Department of the Navy September 14, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations parts 1500-1508), the Department of the Navy (DoN) has prepared and filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental effects of Medical Facilities Development (MFD) and University Expansion at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bethesda, MD. The purpose of the MFD proposed action is to implement the Congressional mandate from 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 (WRNMMC) by providing enduring medical facilities commensurate in quality, capability and condition as those provided by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) investment. The 2005 BRAC program was designed to accommodate transfer of Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) to WRNMMC but not address mission capability or improvements of the existing infrastructure. The MFD is needed because current space is insufficient to meet world-class standards. The purpose of the University Expansion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) is to provide adequate education and research space to meet Military Health System (MHS) commitments to deliver training and post-graduate level education to the military medical community and enable USU to serve as the core academic health research center at WRNMMC. The University Expansion is needed because current operations are dispersed between the main USU buildings and nineteen facilities comprising off-site leased locations in Montgomery County and other buildings on NSA Bethesda. Operations are fragmented and insufficient to meet education and research space requirements as well as Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accreditation requirements. NSA Bethesda is the action proponent and Joint Task Force National Capital Region Medical, WRNMMC, and USU are tenants of NSA Bethesda. There are no cooperating agencies for the EIS. The EIS considers the 2012 NSA Bethesda Master Plan relative to the implementation of the MFD and University Expansion. The EIS evaluates the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the proposed actions in the context of the programmed projects already in progress and the programmatic effects of the potential future development opportunities identified in the 2012 NSA Bethesda Master Plan. The DoN will conduct two public hearings to receive oral and written comments on the Draft EIS. Federal, state, and local agencies, elected officials, and other interested individuals and organizations are invited to be present or represented at the public hearings. This notice announces the dates and locations of the public hearings for this Draft EIS. Dates and Addresses: Public hearings will be held on the following dates and locations: 1. October 4, 2012 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Bethesda Marriott, 5151 Pooks Hills Road, Bethesda, MD 20814; and 2. October 11, 2012 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Bethesda Marriott, 5151 Pooks Hill Road, Bethesda, MD 20814. Both meetings will start with an open house session followed by a presentation by the DoN and a public hearing session, which will be transcribed by a court reporter. The open house session will allow individuals the opportunity to review summaries of the information presented in the Draft EIS. DoN representatives will be available during the open house sessions to clarify information related to the Draft EIS.

Department of the Navy is updating the Navy Privacy Act Program by adding the (k)(2) exemption to accurately describe the basis for exempting the records in the system of records notice N05800-2, Professional Responsibility Files. This direct final rule makes non-substantive changes to the Department of the Navy's Program rules. This will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of DoD's program by ensuring the integrity of the security and investigative material compiled for law enforcement purposes by the Department of the Navy and the Department of Defense. This rule is being published as a direct final rule as the Department of Defense does not expect to receive any adverse comments, and so a proposed rule is unnecessary.