
will provide a summary of the NEPA process and the findings of the EIS.
Representatives of CDC and GSA will be available to answer one-on-one
questions. There will be no formal presentation or formal testimonies.
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 one-on-one oral
comments.
After the public comment period ends, CDC will consider all
comments received, revise the Draft EIS to address these comments,
select a preferred alternative, and issue a Final EIS. CDC will
consider the Final EIS when deciding whether to proceed with the
proposed site acquisition and campus development.
Dated: February 6, 2019.
Sandra Cashman,
Executive Secretary, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2019-01910 Filed 2-13-19; 8:45 am]
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