Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Production of Tritium in a Commercial Light Water Reactor, 60017-60020 [2011-24947]
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 28, 2011 / Notices
Persons who wish to comment only
on the environmental review of this
project should submit an original and
two copies of their comments to the
Secretary of the Commission.
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of paper. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii)
and the instructions on the
Commission’s Web site (https://
www.ferc.gov) under the ‘‘e-Filing’’ link.
Persons unable to file electronically
should submit an original and 14 copies
of the protest or intervention to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC
20426.
Dated: September 22, 2011.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
The purpose of the conference is to
discuss the impact of the Penalty
Guidelines on compliance and
enforcement matters. More information
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Dated: September 21, 2011.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2011–24961 Filed 9–27–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
[FR Doc. 2011–24960 Filed 9–27–11; 8:45 am]
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. PL10–4–000]
National Nuclear Security
Administration
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Technical Conference on Penalty
Guidelines; Notice of Technical
Conference on Penalty Guidelines
The staff of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (Commission)
will hold a conference on November 17,
2011, to discuss the Penalty Guidelines,
which the Commission issued on
September 17, 2010.1 The conference
will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Eastern Standard Time in the
Commission Meeting Room at the
Commission’s headquarters located at
888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC
20426.
1 Enforcement of Statutes, Orders, Rules, and
Regulations, 132 FERC ¶ 61,216 (2010).
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Notice of Intent To Prepare a
Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (SEIS) for the Production of
Tritium in a Commercial Light Water
Reactor
National Nuclear Security
Administration (NNSA), U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a
supplemental environmental impact
statement and conduct public scoping
meetings.
AGENCY:
The Council on
Environmental Quality’s implementing
regulations for the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and
SUMMARY:
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60017
DOE’s NEPA implementing regulations
require the preparation of a supplement
to an environmental impact statement
(EIS) when there are substantial changes
to a proposal or when there are
significant new circumstances or
information relevant to environmental
concerns. DOE may also prepare a SEIS
at any time to further the purposes of
NEPA. Pursuant to these provisions, the
NNSA, a semi-autonomous agency
within DOE, intends to prepare a SEIS
to update the environmental analyses in
DOE’s 1999 EIS for the Production of
Tritium in a Commercial Light Water
Reactor (CLWR EIS; DOE/EIS–0288).
The CLWR EIS addressed the
production of tritium in Tennessee
Valley Authority (TVA) reactors using
tritium-producing burnable absorber
rods (TPBARs). In the Record of
Decision (ROD) for the CLWR EIS,
NNSA selected TVA’s Watts Bar Unit 1
and Sequoyah Units 1 and 2, located in
Spring City and Soddy-Daisy,
Tennessee, respectively, for tritium
production. TVA has been producing
tritium for NNSA at Watts Bar Unit 1
since 2004.
After several years of tritium
production experience at TVA’s Watts
Bar Unit 1, NNSA has determined that
tritium permeation through TPBAR
cladding into the reactor cooling water
occurs at a higher rate than previously
projected. The proposed SEIS will
analyze the potential environmental
impacts associated with increased
tritium permeation levels observed
since 2004; DOE’s revised estimate of
the maximum number of TPBARs
required to support the current Nuclear
Posture Review tritium supply
requirements; and proposed changes to
TVA facilities that may be used for
future tritium production. TVA will be
participating as a cooperating agency in
the preparation of the SEIS. Any other
agency that would like to be a
cooperating agency in the preparation of
the SEIS is requested to contact the SEIS
Document Manager as noted in this
Notice under ADDRESSES.
NNSA invites comments on the
scope of the SEIS. The public scoping
period starts with the publication of this
Notice in the Federal Register and will
continue until November 14, 2011.
NNSA will consider all comments
received or postmarked by that date in
defining the scope of the SEIS.
Comments received or postmarked after
that date will be considered to the
extent practicable. A public scoping
meeting is scheduled to be held on
October 20, 2011, from 6:30 p.m. to 10
p.m.
DATES:
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 28, 2011 / Notices
The public scoping meeting
will be held at the Southeast Tennessee
Trade and Conference Center, Athens,
TN. NNSA will publish additional
notices on the date, time, and location
of the scoping meeting in local
newspapers in advance of the scheduled
meeting. Any necessary changes will be
announced in the local media. The
scoping meeting will provide the public
with an opportunity to present
comments, ask questions, and discuss
issues with NNSA officials regarding the
SEIS.
Written comments or suggestions
concerning the scope of the SEIS or
requests for more information on the
SEIS and public scoping process should
be directed to: Mr. Curtis Chambellan,
Document Manager for the SEIS, U.S.
Department of Energy, National Nuclear
Security Administration, Box 5400,
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185–5400;
facsimile at 505–845–5754; or e-mail at:
tritium.readiness.seis@doeal.gov. Mr.
Chambellan may also be reached by
telephone at 505–845–5073.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
general information on the NNSA NEPA
process, please contact: Ms. Mary
Martin, NNSA NEPA Compliance
Officer, U.S. Department of Energy,
1000 Independence Avenue, SW,
Washington, DC 20585, or telephone
202–586–9438. For general information
about the DOE NEPA process, please
contact: Ms. Carol Borgstrom, Director,
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance
(GC–54), U.S. Department of Energy,
1000 Independence Avenue, SW,
Washington, DC 20585, or telephone
202–586–4600, or leave a message at 1–
800–472–2756. Additional information
about the DOE NEPA process, an
electronic archive of DOE NEPA
documents, and other NEPA resources
are provided at https://energy.gov/nepa.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NNSA is
responsible for supplying nuclear
materials for national security needs
and ensuring that the nuclear weapons
stockpile remains safe and reliable.
Tritium, a radioactive isotope of
hydrogen, is an essential component of
every weapon in the U.S. nuclear
weapons stockpile. Unlike other nuclear
materials used in nuclear weapons,
tritium decays at a rate of 5.5 percent
per year. Accordingly, as long as the
Nation relies on a nuclear deterrent, the
tritium in each nuclear weapon must be
replenished periodically. The last
reactor used for tritium production
during the Cold War was shut down in
1988. Since then, tritium requirements
for the stockpile have largely been met
from the existing original inventory
through the harvest and recycle of
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tritium gas during the dismantlement of
weapon systems, and the replacement of
tritium-containing weapons components
as part of Limited Life Component
Exchange programs. In December 1999,
a new tritium production capability was
established through an Interagency
Agreement with TVA in which TPBARs
are irradiated in the Watts Bar Unit 1
commercial nuclear power reactor and
undergo extraction at the Tritium
Extraction Facility (TEF) located at
DOE’s Savannah River Site (SRS) in
South Carolina. In order to continue to
provide the required supply, irradiation
will increase from today’s 544 TPBARs
per fuel cycle to a projected steady state
rate of approximately 1,700 TPBARs per
fuel cycle, i.e., approximately every 18
months.
To provide sufficient capacity to
ensure the ability to meet projected
future stockpile requirements, NNSA
and TVA anticipate requesting
authorization for TPBAR irradiation to
be increased in fiscal year 2016 to a
level that is beyond currently licensed
rates for one reactor. Meeting the
increased demand will require a license
amendment from the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC) to permit
the irradiation of a greater number of
TPBARs per reactor than can currently
be irradiated at either the Watts Bar or
Sequoyah site. License amendments are
reactor specific. NNSA and TVA will
supplement the 1999 CLWR EIS with
analyses supporting the anticipated
license amendment requests that also
evaluate a higher level of tritium
permeation through TPBAR cladding
into the reactor cooling water than was
previously analyzed. The tritium
releases associated with the proposed
increase in the number of TPBARs that
could be irradiated at Watts Bar,
Sequoyah, or both sites (compared to
the number currently authorized by the
NRC) would remain below
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
and NRC regulatory limits.
Subsequently, TVA plans to adopt the
SEIS for use in obtaining the necessary
NRC license amendment(s).
The production of tritium in a CLWR
is technically straightforward. All of the
Nation’s supply of tritium has been
produced in reactors. Most commercial
pressurized water reactors were
designed to utilize 12-foot-long rods
containing an isotope of boron (boron10) in ceramic form. These rods are
sometimes called burnable absorber
rods. The rods are inserted in the reactor
fuel assemblies to absorb excess
neutrons produced by the uranium fuel
in the fission process for the purpose of
controlling power in the core at the
beginning of an operating cycle. DOE’s
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tritium program developed TPBARs in
which neutrons are absorbed by a
lithium aluminate ceramic rather than
boron ceramic. While the two types of
rods function in a very similar manner
to absorb excess neutrons in the reactor
core, there is one notable difference:
When neutrons strike the lithium
aluminate ceramic material in a TPBAR,
tritium is produced inside the TPBAR.
These TPBARs are placed in the same
locations in the reactor core as the
standard boron burnable absorber rods.
There is no fissile material (uranium or
plutonium) in the TPBARs. Tritium
produced in TPBARs is captured almost
instantaneously in a solid zirconium
material in the rod, called a ‘‘getter.’’
The getter material that captures the
tritium is very effective. During each
reactor refueling cycle, the TPBARs are
removed from the reactor and
transported to SRS. At SRS, the TPBARs
are heated in a vacuum at the TEF to
extract the tritium from the getter
material.
DOE’s May 1999 Consolidated Record
of Decision for Tritium Supply and
Recycling (64 FR 26369) announced the
selection of TVA’s Watts Bar Unit 1,
Sequoyah Unit 1 and Sequoyah Unit 2
for use in irradiating TPBARs and stated
that a maximum of approximately 3,400
TPBARs would be irradiated per reactor
during each 18-month fuel cycle. Since
then, the projected need for tritium has
decreased significantly. NNSA has
determined that tritium demand to
supply the Nuclear Weapons Stockpile
could be satisfied using a maximum of
approximately 2,500 TPBARs per fuel
cycle, with a projected steady state
number of approximately 1,700 TPBARs
per fuel cycle.
Purpose and Need
Although NNSA’s projected need for
tritium to support the nuclear weapons
stockpile today is less than originally
planned, a higher than expected rate of
permeation of tritium from TPBARs into
reactor coolant water and subsequent
release to the environment has restricted
the number of TPBARs irradiated at
TVA’s Watts Bar Unit 1. Before TVA
increases tritium production rates to
meet expected national security
requirements, the environmental
analyses in the CLWR EIS are being
updated to analyze and evaluate the
effects of the higher tritium permeation,
as well as any potential effects related
to other changes in the regulatory and
operating environment since
publication of the original CLWR EIS.
As a cooperating agency in the
preparation of the SEIS, TVA plans to
use the SEIS in pursuing NRC licensing
amendments to increase TPBAR
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irradiation at TVA’s Watts Bar Nuclear
Plant (WBN) at Spring City, Tennessee,
and/or the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant at
Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, beyond levels
set in 2002. Four alternatives are
expected to be analyzed in the SEIS:
The No Action Alternative and three
action alternatives, one using only the
Watts Bar site, one using only the
Sequoyah site, and one using both the
Watts Bar and Sequoyah sites. As a
matter of note, in a separate proceeding,
DOE and TVA are also analyzing the
potential use of mixed oxide fuel during
some fuel cycles at the Sequoyah
Nuclear Plant as part of the U.S.
program for surplus plutonium
disposition (75 FR 41850. July 19, 2010).
Proposed Action and Alternatives
The CLWR EIS assessed the potential
impacts of irradiating up to 3,400
TPBARs per reactor unit operating on 18
month fuel cycles. It included TPBAR
irradiation scenarios using multiple
reactor units to achieve a maximum
level of 6,000 TPBARs every 18 months.
Subsequently, tritium production
requirements have been reduced such
that irradiation of approximately 1,700
TPBARs every reactor fuel cycle is
expected to be sufficient to fulfill
current requirements, consistent with
the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review. To
provide flexibility in future tritium
supply decisions, the revised
environmental analysis is expected to
consider irradiation of up to a total of
2,500 TPBARs every 18 months. This
approach would provide sufficient
reserve capacity to accommodate
potential future changes in requirements
and to allow for production above
currently expected annual requirement
levels for short durations (i.e., several
years) to recover from potential future
shortfalls should that become necessary.
In the CLWR EIS, the permeation of
tritium through the TPBAR cladding
into the reactor coolant systems of
potential tritium production reactors
was estimated to be less than or equal
to one tritium curie/TPBAR/year. After
several years of tritium production
experience at Watts Bar Unit 1, NNSA
has determined that tritium permeation
through TPBAR cladding is
approximately three to four times higher
than this estimate; nevertheless, tritium
releases have been below regulatory
limits. To conservatively bound the
potential environmental impacts, the
SEIS will assess the impacts associated
with tritium production in CLWRs
based on a permeation rate of
approximately five tritium curies/
TPBAR/year.
An assessment of tritium mitigation
and management measures will be
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included as part of the environmental
analyses in the SEIS. Mitigation and
management measures include an
assessment of technologies
commercially available to treat tritiated
effluents, transportation of tritiated
effluents and/or low level radioactive
waste streams, and other applicable
effluent management actions.
The SEIS, which will supplement the
1999 CLWR EIS, will support agency
deliberations regarding potential
changes in the tritium production at
NRC licensed TVA facilities in order to
meet the requirements of TVA’s
agreement with NNSA. These changes
also require TVA to pursue an NRC
license amendment request for these
facilities. Accordingly, the SEIS is
expected to substantially meet NRC
requirements for an environmental
report necessary to support TVA’s
license amendment request(s) for
tritium production at the Watts Bar and/
or Sequoyah Nuclear Plants.
No Action Alternative: Produce
tritium at currently approved TVA
facilities (Watts Bar Unit 1 and
Sequoyah Units 1 and 2) at appropriate
levels to keep permeation levels within
currently approved NRC license and
regulatory limits.
Alternative 1: Utilize TVA’s Watts Bar
site only to a maximum level of 2,500
TPBARs every reactor fuel cycle (18
months).
Alternative 2: Utilize TVA’s Sequoyah
site only to a maximum level of 2,500
TPBARs every 18 months.
Alternative 3: Utilize both the Watts
Bar and Sequoyah sites to a maximum
total level of 2,500 TPBARS every 18
months. The level of production per site
would be determined by TVA. This
alternative would provide the ability to
supply stockpile requirements at either
site independently, or using both sites
with each supplying a portion of the
supply.
Preliminary Identification of
Environmental Issues
NNSA has tentatively identified the
issues for analysis in the SEIS.
Additional issues may be identified as
a result of the scoping comment process.
The SEIS will analyze the potential
impacts on:
1. Air, water, soil, and visual
resources.
2. Plants and animals, and their
habitats, including state and Federallylisted threatened or endangered species
and their critical habitats.
3. Irretrievable and irreversible
consumption of natural resources and
energy, including transportation issues.
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4. Cultural resources, including
historical and pre-historical resources
and traditional cultural properties.
5. Infrastructure and utilities.
6. Socioeconomic conditions.
7. Human health under routine
operations and accident conditions,
including potential impacts from
seismic events.
8. Minority and low-income
populations (Environmental Justice).
9. Intentional Destructive Acts,
including terrorist acts.
10. Other past, present, and
reasonably foreseeable actions
(cumulative impacts).
SEIS Process and Invitation to
Comment. The SEIS scoping process
provides an opportunity for the public
to assist the NNSA in determining
issues and alternatives to be addressed
in the SEIS. One public scoping meeting
will be held as noted under DATES in
this Notice. The purpose of the scoping
meeting is to provide attendees with an
opportunity to present comments, ask
questions, and discuss issues regarding
the SEIS with NNSA officials.
Comments can also be mailed to Mr.
Chambellan as noted in this Notice
under ADDRESSES. The SEIS scoping
meeting will include an informal open
house from 6:30–7 p.m. to facilitate
dialogue between NNSA and the public.
Once the formal scoping meeting begins
at 7:00 pm, NNSA will present a brief
overview of the SEIS process and
provide individuals the opportunity to
give written or oral statements. NNSA
welcomes specific scoping comments or
suggestions on the SEIS. Copies of
written comments and transcripts of
oral comments provided to NNSA
during the scoping period will be
available on the Internet at https://
nnsa.energy.gov/nepa/clwrseis.
After the close of the public scoping
period, NNSA will begin preparing the
Draft SEIS. NNSA expects to issue the
Draft SEIS for public review in 2012. A
Federal Register Notice of Availability,
along with notices placed in local
newspapers, will provide dates and
locations for public hearings on the
Draft SEIS and the deadline for
comments on the draft document.
Persons who submit comments with a
mailing address during the scoping
process will receive a copy of or link to
the Draft SEIS. Other persons who
would like to receive a copy of or link
to the Draft SEIS for review should
notify Mr. Chambellan at the address
noted under ADDRESSES. NNSA will
include all comments received on the
Draft SEIS, and responses to those
comments in the Final SEIS.
Issuance of the Final SEIS is currently
anticipated to take place in 2013. NNSA
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 28, 2011 / Notices
will issue a ROD no sooner than 30 days
after publication of EPA’s Notice of
Availability of the Final SEIS.
Issued in Washington, DC, this 23rd day of
September 2011.
Thomas P. D’Agostino,
Administrator, National Nuclear Security
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011–24947 Filed 9–27–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OAR–2002–0091, FRL–9472–8]
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Ambient Air
Quality Surveillance
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document
announces that the EPA is planning to
submit a request to renew an existing
approved Information Collection
Request (ICR) to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB). This
ICR is scheduled to expire on April 30,
2012. Before submitting the ICR to the
OMB for review and approval, the EPA
is soliciting comments on specific
aspects of the proposed information
collection as described below.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on
or before November 28, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by Docket ID number OAR–
2002–0091, by one of the following
methods:
• https://www.regulations.gov: Follow
the on-line instructions for submitting
comments.
• E-mail: a-and-r-docket@epa.gov.
• Fax: (202) 566–1741.
• Mail: Environmental Protection
Agency, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC),
Air and Radiation Docket, Mail Code
6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW., Washington, DC 20460.
Instructions: Direct your comments to
Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2002–
0091. The EPA’s policy is that all
comments received will be included in
the public docket without change and
may be made available online at https://
www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information provided, unless
the comment includes information
claimed to be Confidential Business
Information (CBI) or other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
Do not submit information that you
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consider to be CBI or otherwise
protected through https://
www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The
https://www.regulations.gov Web site is
an ‘‘anonymous access’’ system, which
means the EPA will not know your
identity or contact information unless
you provide it in the body of your
comment. If you send an email
comment directly to the EPA without
going through https://
www.regulations.gov, your e-mail
address will be automatically captured
and included as part of the comment
that is placed in the public docket and
made available on the Internet. If you
submit an electronic comment, the EPA
recommends that you include your
name and other contact information in
the body of your comment and with any
disk or CD–ROM you submit. If the EPA
cannot read your comment due to
technical difficulties and cannot contact
you for clarification, the EPA may not
be able to consider your comment.
Electronic files should avoid the use of
special characters, any form of
encryption, and be free of any defects or
viruses. For additional information
about EPA’s public docket, visit the EPA
Docket Center homepage at https://
www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Laurie Trinca, Air Quality Assessment
Division, Environmental Protection
Agency; telephone number: (919) 541–
0520; fax number: (919) 541–1903; email address: trinca.laurie@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
How can I access the docket and/or
submit comments?
The EPA has established a public
docket for this ICR under Docket ID No.
EPA–OAR–2002–0091, which is
available for online viewing at https://
www.regulations.gov, or in-person
viewing at the Air and Radiation Docket
in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC),
EPA West, Room B102, 1301
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington,
DC 20460. The EPA/DC Public Reading
Room is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, excluding legal
holidays. The telephone number for the
Reading Room is (202) 566–1744, and
the telephone number for the Air and
Radiation Docket is (202) 566–1742.
Use https://www.regulations.gov to
obtain a copy of the draft collection of
information, submit or view public
comments, access the index listing of
the contents of the docket, and to access
those documents in the public docket
that are available electronically. Once in
the system, select ‘‘search,’’ then key in
the docket ID number identified in this
document.
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What information is EPA particularly
interested in?
Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of
the PRA, the EPA specifically solicits
comments and information to enable it
to:
(i) Evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have
practical utility;
(ii) Evaluate the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
(iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and
(iv) Minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who
are to respond, including through the
use of appropriate automated electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submission of responses. In
particular, the EPA is requesting
comments from very small businesses
(those that employ less than 25 people)
on examples of specific additional
efforts that the EPA could make to
reduce the paperwork burden for very
small businesses affected by this
collection.
What should I consider when I prepare
my comments for the EPA?
You may find the following
suggestions helpful for preparing your
comments:
1. Explain your views as clearly as
possible and provide specific examples.
2. Describe any assumptions that you
used.
3. Provide copies of any technical
information and/or data you used that
support your views.
4. If you estimate potential burden or
costs, explain how you arrived at the
estimate that you provide.
5. Offer alternative ways to improve
the collection activity.
6. Make sure to submit your
comments by the deadline identified
under DATES.
7. To ensure proper receipt by the
EPA, be sure to identify the docket ID
number assigned to this action in the
subject line on the first page of your
response. You may also provide the
name, date, and Federal Register
citation.
What information collection activity or
ICR does this apply to?
Affected Entities: Entities potentially
affected by this action are those state,
E:\FR\FM\28SEN1.SGM
28SEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 188 (Wednesday, September 28, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60017-60020]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-24947]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
National Nuclear Security Administration
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (SEIS) for the Production of Tritium in a Commercial Light
Water Reactor
AGENCY: National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a supplemental environmental impact
statement and conduct public scoping meetings.
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SUMMARY: The Council on Environmental Quality's implementing
regulations for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and DOE's
NEPA implementing regulations require the preparation of a supplement
to an environmental impact statement (EIS) when there are substantial
changes to a proposal or when there are significant new circumstances
or information relevant to environmental concerns. DOE may also prepare
a SEIS at any time to further the purposes of NEPA. Pursuant to these
provisions, the NNSA, a semi-autonomous agency within DOE, intends to
prepare a SEIS to update the environmental analyses in DOE's 1999 EIS
for the Production of Tritium in a Commercial Light Water Reactor (CLWR
EIS; DOE/EIS-0288). The CLWR EIS addressed the production of tritium in
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) reactors using tritium-producing
burnable absorber rods (TPBARs). In the Record of Decision (ROD) for
the CLWR EIS, NNSA selected TVA's Watts Bar Unit 1 and Sequoyah Units 1
and 2, located in Spring City and Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, respectively,
for tritium production. TVA has been producing tritium for NNSA at
Watts Bar Unit 1 since 2004.
After several years of tritium production experience at TVA's Watts
Bar Unit 1, NNSA has determined that tritium permeation through TPBAR
cladding into the reactor cooling water occurs at a higher rate than
previously projected. The proposed SEIS will analyze the potential
environmental impacts associated with increased tritium permeation
levels observed since 2004; DOE's revised estimate of the maximum
number of TPBARs required to support the current Nuclear Posture Review
tritium supply requirements; and proposed changes to TVA facilities
that may be used for future tritium production. TVA will be
participating as a cooperating agency in the preparation of the SEIS.
Any other agency that would like to be a cooperating agency in the
preparation of the SEIS is requested to contact the SEIS Document
Manager as noted in this Notice under ADDRESSES.
DATES: NNSA invites comments on the scope of the SEIS. The public
scoping period starts with the publication of this Notice in the
Federal Register and will continue until November 14, 2011. NNSA will
consider all comments received or postmarked by that date in defining
the scope of the SEIS. Comments received or postmarked after that date
will be considered to the extent practicable. A public scoping meeting
is scheduled to be held on October 20, 2011, from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
[[Page 60018]]
ADDRESSES: The public scoping meeting will be held at the Southeast
Tennessee Trade and Conference Center, Athens, TN. NNSA will publish
additional notices on the date, time, and location of the scoping
meeting in local newspapers in advance of the scheduled meeting. Any
necessary changes will be announced in the local media. The scoping
meeting will provide the public with an opportunity to present
comments, ask questions, and discuss issues with NNSA officials
regarding the SEIS.
Written comments or suggestions concerning the scope of the SEIS or
requests for more information on the SEIS and public scoping process
should be directed to: Mr. Curtis Chambellan, Document Manager for the
SEIS, U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security
Administration, Box 5400, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-5400; facsimile
at 505-845-5754; or e-mail at: tritium.readiness.seis@doeal.gov. Mr.
Chambellan may also be reached by telephone at 505-845-5073.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the NNSA
NEPA process, please contact: Ms. Mary Martin, NNSA NEPA Compliance
Officer, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW,
Washington, DC 20585, or telephone 202-586-9438. For general
information about the DOE NEPA process, please contact: Ms. Carol
Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance (GC-54), U.S.
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC
20585, or telephone 202-586-4600, or leave a message at 1-800-472-2756.
Additional information about the DOE NEPA process, an electronic
archive of DOE NEPA documents, and other NEPA resources are provided at
https://energy.gov/nepa.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NNSA is responsible for supplying nuclear
materials for national security needs and ensuring that the nuclear
weapons stockpile remains safe and reliable. Tritium, a radioactive
isotope of hydrogen, is an essential component of every weapon in the
U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. Unlike other nuclear materials used in
nuclear weapons, tritium decays at a rate of 5.5 percent per year.
Accordingly, as long as the Nation relies on a nuclear deterrent, the
tritium in each nuclear weapon must be replenished periodically. The
last reactor used for tritium production during the Cold War was shut
down in 1988. Since then, tritium requirements for the stockpile have
largely been met from the existing original inventory through the
harvest and recycle of tritium gas during the dismantlement of weapon
systems, and the replacement of tritium-containing weapons components
as part of Limited Life Component Exchange programs. In December 1999,
a new tritium production capability was established through an
Interagency Agreement with TVA in which TPBARs are irradiated in the
Watts Bar Unit 1 commercial nuclear power reactor and undergo
extraction at the Tritium Extraction Facility (TEF) located at DOE's
Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina. In order to continue to
provide the required supply, irradiation will increase from today's 544
TPBARs per fuel cycle to a projected steady state rate of approximately
1,700 TPBARs per fuel cycle, i.e., approximately every 18 months.
To provide sufficient capacity to ensure the ability to meet
projected future stockpile requirements, NNSA and TVA anticipate
requesting authorization for TPBAR irradiation to be increased in
fiscal year 2016 to a level that is beyond currently licensed rates for
one reactor. Meeting the increased demand will require a license
amendment from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to permit the
irradiation of a greater number of TPBARs per reactor than can
currently be irradiated at either the Watts Bar or Sequoyah site.
License amendments are reactor specific. NNSA and TVA will supplement
the 1999 CLWR EIS with analyses supporting the anticipated license
amendment requests that also evaluate a higher level of tritium
permeation through TPBAR cladding into the reactor cooling water than
was previously analyzed. The tritium releases associated with the
proposed increase in the number of TPBARs that could be irradiated at
Watts Bar, Sequoyah, or both sites (compared to the number currently
authorized by the NRC) would remain below Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and NRC regulatory limits. Subsequently, TVA plans to
adopt the SEIS for use in obtaining the necessary NRC license
amendment(s).
The production of tritium in a CLWR is technically straightforward.
All of the Nation's supply of tritium has been produced in reactors.
Most commercial pressurized water reactors were designed to utilize 12-
foot-long rods containing an isotope of boron (boron-10) in ceramic
form. These rods are sometimes called burnable absorber rods. The rods
are inserted in the reactor fuel assemblies to absorb excess neutrons
produced by the uranium fuel in the fission process for the purpose of
controlling power in the core at the beginning of an operating cycle.
DOE's tritium program developed TPBARs in which neutrons are absorbed
by a lithium aluminate ceramic rather than boron ceramic. While the two
types of rods function in a very similar manner to absorb excess
neutrons in the reactor core, there is one notable difference: When
neutrons strike the lithium aluminate ceramic material in a TPBAR,
tritium is produced inside the TPBAR. These TPBARs are placed in the
same locations in the reactor core as the standard boron burnable
absorber rods. There is no fissile material (uranium or plutonium) in
the TPBARs. Tritium produced in TPBARs is captured almost
instantaneously in a solid zirconium material in the rod, called a
``getter.'' The getter material that captures the tritium is very
effective. During each reactor refueling cycle, the TPBARs are removed
from the reactor and transported to SRS. At SRS, the TPBARs are heated
in a vacuum at the TEF to extract the tritium from the getter material.
DOE's May 1999 Consolidated Record of Decision for Tritium Supply
and Recycling (64 FR 26369) announced the selection of TVA's Watts Bar
Unit 1, Sequoyah Unit 1 and Sequoyah Unit 2 for use in irradiating
TPBARs and stated that a maximum of approximately 3,400 TPBARs would be
irradiated per reactor during each 18-month fuel cycle. Since then, the
projected need for tritium has decreased significantly. NNSA has
determined that tritium demand to supply the Nuclear Weapons Stockpile
could be satisfied using a maximum of approximately 2,500 TPBARs per
fuel cycle, with a projected steady state number of approximately 1,700
TPBARs per fuel cycle.
Purpose and Need
Although NNSA's projected need for tritium to support the nuclear
weapons stockpile today is less than originally planned, a higher than
expected rate of permeation of tritium from TPBARs into reactor coolant
water and subsequent release to the environment has restricted the
number of TPBARs irradiated at TVA's Watts Bar Unit 1. Before TVA
increases tritium production rates to meet expected national security
requirements, the environmental analyses in the CLWR EIS are being
updated to analyze and evaluate the effects of the higher tritium
permeation, as well as any potential effects related to other changes
in the regulatory and operating environment since publication of the
original CLWR EIS.
As a cooperating agency in the preparation of the SEIS, TVA plans
to use the SEIS in pursuing NRC licensing amendments to increase TPBAR
[[Page 60019]]
irradiation at TVA's Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (WBN) at Spring City,
Tennessee, and/or the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant at Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee,
beyond levels set in 2002. Four alternatives are expected to be
analyzed in the SEIS: The No Action Alternative and three action
alternatives, one using only the Watts Bar site, one using only the
Sequoyah site, and one using both the Watts Bar and Sequoyah sites. As
a matter of note, in a separate proceeding, DOE and TVA are also
analyzing the potential use of mixed oxide fuel during some fuel cycles
at the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant as part of the U.S. program for surplus
plutonium disposition (75 FR 41850. July 19, 2010).
Proposed Action and Alternatives
The CLWR EIS assessed the potential impacts of irradiating up to
3,400 TPBARs per reactor unit operating on 18 month fuel cycles. It
included TPBAR irradiation scenarios using multiple reactor units to
achieve a maximum level of 6,000 TPBARs every 18 months. Subsequently,
tritium production requirements have been reduced such that irradiation
of approximately 1,700 TPBARs every reactor fuel cycle is expected to
be sufficient to fulfill current requirements, consistent with the 2010
Nuclear Posture Review. To provide flexibility in future tritium supply
decisions, the revised environmental analysis is expected to consider
irradiation of up to a total of 2,500 TPBARs every 18 months. This
approach would provide sufficient reserve capacity to accommodate
potential future changes in requirements and to allow for production
above currently expected annual requirement levels for short durations
(i.e., several years) to recover from potential future shortfalls
should that become necessary.
In the CLWR EIS, the permeation of tritium through the TPBAR
cladding into the reactor coolant systems of potential tritium
production reactors was estimated to be less than or equal to one
tritium curie/TPBAR/year. After several years of tritium production
experience at Watts Bar Unit 1, NNSA has determined that tritium
permeation through TPBAR cladding is approximately three to four times
higher than this estimate; nevertheless, tritium releases have been
below regulatory limits. To conservatively bound the potential
environmental impacts, the SEIS will assess the impacts associated with
tritium production in CLWRs based on a permeation rate of approximately
five tritium curies/TPBAR/year.
An assessment of tritium mitigation and management measures will be
included as part of the environmental analyses in the SEIS. Mitigation
and management measures include an assessment of technologies
commercially available to treat tritiated effluents, transportation of
tritiated effluents and/or low level radioactive waste streams, and
other applicable effluent management actions.
The SEIS, which will supplement the 1999 CLWR EIS, will support
agency deliberations regarding potential changes in the tritium
production at NRC licensed TVA facilities in order to meet the
requirements of TVA's agreement with NNSA. These changes also require
TVA to pursue an NRC license amendment request for these facilities.
Accordingly, the SEIS is expected to substantially meet NRC
requirements for an environmental report necessary to support TVA's
license amendment request(s) for tritium production at the Watts Bar
and/or Sequoyah Nuclear Plants.
No Action Alternative: Produce tritium at currently approved TVA
facilities (Watts Bar Unit 1 and Sequoyah Units 1 and 2) at appropriate
levels to keep permeation levels within currently approved NRC license
and regulatory limits.
Alternative 1: Utilize TVA's Watts Bar site only to a maximum level
of 2,500 TPBARs every reactor fuel cycle (18 months).
Alternative 2: Utilize TVA's Sequoyah site only to a maximum level
of 2,500 TPBARs every 18 months.
Alternative 3: Utilize both the Watts Bar and Sequoyah sites to a
maximum total level of 2,500 TPBARS every 18 months. The level of
production per site would be determined by TVA. This alternative would
provide the ability to supply stockpile requirements at either site
independently, or using both sites with each supplying a portion of the
supply.
Preliminary Identification of Environmental Issues
NNSA has tentatively identified the issues for analysis in the
SEIS. Additional issues may be identified as a result of the scoping
comment process. The SEIS will analyze the potential impacts on:
1. Air, water, soil, and visual resources.
2. Plants and animals, and their habitats, including state and
Federally-listed threatened or endangered species and their critical
habitats.
3. Irretrievable and irreversible consumption of natural resources
and energy, including transportation issues.
4. Cultural resources, including historical and pre-historical
resources and traditional cultural properties.
5. Infrastructure and utilities.
6. Socioeconomic conditions.
7. Human health under routine operations and accident conditions,
including potential impacts from seismic events.
8. Minority and low-income populations (Environmental Justice).
9. Intentional Destructive Acts, including terrorist acts.
10. Other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable actions
(cumulative impacts).
SEIS Process and Invitation to Comment. The SEIS scoping process
provides an opportunity for the public to assist the NNSA in
determining issues and alternatives to be addressed in the SEIS. One
public scoping meeting will be held as noted under DATES in this
Notice. The purpose of the scoping meeting is to provide attendees with
an opportunity to present comments, ask questions, and discuss issues
regarding the SEIS with NNSA officials. Comments can also be mailed to
Mr. Chambellan as noted in this Notice under ADDRESSES. The SEIS
scoping meeting will include an informal open house from 6:30-7 p.m. to
facilitate dialogue between NNSA and the public. Once the formal
scoping meeting begins at 7:00 pm, NNSA will present a brief overview
of the SEIS process and provide individuals the opportunity to give
written or oral statements. NNSA welcomes specific scoping comments or
suggestions on the SEIS. Copies of written comments and transcripts of
oral comments provided to NNSA during the scoping period will be
available on the Internet at https://nnsa.energy.gov/nepa/clwrseis.
After the close of the public scoping period, NNSA will begin
preparing the Draft SEIS. NNSA expects to issue the Draft SEIS for
public review in 2012. A Federal Register Notice of Availability, along
with notices placed in local newspapers, will provide dates and
locations for public hearings on the Draft SEIS and the deadline for
comments on the draft document. Persons who submit comments with a
mailing address during the scoping process will receive a copy of or
link to the Draft SEIS. Other persons who would like to receive a copy
of or link to the Draft SEIS for review should notify Mr. Chambellan at
the address noted under ADDRESSES. NNSA will include all comments
received on the Draft SEIS, and responses to those comments in the
Final SEIS.
Issuance of the Final SEIS is currently anticipated to take place
in 2013. NNSA
[[Page 60020]]
will issue a ROD no sooner than 30 days after publication of EPA's
Notice of Availability of the Final SEIS.
Issued in Washington, DC, this 23rd day of September 2011.
Thomas P. D'Agostino,
Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011-24947 Filed 9-27-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
