NNSA Nears Approval of Final Los Alamos 15-Year SWEIS, Prefers Expansion

NNSA officials and Los Alamos Field Office staff say the Final Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Los Alamos National Laboratory, DOE/EIS-0552, is expected to be signed any day now, though a field office spokesperson has confirmed the document had not yet been signed by NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams. The Draft LANL SWEIS was published Jan. 10, 2025 and assesses potential environmental impacts of LANL operations for approximately the next 15 years, through about 2038.

The Draft analyzes three alternatives: No-Action, Modernized Operations, and Expanded Operations, and NNSA has identified Expanded Operations as its preferred alternative. Stringer said the SWEIS evaluates projects proposed in the Campus Masterplan and other documents and covers a period of up to 15 years. “We wanted the analyses to be comprehensive for all of the planning so that we are ready to proceed on the projects we did want to move forward on. A lot of it just depends on getting funding for them and evaluating the need as we go,” she said. “Our preferred alternative is the Expanded Operations Alternative, which is the one we recommended for approval.”

The Draft SWEIS was released under NEPA procedures and opened a public comment window that NNSA described as a 60-day period beginning Jan. 10, 2025. NNSA scheduled public hearings in Santa Fe, Española, and Los Alamos on Feb. 11–13, 2025; the formal notice also states four public hearings will be held. Local reporting asserted the public comment period ran through April 10, 2025, a discrepancy with the 60-day window reported in the agency notice. Regulators advised that written and verbal comments would be given equal weight and cautioned that personally identifiable information included in comments may become public. Written comments can be sent by email to LANLSWEIS@nnsa.doe.gov or by mail to Mr. Stephen Hoffman, LANL SWEIS Document Manager, DOE/NNSA, 3747 W. Jemez Road, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544.

The No-Action Alternative, as described in the notice, includes continued operations and previously approved projects, and the regulations excerpt specifically states the No-Action Alternative includes 87 new projects. NNSA officials, and Stringer in particular, emphasized that not every project shown in Draft graphics is approved or will be implemented, because implementation depends on demonstrated need and available funding.

Operational details raised during briefings to Los Alamos County include pit-production planning cited by Wyka: “So this [impact statement] is based on a nuclear posture review … which had up to 30 pits per year here at Los Alamos by 2028, with a surge capacity of 80, as well as including Savannah River for its 50. And if our requirements are increased or changed, then we would do a supplemental analysis to confirm whatever numbers we're supposed to go to.” Wyka also told councilors that workforce changes would largely make up for attrition and that “the work skill mixes may change as we get into operations from construction and D&D to workforce with crafts, trades, subject matter experts,” and that traffic impacts are expected to be mitigated through remote work and offsite buildings in Santa Fe. County Councilor Randall Ryti pressed officials on what an increase in production would mean for the SWEIS, and Councilor Beverly Neal Clinton questioned the implications for local traffic and workforce.

The Draft package includes extensive appendices and references to earlier NEPA work, including the 2008 SWEIS, the 2018 Supplement Analysis DOE/EIS-0380-SA-05 covering projects such as the TA-55 Reinvestment Project and DD&D at TA-18 and TA-21, and DOE/EA-2122 for a second fiber optic line. Local officials and NNSA staff describe the supporting material as substantial and designed to allow LANL to proceed with projects if funding and need align.

Key outstanding items for Los Alamos leaders and residents remain confirmation of the Final SWEIS signature by Administrator Brandon Williams, reconciliation of the public comment closing date, clarification of the number and format of public hearings, and identification of which projects from the Draft will be authorized once the Final SWEIS is issued. When signed, the Final SWEIS will set the operational framework for LANL through roughly 2038 while leaving funding and any required supplemental NEPA analyses to future decisions.