17 June 2002
Source: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/fr-cont.html
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[Federal Register: June 17, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 116)]
[Notices]
[Page 41224-41227]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17jn02-31]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory
AGENCY: National Nuclear Security Administration.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) Oakland
Operations Office (OAK) announces its intent to prepare a Site-Wide
Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) to evaluate the environmental
effects of the operation of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
(LLNL) in Livermore, California. The SWEIS is being prepared in
accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Implementing Regulations (40 CFR Parts
1500-1508) and the DOE NEPA Implementing Procedures (10 CFR Part 1021).
The SWEIS will analyze the potential environmental impacts associated
with continuing current LLNL operations and foreseeable new and/or
modified operations and facilities for approximately the next ten
years. The No Action Alternative, to be analyzed in the SWEIS, is to
continue current LLNL operations of programs in support of assigned
missions, without foreseeable new operations and facilities for the
next ten years. A reduced operation alternative will also be analyzed.
The SWEIS will utilize the baseline information from the previous LLNL
SWEIS (Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Impact Report
for the Continued Operation of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories
and Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, August 1992), to the
extent possible. The purpose of this Notice is to invite public
participation in the process and to encourage public involvement on the
scope and alternatives that should be considered.
DATES: NNSA invites other federal agencies, State and local
governments, Native American Tribes and the public to comment on the
scope of this SWEIS. The public scoping period begins with the
publication of this Notice in the Federal Register and will continue
until August 13, 2002. Written scoping comments postmarked by that date
will be considered in the preparation of the draft SWEIS. Comments
postmarked or received by e-mail after that date will be considered to
the extent practicable.
Two public scoping meetings will be held at two different locations
as indicated below. This information will also be published in local
newspapers in advance of the meetings. Any necessary changes will be
announced in the local media.
July 10, 2002, at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., Double Tree Club (formerly
the Holiday Inn), 720 Las Flores Rd., Livermore, CA 94550, (925) 443-
4950
July 11, 2002, at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., Holiday Inn Express, 3751 N.
Tracy Blvd., Tracy, CA 95304, (209) 830-8500
The following website may be accessed for additional information.
http://www-envirinfo.llnl.gov/. A toll free hotline 1-877 388-4930 has
been established for leaving messages. The hotline will have
instructions on how to record comments and requests for information.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the SWEIS or requests for
information should be sent to: Mr. Thomas Grim, Document Manager, U.S.
Department of Energy, 1301 Clay Street, 700N, Oakland, CA 94612-5208,
Phone (925) 422-0704.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the NNSA
NEPA process, please contact: Mr. James J. Mangeno, NNSA NEPA
Compliance Officer, U.S. Department of Energy/NNSA, 1000 Independence
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585; or telephone 1-800-832-0885, ext. 6-
8395; or Ms. Janet Neville, Oakland Operations Office NEPA Compliance
Officer, U.S. Department of Energy, Oakland Operations Office, 1301
Clay Street, 700N, Oakland, CA 94612-5208, or telephone (510) 637-1813.
For general information on the DOE NEPA
[[Page 41225]]
process, please contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of
NEPA Policy and Compliance (EH-42), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585. Ms. Borgstrom can be
reached at 202-586-4600, or by leaving a message at 1-800-472-2756.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
LLNL Mission
LLNL has been in existence for 50 years. LLNL has an annual budget
of approximately $1.4 billion and employs approximately 8,000 people.
The LLNL main site is located approximately 40 miles (65 kilometers)
east of San Francisco in the Livermore Valley adjacent to the City of
Livermore. The LLNL Experimental Test Facility (Site 300) is a high-
explosives test site located 12 miles (20 kilometers) southeast of the
City of Livermore between Livermore and Tracy, California.
National security is LLNL's primary mission. The Laboratory is
focusing its efforts on two of the nation's top priorities: ensuring
the safety, security, and reliability of the United States nuclear
stockpile; and preventing and countering the proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction. To support this mission LLNL will bring into
operation significant new capabilities required for nuclear weapons
stockpile stewardship. These include the National Ignition Facility and
the Terascale Simulation Facility that is part of the Advanced
Simulation and Computing Program (aka ASCI). In addition, LLNL will
continue to apply its scientific and engineering capabilities to
develop advanced defense technologies to increase the effectiveness of
United States military forces.
Meeting National Needs
The Department of Energy and NNSA have enduring missions that are
vital to the national interest. In addition to its national security
mission, the Department's priorities include enhancing the nation's
energy security by developing and making available clean energy;
cleaning up former nuclear weapons complex sites; finding more
effective technology for minimizing, treating, and disposing of nuclear
waste; and leveraging science and technology to advance fundamental
knowledge and economic competitiveness. The Laboratory's mission
includes: energy security and long-term energy needs, environmental
assessment and management, nuclear materials stewardship, advancing
biosciences to improve human health, and pursuing breakthroughs in
fundamental sciences and applied technology.
Role of the SWEIS in the DOE NEPA Compliance Strategy
The SWEIS will be prepared pursuant to the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on
Environmental Quality's NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508) and the DOE
NEPA Implementing Procedures (10 CFR Part 1021). The DOE has a policy
(10 CFR 1021.330) to prepare site-wide documents for certain large,
multiple-facility sites, such as LLNL. The purpose of a SWEIS is to
provide the public with an analysis of the potential environmental
impacts from ongoing and reasonably foreseeable new and modified
operations and facilities, and reasonable alternatives at a DOE site,
to provide a basis for site-wide decision making, and to improve and
coordinate agency plans, functions, programs, and resource utilization.
The SWEIS provides an overall NEPA baseline so that the environmental
effects of proposed future changes in programs and activities can be
compared to the baseline. A SWEIS also enables DOE to ``tier'' its
later NEPA project-specific reviews at a site to eliminate repetitive
discussion of the same issues in future project-specific NEPA studies,
and to focus on the actual issues ready for decisions at each level of
environmental review. The NEPA process allows for Federal, state and
local governments, Native American Tribes, and public participation in
the environmental review process. The Final Environmental Impact
Statement and Environmental Impact Report for Continued Operation of
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National
Laboratories, Livermore [DOE/EIS-0157], August 1992, is the existing
site-wide document for LLNL. In addition, a Supplement Analysis for
Continued Operation of LLNL and SNL, California (DOE/EIS-0157-SA-01),
dated March 1999, conducted a 5-year review and concluded that the 1992
SWEIS remained adequate for LLNL. To the extent possible, this SWEIS
will utilize and update the data developed for the 1992 and 1999
documents. There is a potential to adopt this document for California
Environmental Quality Act purposes, as was done in 1992.
Preliminary Alternatives
The scoping process is an opportunity for the public to assist NNSA
in determining the alternatives and issues for analysis. NNSA welcomes
specific comments or suggestions on the content of these alternatives,
or on other alternatives that could be considered. A preliminary set of
alternatives and issues for evaluation in the SWEIS is identified
below. Additionally, during the development of the SWEIS, DOE may
consider other alternatives that are judged to be reasonable.
No Action Alternative, Continuing Present Operations
The No Action Alternative would continue current facility
operations throughout LLNL in support of assigned missions. NEPA
regulations require analysis of the No Action Alternative to provide a
benchmark for comparison with environmental effects of the other
alternatives. This alternative includes the programs and activities
described above in the LLNL Mission section and those activities for
which NEPA review is already underway. Additionally, the No Action
Alternative will include any interim actions that proceed independent
of the SWEIS.
Proposed Action Alternative
This alternative would include the No Action Alternative as
described above. In addition this alternative could include an increase
in facility operations to levels that can be supported by current
facilities, and operations that may require new or modified facilities,
that are reasonably foreseeable over the next 10 years. Activities in
support of this alternative could include revised waste management
strategies that may consider additional options for on-site treatment
and storage, and off-site disposition. The programmatic context for
this alternative is the continued support of existing missions, and
receipt of additional missions or projects, which need to be supported.
The following two new operations, as a minimum, will be included in the
SWEIS.
National Ignition Facility
The Record of Decision (ROD) (61 FR 68014) for the Stockpile
Stewardship and Management, Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
(SSM PEIS) indicated that the Department would construct and operate
the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory as a key component of the NNSA's science-based stewardship
of the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile. A lawsuit challenging the
adequacy of the SSM PEIS alleged that there were new DOE proposals to
conduct experiments at the NIF using hazardous and radioactive
materials and that none of these materials were contemplated in the SSM
PEIS. In a Memorandum
[[Page 41226]]
Opinion and Order issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of
Columbia on August 19, 1998, in NRDC v. Richardson, Civ. No. 97-936
(SS) (D.D.C.), the Court dismissed the Plaintiffs' case against the
Government. Pursuant to paragraph 6 of the Order, DOE, no later than
January 1, 2004, will (1) determine that experiments using plutonium,
other fissile materials, fissionable materials other than depleted
uranium, lithium hydride, or a Neutron Multiplying Assembly will not be
conducted in the NIF, or (2) prepare a Supplemental SSM PEIS analyzing
the reasonably foreseeable environmental impact of such experiments.
As indicated in the January 15, 2002 Federal Register Notice (67 FR
1969), ``* * * at the present time there are no DOE proposals to use
any of these materials in experiments in the NIF.'' The Department has
in place a process to determine whether or not to propose the use of
any of these materials in NIF experiments. If DOE were to decide not to
propose the use of any of these materials in the NIF, the SWEIS would
analyze the impacts of current NIF operations. If DOE were to decide to
propose the use of any of these materials in the NIF, a NEPA analysis
and determination would be undertaken as a project specific analysis to
be included in the SWEIS. In addition to addressing the impacts of
using these materials, if DOE were to decide to propose their use, the
NIF project specific analysis would update the information from the NIF
portion of the SSM PEIS and would address the potential impacts of any
proposed changes to NIF operations.
Defense Nuclear Technology, Classified Project
A second project-specific analysis for a proposed classified
Stockpile Stewardship project involving facilities and equipment in the
Superblock will be included in the LLNL SWEIS as a classified appendix.
The project-specific analysis will include information on the mission
need and an evaluation of the environmental impacts of the
construction, commissioning, and operation of this proposed project. To
the extent possible, the main body of the SWEIS will include as much
unclassified information on this project as possible, including
potential impacts.
Reduced Operation Alternative
The overall programmatic context for this alternative is the
maintenance of existing missions at a reduced or modified scope. In
this alternative, DOE would consider and analyze proposals for the
reduction or cessation of specific operations to reduce adverse
environmental impacts. This alternative may include reasonable
proposals for consolidating operations into fewer facilities (including
subsequent analysis of decommissioning or demolition of vacated
facilities) that have technical merit and would still meet NNSA's
national security missions. Analysis would include waste generated from
facility decommissioning or demolition, and from sustained operation at
the proposed reduced level. Analysis of this alternative would include
impacts on staffing, traffic, energy consumption, and natural
resources. The Reduced Operations Alternative will not consider the
complete closure and decontamination and decommissioning of LLNL and/or
Site 300 for the reasons that follow. As one of only three nuclear
weapons laboratories, LLNL contributes significantly to the core
intellectual and technical competencies of the United States related to
nuclear weapons. These competencies embody more than 50 years of
weapons knowledge and experience. The laboratories perform the basic
research, design, system engineering, development testing, reliability
and assessment, and certification of nuclear weapon safety,
reliability, and performance. From a broader national security
perspective, the core intellectual and technical competencies of LLNL
(and Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory,
DOE's other nuclear weapons laboratories) provide the technical basis
for the pursuit of United States arms control and nuclear
nonproliferation objectives. As such, NNSA has determined that the
alternative to shut down LLNL completely is unreasonable and will not
be analyzed in the SWEIS.
Preliminary Environmental Analysis
The following issues have been identified for analysis in the
SWEIS. The list is tentative and intended to facilitate public comment
on the scope of the SWEIS. It is not intended to be all-inclusive, nor
does it imply any predetermination of potential impacts. The NNSA
specifically invites suggestions for the addition or deletion of items
on this list.
1. Potential effects on the public and workers from exposures to
radiological and hazardous materials during normal operations,
construction, and reasonably foreseeable accidents.
2. Impacts on surface and groundwater, floodplains and wetlands,
and on water use and quality.
3. Impacts on air quality.
4. Impacts to plants and animals and their habitat, including
species which are Federally or State listed as threatened or
endangered, or of special concern.
5. Impacts on physiography, topography, geology, and soil
characteristics.
6. Impacts to cultural resources such as those that are historic,
prehistoric, archaeological, scientific, or paleontolological.
7. Socioeconomic impacts to affected communities.
8. Environmental Justice, particularly whether or not activities at
LLNL have a disproportionately high and adverse effect on minority and/
or low-income populations.
9. Potential impacts on land use plans and policies.
10. Impacts from transportation of radiological and hazardous
materials on and off the LLNL sites.
11. Pollution prevention and waste management practices and
activities.
12. Impacts on visual aesthetics and noise levels of the LLNL
facilities on the surrounding communities and ambient environment.
13. Unavoidable adverse impacts due to natural phenomena (e.g.,
floods, earthquakes, etc.).
14. Cumulative effects of past, present, and future operations
including SNL/CA.
15. Reasonably foreseeable impacts associated with the shutdown or
demolition of excess facilities.
16. Impact of mitigation measures.
Related NEPA Reviews
Programmatic NEPA Reviews
The Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
(PEIS) (DOE/EIS-0200) analyzed the DOE plan to formulate and implement
a national integrated waste management program. The Final PEIS was
published in May 1997 and a Record of Decision was published in the
Federal Register on January 23, 1998 (63 FR 3629). The Final Stockpile
Stewardship and Management PEIS was published in September 1996 [DOE/
EIS-0236] and a Record of Decision (ROD) was signed by the Secretary of
Energy on December 19, 1996 (61 FR 68014). Inherent in the many
decisions made in the SSM PEIS ROD was the decision to continue the
operation of the three national weapons laboratories, LLNL being one of
the three. The ROD emphasized stockpile stewardship as an essential
program to maintain the safety and reliability of the stockpile in the
absence of underground nuclear testing, therefore requiring enhanced
experimental capabilities in the future at the three national weapons
laboratories. The SSM PEIS ROD also selected the LLNL as the site to
construct and operate the NIF.
[[Page 41227]]
Sandia National Laboratories, California
A Notice of Intent to prepare a Site-Wide Environmental Assessment
(SWEA) for Sandia National Laboratories, California (SNL/CA) was
published in the Federal Register on February 4, 2002 (67 FR 5089). The
SWEA will address operations and activities that DOE foresees at SNL/CA
for approximately the next 5 to 10 years. The LLNL SWEIS will include
the impacts from SNL/CA in the cumulative impacts section.
SWEIS Preparation Process
The SWEIS process begins with the publication of this Notice of
Intent in the Federal Register. This notice establishes the public
scoping period and the public scoping meetings as indicated above under
DATES. Each public scoping meeting will begin with a briefing on the
LLNL mission, proposed changes in operations and facilities,
preliminary SWEIS alternatives, and the proposed action of the SWEIS.
Copies of the meeting handouts will be available to anyone unable to
attend by contacting the NNSA as described above under ADDRESSES.
Following the initial presentation, NNSA representatives will answer
scope-related questions and accept comments. After the close of the
public scoping comment period, NNSA will begin development of the draft
SWEIS. The draft SWEIS is expected to be available for public review in
late 2003. Public meetings will be held following the Notice of
Availability of the draft SWEIS. The publication of the final SWEIS is
scheduled for mid 2004 and the Record of Decision is scheduled for late
2004.
Classified Material
NNSA will review classified material while preparing this SWEIS.
Within the limits of classification, NNSA will provide to the public as
much information as possible to assist public understanding and
comment. Any classified material NNSA needs to use to explain the
purpose and need for the action, the use of materials, or the
development of impacts, will be segregated into a classified appendix
or supplement, which will not be available for general public review.
However, all unclassified results of calculations will be reported in
the unclassified section of the SWEIS, to the extent possible in
accordance with federal classification requirements.
Availability of Scoping Documents
Copies of scoping materials related to the SWEIS will be available
at the following locations:
The DOE Energy Information Center, Oakland Federal Building, First
Floor of the North Tower, Room 180N, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland,
California. Phone (510) 637-1762.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Public Reading Room in the
Visitors Center Trailer 6525, located at the East Gate Entrance off of
Greenville Road, Livermore, California. Phone (925) 424-4026.
Livermore Public Library, 1000 South Livermore Avenue, Livermore
California.
Tracy Public Library, 20 East Eaton Avenue, Tracy, CA.
Issued in Washington, DC, this 7th day of June, 2002.
John A. Gordon,
Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 02-15165 Filed 6-14-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P