[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 27, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22603-22604]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-10515]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Draft Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Sandia
National Laboratories/New Mexico
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of availability and public hearings.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability of
the Draft Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) for Sandia
National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM), DOE/EIS-0281, for public
review and comment. DOE proposes to continue operating SNL/NM, located
in central 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.
DATES: Written comments on the Draft SWEIS are invited from the public
during the comment period, which ends June 15, 1999 (see ADDRESSES
section for more details). Comments must be postmarked by June 15,
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 SWEIS. Public hearings on the Draft SWEIS are
scheduled in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for:
Wednesday, May 19, 1999, at the University of New Mexico Continuing
Education Center, 1634 University Blvd., NE. The Education Center is
located just north of the intersection of University and Indian School
Road. There will be two sessions from 1-5 p.m. and from 6-9 p.m.
Thursday, May 20, 1999, at Manzano High School, 12200 Lomas Blvd.,
NE. The school is located on the south side
[[Page 22604]]
of Lomas Blvd. between Juan Tabo and Tramway. There will be two
sessions from 3-5 p.m. and from 6-9 p.m.
Saturday, May 22, 1999, at the South Broadway Cultural Center, 1025
Broadway, SE. The Cultural Center is located on Broadway, 3 blocks
north of the intersection with Avenida Cesar Chavez. There will be only
one session from 1-4:30 p.m.
The hearings will provide opportunities for information exchange
and discussion among DOE, SNL/NM, and the public, as well as for
submitting prepared statements. Public hearing locations and times will
also be announced in local media closer to the meeting dates. For more
information call (888) 635-7305.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted in writing to DOE by contacting:
Julianne Levings, SNL/NM SWEIS Project Manager, U.S. DOE, Albuquerque
Operations Office, EISPO, PO Box 5400, Albuquerque, NM 87185-5400.
Ms. Levings may also be contacted by telephone (888) 635-7305, fax
(505) 845-6392, or via e-mail at inforequest@nepanet.com. Oral and
written comments may also be provided at the public hearings listed in
the DATES section. Requests for copies of the Draft SWEIS or other
matters regarding this environmental review should be addressed to Ms.
Levings at the address above. Summaries of the Draft SWEIS are
available in Spanish. The Draft SWEIS is also available in full under
the NEPA Analyses 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, EH-42, Director,
Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance, 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 SWEIS 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 central 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 the potential expansion/construction of new facilities specifically
addressed in the SWEIS. 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 does not currently have a preferred alternative, but will
identify in the Final SWEIS a preferred alternative, which could be a
combination of the alternatives analyzed.
The Draft SWEIS identifies the expected environmental impacts from
facility operations for each alternative, and presents comparisons of
these impacts among the three alternatives. For each alternative,
impacts are presented for resource areas (e.g., land use, geology and
soils, and water) and topic areas (e.g., waste generation,
transportation, and environmental justice).
The Notice of Intent for the preparation of the Draft SWEIS (62 FR
29332, May 30, 1997) announced that the United States Air Force (USAF)
would act as a cooperating agency because of the interdependence
between Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) and the DOE when planning for
SNL/NM. The USAF has participated in planning meetings; provided data
projections for KAFB facilities; and reviewed analytical methodologies,
analyses, and preliminary drafts of the SWEIS.
DOE has distributed copies of the summary of the Draft SWEIS to
appropriate Congressional members and committees, and copies of the
Draft SWEIS to the State of New Mexico, American Indian Tribal
governments, local county governments, other Federal agencies, and
interested parties who have requested copies. The Draft EIS is also
available for public review and copying at the following four
locations:
University of New Mexico Zimmerman Library, Government Document
Collection, Albuquerque, NM.
Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute (TVI), Joseph Montoya
Campus Library, 4700 Morris, NE, Albuquerque, NM.
TVI Main Campus Library, 525 Buena Vista Dr., SE, Albuquerque, NM.
U.S. Department of Energy, Freedom of Information Reading Room,
Room 1E-190, 1000 Independence Ave, SW, Washington, DC.
After the 60-day public comment period, which ends June 15, 1999,
the Department will consider and respond to the comments received,
revise the Draft SWEIS as appropriate, and issue a Final SWEIS. The
Department will consider the analyses in the Final SWEIS, along with
other information, in making a decision on the appropriate level of
operations for SNL/NM.
Signed in Washington, DC, this 20th of April 1999, for the
United States Department of Energy.
Victor H. Reis,
Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs.
[FR Doc. 99-10515 Filed 4-26-99; 8:45 am]
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