[Federal Register: February 26, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 38)] [Notices] [Page 9483-9484] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr26fe99-39] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Conveyance and Transfer of Certain Land Tracts Administered by the Department of Energy and Located at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos and Santa Fe Counties, New Mexico AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of availability and public hearings. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Conveyance and Transfer (CT) of Certain Land Tracts Administered by the Department of Energy and Located at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos and Santa Fe Counties, New Mexico (CT EIS), DOE/EIS-0293, for public review and comment. The CT EIS provides DOE and its stakeholders an analysis of the environmental impacts that could result from DOE's conveyance or transfer of up to approximately 4,800 acres of land located in north- central New Mexico to either the Incorporated County of Los Alamos or to the Secretary of the Interior, in trust for the San Ildefonso Pueblo. DATES: Written comments on the Draft CT EIS are invited from the public and may be submitted through the end of the comment period, which is April 12, 1999 (see ADDRESSES section for more details). Comments must be postmarked by April 12, 1999, to ensure consideration; late comments will be considered to the extent practicable. The DOE will use the comments received to help prepare the Final CT EIS. Public hearings on the Draft CT EIS will be held as follows: March 24, 1999 (Wednesday), 2 pm-5 pm and 6 pm-9 pm, Cities of Gold Hotel, Pojoaque, New Mexico. March 25, 1999 (Thursday), 2 pm-5 pm and 6 pm-9 pm, Fuller Lodge, Los Alamos, New Mexico. [[Page 9484]] The hearings will provide opportunities for information exchange and discussion among DOE and the public, as well as opportunities for the public to present oral or written comments. For more information on the public hearing call (800) 791-2280. ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted in writing or orally to DOE by contacting: Ms. Elizabeth Withers, CT EIS Document Manager, U.S. DOE, Los Alamos Area Office, 528 35th Street, Los Alamos, NM 87544; by leaving a message at (800) 791-2280; by faxing (505) 665-4872; or by electronic mail at cteis@doeal.gov. Oral and written comments may also be submitted at the public hearings described above in the DATES section. Requests for copies of the Draft CT EIS or other matters regarding this environmental review should be addressed to Ms. Withers at the address above. The Draft CT EIS will be available under the NEPA Analysis Module of the DOE NEPA Web Site at http://tis.eh.doe.gov/ nepa/. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the DOE NEPA process, please contact Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance, EH-42, 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 Draft CT 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). DOE proposes to dispose of land that is not needed to support DOE's national security mission and that can be environmentally remediated or restored before November 26, 2007, by either conveyance to the Incorporated County of Los Alamos, or by transfer to the Secretary of the Interior, in trust for the San Ildefonso Pueblo, in accordance with section 632 of Public Law 105-119, enacted on November 26, 1997. Criteria established by Public Law 105-119 for determining if land is suitable for conveyance or transfer includes the requirement that the land be suitable for use by the named recipients for the purposes of environmental, historic or cultural preservation, economic diversification purposes, or community self-sufficiency purposes. The DOE has analyzed two alternatives: (1) The No Action Alternative and (2) the Conveyance and Transfer of Each Tract Alternative (the Proposed Action). Under the No Action Alternative, DOE would continue its historical use of each of the land tracts identified as potentially being suitable for conveyance and transfer. Under the Conveyance and Transfer of Each Tract Alternative, the conveyance or transfer of each tract identified as suitable is considered, either in whole or in part, to either Los Alamos County or their designee, or the Secretary of the Interior in trust for the San Ildefonso Pueblo. DOE's Preferred Alternative is a subset of the Proposed Action Alternative, namely to convey or transfer several of the tracts of land entirely and several tracts in part (portions without potential contamination issues or mission support concerns). Environmental restoration activities would continue under current or future plans for the tracts that require such action and will include coordination with the State of New Mexico and public involvement. The Draft CT EIS compares the environmental impacts that could be expected to occur from continuing to use the subject tracts of land as currently planned for the next 10 years with the direct consequences expected from conveying or transferring suitable tracts, in whole or in part, to the recipients named in Public Law 105-119, together with the indirect consequences expected from the subsequent development and use of the tracts by the receiving parties. A wetland/floodplains assessment is included as an appendix to the EIS. A range of cost estimates for clean up of each tract is provided in a separate Environmental Restoration Report prepared to support the CT EIS and can be obtained by contacting Ms. Elizabeth Withers as indicated in the ADDRESSES section above. DOE has distributed copies of the Draft CT EIS to appropriate Congressional members and committees, the State of New Mexico, American Indian tribal and pueblo governments, local county governments, other Federal agencies, and other interested parties. After the public comment period, which ends April 12, 1999, DOE will consider the comments received, revise the Draft CT EIS, and issue a Final CT EIS. DOE will consider the Final CT EIS, along with other considerations such as economic and technical considerations, in deciding the action it will take regarding the conveyance and transfer of the subject tracts. Issued in Washington, DC, on February 22, 1999. John C. Ordaz, Program Manager, CT EIS, Defense Programs. [FR Doc. 99-4844 Filed 2-25-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P