General Session: Environmental assessment details and implications for LLNL's BSL-3 facility

DOE has recently issued a revised NEPA Environmental Assessment for the BSL-3 Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The revision was required by the 9th Circuit Court to include an assessment of potential impacts due to terrorist activities. Bruce McDowell describes LLNL’s protocol for evaluating environmental impact of biocontainment facilities, and the circumstances that lead to the court decision. He profiles the drivers, scope, project organization, manpower and costs associated with the assessment project, one of the first for a BSL-3 that deals with this subject. He describes lab site characteristics and operations that should be considered in conducting a similar assessment for other proposed facilities.

• Bruce McDowell, Project Manager - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory