15 September 2009

[Federal Register: September 15, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 177)]
[Notices]               
[Page 47252-47253]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15se09-84]                         

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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

 
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: U.S. General Services 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), 42 United States Code (U.S.C.) 4321-4347; 
the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR), Title 40, chapter V, parts 1500-1508); GSA Order PBS 
P 1095.1F (Environmental considerations in decision-making, dated 
October 19, 1999); and the GSA Public Buildings Service NEPA Desk 
Guide, dated October 1999, GSA plans to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the amended Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 
Consolidation Master Plan at St. Elizabeths in Southeast Washington, 
DC. GSA will be initiating related consultation under Sections 106 and 
110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470(f) and 
470(h-2)), for the amended Master Plan consistent with the Programmatic 
Agreement concluded on December 9, 2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Denise Decker, NEPA Lead, General 
Services Administration, National Capital Region, at (202) 538-5643. 
Also, please 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 an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
for the amended Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Consolidation 
Master Plan at St. Elizabeths in Southeast Washington, DC.
    GSA intends to prepare an EIS to analyze the potential impacts 
resulting from the amendment of the DHS Consolidation Master Plan, 
which consists of the development of 750,000 gross square feet (GSF) of 
secure office space plus associated parking on what is known as the 
north parcel of the St. Elizabeths East Campus. The primary purpose of 
this action is to complete the consolidation of DHS mission functions 
comprising the Department's Headquarters offices at St. Elizabeths for 
a total of 4.5 million GSF of secure office and shared use space plus 
associated parking.

Background

    DHS previously identified a need to consolidate a minimum critical 
mass of 4.5 million GSF of secure office space, plus parking, to meet 
the Department's mission requirements for its consolidated Headquarters 
in furtherance of developing a more cost-effective, efficient, and 
functional real estate portfolio in the National Capital Region. DHS' 
scattered current housing prevents it from accomplishing its mission. 
This extreme dispersion has also resulted in significant inefficiencies 
in daily operations, and these inefficiencies have been magnified 
considerably at the most important moments--when the Department must 
act as a nimble and integrated team responding to significant natural 
disasters or terrorist threats.
    In response, GSA looked at alternative locations for consolidating 
DHS' Headquarters offices and concluded that St. Elizabeths was the 
most viable site for this consolidation. During consultation under 
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, as well as with 
other Federal agencies, the consolidation project was determined to be 
of less impact to the St. Elizabeths

[[Page 47253]]

National Historic Landmark if DHS' offices extended across both the 
West and East Campuses. St. Elizabeths was listed in the National 
Register on April 26, 1979, designated a National Historic Landmark on 
December 14, 1990, and received District of Columbia Historic District 
Designation in May of 2005. As part of its November 7, 2008 Final EIS, 
GSA considered an alternative, Alternative 5, which assessed placing 
development on both campuses to create a unified DHS Headquarters.
    GSA issued a Record of Decision on December 16, 2008, for the 
project Master Plan to consolidate 3.8 million GSF of secure office and 
shared use space, plus parking, on the St. Elizabeths West Campus. As 
part of the Final EIS for this action, GSA also assessed, on a 
programmatic level, the impacts of constructing 750,000 GSF of office 
plus associated parking on the St. Elizabeths East Campus. GSA noted in 
its Record of Decision that an EIS tiered to the November 7, 2008 Final 
EIS would be prepared for the East Campus in accordance with 40 CFR 
1502.20 and 1502.28. The National Capital Planning Commission approved 
the project Master Plan incorporating Alternative 5 on January 8, 2009.

Scoping Process

    In accordance with NEPA, a scoping process will be conducted to (i) 
aid in determining the alternatives to be considered and the scope of 
issues to be addressed, and (ii) identify the significant issues 
related to the amended Master Plan for the DHS consolidation at St. 
Elizabeths. ``Scoping'' is a tool for identifying the issues that 
should be addressed in the EIS and Section 106 consultation process. 
Scoping allows the public to help define priorities and express 
stakeholder and community issues to the agency through oral and written 
comments as described in 40 CFR part 1500.1(b). Scoping will be 
accomplished through a public scoping meeting, direct mail 
correspondence to potentially interested persons, agencies, and 
organizations, and meeting with agencies having an interest in the 
amended Master Plan. It is important that Federal, regional 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 EIS.
    GSA is also using the NEPA scoping process to facilitate 
consultation with the public under Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act (36 CFR part 800 (Protection of Historic Properties)). 
GSA welcomes comments from the public to ensure that it takes into 
account the effects of its action on historic and cultural resources.

Public Scoping Meeting

    The public scoping meeting will be held on October 8, 2009, from 6 
to 8:30 p.m., at the Matthews Memorial Baptist Church, John H. Kearney, 
Sr. Fellowship Hall, located at 2616 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, 
SE. in Southeast Washington, DC. The meeting will be an informal open 
house, where visitors may come, receive information, and give comments. 
GSA will publish notices in the Washington Post, Washington Times, and 
East of the River (Capital Community News) announcing this meeting 
approximately one to two weeks prior to the meeting. After scoping 
comments are received, GSA will prepare a scoping report, available to 
the public, which will summarize the comments received for 
incorporation into the EIS and Section 106 processes.

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 amended Master Plan must be postmarked 
no later than October 16, 2009, and sent to the following address: 
General Services Administration, National Capital Region, Attention: 
Denise Decker, NEPA Lead, 301 7th Street, SW., Room 7600, Washington, 
DC 20407. Fax (202) 708-7671. denise.decker@gsa.gov.

    Dated: September 9, 2009.
Patricia T. Ralston,
Director, Portfolio Management, National Capital Region, Public 
Buildings Service.
[FR Doc. E9-22224 Filed 9-14-09; 8:45 am]

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