Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Update to the Master Plan for the Consolidation of the Food and Drug Administration Headquarters at the Federal Research Center at White Oak in Silver Spring, MD, 12449 [E8-4579]

Agencies

• General Services Administration

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 46 (Friday, March 7, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 12449]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-4579]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Update to the Master Plan for the 
Consolidation of the Food and Drug Administration Headquarters at the 
Federal Research Center at White Oak in Silver Spring, MD

AGENCY: General Service Administration (GSA); National Capital Region.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality 
Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), GSA Order PBS P1095.1F 
(Environmental considerations in decisionmaking, date October 19, 
1999), and the GSA Public Buildings Service NEPA Desk Guide, GSA plans 
to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the 
proposed update to the Master Plan to support the consolidation of the 
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Headquarters at the Federal Research 
Center at White Oak in Silver Spring, Maryland.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne Hill, NEPA Lead, General 
Services Administration, National Capital Region, at (202) 205-5821. 
Please also call this number if special assistance is needed to attend 
and participate in the scoping meeting.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The notice of intent is as follows:

Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplement Environmental Impact Statement

    The General Services Administration intends to prepare a 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to analyze the 
potential impacts resulting from the proposed Master Plan update to 
support the FDA Headquarters consolidation at the Federal Research 
Center (FRC) at White Oak in Silver Spring, Maryland.
    This SEIS is a supplement to the analyses presented in the U.S. 
Food and Drug Administration Consolidation, Montgomery County, Final 
Environmental Impact Statement, April 1997 and the U.S. Food and Drug 
Administration Headquarters Consolidation, Final Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement, March 2005.

Background

    In 1997, GSA completed an environmental impact statement that 
analyzed the impacts from the consolidation of 5,974 FDA employees at 
the FRC. In 2005, GSA also completed a supplemental environmental 
impact statement that analyzed the impacts of increasing the number of 
employees from 5,947 to 7,720 and the impacts of creating a new eastern 
access point into the FRC. In September 2007, new legislation was 
enacted that expanded FDA's mandate to support the Prescription Drug 
User Fee Act (PDUFA) and the Medical Device User Fee and Modernization 
Act (MDUFMA). In order for FDA to fulfill the legislated mandates, 
additional employees may be needed, and the new legislation will likely 
result in an increase of employees at the FRC from 7,720 to 8,889. The 
increase in the campus population is needed to conduct the complex and 
comprehensive reviews necessary for new drugs and medical devices.
    The purpose of the proposed action is to update the Master Plan for 
the FDA Campus at FRC to accommodate employee growth from 7,720 to 
8,889 within the 130 acres appropriated by Congress for the FDA Campus. 
Need for the proposed action is to continue to support FDA Headquarters 
consolidation at FRC and provide the necessary office and laboratory 
space to support the expanded PDUFA and MDUFMA programs.

Alternatives Under Consideration

    GSA will analyze a range of alternatives including the no action 
alternative for the proposed Master Plan update of the FDA headquarters 
to support PDUFA and MDUFMA programs. As part of the SEIS, GSA will 
study the impacts of each alternative on the human environment.

Scoping Process

    In accordance with NEPA, a scoping process will be conducted to aid 
in determining the alternatives to be considered and the scope of 
issues to be addressed, as well as for identifying the significant 
issues related to the proposed update of the Master Plan to accommodate 
the additional increase in employees at the FDA Headquarters at White 
Oak, Maryland. Scoping will be accomplished through a public scoping 
meeting, direct mail correspondence to potentially interested persons, 
agencies, and organizations, and meetings with agencies having an 
interest in the FRC. It is important that Federal, regional, State, and 
local agencies, and interested individuals and groups take this 
opportunity to identify environmental concerns that should be addressed 
during the preparation of the Draft SEIS.

Public Scoping Meeting

    The public scoping meeting will be held on Thursday, March 27, 
2008, from 6:30 until 8:30 p.m. at the CHI Center (Multipurpose Room) 
located at 10501 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland. The 
meeting will be an informal open house along with a brief presentation, 
where visitors may come, receive information, and give comments. GSA 
will publish notices in the Washington Post and local newspapers 
announcing this meeting approximately two weeks prior to the meeting. 
GSA will prepare a scoping report, available to the public, that will 
summarize the comments received and facilitate their incorporation into 
the SEIS process.
    Written Comments: Agencies and the public are encouraged to provide 
written comments on the scoping issues in addition to or in lieu of 
giving their comments at the public scoping meeting. Written comments 
regarding the environmental analysis for the proposed Master Plan 
update must be postmarked no later than April 7, 2008, and sent to the 
following address: General Services Administration, Attention: Suzanne 
Hill, NEPA Lead, 301 7th Street, SW., Room 7600, Washington, DC 20407, 
(202) 205-5821. E-mail: Suzanne.Hill@gsa.gov.

    Dated: March 3, 2008.
Patricia T. Ralston,
Director, Portfolio Management.
[FR Doc. E8-4579 Filed 3-6-08; 8:45 am]
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