Environmental Compliance and Occurrences
All Nevada Field Office activities are conducted in accordance with federal, state, and local laws, regulations and policies. These numerous environmental drivers govern how the Nevada Field Office protects the public and the environment during missions.
Compliance Status
The compliance status of these drivers is summarized in Chapter 2 of the most recently published NNSS Environmental Report.
National Environmental Policy Act Information
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and its implementing procedures require federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision-making process by considering the environmental impacts of their proposed actions and reasonable alternatives for implementing those actions. All work conducted at the NNSS must first be evaluated for compliance with the NEPA. Activities must be previously analyzed in an Environmental Impact Statement, Environmental Assessment, or in 10 CFR Part 1021 DOE NEPA Implementing Procedures.
Categorical Exclusions
Categorical exclusions are types of actions the DOE has determined do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, these actions do not require an Environmental Impact Statement or an Environmental Assessment. Under DOE's 10 CFR Part 1021 DOE NEPA Implementing Procedures Subpart D, a proposed activity can be categorically excluded from further NEPA review if it falls within any of the classes of action analyzed and documented in 10 CFR Part 1021 DOE NEPA Implementing Procedures and determined will not significantly impact the environment.
Under an October 2, 2009, policy memorandum, each DOE Program and Field Office will document and post online all categorical exclusion determinations involving classes of actions listed in 10 CFR Part 1021 DOE NEPA Implementing Procedures Subpart D, Appendix B of the Department's NEPA implementing procedures. However, posted categorical exclusion determinations will not contain information exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, such as classified, trade secrets, or commercial or financial information.
Posting of Categorical Exclusions:
Building 06-914 Equipment Staging and Preparation
Red Tailed Hawk Nest Relocation (Emergency Action)
Offsite Seismic Monitoring Operations
Special Technologies Laboratory (STL) Operations
U1a Modernization Surface – Seismic Monitoring of U1a drilling activities (addition)
New Mexico Operations-Los Alamos Office (LAO)
Mercury Demolition of 23-475 through 23-484 and Associated Block
U1a Modernization Surface – Seismic Monitoring of U1a drilling activities
U1a Modernization – Surface
Remote Sensing Laboratory – Andrews Operations (RSL-A)
Installation of RWMC Monitoring Well UE5MW-4
Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Field Activities
Area 6 to U1a Water Supply Line Replacement – Potholing
Mercury Modernization – Campus Development and Construction Activities
NNSS AML 20K Rocket Launcher Retrieval
DAG Series Airborne Operations
Mercury Equipment Storage Structure (Building 23-424) Demolition
SOC Protective Force Training Complex
Exterior LIDAR Scanning of Tunnels or Other Existing Facilities
CP Hill Waterline Replacement – Potholing
Solar Photovoltaic Expansion Project
Atlas Machine Disassembly
Mercury Water & Sewer Utility Discovery
Livermore Operations Site
DAF-18 Full Scale Exercise
Mercury Bowling Alley (Building 23-517) Demolition
Engagement Simulation System (ESS) Training
Mercury Asbestos Sampling
Off-site Seismic Monitoring
Mercury Power & Communications Infrastructure Consolidation and Upgrades
Nuclear Accident Dosimetry (NAD) Laboratory
SNL Seismic Monitoring
CTOS Eastern Region Administrative, Warehouse and Training Office
Reactivation of Building 23-119, LOTO Training Facility
Nevada Desert Research Center (Nevada Desert FACE Facility and Mojave Global Change Facility)
Desert Research Institute Cultural Resource Management Program
Offices and Unoccupied Buildings
Creation of Turnaround Areas
Telephone Pole Grading Project
USAF NLVF Project
USGS Vegetation, Small Mammal, and Reptile Studies
Yucca Mountain Site Property Disposition
Building 25-4014 Warehouse
Remote Sensing Laboratory Helicopter Training
Remote Sensing Laboratory San Diego Ops
Weather Support for the NNSS (ARL0-SORD)
Dense Plasma Focus Security Exercise
Timber Mountain Weather Station
Nevada National Security Site Zone 2 Maintenance
Site Operations South
Nevada National Security Site, Area 12 Camp Cafeteria Renovation
WSI Training Facility