Bethesda Campus Master Plan Record of Decision, 8094-8096 [2015-02993]
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8094
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 30 / Friday, February 13, 2015 / Notices
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Dated: February 9, 2015.
Leslie Kux,
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[FR Doc. 2015–03000 Filed 2–12–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda Campus Master Plan Record
of Decision
The Department of Health and
Human Services, the National Institutes
of Health (NIH), has decided, after
completion of a Final Environmental
Impact Statement (FEIS) and a thorough
consideration of the public comments
on the Draft EIS, to implement the
Proposed Action, referred to as the
Proposed Action in the Final EIS. This
action is for a long-range physical
Master Plan for National Institutes of
Health Bethesda Campus (NIH) located
in Bethesda, Maryland. This alternative
accounts for potential growth in NIH
personnel, new construction, additions,
renovations, demolitions, and upgrades
in site utilities.
Responsible Official: Daniel G.
Wheeland, Director, Office of Research
Facilities (ORF) Development and
Operations, NIH.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Valerie Nottingham, Deputy Director,
DEP, ORF, NIH, Building 13, Room
2S11, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda,
MD 20892, Phone 301–496–7775,
nihnepa@mail.nih.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
Decision
After careful review of the
environmental consequences in the
Final Environmental Impact Statement
for the Master Plan, National Institutes
of Health Bethesda Campus, and
consideration of public comment
throughout the NEPA process, the NIH
has decided to implement the Proposed
Action described below as the Selected
Alternative.
Selected Alternative
The Selected Alternative is intended
to be a strategic tool for the efficient
allocation of campus resources, the
orderly accommodation of future
growth, and the creation of an
environment that is both functionally
and aesthetically conducive to
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accomplishing the NIH mission. The
Selected Alternative will provide a
guide for the reasoned and orderly
development of the NIH campus, one
that values and builds on existing
resources, corrects current deficiencies
and meets changing needs through new
construction or renovation. The plan
sets forth implementation priorities and
a logical sequencing of planned
development.
The Selected Alternative is for a longrange physical Master Plan for NIH.
This alternative covers a 20-year
planning period, with reviews every 5
years to ensure that the plan continues
to address issues affecting the campus.
The alternative addresses the future
development of the NIH site, including
placement of future construction;
vehicular and pedestrian circulation on
and off-campus; parking within the
property boundaries; open space in and
around the campus; required setbacks;
historic properties; natural and scenic
resources; noise; and lighting. This
alternative accounts for potential growth
in NIH personnel, and consequent
construction of space over the planning
period. Future construction on the site
could include such facilities as new
animal holding, research laboratories,
and support facilities.
NIH will continue to develop the
Bethesda campus to accommodate NIH’s
research needs and required
programmatic needs consistent with the
commitment to maintain the ‘‘campus’’
character of the site. The Selected
Alternative advances this objective by
programming and locating future NIH
growth so that new development would
tie into the existing utility services and
utilities are available to support growth,
and establishing development
guidelines for future changes to the site
that ensure that as the campus grows
new development would be responsive
to the context of adjacent neighborhoods
or developments. Under the Selected
Alternative, the total NIH population on
the campus is anticipated to grow in the
next twenty years to a total of
approximately 23,594, which is an
increase of approximately 3,000
employees. The primary growth at the
campus would be in intramural research
personnel and the administrative and
facility staff to support them. The
majority, if not all, of the employees
would be coming from off-site facilities
and are already employees, or
contractors, of NIH.
Alternatives Considered
The Proposed Action Alternative, the
Redevelopment Alternative and No
Action Alternative were the three
alternatives analyzed in the Final EIS.
E:\FR\FM\13FEN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 30 / Friday, February 13, 2015 / Notices
The Master Plan covers a 20-year
planning period, but will be reviewed
every 5 years to ensure that the plan
continues to remain current and
relevant to the key issues affecting the
campus. The alternatives addressed the
future development of the NIH site,
including placement of future
construction; vehicular and pedestrian
circulation on and off-campus; parking
within the property boundaries; open
space in and around the campus;
required setbacks; historic properties;
natural and scenic resources; noise; and
lighting. The alternatives account for
potential growth in NIH personnel, and
consequent construction of space over
the planning period. Future
construction on the site could include
such facilities as new animal holding,
research laboratories, and support
facilities.
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Factors Involved in the Decision
The Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) requires that NIH
facilities have a Master Plan and, the
previous Master Plan for the NIH
campus was outdated. In addition,
factors such as the aging of facilities that
were designed only to accommodate
temporary use, animal housing facilities
that do not provide adequate space for
projected increases in animal
populations, and research support
facilities not being adequate to sustain
current and projected programs. The
Master Plan contains information,
analysis, and recommendations to guide
development of individual projects. It
also serves as a means of informing city
and county officials and utilities of
future NIH development plans so they
can anticipate and plan for the potential
effects of NIH proposals on their
systems.
Resources Impacted
The Final EIS describes potential
environmental effects of the Selected
Alternative. These potential effects are
documented in Chapter 3 of the Final
EIS. Any potential adverse
environmental effects will be avoided or
mitigated through design elements,
procedures, and compliance with
regulatory and NIH requirements.
Potential impacts on air quality are all
within government standards (federal,
state, and local). NIH does not expect
significant negative effects on the
environment or on the citizens of
Bethesda from construction and
operation at NIH.
Summary of Impacts
The following is a summary of
potential impacts resulting from the
Selected Alternative that the NIH
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Jkt 235001
considered when making its decision.
No adverse cumulative effects have been
identified during the NEPA process.
Likewise, no unavoidable or adverse
impacts from implementation of the
Selected Alternative have been
identified. The Selected Alternative will
be beneficial to the long-term
productivity of the national and world
health communities. Biomedical
research conducted at the NIH facilities
on the campus will have the potential
to advance techniques in disease
prevention and cures, develop disease
immunizations, and prepare defenses
against naturally emerging and reemerging diseases and against
bioweapons. Additionally, the local
community will benefit from increased
employment, income and, government
and public finance.
Housing
Under the Selected Alternative, the
building program would improve
existing laboratory and office spaces.
This would allow NIH to attract wellqualified personnel to the campus. The
campus building program would be
expanded with nominal population
increases. These added employees
would continue to seek regional housing
options and use local community
services. This modest expansion would
have a modest beneficial economic
impact with modest increased demand
for housing and community services.
Education
The expected increases of employees
on the NIH campus are from employees
already working in the Bethesda area in
the agency’s off campus, leased
facilities. If any new employees were
hired, the current public school capacity
in Bethesda or Montgomery County and
surrounding school districts would be
adequate to accommodate the expected
minimal growth caused by the Selected
Alternative.
Transportation
The potential increase in vehicular
traffic generated by the additional
facilities and employees envisioned in
the Master Plan would only minimally
contribute to the amount of traffic on
the roadways in the vicinity of the
campus. If the campus houses 3,000
additional staff, the impact on morning
and evening rushes is estimated to be
approximately 12 percent more NIH
vehicles. When taking into account that
NIH’s contribution to local traffic
constitutes only approximately 25% of
the traffic, the impact on the community
is estimated to be 3%. Furthermore, by
the time the capital improvements
contemplated under the Selected
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8095
Alternative are in place, mass transit
developments such as the Purple Line
and Bus Rapid Transit might well be in
place, thereby offsetting the 3%
congestion. The Selected Alternative
includes 3,000 additional employees,
and would generate approximately an
additional 432 a.m. and 439 p.m. trips.
The seven proposed Base Realignment
and Closure (BRAC) improvements,
discussed in the EIS, several of which
were facilitated through NIH easements,
would result in mitigating this slight
increase AM and PM peak traffic, and
also help keep the congestion standard
below 1,600 Calculated Load Value
(CLV). Stated differently, the modest
increase in traffic would not change the
intersection ratings. Lastly, if NIH
increases the campus population, it will
increase parking at the ration of 1
parking spot per 3 additional staff.
Security
The Selected Alternative would not
be expected to have adverse impacts on
security on the NIH Campus. No new
security measures are proposed in the
Master Plan.
Employment
If the Selected Alternative is fully
implemented, an increase of up to 3,000
employees and contractors would
increase the current total of 20,594 up
to approximately 23,594. The increase
draws from employees that are already
working in the Bethesda/Montgomery
County area.
Environmental Justice
The Selected Alternative would not
be expected to have disproportionately
high or adverse impacts on low income
or minority populations of the affected
area.
Visual Quality
The Master Plan’s land use plan
provides a framework to help organize
future development at NIH so that
similar land use types are consolidated
while open space and natural features
are preserved. NIH would exhibit the
same basic types of land use as it does
currently, but in a slightly different
configuration. The Master Plan does not
propose any land use changes outside
NIH. Therefore, the NIH campus is
anticipated to remain consistent with
the county plan and zoning regulations.
Noise
To limit impacts to nearby residences,
NIH would limit construction activities
to normal daytime working hours.
Under the Master Plan, the ambient
noise levels at NIH would remain
within Maryland and Montgomery
E:\FR\FM\13FEN1.SGM
13FEN1
8096
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 30 / Friday, February 13, 2015 / Notices
County noise thresholds. Furthermore,
any minor change in noise levels is not
expected to affect the character of the
site.
Air Quality
Traffic is expected to be the primary
mobile source of air emissions at or near
the campus. Mobile air emissions for the
campus at this time are expected to
originate from vehicles associated with
visitors, commuter transportation,
employee parking, commercial delivery,
and construction vehicles. Future traffic
generated carbon monoxide (CO)
concentrations were predicted to be less
than 2003 concentrations in the
Selected Alternative due to projected
vehicle emission rate reductions. Based
on predicted values, the one and eighthour average National Ambient Air
Quality Standards (NAAQS) CO
concentrations would not be exceeded
and no impacts are expected for any of
the proposed Alternatives.
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Wastewater/Water Supply
The Selected Alternative would
increase the amount of wastewater
generated on campus with the proposal
of additional development. To facilitate
the construction of the improvements
under this proposed alternative, the
existing wastewater distribution system
would need to be relocated and
upgraded as necessary. With the
increase in demand, NIH will consult
with the Washington Suburban Sanitary
Commission (WSSC) to ensure adequate
sewer capacity is available for the
campus. This consultation would also
assist WSSC in determining if and when
any of the public lines surrounding the
campus need to be upgraded. All
sanitary sewer design would be in
accordance with the NIH Facilities
Development Manual, ‘‘Section 8–6:
Drainage Systems’’ of the 2008 National
Institutes of Health Design
Requirements for Biomedical
Laboratories and Animal Research
Facilities and the WSSC requirements.
No significant impacts are expected for
wastewater or the NIH campus water
supply.
Historic Resources
NIH would comply with National
Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)
Section 106 by consulting with
Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) on the
need for particular archeological studies
as individual Master Plan project
elements are funded, designed, and
executed. In the event that eligible
prehistoric resources are identified and
adverse effects are anticipated, NIH
would continue Section 106
consultation with the appropriate
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21:56 Feb 12, 2015
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consulting parties (which would
include MHT and may also include
Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation (ACHP) and Native
American tribes) to establish a
Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to
resolve adverse effects. Mitigation
measures identified through this
consultation could include in-place
preservation through site avoidance,
protection, or easement acquisition;
development and implementation of a
data recovery plan to retrieve and
analyze the site’s resources
implementation of innovative,
alternative mitigation measures or a
combination of these measures.
Practicable Means To Avoid or
Minimize Potential Environmental
Harm From the Selected Alternative
All practicable means to avoid or
minimize adverse environmental effects
from the Selected Action have been
identified and incorporated into the
action. The proposed Master Plan
construction will be subject to the
existing NIH pollution prevention,
waste management, and safety, security,
and emergency response policies and
procedures as well as existing
environmental permits. Best
management practices, spill prevention
and control, and stormwater
management plans will be followed to
appropriately address the construction
and operation envisioned in [or
‘‘described in’’—the Master Plan itself
will not be constructed and operated] of
the new Master Plan and comply with
applicable regulatory and NIH
requirements. No additional mitigation
measures have been identified.
Pollution Prevention
Air quality permit standards will be
met, as will all federal, state, and local
requirements to protect the environment
and public health.
Conclusion
Based upon review and careful
consideration, the NIH has decided to
implement the Selected Alternative for
a long-range physical Master Plan for
NIH Bethesda Campus located in
Bethesda, Maryland. The decision
accounts for potential growth of NIH
personnel, and consequent construction
of space over the planning period. The
decision was based upon review and
careful consideration of the impacts
identified in the Final EIS and public
comments received throughout the
NEPA process.
Separate NEPA reviews, when
required, will be done on projects
discussed in the Master Plan. Proper
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Sfmt 4703
NEPA documentation will be completed
based on the outcome of that review.
Dated: February 5, 2015.
Daniel G. Wheeland, P.E.
Director, Office of Research Facilities
Development and Operations, National
Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2015–02993 Filed 2–12–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
Announcement of a Draft NIH Policy on
Dissemination of NIH-Funded Clinical
Trial Information
On November 19, 2014, the
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
published a request for public
comments in the NIH Guide for Grants
and Contracts on a draft policy to
promote broad and responsible
dissemination of information on clinical
trials funded by the NIH through
registration and submission of summary
results information to ClinicalTrials.gov.
See Guide notice NOT–OD–15–019 at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/
notice-files/NOT-OD-15-019.html. NIH
is publishing this notice in order to
inform readers of the Federal Register
about the draft policy and the
opportunity to comment.
DATES: The deadline for receiving
comments on the draft policy is no later
than 5:00 p.m. on March 23, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be
submitted by any of the following
methods:
• Email:
clinicaltrials.disseminationpolicy@
mail.nih.gov.
• Fax: 301–496–9839.
• Mail/Hand delivery/Courier: Office
of Clinical Research and Bioethics
Policy, Office of Science Policy,
National Institutes of Health, 6705
Rockledge Drive, Suite 750, Bethesda,
MD 20892.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Office of Clinical Research and
Bioethics Policy, Office of Science
Policy, National Institutes of Health,
6705 Rockledge Drive, Suite 750,
Bethesda, MD 20892, 301–496–9838,
OCRBP-OSP@od.nih.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
Background
The National Institutes of Health
(NIH) is dedicated to improving the
health of Americans by conducting and
funding biomedical and behavioral
E:\FR\FM\13FEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 30 (Friday, February 13, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8094-8096]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-02993]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda Campus Master Plan Record of Decision
SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services, the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), has decided, after completion of a Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and a thorough consideration of
the public comments on the Draft EIS, to implement the Proposed Action,
referred to as the Proposed Action in the Final EIS. This action is for
a long-range physical Master Plan for National Institutes of Health
Bethesda Campus (NIH) located in Bethesda, Maryland. This alternative
accounts for potential growth in NIH personnel, new construction,
additions, renovations, demolitions, and upgrades in site utilities.
Responsible Official: Daniel G. Wheeland, Director, Office of
Research Facilities (ORF) Development and Operations, NIH.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Valerie Nottingham, Deputy Director,
DEP, ORF, NIH, Building 13, Room 2S11, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda,
MD 20892, Phone 301-496-7775, nihnepa@mail.nih.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Decision
After careful review of the environmental consequences in the Final
Environmental Impact Statement for the Master Plan, National Institutes
of Health Bethesda Campus, and consideration of public comment
throughout the NEPA process, the NIH has decided to implement the
Proposed Action described below as the Selected Alternative.
Selected Alternative
The Selected Alternative is intended to be a strategic tool for the
efficient allocation of campus resources, the orderly accommodation of
future growth, and the creation of an environment that is both
functionally and aesthetically conducive to accomplishing the NIH
mission. The Selected Alternative will provide a guide for the reasoned
and orderly development of the NIH campus, one that values and builds
on existing resources, corrects current deficiencies and meets changing
needs through new construction or renovation. The plan sets forth
implementation priorities and a logical sequencing of planned
development.
The Selected Alternative is for a long-range physical Master Plan
for NIH. This alternative covers a 20-year planning period, with
reviews every 5 years to ensure that the plan continues to address
issues affecting the campus. The alternative addresses the future
development of the NIH site, including placement of future
construction; vehicular and pedestrian circulation on and off-campus;
parking within the property boundaries; open space in and around the
campus; required setbacks; historic properties; natural and scenic
resources; noise; and lighting. This alternative accounts for potential
growth in NIH personnel, and consequent construction of space over the
planning period. Future construction on the site could include such
facilities as new animal holding, research laboratories, and support
facilities.
NIH will continue to develop the Bethesda campus to accommodate
NIH's research needs and required programmatic needs consistent with
the commitment to maintain the ``campus'' character of the site. The
Selected Alternative advances this objective by programming and
locating future NIH growth so that new development would tie into the
existing utility services and utilities are available to support
growth, and establishing development guidelines for future changes to
the site that ensure that as the campus grows new development would be
responsive to the context of adjacent neighborhoods or developments.
Under the Selected Alternative, the total NIH population on the campus
is anticipated to grow in the next twenty years to a total of
approximately 23,594, which is an increase of approximately 3,000
employees. The primary growth at the campus would be in intramural
research personnel and the administrative and facility staff to support
them. The majority, if not all, of the employees would be coming from
off-site facilities and are already employees, or contractors, of NIH.
Alternatives Considered
The Proposed Action Alternative, the Redevelopment Alternative and
No Action Alternative were the three alternatives analyzed in the Final
EIS.
[[Page 8095]]
The Master Plan covers a 20-year planning period, but will be reviewed
every 5 years to ensure that the plan continues to remain current and
relevant to the key issues affecting the campus. The alternatives
addressed the future development of the NIH site, including placement
of future construction; vehicular and pedestrian circulation on and
off-campus; parking within the property boundaries; open space in and
around the campus; required setbacks; historic properties; natural and
scenic resources; noise; and lighting. The alternatives account for
potential growth in NIH personnel, and consequent construction of space
over the planning period. Future construction on the site could include
such facilities as new animal holding, research laboratories, and
support facilities.
Factors Involved in the Decision
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requires that NIH
facilities have a Master Plan and, the previous Master Plan for the NIH
campus was outdated. In addition, factors such as the aging of
facilities that were designed only to accommodate temporary use, animal
housing facilities that do not provide adequate space for projected
increases in animal populations, and research support facilities not
being adequate to sustain current and projected programs. The Master
Plan contains information, analysis, and recommendations to guide
development of individual projects. It also serves as a means of
informing city and county officials and utilities of future NIH
development plans so they can anticipate and plan for the potential
effects of NIH proposals on their systems.
Resources Impacted
The Final EIS describes potential environmental effects of the
Selected Alternative. These potential effects are documented in Chapter
3 of the Final EIS. Any potential adverse environmental effects will be
avoided or mitigated through design elements, procedures, and
compliance with regulatory and NIH requirements. Potential impacts on
air quality are all within government standards (federal, state, and
local). NIH does not expect significant negative effects on the
environment or on the citizens of Bethesda from construction and
operation at NIH.
Summary of Impacts
The following is a summary of potential impacts resulting from the
Selected Alternative that the NIH considered when making its decision.
No adverse cumulative effects have been identified during the NEPA
process. Likewise, no unavoidable or adverse impacts from
implementation of the Selected Alternative have been identified. The
Selected Alternative will be beneficial to the long-term productivity
of the national and world health communities. Biomedical research
conducted at the NIH facilities on the campus will have the potential
to advance techniques in disease prevention and cures, develop disease
immunizations, and prepare defenses against naturally emerging and re-
emerging diseases and against bioweapons. Additionally, the local
community will benefit from increased employment, income and,
government and public finance.
Housing
Under the Selected Alternative, the building program would improve
existing laboratory and office spaces. This would allow NIH to attract
well-qualified personnel to the campus. The campus building program
would be expanded with nominal population increases. These added
employees would continue to seek regional housing options and use local
community services. This modest expansion would have a modest
beneficial economic impact with modest increased demand for housing and
community services.
Education
The expected increases of employees on the NIH campus are from
employees already working in the Bethesda area in the agency's off
campus, leased facilities. If any new employees were hired, the current
public school capacity in Bethesda or Montgomery County and surrounding
school districts would be adequate to accommodate the expected minimal
growth caused by the Selected Alternative.
Transportation
The potential increase in vehicular traffic generated by the
additional facilities and employees envisioned in the Master Plan would
only minimally contribute to the amount of traffic on the roadways in
the vicinity of the campus. If the campus houses 3,000 additional
staff, the impact on morning and evening rushes is estimated to be
approximately 12 percent more NIH vehicles. When taking into account
that NIH's contribution to local traffic constitutes only approximately
25% of the traffic, the impact on the community is estimated to be 3%.
Furthermore, by the time the capital improvements contemplated under
the Selected Alternative are in place, mass transit developments such
as the Purple Line and Bus Rapid Transit might well be in place,
thereby offsetting the 3% congestion. The Selected Alternative includes
3,000 additional employees, and would generate approximately an
additional 432 a.m. and 439 p.m. trips. The seven proposed Base
Realignment and Closure (BRAC) improvements, discussed in the EIS,
several of which were facilitated through NIH easements, would result
in mitigating this slight increase AM and PM peak traffic, and also
help keep the congestion standard below 1,600 Calculated Load Value
(CLV). Stated differently, the modest increase in traffic would not
change the intersection ratings. Lastly, if NIH increases the campus
population, it will increase parking at the ration of 1 parking spot
per 3 additional staff.
Security
The Selected Alternative would not be expected to have adverse
impacts on security on the NIH Campus. No new security measures are
proposed in the Master Plan.
Employment
If the Selected Alternative is fully implemented, an increase of up
to 3,000 employees and contractors would increase the current total of
20,594 up to approximately 23,594. The increase draws from employees
that are already working in the Bethesda/Montgomery County area.
Environmental Justice
The Selected Alternative would not be expected to have
disproportionately high or adverse impacts on low income or minority
populations of the affected area.
Visual Quality
The Master Plan's land use plan provides a framework to help
organize future development at NIH so that similar land use types are
consolidated while open space and natural features are preserved. NIH
would exhibit the same basic types of land use as it does currently,
but in a slightly different configuration. The Master Plan does not
propose any land use changes outside NIH. Therefore, the NIH campus is
anticipated to remain consistent with the county plan and zoning
regulations.
Noise
To limit impacts to nearby residences, NIH would limit construction
activities to normal daytime working hours. Under the Master Plan, the
ambient noise levels at NIH would remain within Maryland and Montgomery
[[Page 8096]]
County noise thresholds. Furthermore, any minor change in noise levels
is not expected to affect the character of the site.
Air Quality
Traffic is expected to be the primary mobile source of air
emissions at or near the campus. Mobile air emissions for the campus at
this time are expected to originate from vehicles associated with
visitors, commuter transportation, employee parking, commercial
delivery, and construction vehicles. Future traffic generated carbon
monoxide (CO) concentrations were predicted to be less than 2003
concentrations in the Selected Alternative due to projected vehicle
emission rate reductions. Based on predicted values, the one and eight-
hour average National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) CO
concentrations would not be exceeded and no impacts are expected for
any of the proposed Alternatives.
Wastewater/Water Supply
The Selected Alternative would increase the amount of wastewater
generated on campus with the proposal of additional development. To
facilitate the construction of the improvements under this proposed
alternative, the existing wastewater distribution system would need to
be relocated and upgraded as necessary. With the increase in demand,
NIH will consult with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
(WSSC) to ensure adequate sewer capacity is available for the campus.
This consultation would also assist WSSC in determining if and when any
of the public lines surrounding the campus need to be upgraded. All
sanitary sewer design would be in accordance with the NIH Facilities
Development Manual, ``Section 8-6: Drainage Systems'' of the 2008
National Institutes of Health Design Requirements for Biomedical
Laboratories and Animal Research Facilities and the WSSC requirements.
No significant impacts are expected for wastewater or the NIH campus
water supply.
Historic Resources
NIH would comply with National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)
Section 106 by consulting with Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) on the
need for particular archeological studies as individual Master Plan
project elements are funded, designed, and executed. In the event that
eligible prehistoric resources are identified and adverse effects are
anticipated, NIH would continue Section 106 consultation with the
appropriate consulting parties (which would include MHT and may also
include Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) and Native
American tribes) to establish a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to
resolve adverse effects. Mitigation measures identified through this
consultation could include in-place preservation through site
avoidance, protection, or easement acquisition; development and
implementation of a data recovery plan to retrieve and analyze the
site's resources implementation of innovative, alternative mitigation
measures or a combination of these measures.
Practicable Means To Avoid or Minimize Potential Environmental Harm
From the Selected Alternative
All practicable means to avoid or minimize adverse environmental
effects from the Selected Action have been identified and incorporated
into the action. The proposed Master Plan construction will be subject
to the existing NIH pollution prevention, waste management, and safety,
security, and emergency response policies and procedures as well as
existing environmental permits. Best management practices, spill
prevention and control, and stormwater management plans will be
followed to appropriately address the construction and operation
envisioned in [or ``described in''--the Master Plan itself will not be
constructed and operated] of the new Master Plan and comply with
applicable regulatory and NIH requirements. No additional mitigation
measures have been identified.
Pollution Prevention
Air quality permit standards will be met, as will all federal,
state, and local requirements to protect the environment and public
health.
Conclusion
Based upon review and careful consideration, the NIH has decided to
implement the Selected Alternative for a long-range physical Master
Plan for NIH Bethesda Campus located in Bethesda, Maryland. The
decision accounts for potential growth of NIH personnel, and consequent
construction of space over the planning period. The decision was based
upon review and careful consideration of the impacts identified in the
Final EIS and public comments received throughout the NEPA process.
Separate NEPA reviews, when required, will be done on projects
discussed in the Master Plan. Proper NEPA documentation will be
completed based on the outcome of that review.
Dated: February 5, 2015.
Daniel G. Wheeland, P.E.
Director, Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations,
National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2015-02993 Filed 2-12-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P
