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[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 2 (Monday, January 5, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 209-210]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-30343]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the East 
Campus Integration Program Within the Fort Meade Complex, Maryland

AGENCY: Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of intent; notice of public meeting; request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Defense (DoD) announces its intent to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as part of the 
environmental planning process for the East Campus Integration Program 
at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland (hereafter referred to as Fort 
Meade). The DoD proposes to develop operational complex and 
headquarters space at the National Security Agency's (NSA) East Campus 
on Fort Meade for use by NSA and the Intelligence Community. The 
purpose of the Proposed Action is to provide facilities that are fully 
supportive of the Intelligence Community's function and to continue to 
integrate the East Campus site with the NSA Main Campus. The need for 
the action is to meet mission requirements, both internally at the NSA 
and within the Intelligence Community.
    Publication of this notice begins a scoping process that identifies 
and determines the scope of environmental issues to be addressed in the 
EIS. This notice requests public participation in the scoping process 
and provides information on how to participate.

DATES: There will be an open house at 4:00 p.m. followed by a scoping 
meeting from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on January 27, 2015. Comments or 
questions regarding this EIS should be submitted by February 27, 2015 
to ensure sufficient time to consider public input in the preparation 
of the Draft EIS.

ADDRESSES: The open house and scoping meeting will be held at the 
Severn Community Library, 2624 Annapolis Road, Severn, Maryland 21144. 
Verbal and written comments will be accepted at the scoping meeting. 
You can also submit written comments to ``East Campus Integration 
Program EIS'' c/o HDR, 2600 Park Tower Drive, Suite 100, Vienna, VA 
22180 or submit by email to ECIPEIS@hdrinc.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jeffrey Williams at 301-688-2970, 
or email jdwill2@nsa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: The NSA is a tenant DoD agency on Fort Meade. NSA is a 
high-technology communications and data processing organization. In 
order to meet mission requirements, both at the NSA and within the 
Intelligence Community, continued integration of the East Campus with 
the NSA Main Campus on Fort Meade through development of office, 
operational, and headquarters space is needed. In 2010, NSA completed 
an EIS that addressed development of the East Campus, which is the 
northern part of the former Fort Meade golf course. The Record of 
Decision implemented the first phase of development identified in that 
EIS, which is currently occurring in the southern portion of the East 
Campus. This upcoming East Campus Integration Program EIS will address 
buildout of the northern portion of the East Campus.
    Proposed Action and Alternatives: The East Campus Integration 
Program was initiated to provide a modern office, operational, and 
headquarters complex to meet the growth requirements of the NSA and 
Intelligence Community. Development is proposed along the East Campus 
central core extending through the NSA Main Campus at Fort Meade. The 
Proposed Action would consist of the construction of approximately 
2,880,000 square feet of office, operational, and headquarters space 
supporting an increase of 7,200 people with the majority from local 
leases and government-owned buildings to the NSA Main Campus. The 
program also includes the demolition of approximately 1,900,000 square 
feet of aged buildings and infrastructure. Development would include 
associated infrastructure (e.g., electrical substation, generator 
capacity providing 121 megawatts of electricity, life/safety 
generators, building heating systems, roads, sidewalks, storm water 
management facilities, and parking structures).
    Alternatives identified include four options for redundant 
emergency backup power generation and various pollution control 
systems, two options for building heating systems, four

[[Page 210]]

options for locations of parking structures, and acquisition of 
additional space at two existing, offsite leased locations. These 
alternatives will be further developed during preparation of the Draft 
EIS as a result of public and agency input and environmental analyses 
of the activities. The No Action Alternative (not undertaking the East 
Campus Integration Program) will also be analyzed in detail.
    This notice of intent is required by 40 Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR) 1508.22 and briefly describes the Proposed Action and possible 
alternatives and our proposed scoping process. The EIS will comply with 
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality regulations in 40 CFR parts 
1500 through 1508, and DoD Instruction 4715.9 (Environmental Planning 
and Analysis).
    Significant Issues: Environmental issues to be analyzed in the EIS 
will include potential impacts on air quality, noise, natural 
resources, water use, solid waste, hazardous materials and wastes, 
transportation, and cumulative impacts from increased burdens on the 
installation and neighboring community based on projected development.
    Scoping Process: Public scoping is an early and open process for 
identifying and determining the scope of issues to be addressed in the 
EIS. Scoping begins with this notice, continues through the public 
comment period (see DATES), and ends when the DoD has completed the 
following actions:

--Invites the participation of Federal, State, and local agencies, any 
affected Indian tribes, and other interested persons;
--Determines the actions, alternatives, and impacts described in 40 CFR 
1508.25;
--Identifies and eliminates from detailed study those issues that are 
not significant or that have been covered elsewhere;
--Indicates any related EISs or environmental assessments (EAs) that 
are not part of the EIS;
--Identifies other relevant environmental review and consultation 
requirements;
--Indicates the relationship between timing of the environmental review 
and other aspects of the proposed program;
--At its discretion, exercises the options provided in 40 CFR 
1501.7(b).

    Once the scoping process is complete, DoD will prepare a Draft EIS, 
and will publish a Federal Register notice announcing its public 
availability. If you want that notice to be sent to you, please contact 
the DoD Project Office point of contact identified in FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT. You will have an opportunity to review and comment 
on the Draft EIS. Additionally, the DoD anticipates holding a public 
meeting after publication of the Draft EIS in the vicinity of Fort 
Meade, Maryland, to present the Draft EIS and receive public comments 
regarding the document. The DoD will consider all comments received and 
then prepare the Final EIS. As with the Draft EIS, the DoD will 
announce the availability of the Final EIS and once again give you an 
opportunity for review and comment.

    Dated: December 19, 2014.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2014-30343 Filed 1-2-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-P
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