Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 3 / Wednesday, January 5, 2005 / Notices 807

1Protection from public disclosure involving this 

kind of specific information is based upon 18 CFR 

4.32(b)(3)(ii) of the Commission’s regulations 

implementing the Federal Power Act.

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Project No. P–2082–027] 

Klamath Hydroelectric Project; Notice 

Of Meeting 

December 29, 2004. 

Commission staff is scheduled to meet 

with representatives of the Karuk Tribe 

regarding the Klamath Hydroelectric 

Project relicensing. The meeting will be 

held at the location and time listed 

below: Karuk Community Center, 39051 

Highway 96, Orleans, California 95556, 

January 12, 2005, 10 a.m. (P.s.t.). 

Members of the public and 

intervenors in the referenced 

proceedings may attend this meeting; 

however, participation will be limited to 

tribal representatives and the 

Commission representatives. If the Tribe 

decides to disclose information about a 

specific location which could create a 

risk or harm to an archeological site or 

Native American cultural resource, the 

public will be excused for that portion 

of the meeting when such information is 

disclosed.1 If you plan to attend this 

meeting, please contact John Mudre at 

the Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission at 202–502–8902 or 

john.mudre@ferc.gov. The meeting will 

be transcribed by a court reporter, and 

public transcript will be made available 

by the Commission following the 

meeting.

Magalie R. Salas, 

Secretary.

[FR Doc. E4–3937 Filed 1–4–05; 8:45 am] 

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

National Nuclear Security 

Administration 

Notice of Intent to Prepare a 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement to the Final Site-Wide 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

Continued Operation of the Los 

Alamos National Laboratory

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy, 

National Nuclear Security 

Administration.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 

1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 

seq.), the Council on Environmental 

Quality’s (CEQ) and the U.S. 

Department of Energy’s (DOE) 

regulations implementing NEPA (40 

CFR parts 1500–1508 and 10 CFR part 

1021, respectively), the National 

Nuclear Security Administration 

(NNSA), an agency within the DOE, 

announces its intent to prepare a 

supplemental site-wide environmental 

statement (S–SWEIS) to update the 

analyses presented in the Final SiteWide Environmental Impact Statement 

for Continued Operation of the Los 

Alamos National Laboratory (SWEIS) 

(DOE/EIS–0238; January 1999). The 

purpose of this notice is to invite 

individuals, organizations, and 

government agencies and entities to 

participate in developing the scope of 

the S–SWEIS. 

In its September 1999 Record of 

Decision (ROD) based on the SWEIS, 

DOE announced its decision to 

implement the Expanded Operations 

Alternative analyzed in the SWEIS, with 

modifications to weapons related 

production work (the Preferred 

Alternative), at Los Alamos National 

Laboratory (LANL). That decision is 

being implemented at LANL. Pursuant 

to 40 CFR 1502.20, the S–SWEIS will 

rely on and expand on the analysis in 

the original SWEIS. The No Action 

Alternative for the S–SWEIS is the 

continued implementation of the SWEIS 

ROD, together with other actions 

described and analyzed in subsequent 

NEPA reviews. The Proposed Action in 

the S–SWEIS will include changes since 

the SWEIS 1999 ROD.

DATES: NNSA invites comments on the 

scope of this S-SWEIS through February 

27, 2005. NNSA will hold a public 

scoping meeting in Pojoaque, New 

Mexico, at the Pablo Roybal Elementary 

School on January 19, 2005, from 6 to 

8 pm. Scoping comments received after 

February 27, 2005, will be considered to 

the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: To submit comments on the 

scope of the S-SWEIS, questions about 

the document or scoping meeting, or 

requests to be placed on the document 

distribution list, please write or call: Ms. 

Elizabeth Withers (e-mail address: 

lanl_sweis@doeal.gov; mailing address: 

NNSA Los Alamos Site Office, NEPA 

Compliance Officer, 528 35th Street, Los 

Alamos, New Mexico, 87544; (toll free) 

telephone 1–877–491–4957; or 

Facsimile 505–667–9998).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

general information about the DOE 

NEPA process, please contact: Ms. Carol 

Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA 

Policy and Compliance (EH–42), U.S. 

Department of Energy, 1000 

Independence Avenue, SW, 

Washington, DC 20585, 202–586–4600, 

or leave a message at 1–800–472–2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 Espan ̃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 about 40 square miles 

(104 square kilometers) and is operated 

for NNSA under contract, by the 

University of California. (The contract 

for LANL’s management and operation 

is undergoing a competitive bid process; 

however, the selection of the LANL 

management and operations contractor 

in the future will not affect the nature 

of the NNSA and DOE work performed 

at LANL.) 

LANL is a multidisciplinary, 

multipurpose institution primarily 

engaged in theoretical and experimental 

research and development. LANL has 

been assigned science, research and 

development, and production mission 

support activities that are critical to the 

accomplishment of the national security 

objectives (as reflected in the ROD for 

the September 1996 Final Programmatic 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

Stockpile Stewardship and Management 

(DOE/EIS–0236)). Specific LANL 

assignments will continue for the 

foreseeable future include production of 

War-Reserve products, assessment and 

certification of the stockpile, 

surveillance of the War-Reserve 

components and weapon systems, 

ensuring safe and secure storage of 

strategic materials, and management of 

excess plutonium inventories. LANL’s 

main role in the fulfillment of DOE 

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; and waste management 

activities.

The Final LANL SWEIS, issued in 

January 1999, considered the operation 

of LANL at various levels for about a 10-

year period of time. Alternatives 

considered in that document were: No 

Action Alternative, the Expanded 

Operations Alternative, the Reduced 

Operations Alternative, and the Greener 

Alternative. In addition to providing an 

overview of the LANL site and its 

activities and operations, the SWEIS 

identified 15 LANL ‘‘Key Facilities’’ for 

the purposes of NEPA analysis. ‘‘Key 

808 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 3 / Wednesday, January 5, 2005 / Notices 

Facilities’’ are those facilities that house 

operations with the potential to cause 

significant environmental impacts; are 

of most interest or concern to the public 

based on scoping comments; or are 

facilities that would be the most subject 

to change due to potential programmatic 

decisions. The operations of these ‘‘Key 

Facilities’’ were described in the SWEIS 

and, together with other non-key facility 

functions, formed the basis of the 

description of LANL facilities and 

operations analyzed for their potential 

impacts. The Preferred Alternative was 

the Expanded Operations Alternative 

with certain reductions in weaponsrelated manufacturing capabilities. This 

alternative was chosen for 

implementation in the ROD issued in 

September 1999. 

In mid-2004, NNSA undertook the 

preparation of a Supplement Analysis 

for the SWEIS pursuant to DOE’s 

regulatory requirement to evaluate sitewide NEPA documents at least every 5 

years (10 CFR 1021.330) and determine 

whether the existing EIS remains 

adequate, to prepare a new site-wide 

EIS, or prepare a supplement to the 

existing EIS. During the development of 

this Supplement Analysis, NNSA 

decided to proceed immediately with a 

supplement to the existing SWIES in 

order to expedite the NEPA process and 

to save time and money. DOE NEPA 

regulations (10 CFR 1021.314) require 

the preparation of a Supplemental EIS if 

there are substantial changes to a 

proposal or significant new 

circumstances or information relevant to 

environmental concerns. Substantial 

changes to the level of LANL operations 

may result from proposed, modified or 

enhanced activities and operations 

within LANL facilities (discussed later 

in subsequent paragraphs of this 

Notice), and new circumstances and 

information with regard to effects from 

the Cerro Grande Fire (which burned a 

part of LANL), a reduction in the size of 

the LANL reservation due to recent land 

conveyance and transfers, and 

contaminant migration have come to 

light over the past five years that could 

be deemed significant under 10 CFR 

1021.314. 

Since the issuance of the Final SWEIS 

in 1999, DOE and NNSA have finalized 

several environmental impact 

statements, environmental assessments 

(EA), and a special environmental 

analysis dealing with LANL operations 

and actions taken immediately after the 

2000 Cerro Grande Fire. The activities 

analyzed in these NEPA documents and 

developing changes to the LANL 

environmental setting led NNSA to 

conclude it would be prudent and 

efficient to begin updating the SWEIS 

now by preparing a supplemental 

SWEIS. NNSA will use the S–SWEIS to 

consider the potential impacts of 

proposed modifications to LANL 

activities, as well as the cumulative 

impacts associated with on-going 

activities at LANL, on the changed 

LANL environment. 

The S–SWEIS will provide a review of 

the impacts resulting from 

implementing the SWEIS ROD over the 

past 5 years at LANL and compare these 

impacts to the impacts projected in the 

SWEIS analyses for that alternative to 

provide an understanding of the 

SWEIS’s ability to identify potential 

impacts. The S–SWEIS analyses will 

focus primarily on aspects of the 

existing environment that could be 

impacted by newly proposed changes to 

LANL operations at certain facilities and 

by environmental cleanup actions that 

could occur over the next 5 to 6 years 

in response to a consent order from the 

State of New Mexico. The S–SWEIS 

Proposed Action will analyze projected 

impacts anticipated from operating 

LANL at the 1999 ROD level for at least 

the next 5 years, with some modified 

work now being proposed at certain 

facilities. NNSA is considering 

proposed operational changes within at 

least two new ‘‘Key Facilities’’ at LANL:

• The Nicholas C. Metropolis Center 

for Modeling and Simulation (formerly 

called the Strategic Computing 

Complex), and 

• The Nonproliferation and 

International Security Center (NISC). 

The construction and operation of the 

Nicholas C. Metropolis Center for 

Modeling and Simulation were analyzed 

in a December 1998 EA and a finding of 

no significant impact (FONSI) for that 

proposed action was issued based on 

the impact analyses for operating the 

computational facility up to a 50–

TeraOp platform (a TeraOp is a trillion 

floating point operations per second). 

The Center has been constructed and is 

currently operating below the 

operations level analyzed in the 1998 

EA; however, NNSA proposes to 

increase the facility’s operational 

capacity up to 100 TeraOps before 2009 

with corresponding increases to the 

facility’s consumption of water and 

electrical power resources. This 

proposed increase in the operating 

platform from 50 TeraOps up to 100 

TeraOps will be analyzed in the S–

SWEIS. 

The NISC’s construction and 

operation were analyzed in a July 1999 

EA and a FONSI was issued for that 

proposed action based on the impact 

analyses for consolidating activities and 

operating the facility as it was 

envisioned at that time. The facility is 

currently operating as evaluated in the 

1999 EA; however, NNSA is now 

proposing to move certain operations 

from the Technical Area 18 (TA–18) 

Pajarito Site (another of LANL’s ‘‘Key 

Facilities,’’ which is also discussed in 

the following paragraph) into the NISC. 

This would change the amount of 

nuclear material stored in the facility, 

with corresponding potential increases 

to worker exposures in the case of a site 

accident. The proposed changes to 

operations and material stored in NISC 

will be analyzed in the S–SWEIS. 

NNSA will also eliminate one former 

LANL ‘‘Key Facility’’ identified in the 

1999 SWEIS—the TA–18 Pajarito Site. 

In its 2002 EIS (the TA–18 Relocation 

Final EIS (DOE/EIS–319)) and ROD, the 

NNSA decided to relocate TA–18 

security category I and II operations and 

associated nuclear material to the 

Nevada Test Site. Implementation of the 

relocation decision began in 2004 and 

will continue over the next 5 years. 

After relocation of operations and 

materials, this facility will no longer be 

a LANL ‘‘Key Facility’’ within the 

meaning of the SWEIS, and therefore 

will not be listed as such a facility. 

There are certain proposals related to 

the relocation of the TA–18 security 

category III and IV operations and the 

disposition of the TA–18 facilities that 

were not analyzed in the 2002 EIS; these 

proposed actions and their projected 

impacts will be evaluated in the S–

SWEIS impact analyses. 

Certain aspects of operational 

changes, construction and activities that 

have occurred or are being proposed for 

LANL over the next 5 years that were 

not analyzed in the 1999 SWEIS will 

also be considered and analyzed in the 

S–SWEIS. Changes that have been made 

to existing LANL operations that will 

also be considered further in the S–

SWEIS include some permanent 

modifications to on-going operations 

that have recently been made as a result 

of decreases in specific work and 

projects performed at some LANL 

facilities, and changes to the locations of 

various types of materials at risk (MAR) 

at LANL facilities or off-site locations. 

Examples of newly proposed actions at 

LANL include the remediation of 10 

major material disposal areas (MDAs) at 

LANL; the operation of a Biosafety 

Level-3 (BSL–3) Facility (this facility 

will become part of an existing ‘‘Key 

Facility’’ at LANL, the former Health 

Research Laboratory (HRL) now known 

as the Bioscience Facilities); the 

construction and operation of a new 

solid waste transfer station, an office 

and light laboratory complex, a 

consolidated warehouse and truck 

inspection station, and a new 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 3 / Wednesday, January 5, 2005 / Notices 809

radiography facility; and recently 

proposed increases in the types and 

quantities of sealed sources accepted for 

waste management at LANL. Some of 

these newly proposed actions may be 

analyzed explicitly in the S–SWEIS in 

project specific analyses, while others 

may be analyzed in separate EAs to be 

prepared over the next several months, 

such as the new BSL–3 Facility EA. The 

potential impacts of the BSL–3 Facility 

will be included in the S–SWEIS 

evaluation of cumulative impacts, as 

will the impacts of all of the newly 

proposed actions. A comparison of the 

newly projected operational impacts 

will also be made to the projected 

impacts identified in the SWEIS. 

The NEPA compliance process for the 

BSL–3 Facility at LANL has spanned 

several years. In early 2002, the NNSA 

issued an EA and FONSI for the 

construction and operation of the 

facility at LANL. Due to the need to 

consider new circumstances and 

information relevant to the actual 

construction of the BSL–3 Facility and 

its future operation, the NNSA 

withdrew the 2002 FONSI for operating 

this facility and determined that a new 

EA should be prepared that re-evaluates 

the proposed operations of the facility 

as it has been constructed. The new EA 

is currently being prepared and a draft 

EA will be issued for public review and 

comment in early 2005. The EA will be 

used by NNSA in making a decision 

about whether to issue a FONSI for 

operation of the BSL–3 Facility. If a 

FONSI cannot be issued, the analyses 

for the operation of the BSL–3 Facility 

will be included in the S–SWEIS 

Proposed Action. 

In accordance with applicable DOE 

and CEQ NEPA regulations, the No 

Action Alternative will also be analyzed 

in the S–SWEIS. In this case, the No 

Action Alternative will be the continued 

implementation of the 1999 ROD at 

LANL over the next 5 years as this 

alternative was originally analyzed in 

the SWEIS, and will also include the 

implementation of other actions 

selected in DOE and NNSA RODs 

supported by separate NEPA reviews 

(specifically, actions analyzed since the 

issuance of the final SWEIS in the Final 

Environmental Impact Statement for the 

Conveyance and Transfer of Certain 

Land Tracts Administered by the U.S. 

Department of Energy and Located at 

Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los 

Alamos and Santa Fe Counties, New 

Mexico (DOE/EIS–293), the Final 

Environmental Impact Statement for the 

Proposed Relocation of Technical Area 

18 Capabilities and Materials at Los 

Alamos National Laboratory (DOE/EIS–

319), the Final Environmental Impact 

Statement for the Chemistry and 

Metallurgy Research Building 

Replacement Project at Los Alamos 

National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New 

Mexico (DOE/EIS–0350), and in about 

20 various EAs and their associated 

FONSIs, as well as actions categorically 

excluded from the need for preparation 

of either an EA or an EIS). The Los 

Alamos Site Office has posted a list of 

EAs and their associated FONSIs that 

pertain to LANL operations dating from 

the completion of the 1999 SWEIS on 

their Web site at: http://www.doeal.gov/

LASO/nepa. The full text of most of 

these EAs is also available through links 

provided at that Web site; copies of all 

of the documents may be obtained by 

contacting Ms. Withers at any of the 

addresses provided previously in this 

Notice.

Changes or new information have also 

surfaced regarding the environmental 

setting at LANL over the past 5 years 

that may affect future LANL operations, 

such as changes to LANL watersheds as 

the result of the Cerro Grande Fire, new 

information and changes resulting from 

thinning the forests around LANL, and 

the long-term effects from the regional 

drought. Additionally, there have been 

changes to both the number of LANL 

workers and to the surrounding 

population that have occurred or are 

being projected that are different from 

those on which the SWEIS 

socioeconomic and other impact 

analyses were based. To the extent that 

changes to or new information about the 

existing LANL environment may 

significantly affect natural and cultural 

resource areas originally considered in 

the 1999 SWEIS, projected impacts 

associated with implementing the 

Proposed Action over the next 5 years 

at LANL will be analyzed in the S–

SWEIS. 

Direct, indirect, and unavoidable 

impacts to the various natural and 

cultural resources present at LANL, 

together with irreversible and 

irretrievable commitments and 

mitigations, will also be analyzed in the 

S–SWEIS. Further, operational and site 

differences require a re-evaluation of 

LANL operational accident analyses and 

a new assessment and understanding of 

cumulative impacts of LANL operations 

will also be addressed. 

Public Scoping Process: The scoping 

process is an opportunity for the public 

to assist the NNSA in determining the 

issues for impact analysis, and at least 

one public scoping meeting is held. The 

purpose of the scoping meeting is to 

provide attendees an opportunity to 

present oral and written comments, ask 

questions, and discuss concerns 

regarding the S–SWEIS with NNSA 

officials. Comments and 

recommendations can also be mailed to 

Elizabeth Withers at any of the 

identified addresses noted in the 

previous paragraphs of this Notice. The 

S–SWEIS meeting will use a format to 

facilitate dialogue between NNSA and 

the public and will be an opportunity 

for individuals to provide written or 

oral statements. NNSA welcomes 

specific comments or suggestions on the 

content of the document that could be 

considered. The potential scope of the 

S–SWEIS discussed in the previous 

portions of this Notice is tentative and 

is intended to facilitate public comment 

on the scope of this S–SWEIS. It is not 

intended to be all-inclusive, nor does it 

imply any predetermination of potential 

impacts. The S–SWEIS will describe the 

potential environmental impacts of the 

alternatives by using available data 

where possible and obtaining additional 

data where necessary. Copies of written 

comments and transcripts of oral 

comments provided to NNSA during the 

scoping period will be available at the 

following locations: Los Alamos 

Outreach Center, 1350 Central Avenue, 

Suite 101, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 

87544; and the Zimmerman Library, 

University of New Mexico, 

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131. 

S–SWEIS Preparation Process: The S–

SWEIS preparation process begins with 

the publication of this Notice of Intent 

in the Federal Register. After the close 

of the public scoping period, NNSA will 

begin developing the draft S–SWEIS. 

NNSA expects to issue the Draft S–

SWEIS for public review in the fall of 

2005. Public comments on the Draft S–

SWEIS will be received during a 

comment period of at least 45 days 

following publication of the Notice of 

Availability. The Notice of Availability, 

also published in the Federal Register, 

along with notices placed in local 

newspapers, will provide dates and 

locations for public hearings on the 

Draft S–SWEIS and the deadline for 

comments on the draft document. 

Issuance of the Final S–SWEIS is 

scheduled for early 2006.

Issued in Washington, DC, this 29th day of 

December, 2004. 

Everet H. Beckner, 

Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs, 

National Nuclear Security Administration.

[FR Doc. 05–210 Filed 1–4–05; 8:45 am] 

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