Notice of Availability and Notice of Public Meeting for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Green Bank Observatory, Green Bank, West Virginia, 51878-51879 [2017-24322]

Download as PDF ethrower on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES 51878 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 215 / Wednesday, November 8, 2017 / Notices Pollution Prevention and Control Act (‘‘Colorado Act’’), Colorado’s federally approved State Implementation Plan (‘‘Colorado SIP’’), and Colorado Air Quality Control Commission Regulation Number 7 (‘‘Regulation No. 7’’) at tank batteries (referred to in the consent decree as ‘‘Tank Systems’’) owned and operated by PDC Energy, Inc. (‘‘PDC’’) in a portion of the Denver-Julesburg Basin in Colorado (known as the ‘‘8-hour Ozone Control Area’’) designated as non-attainment with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ground-level ozone. The violations relate to alleged failures to adequately design, operate, and maintain vapor control systems at the Tank Systems, resulting in emissions of volatile organic compounds (‘‘VOC’’) and other pollutants to the atmosphere. The proposed consent decree covers PDC’s Tank Systems in the 8-hour Ozone Control Area equipped with vapor control systems pursuant to Regulation No. 7 to achieve required system-wide emission reductions (more than 600 Tank Systems). The proposed decree requires PDC to perform injunctive relief, including conducting engineering evaluations of the vapor control systems at each of the Tank Systems and completing any necessary corrective actions to ensure that the vapor control systems are adequately designed and sized. PDC must also complete two environmental mitigation projects at a cost of $1.7 million and pay a $2.5 million civil penalty, $1 million of which is anticipated to be used to perform one or more State-Only Supplemental Environmental Projects. Entering into and fully complying with the proposed consent decree will release PDC from past civil liability at the Tank Systems and associated vapor control systems for violations of the Colorado SIP and Regulation No. 7 relating to VOC emissions from condensate storage tanks. The publication of this notice opens a period for public comment on the consent decree. Comments should be addressed to the Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division, and should refer to United States, et al. v. PDC Energy, Inc., D.J. Ref. No. 90–5–2–1–11467. All comments must be submitted no later than thirty (30) days after the publication date of this notice. Comments may be submitted either by email or by mail: To submit comments: Send them to: By email ......... pubcomment-ees.enrd@ usdoj.gov. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:26 Nov 07, 2017 Jkt 244001 To submit comments: Send them to: By mail ........... Assistant Attorney General, U.S. DOJ—ENRD, P.O. Box 7611, Washington, D.C. 20044–7611. During the public comment period, the consent decree may be examined and downloaded at this Justice Department Web site: https:// www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees. We will provide a paper copy of the consent decree upon written request and payment of reproduction costs. Please mail your request and payment to: Consent Decree Library, U.S. DOJ— ENRD, P.O. Box 7611, Washington, DC 20044–7611. Please enclose a check or money order for $25.25 (25 cents per page reproduction cost) payable to the United States Treasury. Jeffrey Sands, Assistant Section Chief, Environmental Enforcement Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division. [FR Doc. 2017–24250 Filed 11–7–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4410–15–P NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Notice of Availability and Notice of Public Meeting for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Green Bank Observatory, Green Bank, West Virginia National Science Foundation. Notice of availability and notice of public meeting. AGENCY: ACTION: The National Science Foundation (NSF) has made available for public review and comment the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Green Bank Observatory. This DEIS has been prepared for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts resulting from proposed operational changes due to funding constraints for the Green Bank Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia. The DEIS was prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) is being conducted concurrent with the NEPA process. DATES: NSF will accept comments on the DEIS for 60 days following publication of this Notice of Availability; an additional 15 days are being provided beyond the standard 45day review period to allow for the SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00078 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 holidays). Comments may be submitted verbally during the public meeting scheduled for November 30, 2017 (see details in SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION) or in writing until January 8th, 2018. Substantive comments will be addressed in a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by either of the following methods: • Email to: envcomp-ASTgreenbank@nsf.gov, with subject line ‘‘Green Bank Observatory’’. • Mail to: Elizabeth Pentecost, RE: Green Bank Observatory, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite W9152, Alexandria, VA 22314. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding the EIS process or Section 106 consultation, contact: Elizabeth Pentecost, National Science Foundation, Division of Astronomical Sciences, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite W9152, Alexandria, VA 22314; telephone: (703) 292–4907; email: epenteco@nsf.gov. DEIS Information: The DEIS, as well as information about the public meeting, is posted at www.nsf.gov/AST. A copy of the DEIS will be available for review at the following libraries: Green Bank Public Library, 5683 Potomac Highlands Trail, Green Bank, WV 24944, Durbin Community Library, 4361 Staunton Parkersburg Turnpike, Durbin, WV 26264. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Green Bank Observatory (GBO) is located in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, adjacent to the Monongahela National Forest. NSF owns the GBO land, which consists of numerous parcels acquired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950s, when GBO was formed as the first (and then, only) site of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). The GBO facilities include the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, the largest fully steerable radio telescope in the world; the 43-meter Telescope; the Green Bank Solar Radio Burst Spectrometer; the 20-meter Geodetic Telescope; the 40-foot Telescope; the Interferometer Range; and previously operational telescopes. The NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Division of Astronomical Sciences (AST), through a series of academic community-based reviews, has identified the need to divest several facilities from its portfolio. This would allow NSF to retain the balance of capabilities needed to deliver the best performance on emerging and key science technology of the present decade and beyond. In 2012, E:\FR\FM\08NON1.SGM 08NON1 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 215 / Wednesday, November 8, 2017 / Notices ethrower on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES AST’s portfolio review committee recommended divestment of the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) from the AST portfolio, stating the following: ‘‘The GBT is the world’s most sensitive single-dish radio telescope at wavelengths shorter than 10 cm; however, its capabilities are not as critical to New World New Horizons [astronomy and astrophysics decadal survey] science goals as the higherranked facilities.’’ In response to these recommendations, in 2016, NSF completed a feasibility study to inform and define options for the Observatory’s future disposition that would involve significantly decreasing or eliminating NSF funding of Green Bank Observatory. NSF issued a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS on October 19, 2016, held scoping meetings on November 9, 2016, and held a 30-day public comment period that closed on November 25, 2016. Alternatives to be evaluated in the EIS, which may be refined through public input, include the following: • Collaboration with interested parties for continued science- and education-focused operations with reduced NSF funding (Agency-preferred Alternative). • Collaboration with interested parties for operation as a technology and education park. • Mothballing of facilities (suspension of operations in a manner such that operations could resume efficiently at some future date). • Demolition and site restoration. • No-Action Alternative: Continued NSF investment for science-focused operations. No final decisions will be made regarding the proposed changes to operations at Green Bank Observatory prior to issuance of an FEIS, and, subsequently, a Record of Decision for the Proposed Action. Public Meeting: A public meeting to address the DEIS and to solicit public input under Section 106 of the NHPA will take place in Green Bank with notification of the time and location published in the local newspapers, as follows: • Public meeting: November 30, 2017, at 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Green Bank Science Center 155 Observatory Road Green Bank, WV 24915 Telephone: (304) 456–2011 The meeting will be transcribed by a court reporter. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:26 Nov 07, 2017 Jkt 244001 Dated: November 3, 2017. Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation. [FR Doc. 2017–24322 Filed 11–7–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7555–01–P NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC–2016–0201] Nuclear Power Plant Instrumentation for Earthquakes Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Regulatory guide, issuance. AGENCY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing Revision 3 of Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.12, ‘‘Nuclear Power Plant Instrumentation for Earthquakes.’’ This revision to the guide addresses new reactor plant configurations and the state of practice of seismic instrumentation since Revision 2 of RG 1.12 in 1997. The revision describes the seismic instrumentation criteria, including instrumentation type, locations, characteristics, and maintenance, that the NRC staff considers acceptable for nuclear power plants. DATES: Revision 3 to RG 1.12 is available on November 8, 2017. ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC–2016–0201 when contacting the NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You may obtain publicly-available information related to this document using any of the following methods: • Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC–2016–0201. Address questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301–415–3463; email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. For technical questions, contact the individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document. • NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS): You may obtain publiclyavailable documents online in the ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/ adams.html. To begin the search, select ‘‘ADAMS Public Documents’’ and then select ‘‘Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.’’ For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC’s Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1–800–397–4209, 301–415–4737, or by email to pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The ADAMS accession number for each SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00079 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 51879 document referenced (if it is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that it is mentioned. The RG 1.12 is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML17094A831. • NRC’s PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public documents at the NRC’s PDR, Room O1–F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. Regulatory guides are not copyrighted, and NRC approval is not required to reproduce them. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Tabatabai, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, telephone: 301– 415–2982, email: Sarah.Tabatabai@ nrc.gov; Vladimir Graizer, Office of New Reactors, telephone 301–415–0675, email: Vladimir.Graizer@nrc.gov, and Edward O’Donnell, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, telephone: 301– 415–3317, email: Edward.ODonnell@ nrc.gov. All are staff members of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555–0001. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Discussion The NRC is issuing a revision to an existing guide in the NRC’s ‘‘Regulatory Guide’’ series. This series was developed to describe and make available to the public information regarding methods that are acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific parts of the agency’s regulations, techniques that the NRC staff uses in evaluating specific issues or postulated events, and data that the NRC staff needs in its review of applications for permits and licenses. Revision 3 of RG 1.12 was issued with a temporary identification of draft Regulatory Guide, DG–1332. The NRC revised the guide to incorporate advances in seismic instrumentation and operating experience since the issuance of Revision 2 of RG 1.12 in 1997. The revision describes the seismic instrumentation criteria, including instrumentation type, locations, characteristics, and maintenance, that the NRC staff considers acceptable for nuclear power plants. II. Additional Information The NRC published a notice of the availability of DG–1332 in the Federal Register on September 21, 2016 (81 FR 64954), for a 60-day public comment period. The public comment period closed on November 21, 2016. Public comments on DG–1332 and the staff responses to the public comments are available under ADAMS under Accession No. ML17095A314. E:\FR\FM\08NON1.SGM 08NON1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 215 (Wednesday, November 8, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51878-51879]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-24322]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Notice of Availability and Notice of Public Meeting for the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Green Bank Observatory, 
Green Bank, West Virginia

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice of availability and notice of public meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) has made available for 
public review and comment the Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(DEIS) for Green Bank Observatory. This DEIS has been prepared for the 
National Science Foundation (NSF) to evaluate the potential 
environmental impacts resulting from proposed operational changes due 
to funding constraints for the Green Bank Observatory in Green Bank, 
West Virginia. The DEIS was prepared in compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Consultation under Section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) is being conducted concurrent 
with the NEPA process.

DATES: NSF will accept comments on the DEIS for 60 days following 
publication of this Notice of Availability; an additional 15 days are 
being provided beyond the standard 45-day review period to allow for 
the holidays). Comments may be submitted verbally during the public 
meeting scheduled for November 30, 2017 (see details in SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION) or in writing until January 8th, 2018. Substantive 
comments will be addressed in a Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(FEIS).

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by either of the following 
methods:
     Email to: envcomp-AST-greenbank@nsf.gov, with subject line 
``Green Bank Observatory''.
     Mail to: Elizabeth Pentecost, RE: Green Bank Observatory, 
National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite W9152, 
Alexandria, VA 22314.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding the 
EIS process or Section 106 consultation, contact: Elizabeth Pentecost, 
National Science Foundation, Division of Astronomical Sciences, 2415 
Eisenhower Avenue, Suite W9152, Alexandria, VA 22314; telephone: (703) 
292-4907; email: epenteco@nsf.gov.
    DEIS Information: The DEIS, as well as information about the public 
meeting, is posted at www.nsf.gov/AST. A copy of the DEIS will be 
available for review at the following libraries: Green Bank Public 
Library, 5683 Potomac Highlands Trail, Green Bank, WV 24944, Durbin 
Community Library, 4361 Staunton Parkersburg Turnpike, Durbin, WV 
26264.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Green Bank Observatory (GBO) is located in 
Pocahontas County, West Virginia, adjacent to the Monongahela National 
Forest. NSF owns the GBO land, which consists of numerous parcels 
acquired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950s, when GBO was 
formed as the first (and then, only) site of the National Radio 
Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). The GBO facilities include the Robert C. 
Byrd Green Bank Telescope, the largest fully steerable radio telescope 
in the world; the 43-meter Telescope; the Green Bank Solar Radio Burst 
Spectrometer; the 20-meter Geodetic Telescope; the 40-foot Telescope; 
the Interferometer Range; and previously operational telescopes.
    The NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 
Division of Astronomical Sciences (AST), through a series of academic 
community-based reviews, has identified the need to divest several 
facilities from its portfolio. This would allow NSF to retain the 
balance of capabilities needed to deliver the best performance on 
emerging and key science technology of the present decade and beyond. 
In 2012,

[[Page 51879]]

AST's portfolio review committee recommended divestment of the Green 
Bank Telescope (GBT) from the AST portfolio, stating the following: 
``The GBT is the world's most sensitive single-dish radio telescope at 
wavelengths shorter than 10 cm; however, its capabilities are not as 
critical to New World New Horizons [astronomy and astrophysics decadal 
survey] science goals as the higher-ranked facilities.'' In response to 
these recommendations, in 2016, NSF completed a feasibility study to 
inform and define options for the Observatory's future disposition that 
would involve significantly decreasing or eliminating NSF funding of 
Green Bank Observatory. NSF issued a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS 
on October 19, 2016, held scoping meetings on November 9, 2016, and 
held a 30-day public comment period that closed on November 25, 2016.
    Alternatives to be evaluated in the EIS, which may be refined 
through public input, include the following:
     Collaboration with interested parties for continued 
science- and education-focused operations with reduced NSF funding 
(Agency-preferred Alternative).
     Collaboration with interested parties for operation as a 
technology and education park.
     Mothballing of facilities (suspension of operations in a 
manner such that operations could resume efficiently at some future 
date).
     Demolition and site restoration.
     No-Action Alternative: Continued NSF investment for 
science-focused operations.
    No final decisions will be made regarding the proposed changes to 
operations at Green Bank Observatory prior to issuance of an FEIS, and, 
subsequently, a Record of Decision for the Proposed Action.
    Public Meeting: A public meeting to address the DEIS and to solicit 
public input under Section 106 of the NHPA will take place in Green 
Bank with notification of the time and location published in the local 
newspapers, as follows:
     Public meeting: November 30, 2017, at 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 
p.m.

Green Bank Science Center
155 Observatory Road
Green Bank, WV 24915
Telephone: (304) 456-2011

    The meeting will be transcribed by a court reporter.

    Dated: November 3, 2017.
 Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2017-24322 Filed 11-7-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7555-01-P
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