### Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration Finding of NoSignificant Impact for the Construction and Operation of a New Office Building and Related Structures within TA-3 at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico

U. S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration Los Alamos Area Office 528 35thStreet Los Alamos, NM 87544

### DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY. NATIONAL NUCLEAR SECUIRTY ADMINISTRATION FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT INIPACT

Construction and Operation of a New Office Building and Related Structures withinTA-3 at Los Alarnos National Laboratory, LosAlamos. New Mexico

FINAL ENVIRONMENTALASSESSMENT: The Environmental Assessment (EA)for Construction and Operation ofa New Office Buildingand Related Structures within TA-3at LosAlamos National Laboratory, LosAlamos, New Mexico (DOE/EA-

### 7

### 375) (attached)provides sufficient evidence and analysis to determine that a Finding Of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate for the Proposed Action. The EA documents the evidence and analysis in the following chapters: 

### 1. Purpose and Need for Agency Action; 

### 2. Description of the ProposedAction and Alternatives; and 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences. Analyses performed inthe EA concludethat potential adverse effects of the Proposed Action, under normalconditions, would be minimal. No short-term or long-term adverse effects are expected to occur to air quality, visual resources, water quality, soil erosion, waste management, human health, socioeconomics, or utilities and infrastructure. Only cultural resources would be affected long-term through the demolition of the existing Administration Building (Building3-43), which has been identified as a historical building eligible for listing on the National Register of ~istoric Places. Mitigations to resolvethis adverse effect would be negotiated with the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO)and atreatment plan would be established. Mitigations could include a variety of elements, including archival of large format photographs, architectural blueprints, preparation of a set of "as-built" drawings, preparation of adetailed report on the building's history and interviewswith past and present workers. Additional elements may be added during the negotiations with the SHPO and from comments provided by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (such as virtual tours of the structure posted onthe internet system or construction and display of a scale model of the structure at another site such as the proposed new office building or its related lecture hall). A Memorandum of Agreement for the resolution of adverse effects would be executed for the implementation of the treatment plan for the property.

Constructio'nand Operationof a New Office Building and RelatedStructures 1Beneficial effects to avariety of resources includingvisual resources, human health, socioeconomics, and parking space availability within TA-3 are expected. ~n~ineerin~ and administrative controls or considerations that serve to lessen any potentialfor adverse environmental effects have been incorporated as integral features of the Proposed Action. Examplesof these types of features include: the recycling and reuse of materials (suchas cooper wiring and pipe, glass, concrete and asphalt) resulting from the demolition of Building 3-43 at LANLor off-site so that no disposal of these materials as wastes is required; the use of building materials produced from reclaimed and recycled materials (suchas finish materials and carpeting), the use of low-flow lavatory fixtures and energy-efficient lighting fixtures and equipment to reduce water and electricity consumption; and the use of reused and recycled materials in landscaping, along withcaptured precipitation and the plantingof nativespecies.

The EnvironmentalAssessment (EA) has analyzed the potential environmental consequences of one additional alternative besidesthe Proposed Action, namely, the No Action alternative. The NoAction alternative would result in slow deterioration of the existing Administration Building (Building 3-43)through benign neglect. The building would bevacated and funding would not be available at the current level to providefor continued upkeep and support. Whilethe building would not be demolished outright, it would result in an adverse effect on a historic structure and the eventual loss ofthe structure. No waste would be generated under the No Action alternative inthe short term, and no additional parking would become available at TA-3 inthe long term.

The EA considered the cumulative effects of the Proposed Action with past, present and reasonably foreseeable future actions, regardless of what agency or person undertakesthem. Several new office and laboratory structures are being built at TA-3 at LANL. Parking space availability will change beneficially as a result of the ProposedAction andthe completion of the other construction activities by nearly 

### 800 additional parking spaces. Other cumulative effects include beneficial effects tothe overall visual quality within TA-3, toworker health; adverse effects include noise generation heard primarily by the involved and nearby workers for a long period of time as construction projects phase in and out; and the increase in risk of constructionworker injuries with additional construction and demolition activities. Other activities at or nearby toTA-3 over the next 10years include: potential construction actions taken bythe Incorporated County of Los Alamos on tracts of land conveyed tothem bythe DOE; reconstruction of housing units lost

Construction and Operationof a New Office Buildingand 

## elated Structures 2duringthe May 2000 Cerro Grande Firewithin Los Alamos townsite on privately held lands; the implementation of wildfire hazard reduction activities, including forest thinning actions, on LANL and neighboring properties; some minor construction and demolition actions scattered over LANL; the generation of large amounts of waste by LANLthrough decontamination and demolition of buildings and environmental restoration efforts; and the gradual demolition of structures and buildings of the Cold War period at LANL and nearby.

PREDECISIONAL DRAFT REVIEW 

### & CONINIENT: OnJune 29, 2001, the Departmentof Energy invited review and comment on-thepredecisional draft EA from .the State of New Mexico; four nearby American IndianTribes: Cochiti, Jemez, Santa Clara and San lldefonso (sometimes referredtoas the four accord pueblos because eachtribe has entered into an accord withthe Departmentof Energy); the Acoma Pueblo and the Mescalero Apache Tribe. In addition, the Departmentof Energy madethe predecisional draft EA available tothe general public at the same time it was provided tothe State and Tribes. The availability of the EA tothe public was accomplished by placing it inthe Department of Energy Public Reading Rooms located withinthe Los Alamos National Laboratory's Community Outreach Center and Reading Room, and inthe University of New Mexico's Zimmerman Library inAlbuquerque. A notice was placed inthree local newspapers announcingthe availability of the draft EA for review. The predecisional draft EA was also placed on the World Wide Web Computer Internet System. Additionally, over 50local stakeholder groups and individualsthat have identifiedthemselves as interested parties with regards to LANL activities, were notified by letter of the availability of the predecisionaldraft EA. Copies of the EA
were provided to all interested parties for their review upon their requests. The review and comment period was 21days long and ended onJuly 19, 2000. No comments have been received onthe predecisional draft EA.

AGENCY CONSULTATIONS: No effects to Federally-listed threatened and endangered species or their habitat are anticipated during the implementationof the ProposedAction and, therefore, DOE is not requiredto engage in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service accordingtosection 

### 7 requirements under the Endangered Species Act. DOE implemented a Threatened and Endangered Species Habitat Management Plan (HMP)for LANL in March 1999; all project portions implemented under the Proposed Action would comply withthe HMP. Adverse

Constructionand Operation of a New Office Building and RelatedStructures 3

### effect to a historic property by demolition of that property requires the NNSA to take mitigative actions of a kind and sort agreed upon through consultation withthe New Mexico SHPO. NNSA has started consultative discussion withthe SHPO and expects to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement to implement agreed an upon treatment plan.



### FINDING: The United States Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration finds that there would be no significant impact from proceeding with its proposal to implement the project to construct and operate a new office building, lecture hall and parking garage, together with the demolition of two buildings, at Los Alamos National Laboratory as described inthe ProposedAction alternative. This finding is based onthe EA, which analyzes the consequences of the relevant issues of environmental concern. The Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration makesthis Finding of No Significant Impact pursuant tothe National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 [42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.], the Council on Environmental Quality (CEO) Regulationsfor Implementingthe Procedural Provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act [40CFR 15001and the Department of Energy National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Procedures [I 0 CFR 1021 

### I. Therefore, no environmental impact statement is required for this proposal.
Signed in Los Alamos, New Mexicothis 

# 26 day of 

## u 2001.

David A. Gurule, P.E. Area Manager Los Alamos Area Office

Constructionand Operationof a 

### New Office Buildingand RelatedStructures 4

### FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: For further information on this proposal, this Finding Of No Significant Impact (FONSI),or the Department of Energy's llational Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)review program concerning proposals at Los Alamos National Laboratory, please contact:

Elizabeth Withers, NEPA Compliance Officer

Los Alamos Area Office
U.S. Departmentof Energy

528 35th Street

Los Alamos 

### NM 87544

Copies of this FONSI (withthe Environmental Assessment attached) will be made

availablefor public review at the DOE Public Reading Room within the Los Alamos National Laboratory Community Relations Office, 1619 

### Central Avenue, Los Alamos,

New Mexico, 87544at (505)665-4400 or (800)508-4400. Copieswill also be made

available within the DOE Public Reading Room at the Zimmerman Library, University of

New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 871 31 at (505)277-5441.

Constructionand Operation of a New Office Building and Related Structures 5