Environmental assessment for an LNG spill test facility

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has assessed the environmental effects of a proposed LNG (liquefied natural gas) spill test program involving the construction of a temporary experimental spill test facility. The major objective of this environmental overview was to identify the most suitable site for the test facility. A secondary objective was to determine - for this site - whether there were environmental issues requiring more detailed scientific study and analysis. Sixty-nine federally owned sites were screened as possible locations for the LNG spill test facility. All except five were eliminated because of environmental and safety concerns. The remaining five were judged to be about equal with respect to the environmental impact of carrying out the tests. Four of these five were in turn eliminated because of other factors, such as cost and logistics, leaving Frenchman Flat as the most suitable site. Frenchman Flat is within the Nevada Test Site. If the LNG spill tests are conducted there, no new environmental impact statement should be necessary because the existing statements for Frenchman Flat and Nellis Air Force Range cover the general environmental impact questions that must be addressed.