ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR DOE FUNDING OF THE CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF THE

University, East Lansing, Michigan, DOE/EA-1684 (FRIB EA) estimates environmental impacts from the action. It is prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), regulations of the President's Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1500–1508), and DOE's NEPA implementing regulations (10 CFR 1021). Given that the impacts of operation of the proposed FRIB accelerator are similar in nature to other linear accelerators and the impacts from construction would be similar in nature to conventional excavation and construction projects, DOE believes an EA is an appropriate level of review at this time. It will assist in DOE’s determination to either prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, if there are significant environmental impacts, or to issue a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), if there are no significant environmental impacts. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTION: DOE published a “funding opportunity announcement ” (FOA) on May 20, 2008, seeking applications for the conceptual design and establishment of a particle acceleration facility—the FRIB—that met the criteria described in the FOA for less than or equal to $550 million over the next decade. Subsequent to construction, funding for operations would be allocated annually based on Congressional appropriations. In it