Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 173 / Monday, September 8, 1997 / Notices 47223

for the expansion of launch range

operations at Goddard Space Flight

Center’s Wallops Flight Facility (WFF).

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as

amended (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et

seq.), the Council on Environmental

Quality (CEQ) Regulations for

Implementing the Procedural Provisions

of NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500–1508), and

NASA policy and procedures (14 CFR

Part 1216, Subpart 1216.3), NASA has

prepared a Draft EA for the proposed

expansion of launch range operations at

Goddard Space Flight Center’s WFF,

Wallops Island, Virginia. NASA

proposes to enhance national launch

capabilities through improvements to

infrastructure and the expansion of its

launch range operations at WFF. The

major actions proposed include: (1)

establishment of a Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) licensed

commercial launch site to operate from

WFF under a Use Agreement with

NASA; (2) improvements to real

property necessary to support the

expansion of launch operations; (3)

expansion of operations at WFF to

accommodate twelve orbital launches

per year; and (4) restoration of the

historical level and nature of operations

on the WFF range. The improvements to

infrastructure and the establishment of

a licensed commercial launch site at

WFF would increase the national

capacity for the launching of

commercial satellites and provide

additional capacity for all launch

operations from Wallops Island. If a

decision were to be made to proceed

with the proposed action,

implementation would begin during the

latter part of calendar year 1997.

DATES: Comments on the Draft EA must

be in writing and received by NASA on

or before October 8, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should

be addressed to Mr. Keith Koehler,

Public Affairs Office, NASA Goddard

Space Flight Center, Wallops Flight

Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia 23337.

The Draft EA may be reviewed at the

following locations:

(a) NASA Headquarters, Library,

Room 1J20, 300 E Street, SW,

Washington, DC 20546 (202–358–0167).

(b) NASA, Goddard Space Flight

Center, Wallops Flight Facility, Public

Affairs Office, Wallops Island, Virginia,

757–824–1579.

(c) Eastern Shore Public Library, PO

Box 360, Accomac, Virginia, 23301

(757–787–3400).

(d) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Visitors

Lobby, Building 249, 4800 Oak Grove

Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (818–354–

5179).

(e) Spaceport U.S.A., Room 2001,

John F. Kennedy Space Center, FL

32899. Please call Lisa Fowler

Beforehand at 407–867–2497 so that

arrangements can be made.

In addition, the Draft EA may be

reviewed at the following NASA

locations by contacting the pertinent

Freedom of Information Act Office.

(f) NASA, Ames Research Center,

Moffett Field, CA 94035 (415–604–

4190).

(g) NASA, Dryden Flight Research

Center, Edwards, CA 93523 (805–258–

3448).

(h) NASA, Goddard Space Flight

Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (301–286–

0730).

(i) NASA, Johnson Space Center,

Houston, TX 77058 (281–483–8612).

(j) NASA, Langley Research Center,

Hampton, VA 23665 (757–864–2497).

(k) NASA, Lewis Research Center,

21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH

44135 (216–433–2222).

(l) NASA, Marshall Space Flight

Center, AL 35812 (205–544–0031).

(m) NASA, Stennis Space Center, MS

39529 (601–688–2164).

A limited number of copies of the

Draft EA are available, on a first request

basis, by contacting the Wallops Flight

Facility Public Affairs Office at the

address or telephone number indicated

herein.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:

The Wallops Flight Facility, Public

Affairs Office, Wallops Island, VA (757–

824–1579).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

purpose of the proposed action is to

enhance national launch capabilities

through improvements to infrastructure

and the expansion of launch range

operations at WFF. An FAA licensed

commercial launch site at WFF would

be established to promote this

expansion of launch capabilities. The

licensed commercial launch site is

necessary to further encourage,

facilitate, and promote a competitive

United States commercial launch site

industry.

This Draft EA identifies potential

impacts that may occur during

implementation of the proposed action.

The Draft EA addresses environmental

impacts associated both with

construction of launch support facilities

and launch operations. The expansion

of launch operations is proposed to

include up to 12 orbital launches per

year, in addition to the historical level

of launches conducted at the WFF

launch range. The minimum proposed

improvements to WFF’s real property

and infrastructure necessary to

accomplish the proposed expansion

include: (1) modifications to existing

launch pad 0–A; (2) modifications to

existing buildings for payload

processing facilities; and (3) the

construction of a new launch pad

designated as pad 0–B. WFF’s proposed

launch range expansion would

accommodate various solid and liquid

(liquid oxygen-hydrogen, liquid oxygenkerosene) rocket motor configurations.

The following alternative locations

are considered alternative sites to the

proposed action: (1) Spaceport Florida,

located adjacent to Cape Canaveral Air

Station on the east coast of Florida; (2)

California Spaceport, located at

Vandenberg Air Force Base, California;

(3) Kodiak Launch Complex, Kodiak,

Alaska; (4) no action.

Impacts to the human environment

associated with the proposed action—

proposed expansion of launch range

operations at WFF—can be divided into

short-term (construction phase) and

long-term (operational phase) impacts.

The construction phase would last

approximately 12–15 months. The Draft

EA evaluates the environmental

consequences including, but not limited

to, air and water quality, noise, flora and

fauna, threatened and endangered

species, health and safety, solid and

hazardous waste management,

socioeconomics, land use, and wetlands

and floodplain management. The

proposed action would occur in a 100-

year floodplain and result in the

conversion of 1,280 square meters

(about 1⁄3 acre) of wetlands.

After receipt and consideration of

comments on the Draft EA, NASA will

prepare and issue a Final EA for the

proposed expansion of launch range

operations at WFF. The Final EA will be

used to determine whether a finding of

no significant impact will be

appropriate or whether there is a need

to prepare an environmental impact

statement.

Benita A. Cooper,

Associate Administrator for Management

Systems and Facilities.

[FR Doc. 97–23654 Filed 9–5–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7510–01–M

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND

SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice (97–132)]

NASA Advisory Council, Aeronautics

and Space Transportation Technology

Advisory Committee, Aviation Safety

Reporting System Subcommittee

Meeting

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and

Space Administration.
47224 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 173 / Monday, September 8, 1997 / Notices

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Federal Advisory Committee Act, Pub.

L. 92–463, as amended, the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration

announces a NASA Advisory Council,

Aeronautics and Space Transportation

Technology Advisory Committee,

Aviation Safety Reporting System

Subcommittee meeting.

DATES: September 23, 1997, 2:00 p.m. to

5:30 p.m., September 24, 1997, 9:00 a.m.

to 5:30 p.m., September 25, 1997, 9:00

a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and September 26,

1997, 9:00 to 5:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: National Aeronautics and

Space Administration, Ames Research

Center, Building 219, Room 203, Moffet

Field, CA 94035.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.

Linda Connell, National Aeronautics

and Space Administration, Ames

Research Center, Moffet Field, CA

94035, 650/604–6654.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

meeting will be open to the public up

to the seating capacity of the room.

Agenda topics for the meeting are as

follows:

—Status Reports on the Aviation Safety

Reporting System (ASRS) and the

Aviation Performance Measuring

System (APMS)

—Presentations on Future Planning

—Information Technology

Demonstrations for the ASRS and

APMS Programs

It is imperative that the meeting be

held on these dates to accommodate the

scheduling priorities of the key

participants. Visitors will be requested

to sign a visitors register.

Dated: August 29, 1997.

Leslie M. Nolan,

Advisory Committee Management Officer.

[FR Doc. 97–23653 Filed 9–5–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7510–01–M

NATIONAL SKILL STANDARDS

BOARD

Notice of Open Meeting

AGENCY: National Skill Standards Board.

ACTION: Notice of open meeting.

SUMMARY: The National Skill Standards

Board was established by an Act of

Congress, the National Skill Standards

Act, Title V, Pub. L. 103–227. The 27-

member National Skill Standards Board

will serve as a catalyst and be

responsible for the development and

implementation of a national system of

voluntary skill standards and

certification through voluntary

partnerships which have the full and

balanced participation of business,

industry, labor, education and other key

groups.

TIME AND PLACE: The meeting will be

held from 8:30 a.m. to approximately

3:30 p.m. on Friday, September 26,

1997, in Mount Vernon Salons A, B &

C at the Madison Hotel located at 15th

and M Streets, NW, Washington, D.C.

20005

AGENDA: The agenda for the Board

Meeting will include: an update from

the Board’s committees, representatives

from the groups convening the

Voluntary Partnerships, and a

preliminary report on how the Board

and the American National Standards

Institute intend to work together.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: The meeting, from

8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., is open to the

public. Seating is limited and will be

available on a first-come, first-served

basis. Seats will be reserved for the

media. Individuals with disabilities

should contact Pat Warfield at (202)

254–8628, if special accommodations

are needed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Tracy Marshall, Manager of Program

Operations at (202) 254–8628.

Signed at Washington, D.C., this 29th day

of August, 1997.

Edie West,

Executive Director, National Skill Standards

Board.

[FR Doc. 97–23703 Filed 9–5–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–23–M

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

[IA 97–068]

Order Superseding Order Prohibiting

Involvement in NRC-Licensed

Activities (Effective Immediately)

I

Aharon Ben-Haim, Ph.D. (Dr. BenHaim), Medical Physicist, Upper

Montclair, New Jersey, is a contractor

consultant for Newark Medical

Associates, P.A. (licensee), the holder of

Byproduct Nuclear Material License No.

29–30282–01 (license) issued by the

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC

or Commission) pursuant to 10 CFR Part

30. The license authorizes possession

and use of any radiopharmaceutical

identified in 10 CFR 35.200 for any

imaging and localization procedure

approved in 10 CFR 35.200. The license

was originally issued on September 25,

1996, and is due to expire on September

30, 2001.

II

During a new license inspection

conducted on January 29, 1997, at the

licensee’s facility, several apparent

violations of NRC requirements were

identified. Subsequent to the inspection,

the NRC initiated an investigation

which led the NRC to issue to Dr. BenHaim, on July 31, 1997, an Order

Prohibiting Involvement in NRC

Licensed Activities (Effective

Immediately) Pending Further Order (62

FR 43357). That Order was issued

pending completion of the NRC staff

review of the results of the

investigation, which was conducted by

the NRC’s Office of Investigations (OI).

The NRC staff’s review of the results of

the OI investigation is now complete.

III

The OI investigation focused in part

on Dr. Ben-Haim’s actions in causing

the licensee to be in violation of NRC

requirements. The NRC learned during

the investigation that Dr. Ben-Haim, in

his capacity as a contractor-consultant

to the licensee, had prepared the license

application (NRC Form 313) dated

February 21, 1996, for Newark Medical

Associates, and that the license

application was inaccurate in that it

named Gerard W. Moskowitz, M.D., (Dr.

Moskowitz) as the only authorized user

and Radiation Safety Officer (RSO)

without Dr. Moskowitz’s consent or

knowledge, and without Dr.

Moskowitz’s ever having been affiliated

or associated with the licensee. Dr.

Moskowitz did not ever perform the role

of authorized user or RSO at the

licensee’s facility, and did not become

aware that he was listed on the

application and the license until

notified by the NRC on February 6,

1997, more than four months after the

license was originally issued. These

inaccurate statements in the license

application prepared by Dr. Ben-Haim,

formed, in part, the basis for the

issuance of the license to Newark

Medical Associates on September 25,

1996.

During the period from November

1997 through February 6, 1997, Dr. BenHaim, in his role as contractorconsultant to the licensee, aided and

assisted the licensee in continuing to

conduct NRC-licensed activities even

though the licensee did not employ the

authorized user or the RSO named in

the license application and,

subsequently, on the NRC license, nor

did the named individual serve in these

capacities. Based on the results of the OI

investigation, the NRC has determined

that Dr. Ben-Haim’s actions constitute