As NNSA announced in the Federal Register (FR) on April 21, 2023, NNSA is holding a 45-day public scoping comment period on the Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) for Continued Operations at the Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) in New Mexico (SNL/NM SWEIS; DOE/EIS-0556) from April 21 through June 5, 2023 (88 FR 24607).  During the comment period, NNSA is holding two public scoping meetings to invite public participation in the process and to encourage public input on the scope and alternatives that should be considered in the SNL/NM SWEIS. The SNL/NM SWEIS will analyze the potential environmental impacts of the reasonable alternatives for continuing SNL/NM operations for approximately the next 15 years.  NNSA will be hosting two public scoping meetings, one in-person and one internet-based virtual (with telephone access). The meetings will occur on the following dates:

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

• In-person Public Scoping Meeting: 6:30 – 8:50 p.m. Mountain Time,
  • Preceded by a poster session starting at 5:30 p.m.
  • Location:

New Mexico Veterans Memorial, Museum & Conference Center

1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE

Albuquerque, NM 87108

• Listen-in for May 9: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1618755753, Toll-free 833-568-8864 Meeting ID: 161 875 5753

Thursday, May 11, 2023

• Virtual Public Scoping Meeting: 6:30 – 8:50 p.m., Mountain Time
  • Access by Internet: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1608652437
  • Access by Telephone: Toll-free 833-568-8864
  • Meeting ID: 160 865 2437

Additional details and meeting materials will be available for review on this website prior to the meetings.

Written comments on the scope of the SNL/NM SWEIS or requests for information related to the SNL/NM SWEIS should be sent by June 5, 2023 to:

By email to: SNL-SWEIS@nnsa.doe.gov

Or by mail to:

SNL/NM SWEIS Comments

National Nuclear Security Administration, Sandia Field Office

PO Box 5400

Albuquerque, NM 87185

Comments must be received or postmarked by June 5, 2023.

The NNSA has published a Notice of Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register on April 21, 2023, to announce its intent to prepare a Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) for the Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) in Albuquerque, New Mexico (SNL/NM SWEIS; 88 FR 24607). The SNL/NM SWEIS will be prepared by NNSA’s Sandia Field Office (SFO) to meet the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The SNL/NM SWEIS will analyze the potential environmental impacts of the reasonable alternatives for continuing operations of SNL/NM for approximately the next 15 years. While SNL has operations outside of New Mexico, the SNL/NM SWEIS is limited to activities at SNL/NM within the Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) and the Albuquerque area.

NNSA invites Federal and state agencies, Native American tribes, state and local governments, industry, other organizations, and members of the public to submit comments to assist in identifying environmental issues and determining the appropriate scope of the SNL/NM SWEIS from April 21^st through June 5, 2023.

Written comments on the scope of the SWEIS or requests for information related to the SNL/NM SWEIS should be sent by June 5, 2023 to:

SNL/NM SWEIS Comments

National Nuclear Security Administration, Sandia Field Office

PO Box 5400

Albuquerque, NM 87185

Or by Email to: SNL-SWEIS@nnsa.doe.gov

For receiving oral comments, NNSA will host two public scoping meetings, including one in-person meeting with a virtual link for listen-in only and one virtual meeting. Meeting details will be provided in a future notice posted on this website:  www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room. NNSA will hold the scoping meetings no earlier than 15 days from the posting of the notice. Details of the public meetings will also be announced in local media outlets.

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—might 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 Federal Register Notice of Intent is available here for your review:

(/nepa/articles/doeeis-0556-notice-intent

More information on the SNL/NM SWEIS is available here:

/nepa/doeeis-0556-site-wide-environmental-impact-statement-continued-operation-sandia-national

As NNSA announced in the Federal Register (FR) on December 16, 2022, NNSA is holding a public comment period on the Draft Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program (SPDP) Environmental Impact Statement (SPDP EIS) (DOE/EIS–0549) from December 16, 2022, through March 16, 2023 (87 FR 77096). During the comment period, NNSA is holding four public hearings to invite public participation in the process and to encourage public input on the analysis in the draft SPDP EIS. The draft SPDP EIS evaluates the potential environmental impacts of dispositioning 34 metric tons of surplus plutonium using capabilities at multiple sites across the Nation.

NNSA will hold four public hearings (three in-person and one internet-based/virtual) to receive comments on the Draft SPDP EIS. The locations of the three in-person public hearings and the contact information for the virtual online meeting are provided below. Any changes to the meeting dates or times will be posted on this page.

1. Click on this link for a direct connection to the Online Zoom meeting for the January 30, 2023 meeting.

At the three in-person hearings, for the first 30 minutes NNSA will hold a poster session where NNSA representatives will be available to answer questions about the Draft SPDP EIS. Following the poster session, NNSA will make a presentation on the Draft SPDP EIS, and then NNSA will receive formal comments with transcription by a court stenographer. The posters will be available on this website prior to the meeting. NNSA will not answer any questions during the formal public comment period. The meetings will conclude at the end of the posted meeting time or when the public comment period is finished, whichever is earlier.

Written comments on the Draft SPDP EIS should be submitted no later than March 16, 2023, and sent to:

U.S. Mail:

Maxcine Maxted, NEPA Document Manager

National Nuclear Security Administration

Office of Material Management and Minimization

Savannah River Site

P.O. Box A, Bldg. 730-2B, Rm. 328

Aiken, SC 29802

Phone:                (803) 952-7434 to leave a message

Or E-mail:          SPDP-EIS@nnsa.doe.gov

Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, please be advised that your entire comment—including your personal identifying 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 also submit comments anonymously.

Following completion of the public comment period, NNSA will address public comments and prepare a Comment Response Document, which will be included as part of the Final SPDP EIS.

Supporting documentation, including the public hearing presentation, will be available on this website prior to the public hearings.

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

• 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).