[Federal Register: November 8, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 215)]
[Notices]               
[Page 60799-60800]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08no99-64]                         

=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

 
Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico Final Site-Wide 
Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability of 
the Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM) Final Site-Wide 
Environmental Impact Statement (Site-Wide EIS), DOE/EIS-0281. DOE 
proposes to continue operating SNL/NM, located in Albuquerque, New 
Mexico. The Site-Wide EIS evaluates the potential environmental impacts 
of continuing to operate SNL/NM and incorporates public comments 
received on the Draft Site-Wide EIS and DOE responses.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the Final Site-Wide EIS or for 
information regarding the document should be directed to Julianne 
Levings, SNL/NM Site-Wide EIS Project Manager, U.S.

[[Page 60800]]

Department of Energy, Albuquerque Operations Office, P.O. Box 5400, 
Albuquerque, NM 87185-5400 or by telephone at (505) 845-6201. The Site-
Wide EIS is available under the NEPA Analyses Module of the DOE NEPA 
Web Site at http://tis.eh.doe.gov/nepa/. A Spanish translation of the 
Summary is also available on the DOE NEPA Web Site. The Site-Wide EIS 
is available for public inspection at the following locations:

University of New Mexico, Government Document Collection, Zimmerman 
Library, Main Campus, Albuquerque, New Mexico
U.S. Department of Energy, Freedom of Information Reading Room, Room 
1E-190, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, 
DC 20585.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the DOE 
NEPA process, please contact Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, EH-42, Director, 
Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 
Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20585. Ms. Borgstrom may be 
contacted by calling (202) 586-4600 or by leaving a message at (800) 
472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Site-Wide EIS incorporates comments 
received during the public comment period from April 16, 1999 through 
June 15, 1999. The Site-Wide EIS was prepared pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) [42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.], the 
Council on Environmental Quality NEPA regulations [40 CFR part 1500], 
and the DOE NEPA regulations [10 CFR part 1021]. The Department 
proposes to continue operating the SNL/NM, which is located in 
Albuquerque, New Mexico.
    DOE has identified and assessed three alternatives for the 
operation of SNL/NM: (1) No Action, (2) Expanded Operations, and (3) 
Reduced Operations. In the No Action Alternative, DOE would continue 
the status quo; that is, operating at planned levels as reflected in 
current DOE management plans. In the Expanded Operations Alternative, 
DOE would increase activity at SNL/NM to the highest reasonable level 
that could be supported by current facilities and includes the 
potential expansion/construction of new facilities specifically 
addressed in the Site-Wide EIS. Under the Reduced Operations 
Alternative, activities would be reduced to the minimum level of 
operations needed to maintain SNL/NM facilities and equipment in an 
operational readiness mode.
    DOE's Preferred Alternative for SNL/NM, as identified in the Final 
Site-Wide EIS, is the Expanded Operations Alternative, exclusive of the 
Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Applications (MESA) Complex. In 
the Final Site-Wide EIS, DOE added discussion of a developing proposal 
for a new MESA Complex in order to share with the public information 
being assembled during the ongoing conceptual design. DOE will prepare 
an environmental assessment for the MESA Complex when the conceptual 
design is complete, to determine whether an EIS is required.
    The analysis in the Site-Wide EIS indicates that all impacts from 
the Preferred Alternative would be small except water usage, which 
contributes to the general groundwater drawdown in the city of 
Albuquerque. There is little difference in the environmental impacts 
among the alternatives analyzed.
    Subsequent Document Preparation: DOE intends to issue a Record of 
Decision no earlier than 30 days following publication in the Federal 
Register of the Environmental Protection Agency's Notice of 
Availability of the Final Site-Wide EIS, which appeared in the Federal 
Register on October 29, 1999. DOE will publish the Record of Decision 
in the Federal Register.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on November 1, 1999.
Henry Garson,
NEPA Compliance Officer, Defense Programs.
[FR Doc. 99-29153 Filed 11-8-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P