Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) Issued
In August 2025 the Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Taos Field Office each issued a Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact for the EPCU project. DOE NNSA will implement the EPCU project and will follow the mitigation measures described in Appendix C of the Environmental Assessment.
The Santa Fe National Forest and Taos Field Office are providing support to NNSA for the issuance of a Special Use Permit on National Forest System Lands, and Right-of-Way Grant on BLM-administered lands as required for the construction of the proposed transmission line.
The National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, was enacted on January 1, 1970. NEPA requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making decisions.
An Environmental Assessment (EA) under NEPA is a concise public document that provides sufficient evidence and analysis for determining whether a Federal Agency should issue a Finding of No Significant Environmental Impact (FONSI) or prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Additionally, an EA aids a federal agency's compliance with NEPA when no EIS is necessary, i.e., it helps to identify better alternatives and mitigation measures and facilitates preparation of an EIS should one be proven necessary. The FONSI briefly explains the reasons why an action will not have a significant effect on the environment to support a Decision Document.
A Public Scoping Period was held during spring 2021 and concluded on May 21, 2021. The Public Scoping Period is Now Closed.
EPCU EA Scoping Meeting Presentation (pdf)
An Environmental Assessment (EA) was prepared by DOE/NNSA in coordination with the Forest Service Santa Fe National Forest as a cooperating agency and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Taos Field Office as a participating agency.
The draft EA analyzes the potential environmental effects that could result from NNSA’s proposal to construct and operate an approximately 14-mile, 115-Kilovolt power transmission line and related infrastructure upgrades on the LANL campus. The proposed transmission line would be erected on public lands within the Caja del Rio area of Santa Fe County, New Mexico (NM) on lands primarily managed by the Santa Fe National Forest and with a small inclusion of Bureau of Land Management- (BLM) managed land (see map). From the Caja del Rio, the transmission line would span White Rock Canyon onto DOE/NNSA-managed lands at Los Alamos National Laboratory within Los Alamos County, NM.
The draft EA was published in November 2023, and is available at the Department of Energy's Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade Project page.
Two public comment periods were held from Dec. 19, 2023 to Jan. 17, 2024 and from January 22, 2024 to February 20, 2024. Two public meetings were held at Santa Fe Community College on January 11, 2024 and February 15, 2024.
PowerPoint Presentation from the January 11, 2024 and February 15, 2024 Public Meetings (pdf)
Posters from the January 11. 2024 and February 15, 2024 Public Meetings (pdf)
The final EA was published in September 2024, and is available at the Department of Energy's Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade Project page.
The Santa Fe National Forest conducted its pre-decisional objection process on the Final EA pursuant to 36 C.F.R. Part 218 (project-level review) and Part 219 (Forest Plan amendments) between September 2024 and January 2025.
In August 2025, the DOE NNSA issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and a decision notice based on the environmental assessment, available at the Department of Energy's Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade Project page.
There are multiple components of the EPCU project that will proceed on different schedules. The transmission line to be constructed on Santa Fe National Forest and BLM land is in the design and pre-construction phases.
The USFS NEPA website describes Forest Service NEPA procedures, policy and guidance.
The DOE NEPA Policy and Compliance website provides links to DOE NEPA documents, DOE NEPA guidance and requirements.
Santa Fe National Forest Planning webpage provides access to the Santa Fe National Forest Plan and associated NEPA documents.
USFS Special Use Permits webpage describes the USFS process of obtaining a special use permit.
USDA Forest Service Objection Process document describes the project-level pre-decisional administrative review process.
BLM Rights-Of-Way webpage describes the BLM process for obtaining a right-of-way for a special use permit.
NPS National Historic Trail - El Camino real de Tierra Adentro webpage provides information of the NPS managed historic trail near the project location.
PNM Environment webpage provides an overview of the PNM efforts and commitment towards the environment.