[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 83 (Friday, April 29, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24018-24020]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-10406]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

National Nuclear Security Administration


Notice of Availability of the Draft Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Nuclear Facility Portion of the Chemistry and 
Metallurgy Research Building Replacement Project at Los Alamos National 
Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM

AGENCY: National Nuclear Security Administration, U.S. Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability and public hearings.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces 
the availability of the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Nuclear Facility Portion of the Chemistry and 
Metallurgy Research Building Replacement Project at Los Alamos National 
Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico (Draft CMRR-NF SEIS) (DOE/EIS-0350-
S1), and the dates and locations for public hearings to receive 
comments on the Draft CMRR-NF SEIS. The Draft CMRR-NF SEIS analyzes the 
potential environmental impacts of alternatives for constructing and 
operating the nuclear facility (NF) portion of the Chemistry and 
Metallurgy Research Building Replacement (CMRR) Project. The CMRR 
Project was first analyzed in the 2003 Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Building 
Replacement Project at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 
(the CMRR EIS) (DOE/EIS-0350), and NNSA issued a Record of Decision for 
the CMRR Project in February 2004 (68 FR 6420) announcing its decision 
to construct and operate a two building CMRR facility within Technical 
Area-55 (TA-55) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in order to 
meet its need to sustain mission-critical specialized nuclear chemistry 
and metallurgy capabilities at LANL in a safe, secure and 
environmentally sound manner. Since that time, NNSA has constructed one 
of the two buildings for the CMRR Project (the Radiological Laboratory/
Utility/Office Building, also called the RLUOB), and has engaged in 
project planning and design processes for the second building, the 
CMRR-NF. The planning and design processes for the CMRR-NF have 
identified the need for various changes to the original design for the 
structure and additional project elements not envisioned in the 2003 
NEPA analyses. These proposed changes, identified subsequent to the 
ROD, are the subject of the CMRR-NF SEIS analyses.
    The Draft CMRR-NF SEIS considers a No Action Alternative (the 2004 
CMRR-NF), and two action alternatives (the Modified CMRR-NF 
Alternative, and the Continued Use of CMR Building Alternative). Under 
the No Action Alternative, NNSA analyzes construction and operation of 
the CMRR-NF as it was originally envisioned in 2004, although it has 
been determined that the structural design in this alternative would 
not meet current nuclear facility design safety requirements. Thus, 
this alternative no longer meets NNSA's purpose and need.

[[Page 24019]]

The Modified CMRR-NF Alternative incorporates currently identified 
construction and operational requirements for the CMRR-NF, and meets 
NNSA's purpose and need. The Continued Use of CMR Building Alternative 
analyzes continued use of the CMR Building for as long as it may be 
safe to do so, together with the RLUOB, although this alternative would 
not fully meet NNSA's purpose and need. The Modified CMRR Alternative 
is NNSA's preferred alternative.

DATES: NNSA invites stakeholders and members of the public to submit 
comments on the Draft CMRR-NF SEIS during the public comment period, 
which starts with the publication of the Environmental Protection 
Agency's Notice of Availability in the Federal Register and extends for 
45 days until June 13, 2011. NNSA will consider comments received after 
this date to the extent practicable as it prepares the Final CMRR-NF 
SEIS.
    NNSA will hold three public hearings on the Draft CMRR-NF SEIS at 
the following dates, times, and locations:
     Tuesday, May 24, 2011, at 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Holiday Inn 
Express, 60 Entrada Drive, Los Alamos, NM.
     Wednesday, May 25, 2011, at 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Santa Claran 
Hotel, 464 N. Riverside Drive, Espa[ntilde]ola, NM.
     Thursday, May 26, 2011, at 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Santa Fe 
Community College, Jemez Rooms, 6401 Richards Avenue, Santa Fe, NM.
    The first half hour of each hearing will be conducted as an open 
house-style session with subject matter experts available to discuss 
the project and answer questions; the remainder of the hearing will be 
devoted to receiving oral and written comments.

ADDRESSES: The Draft CMRR-NF SEIS and its reference material are 
available for review on the NNSA NEPA Web site at: http://nnsa.energy.gov/nepa/cmrrseis. Copies of the Draft CMRR-NF SEIS are 
also available for review at: the Los Alamos National Laboratory, 
Oppenheimer Study Center, Building TA3-207, West Jemez Road, Los 
Alamos, New Mexico; the Office of the Northern New Mexico Citizens 
Advisory Board, 1660 Old Pecos Trail, Suite B, Santa Fe, New Mexico; 
and the Zimmerman Library, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New 
Mexico. The Draft CMRR-NF SEIS or its Summary may be obtained upon 
request by leaving a message on the Los Alamos Site Office (LASO) CMRR-
NF SEIS Hotline at (toll free) 1-877-427-9439; or by writing to: U.S. 
Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Los 
Alamos Site Office, 3747 West Jemez Road, TA-3 Building 1410, Los 
Alamos, New Mexico, 87544, Attn: Mr. John Tegtmeier, CMRR-NF SEIS 
Document Manager; or by facsimile ((505) 667-5948); or by e-mail at: 
[email protected].
    Questions or Comments concerning the Draft CMRR-NF SEIS can be 
submitted to the NNSA Los Alamos Site Office at the same postal and 
electronic addresses given above. Additionally, the LASO CMRR-NF SEIS 
Hotline will have instructions on how to record comments. Please mark 
all envelopes, faxes and e-mail: ``Draft CMRR-NF SEIS Comments''.
    For general information about the DOE NEPA process, please contact: 
Ms. Carol Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance 
(GC-54), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-4600, or leave a message at 1-800-472-
2756. Additional information regarding DOE NEPA activities and access 
to many of DOE's NEPA documents are available on the Internet through 
the DOE NEPA Web site at http://nepa.energy.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NNSA has prepared the Draft CMRR SEIS in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the 
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations that implement the 
procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and DOE 
regulations implementing NEPA (10 CFR 1021). These regulations require 
the preparation of a supplement to an environmental impact statement 
(EIS) when there are substantial changes to a proposal or when there or 
significant new circumstances or information relevant to environmental 
concerns. An agency may also supplement an EIS to further the purposes 
of NEPA.
    Background. LANL is located in north-central New Mexico, 60 miles 
north-northeast of Albuquerque, 25 miles northwest of Santa Fe, and 20 
miles southwest of Espa[ntilde]ola in Los Alamos and Santa Fe Counties. 
It is located between the Jemez Mountains to the west and the Sangre de 
Cristo Mountains and Rio Grande to the east. LANL occupies an area of 
about 40 square miles (104 square kilometers). It is a 
multidisciplinary, multipurpose institution engaged in theoretical and 
experimental research and development. LANL performs scientific 
research and development, and production mission support activities 
that are critical to the accomplishment of the NNSA's national security 
objectives as reflected in previous NEPA decisions based on the 
Stockpile Stewardship and Management Programmatic EIS (DOE/EIS-0236) 
and the Complex Transformation Supplemental Programmatic EIS (SPEIS) 
(DOE/EIS-0236-S4). LANL's role in NNSA mission objectives includes a 
wide range of scientific and technological capabilities that support 
nuclear materials handling, processing and fabrication; stockpile 
management; materials and manufacturing technologies; nonproliferation 
programs; research and development support for national defense and 
homeland security programs; and DOE waste management activities.
    The CMR facility, located in TA-3 at LANL, houses unique analytical 
chemistry (AC) and material characterization (MC) support capabilities 
needed to execute NNSA mission activities. However, CMR is nearly 60 
years old. A 1998 seismic study identified two small parallel faults 
beneath the northernmost portion of the CMR Building. The presence of 
these faults has given rise to operational and safety concerns related 
to the structural integrity of the building should a seismic event 
affecting LANL take place. CMR Building operations and capabilities are 
currently restricted in scope due to both safety and security 
constraints; it cannot be operated to the full extent needed to meet 
NNSA operational requirements. In the late 1990s, NNSA began to develop 
plans to relocate the CMR Building capabilities elsewhere at LANL to 
ensure its ability to provide AC and MC support for national security 
and other NNSA missions. The CMRR EIS was prepared and issued in 2003, 
followed by a ROD in 2004.
    The RLUOB portion of the CMRR project has been completely planned 
and constructed at TA-55 over the past 7 years. During this same time 
period, project planning and design for the CMRR-NF has progressed. The 
CMRR-NF planning process has identified several project requirements 
that were not envisioned when the CMRR EIS was prepared and issued in 
2003. Various facility modifications to address current DOE and NNSA 
nuclear facility design requirements and sustainable design principals 
have been identified by NNSA. Several ancillary and support project 
requirements in addition to those previously analyzed in the CMRR EIS 
have also been identified. The modifications to the proposed CMRR-NF 
structural design would allow the building to be operated to the full 
extent needed to meet NNSA objectives for the CMRR Facility.
    NNSA conducted a public scoping process that began with the 
publication

[[Page 24020]]

of a Notice of Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register on October 1, 2010, 
in which NNSA announced its intention to prepare the CMRR-NF SEIS and 
invited public comment on the scope of the NEPA analysis. The NOI also 
announced the schedule for public scoping meetings that were held on 
October 19, 2010, and on October 20, 2010, in White Rock and Pojoaque, 
New Mexico, respectively. In addition to the public meetings, the 
public was encouraged to provide comments via mail, e-mail, and fax. 
All scoping comments received were considered by NNSA in preparing the 
Draft CMRR SEIS.
    Alternatives. The Draft CMRR-NF SEIS analyzes the following three 
alternatives:
    No Action Alternative. The No Action Alternative (also referred to 
as the 2004 CMRR-NF) reflects the CMRR-NF as it was described and 
analyzed in the 2003 CMRR EIS and selected in the 2004 ROD (69 FR 6967) 
and the 2008 Complex Transformation SPEIS ROD (73 FR 77656).
    This alternative also includes two additional project activities 
that were not included in the 2003 CMRR EIS but were analyzed in the 
2008 Final Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued 
Operation of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 
(the LANL SWEIS, DOE/EIS -0380), which analyzed the CMRR Facility as 
part of on-going and future LANL operations. These additional project 
elements are the transportation and storage of up to 150,000 cubic 
yards (115,000 cubic meters) per year of excavated soil and spoils from 
the construction site, and the installation of a new 115-kilovolt 
electric substation on the existing power distribution loop in TA-50. 
The 2004 CMRR-NF would have been constructed at TA-55, adjacent to the 
RLUOB. It is now known, however, that the 2004 CMRR-NF design would not 
be able to be constructed to meet the nuclear facility design standards 
required for NNSA to safely conduct the full suite of AC and MC mission 
work needed by NNSA and DOE. Under the No Action Alternative, the 2004 
CMRR-NF would have been constructed as a two-storied building with one 
above ground level and one below ground level, together with connecting 
tunnels, material storage vaults, utility structures and trenches, 
security structures, parking area(s) and a variety of other support 
areas (such as material laydown areas, concrete batch plant, and 
equipment storage and parking areas). The building would have comprised 
about 200,000 square feet (18,600 square meters) of solid floor space, 
while the total amount of laboratory workspace where mission-related AC 
and MC operations would be performed would have been about 22,500 
square feet (2,100 square meters) in size.
    Modified CMRR-NF Alternative. The Modified CMRR-NF would be 
constructed at the same TA-55 location adjacent to the RLUOB which is 
identified for the No Action Alternative and would enable NNSA to 
safely conduct the full suite of AC and MC mission work needed by NNSA 
and DOE. The Modified CMRR-NF would be constructed with additional 
structural and reinforcing concrete and steel; additional soil 
excavation, soil stabilization, and foundation work would also be 
necessary. The building would comprise about 344,000 square feet 
(31,000 square meters) of useable floor space divided between four 
stories and a partial roof level. The total amount of laboratory 
workspace where mission-related AC and MC operations would be performed 
would be about 22,500 square feet (2,100 square meters) in size. 
Additionally, a set of dedicated fire suppression water storage tanks 
would be located within the Modified CMRR-NF building. This proposed 
project would differ from the 2004 CMRR-NF in that it would include 
facility modifications to address DOE and NNSA nuclear facility design 
standards including seismic safety, nuclear safety basis requirements, 
security needs, and sustainable design principals and would also 
include certain additional infrastructure enhancements and construction 
support activities.
    The Modified CMRR-NF Alternative includes two construction options, 
the Deep Excavation Option and the Shallow Excavation Option. The two 
construction options consider excavation depths that would allow NNSA 
to construct the building either below or above a layer of poorly 
welded volcanic tuff (ash) present at the TA-55 site. The Modified CMRR 
Alternative is NNSA's preferred alternative; however, NNSA has not 
identified a preferred construction option at this time.
    Continued Use of CMR Building Alternative. Under this alternative, 
NNSA would continue to carry out laboratory operations in the existing 
CMR Building at TA-3, with radiological laboratory and administrative 
support operations moving into the newly constructed RLUOB at TA-55. 
The continued operation of the CMR Building over an extended period of 
time would result in continued reduction of laboratory space as 
operations are further consolidated, or eliminated. It may also include 
further reductions in operations that could be identified as necessary 
over time based on the limited ability of the CMR Building to be safely 
operated and maintained in a physically prudent fashion. This 
alternative would not meet NNSA's need to carry out AC and MC 
operations at a level that would support the entire range of DOE and 
NNSA mission needs.
    Public Hearings and Invitation to Comment. NNSA will hold three 
public hearings on the Draft CMRR-NF SEIS as described in this Notice 
under DATES. Individuals who would like to present comments orally at 
these hearings must register upon arrival at the hearing. Speaking time 
will be allotted by the hearing moderator to each individual wishing to 
speak so as to ensure that as many people as possible have the 
opportunity to speak. NNSA representatives will be available during the 
open house portion of these hearings to discuss the Draft CMRR-NF SEIS 
and the analyses in it. Following the plenary session, the public will 
have an opportunity to provide oral and written comments.
    Following the end of the public comment period on the Draft CMRR-NF 
SEIS described above, the NNSA will consider and respond to the 
comments received during the comment period on the Draft CMRR-NF SEIS 
in the Final CMRR-NF SEIS, and issue the Final CMRR-NF SEIS. NNSA 
decision-makers will consider the environmental impact analysis 
presented in the Final CMRR-NF SEIS, along with other information, in 
making decisions related to CMRR-NF.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on April 21, 2011.
Thomas P. D'Agostino,
Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011-10406 Filed 4-28-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P