STAFF RECOMMENDATION

M.Weil

NCPC File No. 7142

USDA BELTSVILLE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CENTER WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY

10300 Baltimore Avenue

Beltsville, Maryland

Submitted by the United States Department of Agriculture

September 30, 2010

Abstract The United States Department of Agriculture submitted final site and building plans for a wireless communications facility on its Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) campus in Beltsville, Maryland. The facility will consist of nine transmitting and receiving panel antennas, one microwave dish, and one global positioning system antenna affixed to an existing water tower. The facility will be supported by eight ancillary equipment cabinets located on a new 11x11 foot concrete pad near the base of the water tower. The concrete pad will be surrounded by a 17x17-foot perimeter security fence.

Commission Action Requested by Applicant Approval of final site and building plans pursuant to 40 U.S.C. § 8722(b)(1) and NCPC’s Guidelines and Submission Requirements for Antennas on Federal Property in the National Capital Region, adopted by the Commission on January 7, 1988, as amended.

Executive Director’s Recommendation The Commission: Approves the final site and building plans for the installation of a wireless communications facility consisting of nine transmitting and receiving panel antennas, one microwave dish, one global positioning system (GPS) antenna, eight ancillary equipment cabinets, one concrete pad, and a perimeter security fence at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Campus (BARC) campus, as shown on NCPC Map File No. 3212.10(38.30)43117, for a period not to exceed five years.

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Recommends that the applicant post radio frequency exposure notices consistent with the radio-frequency safety report recommendations to delineate exposure zones in highly visible areas.

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PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Site

The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) is located at 10300 Baltimore Avenue in Beltsville, Prince George’s County, Maryland. The BARC property covers over 6,600 acres northeast of the Capital Beltway, between Interstate 95 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (MD 295), stretching from I-95 to the western boundaries of the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Other federal facilities located close to BARC include Goddard Space Flight Center to the south and the Treasury Department's Secret Service Training Center to the east. The cities of College Park and Greenbelt are also located south of BARC.

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Proposal

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has submitted final site and building plans to install a wireless communications facility consisting of nine transmitting and receiving panel antennas, one microwave dish, and one global positioning system (GPS) antenna affixed to an existing water tower. The facility will be supported by eight ancillary equipment cabinets located on a new 11x11 foot concrete pad (near the base of the water tower) surrounded by a perimeter chain link fence that will match the existing water tower fence. Screening of the proposed facility will include painting all antenna equipment to match the existing color of the water tank as shown in the following photographs. Additional discussion about the facility’s screening is included in the “Viewshed Analysis” section.

The panel antennas measure 54.5” x 10.3” x 5.9” (L x W x D); the microwave antenna measures two feet in diameter; and the GPS antenna measures 6.5 inches x 3.5 inches (H x Diameter). The antennas are shown below.

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The wireless facility will be supported by four Nokia GSM cabinets each measuring 76.4” x 30” x 29.5” (H x W x D); two Lucent UMTS cabinets each measuring 74.5” x 38. 5” x 35.2” (H x W x D); one Argus equipment power cabinet and one Argus battery cabinet each measuring 93” x 30” x 30” (H x W x D), as shown in the following factory drawings.

All of the antennas will be attached to the unmanned equipment cabinets by coaxial cables, and the ancillary cabinets will be located on an 11’ x 11’ concrete pad, and surrounded by a 17’ x 17’ chain link perimeter fence that will match the existing water tower fence. The transmitting frequencies for the antennas will be in two different bands (850 MHz and 1900 MHz) to prevent interference with any AM and FM radio, televisions or other transmissions in the vicinity of the site, as specified in the FCC license for the facility which prohibits such interferences. The microwave antenna will operate at a frequency of 11 GHz.

PROJECT ANALYSIS

Executive Summary

Staff finds that the project meets the criteria of NCPC’s Antenna Guidelines, and recommends approval of the final site and building plans for the installation of a wireless communications facility consisting of nine transmitting and receiving panel antennas, one microwave dish, one global positioning system (GPS) antenna, eight ancillary equipment cabinets, one concrete pad, and a perimeter security fence on the Beltsville Agricultural Research Campus, as shown on NCPC Map File No. 3212.10(38.30)43117, for a period not to exceed five years. In addition, staff recommends that the applicant post radio frequency exposure notices consistent with the radio-frequency safety report recommendations to delineate exposure zones in highly visible areas.

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Radiofrequency Radiation

In accordance with NCPC’s submission regulations, USDA submitted a radio-frequency (RF) safety report and information about radiation patterns for the proposed facility. The following graphic shows the maximum potential RF exposure emitted from the proposed antennas.

The graphic indicates that although there is the potential for RF exposure above the FCC standards in close proximity to the antennas, the antennas will only be accessible to trained workers since they will be located on the water tank hand railing 80 feet above the ground, and

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not accessible to the general public. Additionally, exposure to the general public is minimal since there are no similarly tall, habitable, structures located in the vicinity of the water tower. The following conclusion (taken from the RF safety report) contains information and recommendations that will minimize the potential for unsafe exposure to workers (Occupational Population) who may be working in the vicinity of the water tank.

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Viewshed Analysis

The proposed facility will be located adjacent to a heavily-treed area to the west, north, and east which will conceal the equipment cabinets from those three directional perspectives, shown in the following photograph simulations. As previously mentioned, the antennas will be painted to match the existing color of the water tank to help minimize their appearance from surrounding views where the water tower is visible.

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Although the facility will not be screened from the south, a campus administration building will shield any potential off-campus view of the at-grade equipment cabinets, as shown in the following photograph simulation.

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Views from the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (MD 295) will not be impacted due to the large area of mature trees and distance (approximately 1.25 miles) between the water tower and historic parkway, as exhibited by the following graphic.

CONFORMANCE

Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital

Staff’s review finds the proposed wireless communications facility in compliance with the goals and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan. Specifically, the Federal Environment Element contains policies that encourage the federal government to:

“Evaluate the possibilities for joint-use of antennas and collocating antennas to reduce aesthetic impacts and limit the area of radiofrequency (RF) exposure. Federal agencies should also evaluate the cumulative effect of multiple transmitters at one location to ensure that the combined radiofrequency emissions continue to meet Federal Communications Commission guidelines”.

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Staff has determined that the antenna installation would not have an effect on other federal facilities or federal interests.

Relevant Federal Facility Master Plan

The most recent Commission-approved master plan modification for BARC occurred in August 1996. The communication facility is not inconsistent with the master plan since the project site is located in the “Building Area” of the campus, as shown in the following land use map, taken from the Plan.

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

The USDA required the project consultant to conduct a thorough search for potential environmental issues related to the project and identified no such issues. As such, USDA made the determination that a Categorical Exclusion was appropriate for the project as follows: Project does not require preparation of an EA by virtue of being non-controversial and meeting one of the following criteria: Repair and Maintenance of an existing facility or project, including alteration and renovations. For federal projects in the environs of Washington, DC, NCPC does not have an independent NEPA responsibility.

National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)

The project was reviewed by the project consultant and a determination was made that the communications facility would have no adverse effect on the campus. Furthermore, the

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consultant submitted the project to the Maryland Historic Trust (MHT). MHT concurred with the USDA’s finding of no adverse effect. For federal projects in the environs of Washington, DC, NCPC does not have an independent Section 106 responsibility.

CONSULTATION

Prince George’s County / City of Greenbelt, Maryland

The project proposal was submitted to the Prince George’s County, Telecommunications Transmission Facility Coordination Committee and the City of Greenbelt, Maryland for their review. The Prince George’s County, Telecommunications Transmission Facility Coordination Committee issued the following correspondence indicating the Committee’s support for the project:

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The City of Greenbelt issued the following correspondence indicating the City’s support for the project:

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Local Community

Prior to project submission to NCPC, the USDA advertised the project in a local Prince George’s County newspaper for a week to inform the general public of the project. Certification of the advertisement is shown below. There were no comments received from the public.