[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 [email protected]. 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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