This proposal describes Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) support to be provided by Argonne National Laboratory to the National Science Foundation (NSF). The focus is on construction and operation (including anticipated experiments) of a proposed Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) at the former Homestake Gold Mine in Lead, South Dakota. If a final agency decision to construct a DUSEL is made, a deep underground physics research facility at this former mine site would pursue advances in understanding fundamental physics, including nuclear astrophysics, solar neutrinos, and the origin and nature of dark matter.
The Environmental Science Division (EVS) of Argonne will provide technical support to the NSF for a DUSEL EIS.
Argonne has more than 30 years of experience conducting NEPA analyses for multiple federal agencies and programs. The organizational structure of EVS is designed to facilitate and streamline the evaluations needed for NEPA, with a multidisciplinary matrix that mirrors key elements of these analyses. This combination of extensive expertise and experience make Argonne especially suited to provide support to assist the NSF in complying with NEPA for this proposed facility.
