FOREIGN AFFAIRS SECURITY TRAINING CENTER [FASTC] An American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement for U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Security Training Center Nottoway County, Virginia October 2012 Prepared by: United States General Services Administration In cooperation with: United States Department of State United States Army Corps of Engineers United States Environmental Protection Agency United States National Guard Bureau Volume I of II Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Foreign Affairs Security Training Center Nottoway County, Virginia October 2012 Lead Agency: U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Cooperating Agencies: U.S. Department of State (DOS), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Guard Bureau Title of Proposed Action: DOS Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS), Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (FASTC) in Nottoway County, Virginia Point of Contact: Ms. Abigail Low, GSA Project Manager, 20 N. Eighth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 or [email protected] Abstract GSA has prepared this Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate potential environmental impacts that may result from the development and operation of the proposed DS FASTC in Nottoway County, Virginia. The proposed location is near the town of Blackstone within and adjacent to the Army National Guard Maneuver Training Center Fort Pickett. The purpose of the proposed FASTC in Nottoway County is to consolidate existing dispersed training functions into a single suitable location to improve training efficiency and enhance training operations. The proposed FASTC would provide state-of-the-art training for 8,000–10,000 students annually to meet the increased demand for well-trained security personnel. The facility would be designed, built, and secured to federal standards on four adjacent parcels at Fort Pickett and within Nottoway County’s Local Redevelopment Area. FASTC would include facilities for soft skills training, such as classrooms, simulation labs, and a fitness center; hard skills training, such as driving tracks, mock urban environments, and firing and explosives ranges; as well as administrative and life support facilities including administrative offices, dormitories, a dining hall, and emergency medical response services. The Draft EIS analyzes the direct, indirect and cumulative impacts of two build alternatives, Build Alternative 1 and Build Alternative 2, with regard to climate, topography, geology, soils, water, biological and cultural resources, air quality, noise, land use and zoning, socioeconomics, traffic and transportation, recreation, utilities, public health and safety, visual resources and hazardous substances. The two build alternatives consist of alternative layouts on varied parcels of land for achieving the programmatic requirements of the proposed FASTC facility with site designs that would have the least environmental impact. Impacts are compared with the No Action Alternative, where FASTC would not be developed. Comments on this Draft EIS are due by: December 10, 2012, and may be submitted via the FASTC email address: [email protected] or mailed to: Ms. Abigail Low, GSA Project Manager, 20 N 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Draft Environmental Impact Statement for FASTC Nottoway County, Virginia EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The United States (U.S.) General Services Administration (GSA) has prepared this Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts that may result from the development and operation of a U.S. Department of State (DOS), Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (FASTC) in Nottoway County, Virginia. The proposed location is near the town of Blackstone within and adjacent to the Army National Guard (ARNG) Maneuver Training Center Fort Pickett (Fort Pickett), which is operated by the Virginia Army National Guard. GSA has prepared this EIS in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended; the Council on Environmental Quality regulations implementing NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations 1500-1508); and GSA’s Public Building Service NEPA Desk Guide. Cooperating agencies in preparing this Draft EIS include DOS, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and National Guard Bureau. ES.1 PURPOSE AND NEED The purpose of the proposed FASTC in Nottoway County is to consolidate existing dispersed training functions into a single suitable location to improve training efficiency and enhance training operations. With continued conflict throughout the world, the proposed FASTC would provide state-of-the-art training to meet the increased demand for well-trained security personnel. Existing training facilities are geographically separated and located in leased space or contracted facilities, which frequently do not meet training standards at a level required by DS. The lack of a dedicated training facility results in scheduling inefficiencies, increased costs, and decreased productivity. To accommodate a consolidated training center, a large area of developable land in proximity to DS headquarters in Arlington, Virginia is needed to provide sufficient space for the construction and operation of the proposed FASTC and to provide appropriate safety buffers and security perimeters surrounding the facility. The proposed FASTC design must meet all DOS programmatic needs and must also be vetted through GSA’s Design Excellence Process. The guiding principles of Design Excellence are to produce facilities that reflect the dignity, enterprise, vigor and stability of the federal government, embody the finest contemporary architectural thought, avoid an official style, and respond positively to national urban and environmental policies. ES.2 PROPOSED ACTION The Proposed Action is the acquisition of land and the development of a consolidated DS FASTC in Nottoway County, Virginia. The Proposed Action would consolidate training functions currently taking place at various leased and contracted facilities at one state-of-the-art center. The proposed FASTC would be designed, built, and secured to federal standards on up to four available adjacent parcels at Fort Pickett and within Nottoway County’s LRA area. The parcels are identified as Fort Pickett Parcels 21/20 and the Grid Parcel, which comprise approximately 567 acres and 74 acres, respectively, and Nottoway County LRA Parcels 9 and 10, which are 726 and 135 acres, respectively. In Executive Summary ES-3 October 2012 Draft Environmental Impact Statement for FASTC Nottoway County, Virginia total, the four parcels comprise 1,502 acres. Circulation between the parcels would occur on the Fort Pickett roadway network and would fulfill FASTC program adjacency needs. FASTC would be a consolidated training center for a rotating student population of 8,000–10,000 annually. FASTC would train primarily U.S. government employees. These individuals would include professional DS special agents, other DOS personnel, and a wider corps of U.S. diplomats and their families. A limited number of police and security professionals from countries in partnership with the U.S. would also receive training at the proposed FASTC. FASTC would be staffed, managed, and maintained by a total of 850–1,070 employees. Normal operating hours would be 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, 50 weeks a year. However, FASTC would have the capability to operate for occasional weekend training sessions and limited night training sessions as required for operational needs. An average of 500-700 students would be on-site on an average training day. Training courses would range from five days to 112 days in length. Classified and unclassified instructional components would comprise the FASTC training programs. Each of the components proposed for FASTC are integral to the overall training of students, including highly specialized programs to instruct students in the skills required for their assignments at overseas embassies. Facility development for the proposed FASTC would include facilities for soft skills training, such as classrooms, simulation labs, and a fitness center; hard skills training, such as driving tracks, mock urban environments, and firing and explosives ranges; as well as administrative and life support facilities including administrative offices, dormitories, a dining hall, and emergency medical response services. Due to the size of the entire project, FASTC would be constructed in three phases. The proposed schedule of construction of each phase is: Phase 1 from 2014 to completion by 2017; Phase 2 from 2016 to 2018; and Phase 3 from 2018 to 2020. The number of students and staff would increase between construction phases until FASTC becomes fully operational in 2020. ES.3 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT GSA and DOS have and will continue to provide opportunities for the public to provide input about the proposed project. GSA initiated the public scoping process for the FASTC project by publishing a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS in the Federal Register on October 4, 2011 and by notifying federal, state, and local agencies and other parties known or expected to be concerned about the Proposed Action. GSA also published a series of advertisements announcing the scoping period and public scoping information meeting starting October 4, 2011 in six newspapers serving Blackstone and other communities in vicinity of Fort Pickett. The 30-day public