Notice of Floodplain and Wetlands Involvement for the Conveyance and Transfer of Certain Land Tracts Administered by the Department of Energy, Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 124 (Tuesday, June 29, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34794-34795]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-16517]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Floodplain and Wetlands Involvement for the Conveyance 
and Transfer of Certain Land Tracts Administered by the Department of 
Energy, Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico

AGENCY: Los Alamos Area Office, Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of floodplain and wetlands involvement.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of Public Law 105-119, DOE 
proposes to convey to the Incorporated County of Los Alamos, and 
transfer to the Secretary of the Department of the Interior in trust 
for San Ildefonso Pueblo, ten (10) tracts of land located at Los Alamos 
National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The conveyance and 
transfer involves about 4,800 acres located within various canyon 
systems and over several mesa tops. Some of these tracts encompass 
floodplains and wetlands located in Los Alamos and Santa Fe Counties, 
New Mexico.
    In accordance with 10 CFR part 1022, DOE has prepared a floodplain 
and wetlands assessment. This assessment is included as part (Appendix 
D) of the Draft 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, prepared for the proposed project in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act.

DATE: Comments are due to the address below no later than July 15, 
1999.

ADDRESS: Comments should be addressed to: Elizabeth Withers, CT EIS 
Document Manager, U.S. Department of Energy, Los Alamos Area Office 528 
35th Street, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544, PHONE: (505) 667-8690; FAX: 
(505) 665-4872.
    The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is available for review at 
the Los Alamos Outreach Center, 1619 Central Avenue, Los Alamos, New 
Mexico 87544; and the Government Information Department, Zimmerman 
Library, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131. The 
Draft CT EIS is also available under the NEPA Analysis Module of the 
DOE NEPA Web Site at http://tis.eh.doe.gov/nepa/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THIS PROPOSED ACTION, CONTACT: Elizabeth 
Withers, CT EIS Document Manager, at the above listed address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON GENERAL DOE FLOODPLAIN/WETLANDS 
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW REQUIREMENTS, CONTACT: Carol M. Borgstrom, 
Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance, EH-42, U. S. Department 
of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC. 20585, (202) 
586-4600 or (800) 472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In compliance with the requirements of Pub. 
L. 105-119, DOE is proposing to convey and transfer ten (10) tracts of 
land, totaling about 4,800 acres, to the Incorporated County of Los 
Alamos, and to the Secretary of the Interior in trust for San Ildefonso 
Pueblo. Six (6) of the ten tracts encompass wetlands and floodplains 
within their boundaries: the Rendija Canyon Tract, TA-21 Tract, Airport 
Tract, White Rock ``Y'' Tract, TA-74 Tract and the White Rock Tract. 
These tracts are located within or contain portions of Rendija Canyon, 
DP Canyon, Los Alamos Canyon, Bayo/Pueblo Canyons confluence, and in 
Canada del Buey. Future use of the tracts as established by Pub. L. 
105-119 is limited to historic, cultural, or environmental 
preservation, economic diversification, and community self-sufficiency 
purposes. The two named recipients identified their contemplated uses 
of the tracts as follows:

[[Page 34795]]

    Rendija Canyon Tract (about 910 acres)--environmental preservation 
(including recreational use) and residential development or cultural 
preservation.
    TA-21 Tract (about 260 acres)--commercial and industrial 
development.
    Airport Tract (about 205 acres)--commercial and industrial 
development or commercial development.
    White Rock ``Y'' Tract (about 540 acres)--environmental 
preservation or cultural preservation.
    TA-74 Tract (about 2715 acres)--cultural preservation or 
environmental preservation.
    White Rock Tract (about 100 acres)--cultural preservation and 
commercial development or commercial and residential development.
    Each of these tracts may have existing or future infrastructure 
uses that include utility lines, utility support structures, water 
supply wells, storage tanks or structures, water or effluent treatment 
structures and transportation routes.
    The proposed action encompasses floodplains and wetlands because 
Pub. L. 105-119 requires DOE to identify land that may meet the 
criteria established by the Law. The suitability criteria does not 
exclude land containing wetland and floodplain areas; therefore, 
potentially suitable land in wetland and floodplain areas was included 
in the tracts DOE identified for possible conveyance and transfer. The 
conveyance or transfer of each tract, in whole or in part, constitutes 
DOE's Proposed Action Alternative. The only alternative to the proposed 
action considered is the No Action Alternative. The proposed action of 
conveying or transferring each of the tracts, either in whole or in 
part, conforms to applicable State or local floodplain protection 
standards. Contemplated use of the tracts as articulated to DOE by the 
named recipients would also conform to applicable State or local 
floodplain protection standards. Both Los Alamos and Santa Fe Counties 
have protective ordinances pertaining to flood damage prevention that 
is inclusive of language requiring new construction to be placed 
outside of floodplains. The pertinent Los Alamos County Code Ordinance 
is: 85-70 ``An Ordinance Repealing Chapter 15.16 of the Los Alamos 
County Code Adopting a New Chapter 17.70 Pertaining to Flood Damage 
prevention.'' The pertinent Santa Fe County Code Ordinances are: 1988-1 
``An Ordinance to Establish Regulations for Development in Flood Hazard 
Areas, Set Minimum Floor Elevations for Compliance, Define Flood 
Plains, Address Required Building Improvements, and Establish Variance 
Regulations for Cases Where There Isn't an Ability to Comply with 
Adopted Standards,'' and 1996-1 ``Flood Hazards.''
    A floodplain statement of findings will be published in the Final 
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 in accordance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act. The anticipated issuance date for the Final Environmental 
Impact Statement is August 1999. Notice of its availability will be 
announced in the Federal Register.

    Issued in Los Alamos, NM on June 16, 1999.
David A. Gurule,
Area Manager, U.S. Department of Energy, Los Alamos Area Office.
[FR Doc. 99-16517 Filed 6-28-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P