Department of Energy October 17, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is providing an Advance Notice of its Intent (ANOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for remediation of Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL). DOE is preparing the EIS in response to a May 2, 2007, decision by the U.S. District Court of Northern California that a 2003 DOE decision to prepare a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and conduct remediation of Area IV on the basis of an environmental assessment, rather than prepare an EIS, violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). DOE is also requesting early comments from the public and other stakeholders on the scope of the EIS and issues to be considered in EIS analysis. To facilitate collaboration on these EIS issues, DOE also is announcing plans for public involvement activities to be held this fall, to provide information to its stakeholders and to receive comments from them. DOE is issuing this ANOI, pursuant to 10 CFR 1021.311(b), in order to inform and request early comments and assistance from Federal and State agencies, State and local governments, natural resource trustees, the general public, and other interested parties on the appropriate scope of the EIS, possible environmental issues, and the potential environmental impacts related to DOE's proposed activities for Area IV. Following the issuance of this ANOI, DOE intends to collect updated information that it will incorporate into the EIS analysis. DOE will conduct community and regulator interviews through November 2007. These public involvement opportunities will focus on consultation with the public about the process for EIS scoping, the development of the range of reasonable alternatives to be analyzed in the EIS, and related public concerns about the remediation. If, based on community input, DOE decides to hold a public meeting, DOE will notify the community through local media. Early comments on the scope of the EIS and issues to be considered are due by December 14, 2007. Though DOE will attempt to consider comments received after this date, it will only be able to do so to the extent practicable. DOE plans to issue a Notice of Intent (NOI) for this EIS in the spring of calendar year 2008.