Welcome to the National Nuclear Security Administration’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Reading Room. This site serves as a focal point for NNSA NEPA implementation and will contain information about past and current NNSA NEPA actions as well as other resources for NEPA practitioners and members of the public.

 

OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

DRAFT SITE-WIDE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE KANSAS CITY NATIONAL SECURITY CAMPUS, NEW MEXICO OPERATIONS, DOE/EA-2231, AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT

NNSA invites the public to review and comment on a draft Site-Wide Environmental Assessment (SWEA) of the Kansas City National Security Campus, New Mexico Operations (KCNSC NMO) (DOE/EA-2231). NNSA conducts operations at the KCNSC NMO, including specific properties on Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB), to support the security, development, and manufacture of the non-nuclear components of nuclear weapons.  KCNSC NMO operates 7 facilities including 3 on KAFB, in the city of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico. NNSA has prepared the Draft SWEA to assess the effects on the human and natural environment of its proposed continued operation and potential expansion of operations at KCNSC NMO facilities; to provide the flexibility to expand, reconfigure and/or move select operations within KCNSC NMO; and to evaluate the potential expansion of additional facilities to incrementally expand its manufacturing capacity and office space necessary to sustain continued production growth indicated by National requirements.

The Draft SWEA is available for comment until November 28, 2023.

Please submit written comments on the Draft SWEA by November 28, 2023,

By email to:  NEPA.Comments@kcnsc.doe.gov

By U.S. mail to:  

U.S. Department of Energy
National Nuclear Security Administration
14520 Botts Road
Kansas City, MO 64147
Attention: KCFO NEPA Comments

Please include your name and mailing address or email address with your comments so a response to your comment can be sent to you.

The Draft SWEA of the Kansas City National Security Campus, New Mexico Operations is available here for your review.

DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR ACTIVITIES IN SUPPORT OF THE Y-12 NATIONAL SECURITY COMPLEX MATERIALS MANUFACTURING MISSION AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT

NNSA invites the public to review and comment on a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for Activities in Support of the Y-12 National Security Complex Materials Manufacturing Mission (Y-12 MM EA) (DOE/EA-2218). In the Draft Y-12 MM EA, NNSA analyzes the potential impacts associated with materials manufacturing at the Y-12 National Security Complex and the Teledyne Brown Engineering Test and Demonstration Facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.  Based on the results of the EA, NNSA will determine whether to prepare an environmental impact statement or a finding of no significant impact as appropriate. 

The Draft Y-12 MM EA is available for comment until November 30, 2023.

Please submit written comments on the Draft EA by November 30, 2023,

By email to:  NEPA.Comments@npo.doe.gov

By U.S. mail to:  

NNSA NEPA Document Manager
Attn:  MM Draft EA
P.O. Box 2050
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Comments will not be accepted over the telephone or facsimile.

Draft Y-12 MM EA document

Y-12 MM EA project page

DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE ELECTRICAL POWER CAPACITY UPGRADE (EPCU) PROJECT AT LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LAB, NEW MEXICO, DOE/EA-2199, AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT

NNSA invites the public to review and comment on the draft Los Alamos National Laboratory Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade Project Draft Environmental Assessment (EPCU EA) (DOE/EA-2199). The EPCU EA was prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Taos Field Office. The draft EA includes proposed amendments to the 2022 Forest Plan for the Santa Fe National Forest that would allow for the designation of a utility corridor and permanent easement on SFNF-administered lands.    

The draft EA analyzes the construction and operation of a new 115 kilovolt (kV) power transmission line and upgrading LANL’s existing electrical infrastructure. LANL requires a reliable and redundant electrical power supply to support mission programs and other activities conducted at LANL facilities. Electrical power supply forecasts project that existing transmission lines that serve LANL and Los Alamos County will reach capacity before 2030, jeopardizing DOE/NNSA’s electrical power supply to meet mission requirements.  

The draft EA provides sufficient evidence and analysis for determining whether to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the project or to issue a Finding of No Significant Impact, in accordance with National Environmental Policy Act authorities. 

This notice is to announce the official start of the comment period on December 19, 2023. Written comments on the draft EPCU EA will be accepted through January 17, 2024.

Please submit any EPCU EA and Forest Plan amendment comments, questions, and/or requests for a paper copy of the draft EA by January 17, 2024,

By email to: EPCUEA@nnsa.doe.gov

By U.S. mail to:
NNSA Los Alamos Field Office 
ATTN: EPCU Project NEPA
3747 West Jemez Road
Los Alamos, NM 87544   

Comments may be submitted to the NNSA Los Alamos Field Office via mail or through the email address listed above. Comments will not be accepted over the telephone. Comments received after January 17, 2024, will be considered to the extent practicable for preparation of the final EA and decision document. A public meeting will be scheduled during the comment period and announced on this website and via the LANL GovDelivery system.

The Draft EPCU EA is available here for your review:
/nepa/doeea-2199-los-alamos-national-laboratory-electrical-power-capacity-upgrade-project

 

CURRENT NEPA DOCUMENTS

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) NEPA documents

Sandia National Laboratory (Sandia) Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) NEPA documents

Plutonium Pit Production NEPA documents

Record of Decision (ROD) for the final EIS for Plutonium Pit Production at the Savannah River Site (SRS)

Amended Record of Decision (AROD) of the Complex Transformation Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (CT SPEIS) for Pit Production at SRS  

Final SRS Pit Production EIS

NNSA’s Notice of Availability (NOA) of the final SRS Pit Production EIS in the Federal Register

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Notice of Availability (NOA) of the final SRS Pit Production EIS in the Federal Register

Amended Record of Decision (AROD) of the Complex Transformation Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (CT SPEIS) for Pit Production at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)

AROD of the 2008 LANL Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) for Pit Production at LANL

Final SA of the SWEIS for pit production at LANL

The draft SA of the 2008 SWEIS for Continued Operations of LANL is available here for your review

More information on the 2008 SWEIS for Continued Operations of LANL is available here.

The Final SA for the Complex Transformation SPEIS is available here for your review.

The Notice of Availability of Final Supplement Analysis for the Complex Transformation SPEIS is available here for your review.

The Draft SA for the Complex Transformation SPEIS is available here for your review.

The Federal Register Notice of Availability is available here for your review.

More information on the Complex Transformation SPEIS is available for your review.

The Federal Register Notice of Intent for the Savannah River Site (SRS) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) announcing the plutonium pit production NEPA strategy is available here for your review.

SRS Pit Production EIS Scoping Meeting presentation from 6/27/2019 public scoping meeting.

The draft SRS Pit Production EIS

NNSA’s Federal Register Notice of Availability (NOA) of the draft SRS Pit Production EIS

The Environmental Protection Agency’s NOA of the draft SRS Pit Production EIS in the Federal Register

The SRS Pit Production EIS page

NEPA Terminology

  • Environmental Assessment (EA) - A concise public document that a Federal agency prepares under NEPA to provide sufficient evidence and analysis to determine whether a proposed agency action would require preparation of an environmental impact statement or a finding of no significant impact.
  • Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) - The detailed written statement that is required by section 102(2)(C) of NEPA for a proposed major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.
  • Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) - A public document issued by a Federal agency briefly presenting the reasons why an action for which the agency has prepared an environmental assessment will not have a significant effect on the human environment and, therefore, will not require preparation of an environmental impact statement.
  • A Floodplain and Wetland Assessment is an evaluation that DOE prepares under DOE Floodplain and Wetland Environmental Review Requirements (10 CFR Part 1022) consisting of a description of a proposed action, a discussion of its potential effects on the floodplain or wetland, and consideration of alternatives. A Floodplain Statement of Findings is a brief document issued pursuant to 10 CFR 1022.14 that describes the results of the floodplain assessment.
  • A Mitigation Action Plan is a document DOE prepares in accordance with DOE NEPA regulations (10 CFR 1021.331) that describes the plan for implementing commitments made in a DOE environmental impact statement and its associated record of decision, or, when appropriate, an EA or FONSI, to mitigate adverse environmental impacts associated with an action.
  • Notice of Availability (NOA) is a formal notice, published in the Federal Register, that announces the issuance and public availability of a draft or final EIS. The Environmental Protection Agency NOA is the official public notification of an EIS; a DOE NOA is an optional notice used to provide information to the public.
  • Notice of Intent (NOI) is a formal announcement of intent to prepare an EIS as defined in Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1508.22). DOE publishes NOIs in the Federal Register in accordance with DOE NEPA regulations (10 CFR 1021.311). On rare occasions we may produce and issue an Advance NOI which means a formal public notice of DOE's intent to prepare an EIS, which is published in advance of an NOI in order to facilitate public involvement in the NEPA process.
  • Programmatic NEPA document means a broad-scope EIS (PEIS) or EA that identifies and assesses the environmental impacts of a DOE program; it may also refer to an associated NEPA document, such as an NOI, ROD, or FONSI.
  • A Record of Decision (ROD) is a concise public document that records a Federal agency's decision(s) concerning a proposed action for which the agency has prepared an environmental impact statement (See CEQ and DOE NEPA regulations at 40 CFR 1505.2 and 10 CFR 1021.315, respectively).
  • Scoping means the process described at 40 CFR 1501.7; “public scoping process” refers to that portion of the scoping process where the public is invited to participate, as described at 40 CFR 1501.7 (a)(1) and (b)(4).
  • Site-wide NEPA document means a broad-scope EIS (SWEIS) or EA that is programmatic in nature and identifies and assesses the individual and cumulative impacts of ongoing and reasonably foreseeable future actions at a DOE site; Site-wide may also refer to an associated NEPA document, such as an NOI, ROD, or FONSI.
  • Supplement Analysis (SA) means a DOE document used to determine whether a supplemental EIS should be prepared pursuant to 40 CFR 1502.9(c), or to support a decision to prepare a new EIS.
  • Supplemental EIS (SEIS) means an EIS prepared to supplement a prior EIS as provided at 40 CFR 1502.9(c).

For more information about the NEPA law and guidance, please go to this page.

For more information about NNSA NEPA documents, please contact NEPA@nnsa.doe.gov.