Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Construction and Operations of a Biosafety Level 3 Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico

Abstract

The ''National Environmental Policy Act of 1969'' (NEPA) requires Federal agency officials to consider the environmental consequences of their proposed actions before decisions are made. In complying with NEPA, the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) follows the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 ''Code of Federal Regulations'' [CFR] 1500-1508) and DOE's own NEPA implementing procedures (10 CFR 1021). The purpose of an environmental assessment (EA) is to provide Federal decision-makers with sufficient evidence and analysis to determine whether to prepare an Environmental impact statement (EIS) or issue a Finding of No Significant Impact. This EA has been prepared to assess environmental consequences resulting from the construction and operation of a Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory facility within the boundaries of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). LANL is one of the national security laboratories under the authority of the Under Secretary for Nuclear Security of the NNSA who serves as the Administrator for Nuclear Security and Head of the NNSA (50 USC Chapter 41, Section 2402(b)). The objectives of this EA are to (1) describe the underlying purpose and need for NNSA action; (2) describe the Proposed Action and identify and describe any reasonable alternatives that satisfy the purpose and need for NNSA action; (3) describe baseline environmental conditions at LANL; (4) analyze the potential indirect, direct, and cumulative effects to the existing environment from implementation of the Proposed Action and other reasonable alternatives; and (5) compare the effects of the Proposed Action with the No Action Alternative and other reasonable alternatives. For the purposes of compliance with NEPA, reasonable alternatives are identified as being those that meet NNSA's purpose and need for action by virtue of timeliness, appropriate technology, and applicability to LANL. The EA process also provides NNSA with environmental information that can be used in developing mitigative actions, if necessary, to minimize or avoid adverse effects to the quality of the human environment and natural ecosystems should NNSA decide to proceed with implementing the construction and operation of a BSL-3 facility at LANL. Ultimately, the goal of NEPA and this EA is to aid NNSA officials in making decisions based on an understanding of environmental consequences and taking actions that protect, restore, and enhance the environment.