Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Marine Environmental Health Research Laboratory at Fort Johnson, Charleston, SC

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]

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