The Smithsonian Institution, with its Joint-Lead and responsible Federal Agency, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), in cooperation with the National Park Service (NPS), announces the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which evaluates the potential environmental impacts associated with the construction and operation of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).

The NMAAHC is proposed to be constructed on a five-acre site located between Constitution Avenue, Madison Drive, and 14th and 15th Streets, NW, in Washington, D.C. Administrative jurisdiction over the site was transferred from NPS to the Smithsonian Institution on June 1, 2007.

The DEIS has been prepared in accordance with the implementing regulations of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and is being run in parallel with the Section 106 process of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) in accordance with 36 CFR 800 of the NHPA. Both the EIS and Section 106 processes are being undertaken at any early stage in the museum’s development, prior to the design phase. One limitation of this timing is that it is difficult to definitively identify effects and mitigations to certain resources in the project area without a more developed or precise design. As a result, the Smithsonian Institution and its Joint-Lead, NCPC, have elected to adopt a two-tiered NEPA process. The first tier EIS analyzes the potential effects of schematic massing alternatives on the natural and manmade environments including cultural resources, aesthetic/visual resources, groundwater and surface water resources, air quality, noise, transportation, land use, visitor use, communities and businesses, infrastructure and utility services, and public health and security. There will be a second tier EA or EIS that will analyze the effects of specific designs implementing at least one of the alternatives on visual and aesthetic resources, and any other significant effect found to be important to the final decision.

Following an examination of numerous implementation build alternatives, those found not to meet the purpose and need were dropped from further analysis in the DEIS. Seven alternatives were carried forward including the No Build Alternative and six Build Alternatives that are described in the DEIS and distinguished from each other by their respective massing, height and setback. They are Alternative 1 (Contextual Building Alignment), Alternative 2 (Washington Monument Orientation), Alternative 3 (Free-Form), Alternative 4 (Terraced Roof), Alternative 5 (Enframing), and Alternative 6 (Low Profile).

The DEIS is being distributed to agencies, organizations and parties that have previously expressed an interest in reviewing the document. The DEIS is also available on-line at the Smithsonian and at the project website at http://www.louisberger-nmaahceis.com. Printed copies are available for review at:
• Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
• Northeast Branch Library, 330 7th Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20002
• Southeast Branch Library, 403 7th Street, SE, Washington, D.C. 20003
• Southwest Branch Library, 900 Wesley Place, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024
• National Capital Planning Commission, 401 9th Street, NW, Suite 500, Washington D.C. 20004
• Smithsonian Institution Planning Library and Resource Room, Capital Gallery, 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Suite 5001, Washington, D.C. 20024

The Smithsonian Institution and NCPC invite the general public, civic groups, organizations, federal agencies, and District agencies to submit written comments concerning the analyses and alternatives addressed in the DEIS. Comments on the DEIS will be accepted from December 21, 2007 through February 18, 2008 (extended comment period). All comments received during this period will be considered for inclusion in the Final EIS. Please send written comments on the NMAAHC DEIS to: NMAAHC DEIS Comments, c/o The Louis Berger Group, 2445 M Street, NW, 4th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20037. Comments may also be submitted electronically on the NMAAHC EIS/106 project website at: http://www.louisberger-nmaahceis.com.

Interested parties are also invited to participate in a Public Hearing where oral testimony and written comments on the DEIS will also be received. The Public Hearing will be held on January 10, 2008, from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm at the Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium in the lower level of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture at 8th & G Streets, NW, Washington, D.C. The Public Hearing will consist of an informational open house from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, a brief presentation on the project from 6:30 pm to 7:00 pm, and the taking of oral testimony from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. All individuals wishing to provide oral testimony on the DEIS will be given three minutes to do so, while government agencies and organizations will have five minutes. A court recorder will transcribe all oral testimony.

If you wish to provide oral testimony at the Public Hearing, please contact: info@louisberger-nmaahceis.com or call (202) 303-2640. You may also sign up at the Public Hearing. If there are more speakers than time permits, comments will also be accepted in writing. All comments are given equal consideration in this process.