Environmental Impact Assessment Sandia Laboratories, New Mexico.

Abstract

This Omnibus Environmental Assessment describes the ongoing operations of the Sandia Laboratories, Albuquerque, (SLA) and evaluates the actual and possible impacts on the environment that continuation of these operations entails. Since the Laboratories predates the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) by two decades, there previously has been no overall formal retrospective environmental assessment of the whole of its facilities and operational although each facility that postdates NEPA has been assessed for its potential environmental impact. The SLA plant and facilities are owned by the U.S. Government, and are operated by Bell System through a contract between the Western Electric Company and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (now the U.S. Energy Reserach and Development Administration (ERAD) as a prime contractor (Sandia Corporation) of the ERDA. All laboratory ongoing activities are discussed, except that this asessment does not evaluate the consequence of possible terrorist activity against the laboratory facilities, nor does it concern itself with transportation hazards outside Kirtland AFB East. Precautionary measures are in effect to assure that all nuclear materials are secure. The internal accounting system shows the locations and quantities of all nuclear material at all times.