Monitoring and Documentation of Forest Management Activities at Los Alamos National Laboratory

Abstract

agency makes substantial changes in the proposed action that are relevant to environmental concerns or there are circumstances or information relevant to concerns and bearing on the proposed action or its impacts. This SA is prepared in accordance with Section 10 CFR 1021.314(c) of the Department of Energy's (DOE's) regulations for NEPA implementation stating that ''When it is unclear whether or not an EIS supplement is required, DOE shall prepare a Supplement Analysis.'' This SA specifically compares key impact assessment parameters of the waste management program evaluated in the SWEIS with those of a proposal that would change the approach of a portion of this management program. It also provides an explanation of any differences between the proposed action and activities described in the previous SWEIS analysis. DOE proposes to expedite the shipment of legacy TRU waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, New Mexico. The Cerro Grande Fire in 2000 and events of September 11, 2001, have focused attention on the potential risk to the public and the credible security hazard posed by the amount of plutonium stored above ground at LANL and the increased necessity to safeguard our nation's nuclear waste. The safest place for defense-generated TRU waste has been determined to be DOE's permitted repository for TRU waste 2100 feet underground at WIPP. The proposed accelerated plan to dispose of TRU waste at WIPP would result in the complete disposition of LANL legacy TRU waste by 2010; this accelerated disposition would be 20 years ahead of schedule, at a savings of $500 million in life-cycle costs and result in 3,000 fewer shipments to WIPP. However, the current individual small facilities at LANL lack the buildings, equipment, and trained personnel to conduct efficient characterization activities on an increased scale. Installing new modular structures and equipment close to the drum storage location at TA-54 in housings designed for a large inventory and high throughput would support DOE's expedited shipment program by increasing the repackaging rate, and it would also decrease on-site transportation vulnerabilities.