81 FR 75165 - Notice of Availability and Notice of Public Meetings for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, Puerto Rico

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 209 (October 28, 2016)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has made available for public review and comment the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Arecibo Observatory. This Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) has been prepared for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to evaluate the potential environmental effects of proposed operational changes due to funding constraints for the Arecibo Observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The DEIS was prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) is being conducted concurrent to the NEPA process.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 209 (Friday, October 28, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75165-75166]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-26061]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Notice of Availability and Notice of Public Meetings for the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Arecibo 
Observatory, Arecibo, Puerto Rico

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice of Availability and Notice of Public Meetings.

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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) has made available for 
public review and comment the Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(DEIS) for Arecibo Observatory. This Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS) has been prepared for the National Science Foundation 
(NSF) to evaluate the potential environmental effects of proposed 
operational changes due to funding constraints for the Arecibo 
Observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The DEIS was prepared in 
compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. 
Consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act (NHPA) is being conducted concurrent to the NEPA process.

DATES: NSF will accept comments on the DEIS for 45 days following 
publication of this Notice of Availability. Comments may be submitted 
verbally during public meetings scheduled for November 16-17 (see 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for more details) or in writing. Substantive 
comments will be addressed in a Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(FEIS).

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Email to: [email protected] with subject line ``Arecibo 
Observatory''
     Mail to: Ms. Elizabeth Pentecost, RE: Arecibo Observatory, 
National Science Foundation, Suite 1045, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, 
VA 22230.
    EIS Information: The DEIS, as well as information about the public 
meetings, is posted at www.nsf.gov/AST. A Spanish translation of the 
Executive Summary of the DEIS will be posted to the Web site.
    A copy of the DEIS will be available for review at the following 
libraries in Puerto Rico:

Biblioteca Electr[oacute]nica P[uacute]blica Municipal Nicol[aacute]s 
Nadal Barreto, 210 Calle Santiago Iglesias, Arecibo, PR, Phone: (787) 
878-1178
Archivo General y Biblioteca Nacional de PR, 500 Avenida Juan Ponce De 
Le[oacute]n, San Juan, PR, Phone: (787) 725-1060 ext. 2001

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding the 
EIS

[[Page 75166]]

process or Section 106 consultation, please contact: Ms. Elizabeth 
Pentecost, National Science Foundation, Division of Astronomical 
Sciences, Suite 1045, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22230; 
telephone: (703) 292-4907; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Arecibo Observatory is an NSF-owned 
scientific research and education facility located in Puerto Rico. In 
2011, NSF awarded a Cooperative Agreement to SRI International (SRI), 
which together with Universities Space Research Association (USRA) and 
Universidad Metropolitana (UMET) formed the Arecibo Management Team to 
operate and maintain the Arecibo Observatory for the benefit of 
research communities. The initial 5-year period of performance of the 
Cooperative Agreement has recently been extended 18 months, to 31 March 
2018. Arecibo Observatory enables research in three scientific 
disciplines: Space and atmospheric sciences, radio astronomy, and solar 
system radar studies; the last of these is largely funded through a 
research award to USRA from the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration. An education and public outreach program complements 
the Arecibo Observatory scientific program. A key component of the 
Arecibo Observatory research facility is a 305-meter diameter, fixed, 
spherical reflector. Arecibo Observatory infrastructure includes 
instrumentation for radio and radar astronomy, ionospheric physics, 
office and laboratory buildings, a heavily utilized visitor and 
education facility, and lodging facilities for visiting scientists.
    Through a series of academic community-based reviews, NSF has 
identified the need to divest of several facilities from its portfolio 
in order to retain the balance of capabilities needed to deliver the 
best performance on the key science of the present decade and beyond. 
In 2012, NSF's Division of Astronomical Sciences' (AST's) portfolio 
review committee recommended that ``continued AST involvement in 
Arecibo . . . be re-evaluated later in the decade in light of the 
science opportunities and budget forecasts at that time. In 2016, NSF's 
Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences' (AGS') portfolio review 
committee recommended significantly decreasing funding for the Space 
and Atmospheric Sciences portion of the Arecibo mission. In response to 
these evolving recommendations, in 2016, NSF completed a feasibility 
study to inform and define options for the observatory's future 
disposition that would involve significantly decreasing or eliminating 
NSF funding of Arecibo. Concurrently, NSF sought viable concepts of 
operations from the scientific community via a Dear Colleague Letter 
NSF 16-005 (see www.nsf.gov/AST), with responses due in January 2016. 
NSF issued a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS on May 23, 2016, held 
scoping meetings on June 7, 2016 and held a 30-day public comment 
period that closed on June 23, 2016. In October 2016, NSF issued Dear 
Colleague Letter NSF 16-144 (see www.nsf.gov/AST) to notify the 
Observatory stakeholder community that NSF intends to issue a follow-up 
solicitation, requesting the submission of formal proposals involving 
the continued operation of Arecibo Observatory. The intent of this 
solicitation will be to input additional information into the decision 
process for the ultimate disposition of Arecibo Observatory.
    Proposed Alternatives to be analyzed in the DEIS include:
     Continued NSF investment for science-focused operations 
(No-Action Alternative).
     Collaboration with interested parties for continued 
science-focused operations (Agency Preferred Alternative).
     Collaboration with interested parties for transition to 
education-focused operations.
     Mothballing of facilities (suspension of operations in a 
manner such that operations could resume efficiently at some future 
date).
     Partial deconstruction and site restoration.
     Full deconstruction and site restoration.
    No final decisions will be made regarding the proposed changes to 
operations at Arecibo Observatory prior to issuance of a Final 
Environmental Impact Statement and, subsequently, a Record of Decision 
for the Proposed Action.
    Public Meetings: Public meetings to address the DEIS will take 
place in Puerto Rico with notification of the times and locations 
published in the local newspapers, as follows:
    (1) Colegio de Ingenieros y Agrimensores de Puerto Rico/Puerto Rico 
Professional College of Engineers and Land Surveyors (Arecibo Chapter), 
Ave. Manuel T. Guillan Urdaz, Conector 129 Carr. 10, Arecibo, Puerto 
Rico, Phone: (787) 758-2250, November 16, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
    (2) Doubletree by Hilton Hotel San Juan, 105 Avenida De Diego, San 
Juan, PR, Phone: (787) 721-6500, November 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 
p.m.
    The meetings will be transcribed by a court reporter. Spanish 
language translation will be provided. Please contact NSF at least one 
week in advance of the meeting if you would like to request special 
accommodations (i.e., sign language interpretation, etc.).
    A separate consultation meeting, pursuant to Section 106 of the 
NHPA, will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Doubletree by 
Hilton Hotel San Juan, 105 Avenida De Diego, San Juan, PR on November 
17, 2016, beginning one hour after the public meeting on the DEIS. All 
persons and entities that are consulting parties or are interested in 
becoming consulting parties are invited to attend. Spanish language 
translation will also be provided for this meeting.

    Dated: October 24, 2016.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2016-26061 Filed 10-27-16; 8:45 am]
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