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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 6 (Friday, January 10, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1991-1993]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-00265]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

National Nuclear Security Administration

Notice of Availability of the Draft Site-Wide Environmental 
Impact Statement for Continued Operation of the Los Alamos National 
Laboratory

AGENCY: National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability and public hearings.

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SUMMARY: The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi-
autonomous agency within the Department of Energy (DOE), announces the 
availability of the Draft Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for 
Continued Operation of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (Draft LANL 
SWEIS) (DOE/EIS-0552) in compliance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). NNSA also is announcing a 60-day public 
comment period and four public hearings to receive comments on the 
Draft LANL SWEIS. NNSA prepared the Draft LANL SWEIS to analyze the 
potential environmental impacts associated with continuing LANL 
operations and foreseeable new and/or modified operations and 
facilities for approximately the next 15 years.

DATES: NNSA invites other Federal agencies, Native American Tribes, 
state and local governments, industry, other organizations, and members 
of the public to review and submit comments on the Draft LANL SWEIS 
through March 11, 2025. NNSA will hold four public hearings (two of 
which will include a virtual component) to receive comments on the 
Draft LANL SWEIS. Times, dates, and locations for the public hearings 
are listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this Notice of 
Availability. Any changes or updates to the public hearings will be 
published in local newspapers, posted on DOE and NNSA websites, and 
distributed through notices to the GovDelivery mailing list at least 15 
days before the hearings.

ADDRESSES: Written and verbal comments will be given equal weight.

[[Page 1992]]

NNSA will consider all comments received or postmarked by the end of 
the comment period in preparing the Final LANL SWEIS. Comments received 
or postmarked after the comment period will be considered to the extent 
practicable. Written comments on the Draft LANL SWEIS or requests for 
information related to the Draft LANL SWEIS should emailed to 
[email protected] or mailed to Mr. Stephen Hoffman, LANL SWEIS 
Document Manager, DOE/NNSA, 3747 W. Jemez Road, Los Alamos, New Mexico 
87544. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personally identifiable information in your comment, please be 
advised that your entire comment--including your personally 
identifiable information--may be made publicly available. If you wish 
for NNSA to withhold your name and/or other personally identifiable 
information, please state this prominently at the beginning of your 
comment. You may submit comments anonymously. The Draft LANL SWEIS is 
available online at: https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room 
and https://www.energy.gov/nepa/listings/latest-documents-and-notices. 
Copies of the Draft LANL SWEIS are also available for review at the 
LANL Public Reading Room at 94 Cities of Gold Road, Pojoaque, New 
Mexico.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about this 
notice, please contact Mr. Stephen Hoffman, LANL SWEIS Document 
Manager, DOE/NNSA, 3747 W. Jemez Road, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544; 
call 505-665-8980 to leave a message or via email at: 
[email protected]. Note that comments on the Draft SWEIS will not 
be accepted via the voicemail system; only written comments or those 
provided at a public hearing will be accepted. This notice and related 
NEPA documents are available at: https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Los Alamos National Laboratory (Laboratory 
or LANL) supports several NNSA missions, including enhancing U.S. 
national security through the military application of nuclear energy; 
maintaining and enhancing the safety, reliability, and effectiveness of 
the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, including the ability to design, 
produce, and test, in order to meet national security requirements; 
promoting international nuclear safety and nonproliferation; reducing 
global danger from weapons of mass destruction; and supporting U.S. 
leadership in science and technology. The continued operation of the 
Laboratory includes the DOE Office of Environmental Management legacy 
cleanup efforts at the LANL Site, in accordance with the Compliance 
Order on Consent between the State of New Mexico Environment Department 
and the DOE (Consent Order).

------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Public hearing dates and times        Location             Address
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Tuesday, February 11, 2025; 1:00- Santa Fe Community  201 W. Marcy St.,
 4:00 p.m. MT; * Virtual           Convention          Santa Fe, NM
 Meeting: 1:30-4:00 p.m. MT.       Center, Sweeney     87501.
                                   Ballroom.
Tuesday, February 11, 2025; 5:00- Santa Fe Community  201 W. Marcy St.,
 8:00 p.m. MT; * Virtual           Convention          Santa Fe, NM
 Meeting: 5:30-8:00 p.m.           Center, Sweeney     87501.
                                   Ballroom.
Wednesday, February 12, 2025;     Mision y Convento.  405 N. Paseo de
 5:00-8:00 p.m. MT.                                    Onate,
                                                       Espa[ntilde]ola,
                                                       NM 87532.
Thursday, February 13, 2025;      Fuller Lodge,       2312 Central Ave.,
 5:00-8:00 p.m. MT.                Pajarito Room.      Los Alamos, NM
                                                       87544.
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    For the in-person hearings, NNSA will hold an Open House for the 
first 30 minutes to provide the public with an opportunity to engage 
with DOE/NNSA personnel and ask questions about the Draft SWEIS and 
DOE/NNSA activities at LANL. Following the Open House, NNSA will make a 
presentation on the Draft SWEIS lasting approximately 30 minutes, then 
answer any clarifying questions related to the comment process. 
Following this presentation, NNSA will receive formal public comments 
with transcription by a court stenographer. NNSA will not answer 
questions during the formal public comment period. The two public 
hearings on February 11 will also offer a virtual option for remote 
participation in the presentation and public comment portions of the 
hearings. Virtual hearing access instructions (e.g., website link or 
phone number) will be announced at least 15 days before the hearing and 
will be published in local newspapers, noticed to the GovDelivery 
mailing list, and available on the following websites: https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room and https://www.energy.gov/nepa/public-comment-opportunities.
    The Draft LANL SWEIS analyzes three alternatives: (1) the No-Action 
Alternative, (2) the Modernized Operations Alternative, and (3) the 
Expanded Operations Alternative. Under the No-Action Alternative, NNSA 
would continue current facility operations throughout LANL in support 
of assigned missions. The No-Action Alternative activities have 
previously completed NEPA reviews and include construction of new 
facilities; modernization, upgrade, and utility projects; and 
decontamination, decommissioning, and demolition (DD&D) of excess and 
aging facilities. The No-Action Alternative also includes the continued 
legacy cleanup and environmental remediation in accordance with the 
Consent Order and the recently signed Settlement Agreement. The No-
Action Alternative includes 87 new projects, totaling almost 1.5 
million square feet, that would be implemented between 2024 and 2038. 
Also, under No-Action, NNSA would implement 11 projects involving 
facility upgrades, utilities, and infrastructure affecting about 216 
acres of the LANL site. About 1.6 million square feet of excess or 
aging facilities would undergo DD&D under the No-Action Alternative. 
The No-Action Alternative also includes changes in operations, examples 
of which include increased plutonium pit production and the remediation 
of a chromium plume in Mortandad Canyon (which was the subject of a 
recent environmental assessment).
    The Modernized Operations Alternative includes the scope of the No-
Action Alternative plus additional modernization activities, including 
(1) construction of replacement facilities; (2) upgrades to existing 
facilities, utilities, and infrastructure; and (3) DD&D projects. Under 
the Modernized Operations Alternative, NNSA would replace facilities 
that are approaching their end of life, upgrade facilities to extend 
their lifetimes, and improve work environments to enable NNSA to meet 
operational requirements. The Modernized Operations Alternative also 
includes proposed projects to reduce greenhouse gases and other 
emissions. The Modernized Operations Alternative

[[Page 1993]]

includes 139 new projects, totaling over 3.4 million square feet, that 
would be implemented between 2025 and 2038. Under Modernized 
Operations, NNSA would implement 27 projects involving facility 
upgrades, utilities, and infrastructure affecting about 925 acres of 
the LANL site. Of these 925 acres, up to 795 acres are proposed for 
installation of up to 159 megawatts of solar photovoltaic arrays across 
the site. An additional 1.2 million square feet of excess or aging 
facilities would undergo DD&D under the Modernized Operations 
Alternative.
    The Expanded Operations Alternative includes the actions proposed 
under the Modernized Operations Alternative, plus actions that would 
expand operations and missions to respond to future national security 
challenges and meet increasing requirements. This alternative includes 
construction and operation of new facilities that would expand 
capabilities at LANL beyond those that currently exist. The Expanded 
Operations Alternative includes 18 additional new projects, totaling 
about 947,000 square feet, that would be implemented between 2025 and 
2038. Under Expanded Operations, NNSA would implement 4 additional 
projects involving utilities and infrastructure affecting about 46 
acres of the LANL site. Most of the utilities and infrastructure 
projects would be directly related to proposed projects under the 
Expanded Operations Alternative. The Expanded Operations Alternative 
also includes changes in operations, examples of which include revised 
wildland fire risk reduction treatments and management of feral cattle.
    Following the public comment period, and after consideration of 
comments received, NNSA will prepare the Final LANL SWEIS. Decisions 
about future operations at the Laboratory will be provided in an NNSA 
Record of Decision published in the Federal Register, which would be 
issued no sooner than 30 days after publication by the Environmental 
Protection Agency of the notice of availability of the Final LANL 
SWEIS.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on this 6 
December 2024, by Jill Hruby, Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and 
NNSA Administrator, pursuant to delegated authority from the Secretary 
of Energy. That document with the original signature and date is 
maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes only, and in compliance 
with requirements of the Office of the Federal Register, the 
undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to 
sign and submit the document in electronic format for publication, as 
an official document of the Department of Energy. This administrative 
process in no way alters the legal effect of this document upon 
publication in the Federal Register.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on January 3, 2025.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2025-00265 Filed 1-8-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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