Environmental Assessment for the Installation and Operation of Combustion Turbine Generators at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico
NEPA requires Federal agency officials to consider the environmental consequences of their proposed actions before decisions are made. In complying with NEPA, the U.S. DOE, NNSA, follows the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 1500-1508) and DOE's 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 (FONSI). At this time, the NNSA must make a decision regarding installing, operating and maintaining two approximately 20 Megawatt (MW) combustion turbine generators (CTGs) within the Technical Area (TA)-3 Co-generation Complex (Building 3-22) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). LANL is a Federal facility located at Los Alamos, New Mexico, that comprises 43 square miles (111 square kilometers) of buildings, structures, and forested land (Figure 1). LANL is administered by NNSA for the Federal government and managed and operated under contract by the University of California (UC). This EA has been prepared to assess the potential environmental consequences of the Proposed Action--installing and operating two CTGs--and of the No Action Alternative. The objectives of this EA are to (1) describe the underlying purpose and need for DOE action; (2) describe the Proposed Action and identify and describe any reasonable alternatives that satisfy the purpose and need for Agency 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 (5) compare the effects of the Proposed Action with the effects of 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 provides NNSA with environmental information that can be used in developing mitigation, 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 Proposed Action at LANL.
- Research Organization:
- U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Los Alamos Site Office (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-42) (US)
- OSTI ID:
- 823499
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/EA- 1430; TRN: US200427%%627
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 12 Dec 2002
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Construction and Operations of a Biosafety Level 3 Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico
Environmental Assessment for Electrical Power System Upgrades at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico - Final Document
Related Subjects
POLICY AND ECONOMY
APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY
COGENERATION
COMBUSTION
COMPLIANCE
ECOSYSTEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS
IMPLEMENTATION
MITIGATION
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
REGULATIONS
TIME DELAY
TURBINES
US CEQ
EA
LOS ALAMOS
NM
TURBINE
TA-3 STEAM PLANT
NNSA
LANL
ELECTRIC POWER GENERATORS