Transfer of Land Tracts Located at Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, 3257-3259 [2012-1208]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 14 / Monday, January 23, 2012 / Notices
would continue to use diesel fuel to
power the 242–A Evaporator and would
use diesel fuel to power the WTP, as
currently planned.
Because all reasonable alternative
pipeline routing alignments involve
crossing the Columbia River, portions of
the proposed action may affect
floodplains and wetlands. This NOI
serves as a notice of proposed
floodplain or wetland action in
accordance with DOE floodplain and
wetland environmental review
requirements (10 CFR part 1022). As
appropriate and in accordance with 10
CFR part 1022, the NGP Draft EIS will
include a floodplain and wetland
assessment, and a floodplain statement
of findings will be included in the Final
EIS or may be issued separately (10 CFR
1022.14(c)).
TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
National Historic Preservation Act
Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act (NHPA) requires
Federal agencies to take into account the
effects of their undertakings on historic
properties. Federal agencies are
encouraged to coordinate compliance
with Section 106 of the NHPA with any
steps taken to meet the requirements of
NEPA. DOE plans to use the NEPA
process and documentation required for
the preparation of this EIS to satisfy
applicable requirements of NHPA
Section 106. As specified in the
regulations issued by the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservation
(ACHP) to implement the Section 106
process (36 CFR part 800, 800.8), DOE
will use the NEPA process in lieu of the
procedures set forth in §§ 800.3 through
800.6. DOE specifically invites the
ACHP, the State of Washington Historic
Preservation Officer (SHPO), Hanford
Area Tribal Nations, and members of the
public to participate in this NEPA
process for the purpose of ensuring the
standards in 36 CFR 800.8(c)(1) through
800.8(c)(5) are met, including
identifying mitigation actions that may
be appropriate to address potential
adverse effects that may result from
implementing the Proposed Action.
Preliminary Identification of
Environmental Issues
DOE proposes to analyze potential
short-term health and environmental
impacts, such as those from
construction, and potential long-term
health and environmental impacts of
operating and maintaining the pipeline
over a period assumed to be 100 years
for the purposes of analysis, once
service commences. DOE will analyze
potential issues and impacts at a level
of detail commensurate with their
importance. Potential impact areas to be
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evaluated include, but are not limited
to, the following:
• Potential effects on public health
and workers from exposures to
hazardous materials during
construction, operations, and
transportation under routine and
credible accident scenarios.
• Potential impacts on surface water
and groundwater, floodplains, and
wetlands, and on water use and quality.
• Potential impacts on air quality.
• Potential noise impacts.
• Potential impacts on plants and
animals and their habitat, including
species that are Federal- or state-listed
as threatened or endangered, or of
special concern.
• Potential impacts on geology and
soil characteristics.
• Potential impacts on historic and
cultural resources including places,
viewshed, archeological, and Native
American or other culturally important
sites.
• Socioeconomic impacts, either
beneficial or adverse, on potentially
affected communities.
• Environmental justice, particularly
whether the proposed action or
alternatives have disproportionately
high and adverse effects on minority
and low-income populations.
• Potential impacts on land-use
plans, policies and controls, and visual
resources.
• Pollution prevention and waste
management practices and activities.
• Unavoidable adverse impacts and
irreversible and irretrievable
commitments of resources.
• Potential cumulative environmental
effects of past, present and reasonably
foreseeable actions.
• Potential impacts of reasonably
foreseeable accidents and potential
impacts from intentionally destructive
acts, including sabotage or terrorism.
• Potential natural disasters: floods,
hurricanes, tornadoes, and seismic
events.
• Status of compliance with all
applicable Federal, state and local
statutes and regulations, and required
Federal and state environmental
permits, consultations and notifications.
Invitation for Public Comment
DOE invites Federal agencies; State,
Tribal, and local governments;
organizations; and the general public to
comment on the scope of the EIS,
including identification of alternatives
and specific issues to be addressed.
DOE also invites comments on the
potential adverse effects that may result
from the Proposed Action with respect
to historic resources governed by NHPA,
along with suggested actions DOE might
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3257
take to mitigate any such adverse
effects. DOE will coordinate with
appropriate Federal, State, and local
agencies and potentially affected Native
American tribes during the preparation
of the EIS. While there are no
designated cooperating agencies at this
time, DOE plans to invite Federal, State,
and local government agencies with
jurisdiction by law or special expertise
to participate as cooperating agencies in
preparing the EIS.
DOE will consider all comments
received during a 30-day public scoping
period beginning January 23, 2012 and
ending on February 22, 2012. DOE will
consider comments received after that
date to the extent practicable.
At the public scoping meeting, DOE
will provide an overview of the
proposed action followed by a short,
informal question-and-answer period to
clarify the information presented.
Thereafter, the public will have an
opportunity to present oral and written
comments on the proposed EIS scope;
oral comments will be documented by
a court reporter. DOE will consider all
public scoping comments in preparing
the Draft NGP EIS.
Issued at Washington, DC, on January 17,
2012.
David Huizenga,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Environmental
Management.
[FR Doc. 2012–1139 Filed 1–20–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Transfer of Land Tracts Located at Los
Alamos National Laboratory, New
Mexico
National Nuclear Security
Administration, U.S. Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Amended Record of Decision.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Department of
Energy’s National Nuclear Security
Administration (DOE/NNSA) is issuing
this Amended Record of Decision (ROD)
for the Environmental Impact Statement
for the Conveyance and Transfer of
Certain Land Tracts Administered by
the Department of Energy and Located
at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los
Alamos and Santa Fe Counties, New
Mexico, DOE/EIS–0293 (Conveyance
and Transfer EIS) to address the
remaining acreage of Los Alamos
National Laboratory’s (LANL’s)
Technical Area 21 (TA–21) Tract (about
245 acres) and the remaining acreage of
the Airport Tract (about 55 acres). DOE/
NNSA has determined that it is no
longer necessary to retain these lands
SUMMARY:
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3258
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 14 / Monday, January 23, 2012 / Notices
and will make them available for
conveyance and transfer.
For
copies of the Conveyance and Transfer
EIS, the 2000 Record of Decision (ROD),
and/or the two previous amended RODs
(discussed in later paragraphs), or to
receive further information regarding
the Los Alamos Site Office’s National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
compliance program, contact: Mr.
George J. Rael, Assistant Manager
Environmental Operations, NEPA
Compliance Officer, U.S. Department of
Energy, National Nuclear Security
Administration, Los Alamos Site Office,
3747 West Jemez Road, Los Alamos, NM
87544. Mr. Rael may be contacted by
telephone at (505) 665–5658. For
information on the DOE NEPA process,
contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom,
Director, Office of NEPA Policy and
Compliance (GC–54), U.S. Department
of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue
SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586–
4600, or leave a message at (800) 472–
2756.
Additional information regarding
DOE NEPA activities and access to
many DOE NEPA documents are
available on the Internet through the
DOE NEPA Web site at: https://
www.gc.energy.gov/nepa/.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Background
LANL is a multidisciplinary,
multipurpose research institution in
north-central New Mexico, about 60
miles (97 kilometers) north-northeast of
Albuquerque, and about 25 miles (40
kilometers) northwest of Santa Fe. The
small communities of Los Alamos
townsite, White Rock, Pajarito Acres,
the Royal Crest Mobile Home Park, and
San Ildefonso Pueblo are located in the
immediate vicinity of LANL. LANL
occupies an area of approximately
23,040 acres (9324 hectares), or
approximately 36 square miles (93
square kilometers).
TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Legal Requirements for Action
On November 26, 1997, Congress
passed Public Law 105–119, the
Departments of Commerce, Justice, and
State, the Judiciary, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act, Fiscal
Year 1998 (‘‘the Act’’). Section 632 of
the Act (42 U.S.C. 2391) directs the
Secretary of Energy (the Secretary) to
convey to the Incorporated County of
Los Alamos, New Mexico, or to the
designee of the County, and transfer to
the Department of the Interior, in trust
for the San Ildefonso Pueblo, parcels of
land under the jurisdictional
administrative control of the Secretary
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at or in the vicinity of LANL. Such
parcels, or tracts, of land must meet
suitability criteria established by the
Act. The purpose for these conveyances
and transfers is to fulfill the obligations
of the United States with respect to Los
Alamos, New Mexico, under sections 91
and 94 of the Atomic Energy
Community Act of 1955 (AECA) (42
U.S.C. 2391, 2394). Upon the
completion of the conveyance or
transfer, the Secretary of Energy shall
make no further financial assistance
payments with respect to LANL under
the AECA.
The Act set forth the criteria,
processes, and dates by which tracts
would be selected, titles to the tracts
reviewed, environmental issues
evaluated, and decisions made as to the
allocation of the tracts between the two
recipients. DOE’s responsibilities under
the Act include identifying potentially
suitable tracts of land according to
criteria set forth in the law (Land
Transfer Report, April 1998);
conducting a title search on each tract
of land (Title Report, September 1998);
identifying any environmental
restoration and remediation that would
be needed for each tract of land
(Environmental Restoration Report,
August 1999); conducting National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA) review of the proposed
conveyance or transfer of the land tracts
(the Conveyance and Transfer EIS,
October 1999, distributed in January
2000); reporting to Congress on the
results of the Environmental Restoration
Report review and the final Conveyance
and Transfer EIS (Combined Data
Report, January 2000); and preparing a
plan for conveying or transferring land
according to the allocation agreement of
parcels for Congress (Conveyance and
Transfer Plan, April 2000).
Additionally, the disposition of each
tract, or portion of a tract, would be
subject to DOE’s completion of any
necessary environmental restoration or
remediation required.
Previous Decisions on the Conveyance
and Transfer Actions
In the 2000 ROD for the Conveyance
and Transfer EIS (65 FR 14952, March
20, 2000), DOE’s decision, consistent
with the Preferred Alternative analyzed
in the Conveyance and Transfer EIS,
was to convey or transfer seven tracts in
whole and three tracts (the Airport, TA–
21, and White Rock Y Tracts) in part by
November 26, 2007, the original transfer
deadline established in the Act. Portions
of the three partial tracts were initially
withheld by DOE because of potential
national security mission needs for
retaining security, health, and safety
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buffer zones surrounding operational
areas. For this reason, DOE’s decision at
that time was to convey or transfer 110
acres of the Airport Tract, 20 acres of
the TA–21 Tract, and 125 acres of the
White Rock Y Tract. DOE stated in the
ROD that it would make every effort to
minimize the portions of the tracts it
retains and only retain essential areas
and convey or transfer the remainder of
the tracts before the transfer deadline.
On June 26, 2002, NNSA issued an
Amended ROD (67 FR 45495; July 9,
2002) that announced NNSA’s
determination that an 8-acre portion of
the Airport Tract at its western end that
had been retained to serve as a health
and safety buffer zone was no longer
required for that purpose and could be
conveyed. NNSA additionally identified
two portions of the White Rock Y Tract
that were unlikely to be needed to serve
as health and safety buffers and could
be conveyed as well. These portions
contain stretches of public roadways
along State Road 502 and State Road 4
and total about 74 acres.
On July 28, 2005, NNSA issued
another Amended ROD (70 FR 48378;
August 17, 2005) announcing NNSA’s
decision to convey an additional 32.3acre portion of the Airport Tract based
on its determination that this portion of
the tract located along the south side of
State Road 502 was no longer required
to serve as a health and safety buffer
area. This decision also stated that the
remainder of the Airport Tract, about 55
acres, would be retained until tritium
operations ceased within the
previously-retained approximately 245
acres of the TA–21 Tract.
Rationale Supporting the Conveyance
and Transfer of Portions of Retained
Tracts
The original 2000 ROD for the
Conveyance and Transfer EIS stated
with regard to the three tracts that were
conveyed in part, that DOE would
continue to resolve outstanding national
security mission support issues on the
remaining portions of the tracts so that
conveyance or transfer of those portions
could occur before the end of the 2007
deadline identified in the Act, which
has been extended to November 26,
2022 by the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011,
(Pub. L. 111–383). DOE could include
deed restrictions, notices, and similar
land use controls, as deemed
appropriate and necessary, that are
protective of human health and safety to
facilitate the transfer of the remaining
portions of these tracts.
In 2000, the TA–21 Tract housed both
the Tritium Systems Test Assembly
(TSTA) and the Tritium Sciences and
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 14 / Monday, January 23, 2012 / Notices
TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Fabrication Facility (TSFF), and both of
these facilities were scheduled to
continue operations past the year 2007.
These two research facilities were
identified as being needed for the
national security mission and there
were no formal plans to relocate them
at that time. However, NNSA has
subsequently discontinued both the
TSTA and TSFF operations within TA–
21. The TSFF tritium operations have
been relocated away from LANL, and all
other remaining TA–21 operations have
been moved to existing facilities within
LANL. All of the TA–21 buildings and
structures are now undergoing or have
undergone complete decommissioning,
decontamination, and demolition. Total
site environmental remediation of TA–
21 will be undertaken, and is currently
scheduled for completion over the next
decade.
In the near term, NNSA has
determined that the remaining portion
of the Airport Tract situated along State
Road 502 on the Townsite Mesa top
(about 55 acres) that had been retained
to serve as a health and safety buffer for
the TA–21 operations nearby is no
longer required for that purpose. This
partial tract can now be conveyed.
NNSA has also determined that it will
convey the remaining portion of the
TA–21 Tract (about 245 acres) situated
along DP Road on the DP Mesa top and
east into the DP canyon area, as this
previously retained portion of the Tract
is no longer required for LANL
operations. This 245-acre portion of the
TA–21 Tract can now be conveyed on
a partial-tract-by-partial-tract basis as
soon as environmental restoration and
remediation actions are completed.
Amended Decisions
NNSA is modifying its decisions on
conveyance and transfer of certain land
tracts at LANL based upon the
conditions to transfer properties as
outlined in the Act.
• The Airport Tract, originally
consisting of about 205 acres (83
hectares), is located east of the Los
Alamos townsite near the East Gate
Business Park. The Los Alamos Airport
is located on the northern part of the
tract. In March 2000, DOE decided to
convey or transfer part of the tract,
approximately 110 acres along the north
side of East Road. Portions of the tract
were retained by DOE to sustain mission
need and provide a health and safety
buffer to support TA–21 activities. With
the planned shutdown of portions of its
tritium activities at TA–21, NNSA
decided to convey an additional 8-acre
portion of the Airport Tract in 2002. In
2005, NNSA decided to convey a 32.3acre portion of the Airport Tract located
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along the south side of State Road 502
on top of Townsite Mesa. The
subsequent closure of the TSTA and
TSFF operations at TA–21 and
remediation activities at TA–21
removed the mission need and the
requirement for a health and safety
buffer for the Airport Tract. Therefore,
NNSA has now decided to convey the
remaining portions of the Airport Tract,
about 55 acres to Los Alamos County, in
accordance with the requirements of the
Act. With this decision, no acreage of
the Airport Tract remains to be
conveyed.
• The TA–21 Tract, originally
consisting of about 260 acres (105
hectares), is located east of the Los
Alamos townsite on the eastern end of
DP Mesa. In March 2000, DOE decided
to convey or transfer part of the tract,
approximately 20 acres, located in the
northwest section of the TA–21 tract
adjacent to the DP Road Tract. Portions
of the TA–21 Tract were retained by
DOE to sustain mission activities. With
the closure of the TSTA and TSFF
operations at TA–21 in 2002 and 2006
respectively, and the anticipated
completion of the remediation activities
at TA–21, DOE no longer has a mission
need for this site other than meeting its
environmental compliance
requirements. NNSA has decided to
convey in accordance with the
requirements of the Act, the remaining
portions, totaling about 245 acres, of the
TA–21 Tract. This conveyance will
occur on a partial-tract-by-partial-tract
basis upon completion of environmental
remediation activities. With this
decision, the majority of the TA–21
Tract acreage will be conveyed.
Issued in Washington, DC on January 17,
2012.
Thomas P. D’Agostino,
Administrator, National Nuclear Security
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2012–1208 Filed 1–20–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
National Nuclear Security
Administration
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Disposition of the Bannister
Federal Complex, Kansas City, MO,
and Notice of Wetlands Involvement
National Nuclear Security
Administration (NNSA), U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE).
AGENCY:
Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement and
ACTION:
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Fmt 4703
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3259
conduct a public scoping meeting, and
notice of wetlands involvement.
Pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA), and the Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ) and U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) regulations
implementing NEPA, the National
Nuclear Security Administration
(NNSA), a semi-autonomous agency
within DOE, announces its intention to
prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) for the disposition of the
Bannister Federal Complex (BFC) (BFC
Disposition EIS; DOE/EIS–0475).
The 300-acre BFC is owned by NNSA
and the General Services
Administration (GSA). NNSA owns the
portion of the BFC known as the Kansas
City Plant (KCP), consisting of
approximately 122 acres and 38
buildings. GSA owns the remainder of
the site, consisting of approximately 175
acres and 13 buildings. Beginning in
2013, NNSA will relocate its operations
from the KCP to a newly constructed
industrial campus eight miles south of
the BFC. Once the move is completed,
NNSA’s real property at the BFC will be
excess to the needs of its mission and
will be available for disposition. GSA is
currently analyzing its occupancy of the
BFC and is performing a separate
Environmental Assessment (EA) to
evaluate a future relocation option.
Because GSA could also decide to
relocate its operations away from the
BFC, it is a cooperating agency for the
preparation of this EIS, which will
analyze the potential environmental
impacts for the disposition of GSA real
property in addition to NNSA real
property. The BFC Disposition EIS will
analyze the potential environmental
impacts associated with reasonably
foreseeable potential future uses of the
property, which could be different from
its current uses. These potential future
uses include industrial, warehousing,
and commercial/office uses. NNSA also
will assess the potential environmental
impacts of partial and/or complete
demolition of some BFC structures.
Because the proposed project could
involve actions in wetlands, the EIS will
include a wetland assessment.
DATES: NNSA invites comments on the
scope of this BFC Disposition EIS. The
public scoping period starts with the
publication of this Notice in the Federal
Register and will continue until
February 22, 2012. NNSA will consider
all comments received or postmarked by
that date in defining the scope of this
BFC Disposition EIS. Comments
postmarked after that date will be
considered to the extent practicable. A
public scoping meeting is scheduled to
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 14 (Monday, January 23, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3257-3259]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-1208]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Transfer of Land Tracts Located at Los Alamos National
Laboratory, New Mexico
AGENCY: National Nuclear Security Administration, U.S. Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Amended Record of Decision.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security
Administration (DOE/NNSA) is issuing this Amended Record of Decision
(ROD) for the Environmental Impact Statement for the Conveyance and
Transfer of Certain Land Tracts Administered by the Department of
Energy and Located at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos and
Santa Fe Counties, New Mexico, DOE/EIS-0293 (Conveyance and Transfer
EIS) to address the remaining acreage of Los Alamos National
Laboratory's (LANL's) Technical Area 21 (TA-21) Tract (about 245 acres)
and the remaining acreage of the Airport Tract (about 55 acres). DOE/
NNSA has determined that it is no longer necessary to retain these
lands
[[Page 3258]]
and will make them available for conveyance and transfer.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For copies of the Conveyance and
Transfer EIS, the 2000 Record of Decision (ROD), and/or the two
previous amended RODs (discussed in later paragraphs), or to receive
further information regarding the Los Alamos Site Office's National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance program, contact: Mr. George
J. Rael, Assistant Manager Environmental Operations, NEPA Compliance
Officer, U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security
Administration, Los Alamos Site Office, 3747 West Jemez Road, Los
Alamos, NM 87544. Mr. Rael may be contacted by telephone at (505) 665-
5658. For information on the DOE NEPA process, contact: Ms. Carol M.
Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance (GC-54), U.S.
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC
20585, (202) 586-4600, or leave a message at (800) 472-2756.
Additional information regarding DOE NEPA activities and access to
many DOE NEPA documents are available on the Internet through the DOE
NEPA Web site at: https://www.gc.energy.gov/nepa/.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
LANL is a multidisciplinary, multipurpose research institution in
north-central New Mexico, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north-
northeast of Albuquerque, and about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest
of Santa Fe. The small communities of Los Alamos townsite, White Rock,
Pajarito Acres, the Royal Crest Mobile Home Park, and San Ildefonso
Pueblo are located in the immediate vicinity of LANL. LANL occupies an
area of approximately 23,040 acres (9324 hectares), or approximately 36
square miles (93 square kilometers).
Legal Requirements for Action
On November 26, 1997, Congress passed Public Law 105-119, the
Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 1998 (``the Act''). Section
632 of the Act (42 U.S.C. 2391) directs the Secretary of Energy (the
Secretary) to convey to the Incorporated County of Los Alamos, New
Mexico, or to the designee of the County, and transfer to the
Department of the Interior, in trust for the San Ildefonso Pueblo,
parcels of land under the jurisdictional administrative control of the
Secretary at or in the vicinity of LANL. Such parcels, or tracts, of
land must meet suitability criteria established by the Act. The purpose
for these conveyances and transfers is to fulfill the obligations of
the United States with respect to Los Alamos, New Mexico, under
sections 91 and 94 of the Atomic Energy Community Act of 1955 (AECA)
(42 U.S.C. 2391, 2394). Upon the completion of the conveyance or
transfer, the Secretary of Energy shall make no further financial
assistance payments with respect to LANL under the AECA.
The Act set forth the criteria, processes, and dates by which
tracts would be selected, titles to the tracts reviewed, environmental
issues evaluated, and decisions made as to the allocation of the tracts
between the two recipients. DOE's responsibilities under the Act
include identifying potentially suitable tracts of land according to
criteria set forth in the law (Land Transfer Report, April 1998);
conducting a title search on each tract of land (Title Report,
September 1998); identifying any environmental restoration and
remediation that would be needed for each tract of land (Environmental
Restoration Report, August 1999); conducting National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) review of the proposed conveyance or transfer
of the land tracts (the Conveyance and Transfer EIS, October 1999,
distributed in January 2000); reporting to Congress on the results of
the Environmental Restoration Report review and the final Conveyance
and Transfer EIS (Combined Data Report, January 2000); and preparing a
plan for conveying or transferring land according to the allocation
agreement of parcels for Congress (Conveyance and Transfer Plan, April
2000). Additionally, the disposition of each tract, or portion of a
tract, would be subject to DOE's completion of any necessary
environmental restoration or remediation required.
Previous Decisions on the Conveyance and Transfer Actions
In the 2000 ROD for the Conveyance and Transfer EIS (65 FR 14952,
March 20, 2000), DOE's decision, consistent with the Preferred
Alternative analyzed in the Conveyance and Transfer EIS, was to convey
or transfer seven tracts in whole and three tracts (the Airport, TA-21,
and White Rock Y Tracts) in part by November 26, 2007, the original
transfer deadline established in the Act. Portions of the three partial
tracts were initially withheld by DOE because of potential national
security mission needs for retaining security, health, and safety
buffer zones surrounding operational areas. For this reason, DOE's
decision at that time was to convey or transfer 110 acres of the
Airport Tract, 20 acres of the TA-21 Tract, and 125 acres of the White
Rock Y Tract. DOE stated in the ROD that it would make every effort to
minimize the portions of the tracts it retains and only retain
essential areas and convey or transfer the remainder of the tracts
before the transfer deadline.
On June 26, 2002, NNSA issued an Amended ROD (67 FR 45495; July 9,
2002) that announced NNSA's determination that an 8-acre portion of the
Airport Tract at its western end that had been retained to serve as a
health and safety buffer zone was no longer required for that purpose
and could be conveyed. NNSA additionally identified two portions of the
White Rock Y Tract that were unlikely to be needed to serve as health
and safety buffers and could be conveyed as well. These portions
contain stretches of public roadways along State Road 502 and State
Road 4 and total about 74 acres.
On July 28, 2005, NNSA issued another Amended ROD (70 FR 48378;
August 17, 2005) announcing NNSA's decision to convey an additional
32.3-acre portion of the Airport Tract based on its determination that
this portion of the tract located along the south side of State Road
502 was no longer required to serve as a health and safety buffer area.
This decision also stated that the remainder of the Airport Tract,
about 55 acres, would be retained until tritium operations ceased
within the previously-retained approximately 245 acres of the TA-21
Tract.
Rationale Supporting the Conveyance and Transfer of Portions of
Retained Tracts
The original 2000 ROD for the Conveyance and Transfer EIS stated
with regard to the three tracts that were conveyed in part, that DOE
would continue to resolve outstanding national security mission support
issues on the remaining portions of the tracts so that conveyance or
transfer of those portions could occur before the end of the 2007
deadline identified in the Act, which has been extended to November 26,
2022 by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011,
(Pub. L. 111-383). DOE could include deed restrictions, notices, and
similar land use controls, as deemed appropriate and necessary, that
are protective of human health and safety to facilitate the transfer of
the remaining portions of these tracts.
In 2000, the TA-21 Tract housed both the Tritium Systems Test
Assembly (TSTA) and the Tritium Sciences and
[[Page 3259]]
Fabrication Facility (TSFF), and both of these facilities were
scheduled to continue operations past the year 2007. These two research
facilities were identified as being needed for the national security
mission and there were no formal plans to relocate them at that time.
However, NNSA has subsequently discontinued both the TSTA and TSFF
operations within TA-21. The TSFF tritium operations have been
relocated away from LANL, and all other remaining TA-21 operations have
been moved to existing facilities within LANL. All of the TA-21
buildings and structures are now undergoing or have undergone complete
decommissioning, decontamination, and demolition. Total site
environmental remediation of TA-21 will be undertaken, and is currently
scheduled for completion over the next decade.
In the near term, NNSA has determined that the remaining portion of
the Airport Tract situated along State Road 502 on the Townsite Mesa
top (about 55 acres) that had been retained to serve as a health and
safety buffer for the TA-21 operations nearby is no longer required for
that purpose. This partial tract can now be conveyed. NNSA has also
determined that it will convey the remaining portion of the TA-21 Tract
(about 245 acres) situated along DP Road on the DP Mesa top and east
into the DP canyon area, as this previously retained portion of the
Tract is no longer required for LANL operations. This 245-acre portion
of the TA-21 Tract can now be conveyed on a partial-tract-by-partial-
tract basis as soon as environmental restoration and remediation
actions are completed.
Amended Decisions
NNSA is modifying its decisions on conveyance and transfer of
certain land tracts at LANL based upon the conditions to transfer
properties as outlined in the Act.
The Airport Tract, originally consisting of about 205
acres (83 hectares), is located east of the Los Alamos townsite near
the East Gate Business Park. The Los Alamos Airport is located on the
northern part of the tract. In March 2000, DOE decided to convey or
transfer part of the tract, approximately 110 acres along the north
side of East Road. Portions of the tract were retained by DOE to
sustain mission need and provide a health and safety buffer to support
TA-21 activities. With the planned shutdown of portions of its tritium
activities at TA-21, NNSA decided to convey an additional 8-acre
portion of the Airport Tract in 2002. In 2005, NNSA decided to convey a
32.3-acre portion of the Airport Tract located along the south side of
State Road 502 on top of Townsite Mesa. The subsequent closure of the
TSTA and TSFF operations at TA-21 and remediation activities at TA-21
removed the mission need and the requirement for a health and safety
buffer for the Airport Tract. Therefore, NNSA has now decided to convey
the remaining portions of the Airport Tract, about 55 acres to Los
Alamos County, in accordance with the requirements of the Act. With
this decision, no acreage of the Airport Tract remains to be conveyed.
The TA-21 Tract, originally consisting of about 260 acres
(105 hectares), is located east of the Los Alamos townsite on the
eastern end of DP Mesa. In March 2000, DOE decided to convey or
transfer part of the tract, approximately 20 acres, located in the
northwest section of the TA-21 tract adjacent to the DP Road Tract.
Portions of the TA-21 Tract were retained by DOE to sustain mission
activities. With the closure of the TSTA and TSFF operations at TA-21
in 2002 and 2006 respectively, and the anticipated completion of the
remediation activities at TA-21, DOE no longer has a mission need for
this site other than meeting its environmental compliance requirements.
NNSA has decided to convey in accordance with the requirements of the
Act, the remaining portions, totaling about 245 acres, of the TA-21
Tract. This conveyance will occur on a partial-tract-by-partial-tract
basis upon completion of environmental remediation activities. With
this decision, the majority of the TA-21 Tract acreage will be
conveyed.
Issued in Washington, DC on January 17, 2012.
Thomas P. D'Agostino,
Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2012-1208 Filed 1-20-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
