[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 1, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4813-4814]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-2066]


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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 [email protected]. 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