The National Nuclear Security Administration will hold a public meeting Thursday regarding a new 14-mile electric power transmission line serving the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.
Public comment on the Los Alamos National Laboratory Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade Project Draft Environmental Assessment opened on Dec. 19 and will be extended for another month past its original close date, the NNSA announced Jan 8.
The first official comment period runs through Jan. 17. Cooperating agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service determined a second 30-day comment period is warranted based on multiple factors, including community concerns recently raised about the timing of the current comment period, the NNSA said in its Jan. 8 statement.
The second comment period will be open from Jan. 22 for 30 days, closing Feb. 20. The meeting, at Santa Fe Community College, was scheduled to stream online.
“This second comment period will allow for greater public involvement and meaningful participation by interested parties,” the NNSA said. “All written comments submitted during the official comment periods will be considered. Interested parties must submit specific comments during an official comment period in order to raise an issue during a future objection period under Forest Service regulations.”
A draft environmental assessment of the project published in November considers potential environmental effects from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)’s proposal to build and operate a 14-mile, 115-kilovolt power transmission line and related infrastructure upgrades on public land within the Caja del Rio area of Santa Fe County.
The draft includes proposed amendments to the 2022 Forest Plan for the Santa Fe National Forest that would allow for the designation of a utility corridor and other upgrades to the lab’s existing electrical infrastructure to ensure a “reliable and redundant electrical power supply to support mission programs and other activities conducted at LANL facilities,” NNSA said.
Existing transmission lines that serve lab facilities and Los Alamos County will reach their existing capacity before 2030, the agency said, around the time the lab is supposed to begin producing new plutonium pits for future nuclear weapon refurbishments.
