24 June 2011
Sandia Nuclear Megadeath Laboratory Up for Public Review
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 122 (Friday, June 24, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37100-37103]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-15951]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement; Continued
Operation of the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security
Administration Sandia National Laboratories, NM
AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security
Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement
and conduct public scoping meetings.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as
amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) (NEPA), and the Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
regulations implementing NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508 and 10 CFR Part
1021, respectively), the National Nuclear Security Administration
(NNSA), a semi-autonomous agency within DOE, announces its intention to
prepare a site-wide environmental
[[Page 37101]]
impact statement (SWEIS) (DOE/EIS-0466) for the continued operation of
DOE/NNSA activities at Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (SNL/
NM) on Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) and within the Albuquerque area,
as well as other DOE activities at both on-site and off-site locations
(the NNSA Service Center, the NNSA Office of Secure Transportation,
NNSA Kirtland Operations, the NNSA Aviation Facility, and the DOE
National Training Center). The purpose of this notice is to invite
individuals, organizations, and government agencies and entities to
participate in developing the scope of the SWEIS. The new SWEIS will
consider a No Action Alternative, which is to continue current
operations through implementation of the 1999 Record of Decision (ROD)
(64 FR 69996; 12/15/99) and subsequent NEPA decisions. Three action
alternatives proposed for consideration in the SWEIS would be compared
to the No Action Alternative. The three action alternatives would
differ by either their type or level of operations and may include
proposals for new operations or the reduction or elimination of certain
operations.
DATES: NNSA invites comments on the scope of this SWEIS. The public
scoping period starts with the publication of this notice and will
continue until 45 days after publication in the Federal Register. NNSA
will consider all comments defining the scope of the SWEIS received or
postmarked by this date. Comments received or postmarked after this
date will be considered to the extent practicable. NNSA will conduct
public scoping meetings in Albuquerque, New Mexico, scheduled as
follows:
Tuesday, July 12, 2011--1-4 p.m., Hilton Albuquerque
Hotel, 1901 University Boulevard Northeast, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011--6-9 p.m., Hilton Albuquerque
Hotel, 1901 University Boulevard Northeast, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011--1-4 p.m., Hilton Albuquerque
Hotel, 1901 University Boulevard Northeast, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011--6-9 p.m., Hilton Albuquerque
Hotel, 1901 University Boulevard Northeast, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
These scoping meetings will provide the public with an opportunity
to present comments, ask questions, and discuss issues with NNSA
officials regarding the SWEIS. Preparation of the SWEIS will require
participation of other Federal agencies. As land managers on and around
KAFB, the U.S. Department of the Air Force and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service (USFS) have an inherent interest in
activities conducted onsite by NNSA; therefore DOE intends to request
the participation of both the Air Force and the USFS as cooperating
agencies.
ADDRESSES: To submit comments on the scope of the SWEIS, questions
about the document or scoping meetings, or to be included on the
document distribution list, please contact Jeanette Norte, NNSA Sandia
Site Office, SWEIS Document Manager, P.O. Box 5400, Albuquerque, New
Mexico 87185-5400; local telephone (505) 845-4808 or out of area toll
free telephone number 1-855-766-4651; fax (505) 284-7197; or e-mail
address: sandia.sweis@doeal.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information about the DOE
NEPA process, please contact Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of
NEPA Policy and Compliance (GC-54), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585; e-mail:
askNEPA@hq.doe.gov; telephone: 202-586-4600, or leave a message at 1-
800-472-2756; or fax: 202-586-7031. Additional information regarding
DOE NEPA activities is available on the Internet through the NEPA Web
site at http://nepa.energy.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: SNL/NM is one of three national laboratories in NNSA's
nuclear security enterprise. SNL/NM is a multi-disciplinary, multi-
purpose national laboratory primarily engaged in work that supports
national security, homeland security initiatives, environmental
stewardship, and defense research and development programs (R&D) for
DOE/NNSA and other government entities. Responsibilities in support of
nuclear weapons activities include design, certification, and
assessment of non-nuclear subsystems of nuclear weapons; system
integration; safety, security, reliability, and use control of nuclear
weapons; direction and support to production plants regarding issues
associated with production and dismantlement of nuclear weapons;
production and/or acquisition of weapons components; surveillance and
support of weapons in the stockpile; and work in nuclear intelligence,
nonproliferation, and treaty verification technologies. Nonweapons
research and science services are provided in areas including waste
management, environmental restoration, hazardous and radioactive
material transportation, energy efficiency and renewable energy,
nuclear energy, fossil energy, magnetic fusion, basic energy sciences,
supercomputing, and biological and environmental research. Additional
activities include research on energy and environmental technologies,
other engineering research, and work for other government agencies.
SNL/NM occupies about 8,658 acres on and around KAFB in central New
Mexico, and is bordered on the north and west by the city of
Albuquerque. The eastern boundary is USFS land and the southern
boundary is the Isleta Pueblo. SNL/NM operations are managed and
operated for DOE/NNSA under contract by the Sandia Corporation, a
wholly owned subsidiary of the Lockheed Martin Corporation.
The 1999 SNL/NM SWEIS examined existing and potential impacts to
the environment from ongoing and anticipated future DOE/NNSA operations
conducted over approximately a 10-year period of time at SNL/NM and
other DOE operations on and around KAFB. The three alternatives
analyzed in the 1999 SNL/NM SWEIS were: (1) The No Action Alternative,
to continue to operate at the planned levels as reflected in DOE
Management Plans for 1998 through 2008; (2) The Expanded Operations
Alternative, DOE's preferred alternative, to operate at the highest
levels supported by then-current and new facilities, and (3) A Reduced
Alternative, to operate at the minimum level of activity while still
maintaining core mission capabilities. DOE's ROD, dated December 15,
1999, implemented the Expanded Operations Alternative.
In August 2006, DOE/NNSA completed a 5-year review of the 1999 SNL/
NM SWEIS with the preparation of a Supplement Analysis (SA), Final
Supplement Analysis for the Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement
for Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (DOE/EIS-0281-SA-04). This
was done in accordance with DOE's regulatory requirement to evaluate
site-wide NEPA documents at least every 5 years (10 CFR 1021.330) to
determine the adequacy of an existing EIS. Based on the 2006 SA, DOE/
NNSA determined that there were no substantial changes to the actions
or impacts evaluated in the SNL/NM SWEIS, and there were no significant
new circumstances or information relevant to environmental concerns;
thus, the existing SNL/NM SWEIS was deemed adequate and neither a
supplemental EIS nor a new EIS was required.
Purpose and Need: The purpose and need for agency action is to
continue the operation of SNL/NM to provide support for DOE's core
missions as
[[Page 37102]]
directed by the Congress and the President. SNL/NM supports NNSA
national security objectives through the engineering of nuclear weapon
components and other nuclear and non-nuclear activities. In addition,
SNL/NM oversees DOE/NNSA national security related research,
development, and testing programs and conducts extensive work for other
federal agencies.
Proposed Action and Alternatives for the SWEIS: In accordance with
applicable DOE and CEQ NEPA regulations, the No Action Alternative will
be analyzed in the SWEIS and will form the baseline for the other
action alternatives analyzed in the document. In this case, the No
Action Alternative will be the continued implementation of the 1999
SNL/NM SWEIS ROD at SNL/NM over the next 5-10 years. The No Action
Alternative will also include the implementation of other decisions
supported by separate NEPA analyses completed since the issuance of the
Final 1999 SNL/NM SWEIS. This includes four Supplement Analyses
resulting in the determination that further NEPA documentation was not
required, and one Environmental Impact Statement: (1) Supplement
Analysis for the Final Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for
Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico to Reestablishing Long-Term
Pulse Mode Testing Capability at the Annular Core Research Reactor
(ACRR), Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (ACRR Pulse Mode SA)
(DOE/EIS-0281-SA-01); (2) Supplement Analysis for the Final Site-Wide
Environmental Impact Statement for Sandia National Laboratories, New
Mexico for Isentropic Compression and Flyer Plate Experiments Involving
Plutonium at the Z and Saturn Accelerators (Pu-ICE SA) (DOE/EIS-0281-
SA-02); (3) Supplement Analysis for the Final Site-Wide Environmental
Impact Statement for Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico for the
Installation of a Petawatt Laser System in TA-IV Petawatt Laser System
SA) (DOE/EIS-0281-SA-03); (4) Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico
Final Supplement Analysis for the Site-Wide Environmental Impact
Statement (2006 SNL/NM SWEIS SA) (DOE/EIS-0281-SA-04); and (5) Final
Complex Transformation Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement (DOE/EIS-0235-S4) and its RODs (73 FR 77644 and 73 FR 77656).
In addition, the following seven environmental assessments and their
associated Findings of No Significant Impacts will also be included in
the No Action Alternative, as well as actions categorically excluded
from the need for preparation of either an EA or an EIS: (1)
Environmental Assessment for the Microsystems and Engineering Sciences
Applications Complex, DOE/EA-1335, September 2000; (2) Final
Environmental Assessment for the Test Capabilities Revitalization at
Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico, DOE/EA-1446, January 2003;
(3) Final Environmental Assessment for the Center for Integrated
Nanotechnologies at Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico, DOE/EA-
1457, March 2003; (4) Final Environmental Assessment for the Proposed
Consolidation of Neutron Generator Tritium Target Loading Production,
DOE/EA-1532, June 2005; (5) Final Environmental Assessment for the
Expansion of Permitted Land and Operations at the 9940 Complex and
Thunder Range at Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico, DOE/EA-1603,
April 2008; (6) Final Environmental Assessment for the Removal Actions
at the Technical Area III Classified Waste Landfill, Sandia National
Laboratories, New Mexico, DOE/EA-1729, August 2010; (7) Final
Environmental Assessment for Proposed Construction and Lease of New
Facilities for the Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security
Administration, Office of Secure Transportation (Albuquerque
Transportation and Technology Center) Albuquerque, New Mexico, U. S.
General Services Administration, July 2006. These various documents can
be reviewed at the DOE/NNSA Public Reading Room at Government
Information/Zimmerman Library, MSC05 3020, 1 University of New Mexico,
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, Tel: 505-277-5441, Fax: 505-277-6019; E-
mail: govref@unm.edu; Reading Room Web site: http://elibrary.unm.edu/doe; and on the Internet at: http://nepa.energy.gov.
Three action alternatives will be considered in the SWEIS: Expanded
Operations, Reduced Operations, and Renewable Energy Operations. All
three of these alternatives will be compared to the No Action
Alternative level of operations. The Expanded Operations Alternative
will consider the highest level of operations that can be supported in
existing facilities and potential new facilities. The Reduced
Operations Alternative will consider an overall reduction in the level
of operations while maintaining core mission capabilities. The
Renewable Energy Operations Alternative will consider renewable energy
R&D and the potential deployment of those technologies on the SNL/NM;
this alternative or portions of it may be combined with either the
Expanded Operations Alternative or the Reduced Operations Alternative.
Any new renewable facilities/activities will be included in the
analysis for the Expanded Operations Alternative if they are reasonably
foreseeable (i.e., proposed within the next 5-10 years).
This SWEIS will analyze potential impacts resulting from reasonably
foreseeable operations and compare these impacts to those projected in
the No-Action Alternative. The SWEIS will analyze projected impacts
anticipated from operating SNL/NM and from other DOE activities at both
on-site and off-site locations. Direct and indirect, as well as
unavoidable and irreversible and irretrievable, impacts to the
environment of SNL/NM operations and other DOE activities at both on-
site and off-site locations will be identified and analyzed in the
SWEIS. Where appropriate, mitigation strategies will also be analyzed
in the SWEIS. Further, an updated evaluation of SNL/NM operational and
transportation accident analyses and a new assessment of cumulative
impacts associated with DOE/NNSA operations in Albuquerque will also be
included. DOE/NNSA intends to re-evaluate the range of reasonable
alternatives following public scoping.
Preliminary Identification of Environmental Issues: DOE/NNSA
proposes to address the issues listed below when considering the
potential impacts of each alternative. This list is presented to
facilitate public comment during the scoping period and will be
revisited as DOE/NNSA considers all scoping comments. It is not
intended to be comprehensive, or to imply any predetermination of
impacts.
Potential effects on the public;
Human health impacts resulting from exposure to hazardous
materials under routine and reasonably foreseeable accident scenarios;
Impacts on surface and groundwater, and on water use and
quality;
Impacts on air quality (including greenhouse gas
emissions) and noise;
Impacts on plants and animals, and their habitats,
including species that are Federal- or state-listed as threatened or
endangered, or of special concern;
Impacts on geology and soil;
Impacts on cultural resources such as Native American
sites and Cold War structures and archaeological resources;
Potential impacts from transportation and traffic;
Socioeconomic impacts on potentially affected communities
including environmental justice issues, such as disproportionately high
and
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adverse impacts to minority and low-income populations;
Potential impacts on land use;
Pollution prevention and waste management practices and
activities;
Energy efficiency activities;
Unavoidable adverse impacts and irreversible and
irretrievable commitments of resources;
Potential cumulative environmental effects of past,
present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions;
The potential impacts of intentional destructive acts,
including sabotage and terrorism, which will be addressed in a
classified appendix to the SWEIS.
SWEIS Process and Invitation To Comment: The SWEIS scoping process
provides an opportunity for the public to assist the DOE/NNSA in
determining issues to be analyzed in the document. Four public scoping
meetings will be held as noted under DATES in this Notice. The purpose
of scoping meetings is to provide attendees an opportunity to present
comments, ask questions, and discuss concerns regarding the SWEIS with
DOE/NNSA officials. Comments and recommendations can also be submitted
to Jeanette Norte as noted in this Notice under ADDRESSES. The SWEIS
scoping meetings will use a format to facilitate dialogue between DOE/
NNSA and the public and will provide individuals the opportunity to
give written or oral statements. DOE/NNSA welcomes specific comments or
suggestions on the SWEIS process. Copies of written comments and
transcripts of oral comments provided to DOE/NNSA during the scoping
period will be available at the DOE Public Reading Room at Government
Information/Zimmerman Library MSC05 3020, 1 University of New Mexico,
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, Tel: 505-277-5441 Fax: 505-277-6019 E-mail:
govref@unm.edu; Reading Room Web site: http://elibrary.unm.edu/doe; and
on the Internet at http://www.doeal.gov/sso/eshqa.aspx. After the close
of the public scoping period, DOE/NNSA will begin developing the draft
SWEIS. DOE/NNSA expects to issue the draft SWEIS for public review and
comment in 2012 for at least 60 days following publication of the
Environmental Protection Agency's Notice of Availability in the Federal
Register. The Notice of Availability, along with notices placed in
local newspapers, will provide dates and locations for public hearings
on the draft SWEIS and the deadline for comments on the draft document.
Persons who submit comments with a mailing address during the scoping
process will receive a copy of the draft SWEIS. Other persons who would
like to receive a copy of the document for review when it is issued
should notify Jeanette Norte at one of the addresses provided
previously. DOE/NNSA will include comments received on the draft SWEIS
in the final SWEIS.
Issued in Washington, DC, this 21st day of June 2011.
Thomas P. D'Agostino,
Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011-15951 Filed 6-23-11; 8:45 am]
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