NEPA Regulations & Requirements

Overview

NEPA Regulations & Requirements Overview

Laboratory operations must comply with state and federal laws protecting the environment. The specific requirements of these laws are published in the Code of Federal Regulations. The Department of Energy enforces compliance with NEPA according to its implementing procedures.

Federal

Federal Requirements

Federal laws and regulations, Executive Orders, and DOE Orders govern the NEPA program.

• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
  Federal regulations and orders govern the implementation of NEPA at LANL. The governing requirements are available on the DOE NEPA website
• National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
• Council on Environmental Quality Regulations
• DOE National Environmental Policy Implementation Regulations (pdf)
• Executive Orders
• DOE Directives
• DOE Order 451.1B Chg 1 (pdfP

State

New Mexico Requirements

NEPA is a federal statute; there are no parallel state NEPA-like regulations that apply to LANL.

Oversight

LANL Oversight

The DOE has sole oversight and/or regulatory authority for LANL's NEPA program.

• U.S. Department of Energy
• Los Alamos Site Office
• DOE Office of Independent Oversight
• Citizen's Advisory Board
• DOE NEPA Web

LANL

LANL NEPA Requirements

All new and modified activities at LANL require a NEPA review. If existing NEPA documentation does not encompass the proposed work, additional NEPA documentation must be completed. DOE must approvethe documentation before a project proceeds to detailed design or before a task or activity is implemented. Implementation of mitigation measures may also be required.