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Availability of the Final 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, NM

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

 [Federal Register: February 1, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 21)]
[Notices]
[Page 4813-4814]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01fe00-44]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Availability of the Final 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, NM

AGENCY:  Department of Energy.

ACTION:  Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY:  The Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability of
the Final 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 (CT EIS), DOE/EIS-0293. DOE prepared the
CT EIS pursuant to Public Law 105-119. 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 the Secretary of the Interior, in trust for the
Pueblo of San Ildefonso. DOE distributed the CT EIS (which is dated
October 1999) in January 2000, concurrent with a related Report to
Congress (the Combined Data Report) that is also required by Public Law
105-119.

ADDRESSES:  Written requests for copies of the CT EIS or requests for
information about the proposed action should be directed to: Elizabeth
Withers, CT EIS Document Manager, U.S. DOE, Los Alamos Area Office, 528
35th Street, Los Alamos, NM 87544; by calling Ms. Withers at (505) 667-
8690; fax (505) 665-4872; or electronic mail at cteis@doeal.gov. The 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, D.C. 20585. Ms. Borgstrom may be
contacted by calling (202) 586-4600 or by leaving a message at (800)
472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  The CT EIS was prepared under 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 held public
hearings on the Draft CT EIS in Pojoaque and Los Alamos, New Mexico,
during a 45-day public comment period that ended April 12, 1999. DOE
considered all public comments received in preparing this Final CT EIS.
    In accordance with Section 632 of Public Law 105-119, enacted on
November 26, 1997, DOE proposes to convey or transfer certain land
tracts located at Los Alamos National Laboratory that are 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 Pueblo of San Ildefonso.
Criteria established by Public Law 105-119 for determining if land is
suitable for conveyance or transfer include 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 CT EIS analyzes 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 (Proposed Action) 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 Pueblo of San Ildefonso.
DOE's Preferred Alternative is a subset of the Proposed Action
Alternative, namely to convey or transfer approximately 4,021 acres,
including several of the tracts of land entirely and several tracts in
part (portions without potential contamination issues or mission
support questions). 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 CT EIS compares the environmental impacts that could be

[[Page 4814]]

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. Floodplain and wetlands
assessments are included in an appendix to the CT EIS. In accordance
with Public Law 105-119, DOE has also issued a separate Environmental
Restoration Report for the land tracts being considered for conveyance
or transfer. The Environmental Restoration Report describes the type
and extent of environmental contamination, the regulatory status of the
site contamination, potential waste generation associated with the
environmental cleanup, and the estimated costs and duration of
cleanups. The Environmental Restoration Report can be obtained by
contacting Ms. Elizabeth Withers as indicated in the ADDRESSES section
above.
    In accordance with Public Law 105-119, DOE prepared and sent to
Congress the Combined Data Report, which summarizes the CT EIS and the
Environmental Restoration Report. DOE also has distributed copies of
the CT EIS and the associated Environmental Restoration Report to the
State of New Mexico, American Indian tribal and pueblo governments,
local county governments, other Federal agencies, and other interested
parties.
    DOE intends to issue a Record of Decision in early 2000, and will
consider the information in the Final CT EIS and the Environmental
Restoration Report, and other factors 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, D.C., on January 21, 2000.

Henry Garson,
NEPA Compliance Officer, Defense Programs.
[FR Doc. 00-2066 Filed 1-31-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P

 
 

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