[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 99 (Tuesday, May 22, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 23664]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-10875]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

National Nuclear Security Administration


Withdrawal of the Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Operation of a Biosafety Level 3 Facility at 
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico

AGENCY: National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of intent; withdrawal.

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SUMMARY: On November 29, 2005, the National Nuclear Security 
Administration (NNSA), a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. 
Department of Energy (DOE), announced its intent to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to evaluate the operation of a 
Biosafety Level (BSL)-3 Facility at LANL. NNSA has determined that, at 
this point in time, it does not have a need to operate a BSL-3 Facility 
at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), in Los Alamos, New Mexico. 
Therefore, NNSA is withdrawing the Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS 
and is terminating the NEPA EIS process.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Wolf, Deputy Director, Office of 
Public Affairs, National Nuclear Security Administration. Phone (202) 
586-2561 or via email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NNSA published a notice of intent to prepare 
an EIS in the November 29, 2005, issue of the Federal Register (70 FR 
71490). In 2002, NNSA prepared an Environmental Assessment for the 
construction and operation of the Facility. On February 26, 2002, NNSA 
issued an Environmental Assessment and a Finding of No Significant 
Impact (FONSI) for the construction and operation of the BSL-3 
Facility.
    Construction on the windowless, single-story, 3,200-square foot 
BSL-3 Facility, housing one BSL-2 laboratory, and two BSL-3 
laboratories began in late 2002, and was completed in the fall of 2003. 
After completion of the NEPA process and BSL-3 Facility construction, 
NNSA determined there were seismic concerns that had not been 
adequately analyzed during the design of the BSL-3 Facility. As a 
result, in February 2004, NNSA withdrew the FONSI with respect to the 
operation of the BSL-3 Facility and subsequently decided to prepare an 
environmental impact statement. The EIS would have evaluated the 
potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed Federal 
action and reasonable alternatives. NNSA is now terminating the NEPA 
EIS process.

    Issued in Washington, DC, this 4th day of May, 2018.
Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty,
Under Secretary for Nuclear Security, Administrator, National Nuclear 
Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2018-10875 Filed 5-21-18; 8:45 am]
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