Who will conduct and approve the environmental studies for the Ricketts Laboratory?
An environmental assessment has been prepared by the Environmental Assessment Division at Argonne, which is noted internationally for its contributions to evaluating environmental situations and contributing to remediation. The assessment’s conclusions will be verified and approved by NIH as the agency funding construction. DOE, which will have the facility on its property, will also approve the assessment as a cooperating agency. Construction will not go forward until the environmental assessment is completed in accordance with all acceptance criteria. The analysis, which looks at all phases of the laboratory’s impact on the surrounding area – including such concerns raised by Argonne’s neighbors as health implications and impact on real estate values — continues a process that began in conjunction with the initial design proposals. Since the RBL has been designed to meet stringent safety and environmental standards for a facility of this sort, it is expected that its construction an
