[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 120 (Thursday, June 23, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-15317]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: June 23, 1994]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
Reconstruction of the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation proposes to reconstruct the
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station over eight to ten years utilizing
serviceable portions of the existing facilities while continuing
ongoing science and education projects. The site, at the geographic
south pole, has been occupied year-round by U.S. citizens since 1956.
Due to the condition of the station and the need to provide for
increased capacity to conduct ongoing and to develop new science and
education projects at the South Pole, reconstruction of the station is
necessary. A reconstructed station will enable science and education
projects to continue to 2030.
The Director of the Office of Polar Programs of the National
Science Foundation intends to prepare an environmental impact
statement, under the implementing regulations for the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and a comprehensive environmental
evaluation, within the procedures of the Protocol on Environmental
Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, for the decision to reconstruct the
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.
DATES: The final environmental impact statement is expected to be
available to the public in August, 1995. The record of decision is
expected to be available in October 1995. Comments on this notice of
intent will be of most use if they are received before July 30, 1994.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Robert S.
Cunningham, Office of Polar Programs, Room 755 National Science
Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Robert S. Cunningham, Peter Karasik, or Allison Cook at the Office of
Polar Programs, National Science Foundation TEL: (703) 306-1031, FAX:
(703) 306-0139, EMAIL: rcunning@nsf.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Science Foundation (NSF)
manages and funds United States activities in Antarctica. The NSF is
responsible for operation of three active U.S. research stations in
Antarctica (two coastal stations as well as the Amundsen-Scott South
Pole Station and the U.S. Antarctic Research Program). The South Pole
is a geophysically unique site for important research in a number of
disciplines. Since the 1956-57 International Geophysical Year, the
United States has maintained excellence in merit-reviewed, year-round
science projects at the South Pole that include measuring events in
deep space to monitoring the changes that human actions are making in
the stratospheric ozone layer.
Scientists at the South Pole are pursuing technically challenging
studies in astronomy and astrophysics, the areas of inquiry currently
being emphasized at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The stable,
dry, cold atmosphere; clear ice; and location on the Earth's axis
provide opportunities for such research not available elsewhere. Very
distant phenomena such as the formation of stars and galaxies, and the
growth and structure of the universe are examined from what is the best
inhabited site on Earth for most of these studies. Current
instrumentation research includes development of several specialized
telescopes, including the world's most promising neutrino telescope
prototype. International collaborative research is welcomed, and it is
anticipated that there will be five or six large telescopes (i.e., with
apertures of several meters) operated at the station as a result of
such collaboration within the next decade. Participation in this
research also furthers the educational objectives of the graduate
students who participate.
Research on the physics of the upper atmosphere and near-Earth
space is another important area of inquiry at the South Pole. The
purpose of such research is to understand how the energy carried from
the Sun interacts with Earth systems, and how it can produce magnetic
storms and ionospheric disturbances. Better understanding of these
phenomena can improve our knowledge of how to improve communications.
Importance of such upper atmosphere studies increase as the world
depends more and more on high volume communications. The South Pole is
also the best site on Earth to observe dayside aurora (lights in the
upper atmosphere at an altitude between 90 and 300 kilometers).
Researchers also monitor changes in the atmosphere's composition at
this station as well, including the concentration of stratospheric
ozone in the upper atmosphere. Ozone is a natural shield that protects
life on Earth from ultraviolet radiation. Research indicates that it is
destroyed by chlorine from chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), man-made
chemicals that have been used as refrigerants, aerosol propellants, and
cleaning agents. The South Pole Station has proved to be an excellent
place to measure seasonal variation in atmospheric ozone because of its
strategic location near the center of the ozone hole, high elevation,
and lack of heavy cloud cover throughout the year.
Some seismologic research is also performed at the South Pole. The
location of the Amundsen-Scott Station on the axis of rotation of the
Earth and the nearly aseismic nature of Antarctica make it an excellent
location for studying the Earth's deep interior. The station also
serves an important logistical purpose as a staging site for field
research and operations surrounding the Pole.
Without extensive reconstruction, the Amundsen-Scott South Pole
Station cannot continue to support current and developing research that
can best or only be pursued at the South Pole. Utilities and buildings
at the station have exceeded their 15- to 20-year design life and are
rapidly deteriorating due to age, intensive use, and climatic
conditions. The facilities comprise 3,504 square meters (37,724 square
feet) of heated space and 4,118 square meters (44,332 square feet) of
unheated space. Many of the facilities do not meet current standards
for buildings in the United States and modern engineering practices.
Many potential hazards are mitigated through procedural controls on
use, rather than more efficient and effective engineering solutions.
These limitations are constraining scientists and are likely to further
limit research activities.
Accommodations are crowded, and lack of berthing space limits the
number of scientists who can undertake research at the Station. In the
summer most of the population is housed in Jamesways (canvas-covered
temporary field quarters manufactured in the 1950's). Electrical power,
and the fuel used to generate it, will constrain installation of newer
and more powerful telescopes and other instruments limiting data
collection and processing. Structural weaknesses in the buildings, fuel
lines, and heating systems require labor intensive repairs and other
remedial efforts that detract from support to research.
Year-round accumulation of snow around buildings at the South Pole
Station now requires significant fuel and labor for removal. In spite
of snow removal, snowdrift accumulation on top of the present station
has led to structural damage to some portions of the station.
A reconstructed station would incorporate architectural and
engineering improvements which would reduce risks to health and improve
the safety of station occupants. New structures would be elevated from
the ground, allowing snow to blow under rather than pile up on them,
reducing snow removal costs. Technological improvements would also
enable the reconstructed station to operate more efficiently, therefore
reducing the proportion of personnel devoted to facilities maintenance
and minimizing the need to implement inefficient procedural controls to
address safety risks.
The proposed reconstruction would generally be concentrated in the
austral summer of each year (October through February), but some
interior construction would be carried out during the winter months.
During reconstruction, portions of the existing station would remain in
use for science and education purposes, but would be phased out as
replacement facilities become available. All unused buildings,
equipment, and construction materials would be removed from Antarctica
for reuse, recycling, or disposal. All materials, equipment, and
support would be provided by airlift from McMurdo Station, Antarctica.
Most materials and equipment would be transported to McMurdo Station by
ship.
The proposed improvements include: construction of elevated
buildings (specifically, space for laboratories, dormitories, and
offices); upgrading the heat, power, water, wastewater, and fuel
systems; and demolition and removal of old structures and utilities. At
the conclusion of the reconstructed station's useful life (about 25
years), NSF intends to either dismantle and remove the facility from
Antarctica or replace all or most of the station. Either decision,
removal or replacement, would be accompanied by appropriate
environmental review.
Several individuals familiar with activity at the station have
commented on the reconstruction of the station. These include station
residents, scientists, program administrators, and members of the
public. From these comments, five categories of issues were identified
for consideration in the environmental impact statement for the
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. These categories, useful in
developing possible alternatives and in organizing the discussion of
environmental effects, are:
1. Health and safety of station personnel;
2. Energy sources and consumption;
3. Cost of reconstruction and operation;
4. Treatment and disposal of wastes; and
5. Capacity to support current and anticipated science and
education at the station and throughout Antarctica during and after
reconstruction.
The NSF considered a number of alternative approaches for
reconstructing the Amundsen-Scott station. Four alternatives that are
proposed for further analysis range from a low-level investment--
maintaining the current station and replacing only the least efficient
portions of the infrastructure--to building a renewed, up-to-date
station able to support significantly more science and education
activities to 2030. Other alternatives were considered, but they do not
appear reasonable at this time.
For example, NSF considered the option of constructing a completely
separate, new station adjacent to the present one while maintaining all
usual activities. In this scenario, construction would take place
supported by temporary facilities for berthing, water supply, galley,
material storage, and equipment housing and maintenance. While this
option is technically feasible, it appears more expensive than
replacing the current station because cost savings can be made by
utilizing the remaining serviceable portions of the current station.
Also, it would require more people at the South Pole than in other
alternatives, and arguably generate more environmental impact during
construction because of transportation, housing, heating, and electric
power requirements.
Construction of the station at other locations further from the
geologic South Pole was also considered. One possible location was the
High Plateau of Antarctica. While a higher altitude site would provide
additional advantages for astronomy, the construction and operation
would be much more arduous than at the South Pole. The additional cost
of airlifting all construction materials from McMurdo Station and the
inability to re-use serviceable portions of the old station were other
deterrents to further consideration of this alternative. In addition,
the Presidential Memorandum assigning NSF responsibility to manage and
fund United States interests in Antarctica (Memorandum #6646, signed in
1982) directs that the United States continue to occupy a station at
the South Pole.
The four possible alternatives for the reconstruction of the
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station proposed for further consideration
are:
Alternative A, Low-level investment or No Action. In this
alternative no action would be taken to replace the station. Only the
replacement of the most inefficient structures, utilities, and
equipment would take place over the next decade. If this alternative
were selected, it is anticipated that the station would have to close
or that the science and education programs would have to be severely
curtailed by the end of the decade. This alternative is the status quo
or ``no action'' alternative required by NEPA regulations;
Alternative B. The station would be reconstructed over eight to ten
years. The capacity to support science and education programs would
remain at the 1994-level as measured by the number of scientist in
residence. However, in this alternative and in and Alternatives C and
D, the technical sophistication and telecommunications capabilities to
support scientists would increase;
Alternative C. In this alternative, the station would be
reconstructed over eight to ten years with year-long capacity to
support science programs increased by 2 to 3 fold; and
Alternative D. The station would be reconstructed as in Alternative
C, except over five years, rather than eight to ten years.
The public is invited to comment on any aspect of the proposal. The
comment period on the draft environmental impact statement
(comprehensive environmental evaluation) will be a minimum of 90 days
from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the notice
of availability in the Federal Register.
Dated: June 17, 1994.
Dr. Carol A. Roberts,
Deputy Director, Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 94-15317 Filed 6-22-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M
