Navy Department August 19, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to section (102)(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the regulations implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] parts 1500-1508), the Department of the Navy (DoN) announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental effects associated with the proposed actions at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bethesda to implement the Congressional mandate in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to achieve the new statutory world-class standards for military medicine at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center at Bethesda (WRNMMCB) by providing enduring facilities commensurate in quality, capability and condition as those provided by the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) investment and address the space and operational limitations at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS). The proposed actions, which will enhance and support but not add to the missions of the installation, medical center or USUHS, include: (1) The demolition of five (5) hospital buildings and reconstruction of a single 5-story facility and associated parking garage, utility capacity upgrades, and temporary medical facilities to provide uninterrupted patient care during construction (Medical Facilities Development) and (2) the expansion of the USUHS and associated parking garage. These proposed actions are two components of the 2012 NSA Bethesda Master Plan that the DoN is currently updating and this EIS analyzes the implementation of these components. The 2012 NSA Bethesda Master Plan reflects ongoing projects previously considered under NEPA as well as potential future development opportunities at NSA Bethesda. The EIS will evaluate the cumulative effects of the proposed actions in the context of the known, ongoing activities and identify the potential programmatic effects of the proposed actions in the context of the potential future development opportunities. Therefore, the EIS will analyze the environmental effects of the 2012 NSA Bethesda Master Plan relative to the implementation of the proposed actions in this EIS. For the potential future development opportunities, the DoN will ensure the appropriate NEPA review is completed at such time as the projects are proposed for implementation. The proposed actions at NSA Bethesda consist of: (1) The Medical Facilities Development, which includes demolition of Buildings 2, 4, 6, 7, and 8 and construction of a single, 5-story replacement building in the medical center core, construction of an associated parking garage, utility capacity upgrades, construction of temporary medical facilities to maintain uninterrupted patient care during construction, and internal renovations to Buildings 1, 3, 5, 9, and 10; and (2) the University Expansion, which includes construction of a new classroom/ research facility and associated parking garage at USUHS. The proposed actions would not add to the existing missions at NSA Bethesda and would occur subsequent to the 2005 BRAC Law mandated relocation of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center's (WRAMC) tertiary (sub-specialty and complex care) medical services to National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) at NSA Bethesda in September 2011. With the relocation, the NNMC will be renamed the WRNMMCB. NSA Bethesda is the action proponent and the DoN is the lead agency for the proposed actions. Joint Task Force National Capital Region Medical (JTF CapMed), NNMC, and USUHS, are tenants of NSA Bethesda and are the stakeholders for these activities. The DoN is initiating a 45-day public scoping period to identify community interests and specific issues to be addressed in the EIS. The public scoping period starts with the publication of this Notice of Intent. The DoN will hold two public scoping meetings to inform the public of the proposed actions and receive comments. Comments, both written and oral, will be collected at each of the two public scoping meetings. Each of the public scoping meetings will consist of an open house session followed by a live presentation and an opportunity for the public to present their comments. To ensure that the full range of issues related to the proposed actions will be addressed, representatives from the DoN will be available to solicit comments from all interested parties during the public scoping meetings. Following future publication of the draft EIS, at a time to be determined, further public meetings will be held to address comments on the draft document. Dates and Addresses: The two public scoping meetings will be held on the following dates: 1. Wednesday, September 7, 2011, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Bethesda Marriott, 5151 Pooks Hill Road, Bethesda, Maryland 20814. 2. Monday, September 12, 2011, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Bethesda Marriott, 5151 Pooks Hill Road, Bethesda, Maryland 20814. Additional information concerning meeting times and locations are available on the NSA Bethesda Web site at: https:// www.bethesda.med.navy.mil/nsa/eis.aspx. Public scoping meeting schedules and locations will also be announced in local newspapers.