Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment, To Open a Public Scoping Period, and To Conduct a Public Scoping Meeting

Résumé

The Department of Energy (DOE) announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and to hold a public scoping meeting on the proposed Federal action to fund the construction and operation of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) on the campus of Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing, Michigan. FRIB's design is composed of buildings and/or building additions for a heavy ion/proton accelerator, ancillary laboratories, and support facilities. Construction/operation would occur adjacent to the existing National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL), which would ultimately be subsumed into FRIB. The EA will identify and assess potential environmental impacts from the Proposed Action and a range of reasonable alternatives so DOE can determine whether to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) or issue a finding of no significant impact (FONSI). DOE is also opening a 45-day scoping period to allow the public the opportunity to voice any concerns it might have and to make recommendations about the analytical approach and alternatives. During the scoping period, a public meeting will be held