[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 149 (Friday, August 2, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37916-37917]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-16479]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Record of Decision; Green Bank Observatory

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice of Record of Decision.

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SUMMARY: On July 26, 2019, the National Science Foundation (NSF) signed 
a Record of Decision (ROD) for the Green Bank Observatory in Green 
Bank, West

[[Page 37917]]

Virginia. This important step concludes the agency's decision-making 
process with respect to the general path forward for facility 
operations in a budget-constrained environment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth A. Pentecost, Project 
Administrator, National Science Foundation, Division of Astronomical 
Sciences, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Room W 9152, Alexandria, VA 22314. 
Telephone: 703-292-4907, Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NSF issued its ROD following an extensive 
environmental impact analysis and broad input from the public and the 
scientific community, including the National Academies 6th Decadal 
Survey released in 2010, and the NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences 
Portfolio Review Committee Report released in 2012.
    The ROD formalizes NSF's selection of Alternative A: Collaboration 
with interested parties for continued science- and education-focused 
operations with reduced NSF funding (Agency-Preferred Alternative). The 
selection of this Alternative will allow important research at GBO to 
continue while simultaneously addressing NSF's need to reduce its share 
of the operations cost within the context of scientific priorities and 
a constrained budgetary environment.
    Prior to issuance of the ROD, a Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (FEIS) was prepared in compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act, 42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq. (NEPA), dated 
February 22, 2109, and availability of it was noticed in the Federal 
Register on February 22, 2019. As detailed in the FEIS, five Action 
Alternatives and a No-Action Alternative, were considered for the 
proposed change in operations of Arecibo Observatory. These 
Alternatives include:

 Alternative A: Collaboration with Interested Parties for 
Continued Science-and Education-focused Operations with Reduced NSF 
Funding (Agency-preferred Alternative)
 Alternative B: Collaboration with Interested Parties for 
Operations as a Technology Park
 Alternative C: Mothballing of Facilities
 Alternative D: Demolition and Site Restoration
 No-Action Alternative: Continued NSF Investment for Science-
focused Operations

    The Agency-Preferred Alternative, which is also the environmentally 
preferable Action Alternative, was selected and documented in the ROD. 
The ROD also reflects NSF's consideration of the outcomes of its 
comprehensive compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. 306108 (formerly 16 U.S.C. 470f) and its 
implementing regulations found at 36 CFR part 800) and the Endangered 
Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531-1544 and its implementing regulations at 50 
CFR part 402).
    The ROD is now available on the internet at: http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/env_impact_reviews/greenbank/greenbank_rod.jsp. in 
Adobe[supreg] portable document format (PDF). Limited hard copies of 
the ROD are also available, on a first request basis, by contacting the 
NSF contact, Elizabeth A. Pentecost, Project Administrator, National 
Science Foundation, Division of Astronomical Sciences, 2415 Eisenhower 
Avenue, Room W9152, Alexandria, VA 22314, Telephone: 703-292-4907, 
Email: [email protected].

    Dated: July 29, 2019.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2019-16479 Filed 8-1-19; 8:45 am]
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