[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 120 (Monday, June 23, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33832-33833]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-16371]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 061797A]
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Marine
Environmental Health Research Laboratory at Fort Johnson, Charleston,
SC
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement;
request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NOAA, with the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST) as a cooperating agency, announces its intent to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to address construction of the
proposed Marine Environmental Health Research Laboratory (MEHRL) at
Fort Johnson, Charleston, SC and to conduct a public scoping meeting in
conjunction with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
(SCDNR).
DATES: Written comments on the intent to prepare an EIS will be
accepted on or before July 25, 1997. Comments postmarked after that
date will be considered to the extent practicable. A scoping meeting is
scheduled as follows:
July 23, 1997, 7 p.m., South Carolina Department of Natural
Resources, Marine Resources Division Auditorium, 217 Fort Johnson Road,
Charleston, SC.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on suggested alternatives and/or potential
impacts, or requests to speak at the public scoping meeting should be
submitted to Donna Howard, U.S. Department of Commerce/NOAA, National
Marine Fisheries Service, 219 Fort Johnson Rd., Charleston, SC 29412-
9110 (803-762-8604).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
NOAA will prepare an EIS pursuant to the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., in accordance with the
Council on Environmental Quality regulations for implementing NEPA (40
CFR Parts 1500-1508) and NOAA Administrative Order 216-6, and conduct a
public scoping meeting in conjunction with the South Carolina
Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR). The EIS will address
construction of the proposed Marine Environmental Health Research
Laboratory (MEHRL) at Fort Johnson, Charleston, SC. NOAA is preparing
this EIS to focus on the potential for significant environmental
impacts and to consider reasonable alternatives.
The MEHRL will establish state-of-the-art marine research
capabilities for NOAA Fisheries, NIST, SCDNR, the Medical University of
South Carolina (MUSC), and the University of Charleston (UC) at the
Fort Johnson Marine Resources Center (FJMRC) at Charleston, SC.
Research at MEHRL, will emphasize the multi-disciplinary and multi-
institutional linkages focused on understanding the processes promoting
coastal ecosystem health and the linking of these processes to
fisheries and human health. The facility will promote a campus-like
environment for researchers from participating institutions and their
collaborators.
MEHRL will be a premier high-technology marine research center with
programs that apply new scientific techniques to fisheries and marine
resource management. Scientists will use new tools to assess the
ecological health of the marine environment and the potential hazards
of pollution on marine ecosystems. Scientists will also provide the
information that can be used to address environmental problems and the
means to evaluate the restoration of natural habitats. Research at
MEHRL will emphasize multi-disciplinary approaches that link ecosystems
with the health of both marine organisms and humans. The rapidly
advancing field of marine
[[Page 33833]]
biotechnology holds great promise for improving the quality of the
scientific information needed to manage living marine resources. MEHRL
researchers will develop indicators to monitor the health of marine
life. They will also explore impacts of environmental factors on
reproduction, survival, and diseases of marine organisms. Research at
MEHRL will greatly expand the information base required to manage
fisheries. This new facility will emphasize the application of modern
technology to manage coastal resources wisely and to rebuild
sustainable fisheries and healthy coasts. This vision for MEHRL will be
an important asset to address environmental issues and will play an
integral role in accomplishing NOAA Fisheries strategic goals.
Research at MEHRL will include both environmental chemistry and
environmental biology. These research areas will provide capabilities
that can be utilized for multi-disciplinary research. The core research
capabilities necessary to provide the proper support for multi-
disciplinary environmental research include: A Nuclear Magnetic
Resonance facility, cryogenic facilities, analytical clean
laboratories, P2 biohazard laboratories, environmental controlled
challenge laboratories, bioassay culture laboratories, incubator
laboratories, culture laboratories, clean wet laboratories, etc. The
nucleus of the facility will be state-of-the-art laboratories for
environmental challenge research utilizing a range of seawater and
temperature controls. The capacity to adequately handle hazardous
materials with proper disposal and prevention of cross-contamination is
a high priority. Equally important are the high-technology analytical
laboratories with the capability to maintain the integrity and validity
of the samples and to analyze samples safely with proper environmental
protection for researchers working with hazardous materials.
MEHRL will be a unique contribution to the marine sciences in that
it will provide not only a center of scientific and state-of-the-art
equipment serving the Nation, as well as the East and Gulf Coasts, but
represents a true breakthrough in institutional cooperation (federal,
state, and academic) aimed at removing traditional jurisdictional
barriers and improving overall research and development effectiveness.
A Web page has been established to inform the local community of
the background information surrounding the MEHRL and to provide up-to-
date information on the planning, design, and the building phases of
the project. The Web page may be reached at the following address:
http://www.cofc.edu/grice/mehrl
Project Description
The State of South Carolina has provided a lease of land up to 14
acres for the MEHRL (Phase I) and support facilities (Phase II). The
MEHRL will be built on approximately eight acres within the Fort
Johnson campus of the SCDNR in Charleston, SC. The NMFS Charleston
Laboratory and satellite NIST facility is currently located on this
campus in leased facilities. The UC and the MU.S.C. also have existing
facilities on this campus.
The proposed MEHRL complex will be approximately 69,000 gross
square ft and will accommodate approximately 90 scientists/staff. The
goal for MEHRL is to be a multi-use facility with complimentary
institutional partnership functions and activities. Thus, MEHRL will be
staffed with researchers from the partner institutions. MEHRL should
attract visiting scientists, students, post-doctoral researchers, and
require minimal new staff positions. MEHRL will provide approximately
34,000 net square ft for environmental biology and chemistry research.
Phase II of the project consists of dormitory, dining facility, and
visiting scientist housing. The dormitory will be approximately 8,250
square ft and the dining facility will be approximately 1,750 square
ft. The dormitory will be adjacent to the dining hall since the
residents will be the primary users of the facilities. The dormitory
will be a quad of five to eight person living suites of 1,050 square
ft. The dining facility will include a dining hall for informal dining
for 10 to 15 people. There will be a residential style kitchen for the
residents to prepare their own meals. The visiting scientist housing
will be a high quality living arrangement to be used by researchers and
their families for an extended period of time. The housing will be five
1,250 square ft townhouses. The unit will be self-contained and
independent of other facilities. The townhouses will be located away
from the dormitory, but will have a direct relation to each other in a
campus atmosphere. Phase II is contingent upon funding and may not be
developed immediately.
NOAA and SCDNR invite interested agencies, organizations, and the
general public to submit written comments or suggestions concerning the
scope of the issues to be addressed, alternatives to be analyzed, and
the environmental impacts to be addressed in the EIS. The public also
is invited to attend a scoping meeting in which oral comments and
suggestions will be received (see DATES). Oral and written comments
will be considered equally in preparation of the EIS. Those not
desiring to submit comments or suggestions at this time, but who would
like to receive a copy of the Draft EIS should write to Donna Howard
(see ADDRESSES). When the Draft EIS is complete, its availability will
be announced in the Federal Register and in the local news media, a
public hearing will be held, and comments will be solicited.
Public Scoping Meeting
The public scoping meeting will be chaired by a NOAA representative
but will not be conducted as an evidentiary hearing; speakers will not
be cross-examined, although the chair and other NOAA and SCDNR
representatives present may ask clarifying questions. To ensure that
everyone has an adequate opportunity to speak, 5 minutes will be
allotted for each speaker. Depending on the number of persons
requesting to speak, the chair may allow more time for elected
officials, or speakers representing multiple parties, or organizations.
Persons wishing to speak on behalf of organizations should identify the
organization. Persons wishing to speak may either notify Donna Howard
in writing (see ADDRESSES) or register at the meeting. As time permits,
individuals who have spoken subject to the 5-minute rule will be
afforded additional speaking time. Written comments also will be
accepted at the meeting.
Special Accommodations
The meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Donna Howard (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days
prior to the meeting date.
Dated: June 17, 1997.
Bruce Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-16371 Filed 6-20-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
