Preferred Alternative for Certain Quantities of Plutonium Evaluated in the Final Surplus Plutonium Disposition Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, 80348-80349 [2015-32440]

Download as PDF mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 80348 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 247 / Thursday, December 24, 2015 / Notices science, technology, and innovation may bear on the policy choices before the President. PCAST is co-chaired by Dr. John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, and Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President, The White House; and Dr. Eric S. Lander, President, Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard. Type of Meeting: Open and Closed. Proposed Schedule and Agenda: The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) is scheduled to meet in open session on January 15, 2016 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Open Portion of Meeting: During this open meeting, PCAST is scheduled to discuss its studies on technology and the future of cities as well as technology for aging Americans. They will also hear from speakers who will be remarking on forensics and from a presenter who will talk about the World Radio communication conference. Additional information and the agenda, including any changes that arise, will be posted at the PCAST Web site at: https:// whitehouse.gov/ostp/pcast. Closed Portion of the Meeting: PCAST may hold a closed meeting of approximately one hour with the President on January 15, 2016, which must take place in the White House for the President’s scheduling convenience and to maintain Secret Service protection. This meeting will be closed to the public because such portion of the meeting is likely to disclose matters that are to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy under 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(1). Public Comments: It is the policy of the PCAST to accept written public comments of any length, and to accommodate oral public comments whenever possible. The PCAST expects that public statements presented at its meetings will not be repetitive of previously submitted oral or written statements. The public comment period for this meeting will take place on January 15, 2016 at a time specified in the meeting agenda posted on the PCAST Web site at https://whitehouse.gov/ostp/pcast. This public comment period is designed only for substantive commentary on PCAST’s work, not for business marketing purposes. Oral Comments: To be considered for the public speaker list at the meeting, interested parties should register to speak at https://whitehouse.gov/ostp/ pcast, no later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 08, 2016. Phone or email reservations will not be accepted. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:57 Dec 23, 2015 Jkt 238001 To accommodate as many speakers as possible, the time for public comments will be limited to two (2) minutes per person, with a total public comment period of up to 15 minutes. If more speakers register than there is space available on the agenda, PCAST will randomly select speakers from among those who applied. Those not selected to present oral comments may always file written comments with the committee. Speakers are requested to bring at least 25 copies of their oral comments for distribution to the PCAST members. Written Comments: Although written comments are accepted continuously, written comments should be submitted to PCAST no later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 11, 2016 so that the comments may be made available to the PCAST members prior to this meeting for their consideration. Information regarding how to submit comments and documents to PCAST is available at https://whitehouse.gov/ostp/ pcast in the section entitled ‘‘Connect with PCAST.’’ Please note that because PCAST operates under the provisions of FACA, all public comments and/or presentations will be treated as public documents and will be made available for public inspection, including being posted on the PCAST Web site. Meeting Accommodations: Individuals requiring special accommodation to access this public meeting should contact Ms. Jennifer Michael at least ten business days prior to the meeting so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Issued in Washington, DC, on December 18, 2015. LaTanya R. Butler, Deputy Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. 2015–32441 Filed 12–23–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Preferred Alternative for Certain Quantities of Plutonium Evaluated in the Final Surplus Plutonium Disposition Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement National Nuclear Security Administration, U.S. Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of Preferred Alternative. AGENCY: The U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) is announcing its Preferred Alternative for the disposition of certain quantities of surplus plutonium evaluated in the SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Final Surplus Plutonium Disposition Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Final SPD Supplemental EIS) (DOE/EIS–0283–S2, April 2015). Among the potential actions considered in the Final SPD Supplemental EIS, DOE/NNSA analyzed the potential environmental impacts for the disposition of 13.1 metric tons (14.4 tons) of surplus plutonium for which a disposition path is not assigned, including 7.1 metric tons (7.8 tons) of plutonium from pits that were declared excess to national defense needs and 6 metric tons (6.6 tons) of surplus non-pit plutonium. With regard to the 6 metric tons (MT) of surplus non-pit plutonium, DOE/NNSA’s Preferred Alternative is to prepare this plutonium for eventual disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, New Mexico, a geologic repository for disposal of Transuranic (TRU) 1 waste generated by atomic energy defense activities. DOE/ NNSA may issue a Record of Decision (ROD), containing its decision(s) for disposition of this quantity of material, no sooner than 30 days from the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register. ADDRESSES: A copy of the Final SPD Supplemental EIS may be obtained by contacting: Ms. Sachiko McAlhany, NEPA Document Manager, SPD Supplemental EIS at spdsupplementaleis@leidos.com. The Final SPD Supplemental EIS and its Notice of Availability can be viewed at https://nnsa.energy.gov/nepa/ spdsupplementaleis or on the DOE NEPA Web site at https://energy.gov/ nepa/nepa-documents. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on the Final SPD Supplemental EIS, contact Ms. Sachiko McAlhany as listed in ADDRESSES. For general information regarding the DOE NEPA process, contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585–0103, Telephone 202–586–4600 or leave a message at 1–800–472–2756, Email: ask NEPA@hq.doe.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background In the Final Surplus Plutonium Disposition Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/ EIS–0283–S2, April 2015), DOE/NNSA 1 Transuranic (TRU) waste is waste that contains alpha particle-emitting radionuclides with atomic numbers greater than that of uranium (92) and halflives greater than 20 years in concentrations greater than 100 nanocuries per gram of waste. E:\FR\FM\24DEN1.SGM 24DEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 247 / Thursday, December 24, 2015 / Notices analyzed the potential environmental impacts for the No Action Alternative and four action alternatives for disposition of 13.1 metric tons (MT) of surplus plutonium, of which the 6 MT of non-pit plutonium is a subset (Final SPD Supplemental EIS Summary, figure S–7). The four action alternatives that are applicable to the surplus non-pit plutonium are described in section S.9.2 of the Final SPD Supplemental EIS. The scope of this notice pertains only to the 6 MT of surplus non-pit plutonium for which a disposition path is not assigned. DOE/NNSA has no Preferred Alternative, at this time, for other potential actions considered in the Final SPD Supplemental EIS. Specifically, DOE/NNSA has no Preferred Alternative for the disposition of the remaining 7.1 MT of surplus plutonium from pits, nor does it have a Preferred Alternative among the pathways analyzed for providing the capability to disassemble surplus pits and convert the plutonium from pits to a form suitable for disposition. mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Preferred Alternative for Non-Pit Plutonium DOE/NNSA’s Preferred Alternative with regard to the disposition of 6 MT of surplus non-pit plutonium is to prepare this plutonium for eventual disposal at WIPP in Carlsbad, New Mexico, a geologic repository for disposal of TRU waste generated by atomic energy defense activities. This would allow the DOE/NNSA to continue progress on the disposition of surplus weapon usable plutonium in furtherance of the policies of the United States to ensure that surplus plutonium is never used in a nuclear weapon, and to remove surplus plutonium from the State of South Carolina. Surplus non-pit plutonium would be prepared and packaged at the Savannah River Site (SRS) using H-Canyon/HB-line and/or K-Area facilities to meet the WIPP waste acceptance criteria and all other applicable regulatory requirements and would be temporarily stored in E-Area at SRS until shipped. Shipments of this surplus plutonium to WIPP would not commence until WIPP is fully operational, and would be placed in the appropriate place in any queue of material to be shipped to WIPP. DOE/NNSA may issue a ROD containing its plan for disposition of the 6 MT of surplus non-pit plutonium analyzed in Final SPD Supplemental EIS no sooner than 30 days from the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:57 Dec 23, 2015 Jkt 238001 Issued at Washington, DC on December 18, 2015. Frank G. Klotz, Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration. [FR Doc. 2015–32440 Filed 12–23–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Swan Lake North Hydro LLCProject No. 13318–003; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection. a. Type of Application: Unconstructed major project. b. Project No.: 13318–003. c. Date filed: October 28, 2015. d. Applicant: Swan Lake North Hydro LLC. e. Name of Project: Swan Lake North Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project. f. Location: Approximately 11 miles northeast of the city of Klamath Falls, Klamath County, Oregon. The proposed project boundary would include about 730 acres of federal land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)–825(r). h. Applicant Contact: Joe Eberhardt, EDF-Renewable Energy, 1000 SW Broadway Ave., Ste. 1800, Portland, OR 97205; phone: (503) 889–3838. i. FERC Contact: Dianne Rodman, Dianne.rodman@ferc.gov; phone: (202) 502–6077. j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests: February 16, 2016. The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file filing motions to intervene and protests using the Commission’s eFiling system at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ efiling.asp. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866) 208–3676 (toll free), or (202) 502–8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please send a paper copy to: Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. The first page of any filing should include docket number P–13318–003. The Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedures require all intervenors filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each person on the official service list for the project. Further, if an intervenor PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 80349 files comments or documents with the Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document on that resource agency. k. This application has been accepted for filing, but is not ready for environmental analysis at this time. l. The proposed project would be a closed-loop system using groundwater for initial fill and consist of the following new facilities: (1) A 7,972– foot-long earthen embankment forming a geomembrane-lined upper reservoir with a surface area of 64.21 acres and a storage capacity of 2,568 acre-feet at a maximum surface elevation of 6,135 feet above mean sea level (msl); (2) a 8,003foot-long earthen embankment forming a geomembrane-lined lower reservoir with a surface area of 60.14 acres and a storage capacity of 3,206 acre-feet at a maximum surface elevation of 4,457 feet msl; (3) a 500-foot-long, rip-rap lined trapezoidal spillway built into the crest of each embankment; (4) a 0.5-percent slope perforated polyvinyl chloride tube of varying diameter and accompanying optical fiber drainage system designed to detect, collect, and monitor water leakage from the reservoirs; (5) a 25inch-diameter bottom outlet with manual valve for gravitational dewatering of the lower reservoir; (6) an upper intake consisting of a bell mouth, 38.6-foot-wide by 29.8-foot-long inclined screen, head gate, and 13.8foot-diameter foundational steel pipe; (7) a 36.5-foot-diameter, 9,655-foot-long steel high-pressure penstock from the upper reservoir to the powerhouse that is predominantly above ground with a 14-foot-long buried segment; (8) three 9.8-foot-diameter, 1,430-foot-long steel low-pressure penstocks from the lower reservoir to the powerhouse that are predominantly above ground with a 78foot-long buried segment ; (9) a partially-buried powerhouse with three 131.1-megawatt (MW) reversible pumpturbine units with a total installed capacity of 393.3 MW; (10) a 32.8 mile, 230-kilovolt above-ground transmission line interconnecting to an existing nonproject substation; (11) approximately 10.7 miles of improved project access road; (12) approximately 3.4 miles of new permanent project access road; (13) approximately 8.3 miles of temporary project access road; and (14) appurtenant facilities. The project would generate about 1,187 gigawatthours annually. m. A copy of the application is available for review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the Commission’s Web site at https://www.ferc.gov using the E:\FR\FM\24DEN1.SGM 24DEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 247 (Thursday, December 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80348-80349]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-32440]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Preferred Alternative for Certain Quantities of Plutonium 
Evaluated in the Final Surplus Plutonium Disposition Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: National Nuclear Security Administration, U.S. Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice of Preferred Alternative.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security 
Administration (DOE/NNSA) is announcing its Preferred Alternative for 
the disposition of certain quantities of surplus plutonium evaluated in 
the Final Surplus Plutonium Disposition Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement (Final SPD Supplemental EIS) (DOE/EIS-0283-S2, April 
2015). Among the potential actions considered in the Final SPD 
Supplemental EIS, DOE/NNSA analyzed the potential environmental impacts 
for the disposition of 13.1 metric tons (14.4 tons) of surplus 
plutonium for which a disposition path is not assigned, including 7.1 
metric tons (7.8 tons) of plutonium from pits that were declared excess 
to national defense needs and 6 metric tons (6.6 tons) of surplus non-
pit plutonium. With regard to the 6 metric tons (MT) of surplus non-pit 
plutonium, DOE/NNSA's Preferred Alternative is to prepare this 
plutonium for eventual disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant 
(WIPP) in Carlsbad, New Mexico, a geologic repository for disposal of 
Transuranic (TRU) \1\ waste generated by atomic energy defense 
activities. DOE/NNSA may issue a Record of Decision (ROD), containing 
its decision(s) for disposition of this quantity of material, no sooner 
than 30 days from the date of publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Transuranic (TRU) waste is waste that contains alpha 
particle-emitting radionuclides with atomic numbers greater than 
that of uranium (92) and half-lives greater than 20 years in 
concentrations greater than 100 nanocuries per gram of waste.

ADDRESSES: A copy of the Final SPD Supplemental EIS may be obtained by 
contacting: Ms. Sachiko McAlhany, NEPA Document Manager, SPD 
Supplemental EIS at spdsupplementaleis@leidos.com. The Final SPD 
Supplemental EIS and its Notice of Availability can be viewed at https://nnsa.energy.gov/nepa/spdsupplementaleis or on the DOE NEPA Web site at 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
https://energy.gov/nepa/nepa-documents.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on the Final 
SPD Supplemental EIS, contact Ms. Sachiko McAlhany as listed in 
ADDRESSES. For general information regarding the DOE NEPA process, 
contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and 
Compliance, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20585-0103, Telephone 202-586-4600 or leave a message at 
1-800-472-2756, Email: ask NEPA@hq.doe.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In the Final Surplus Plutonium Disposition Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS-0283-S2, April 2015), DOE/NNSA

[[Page 80349]]

analyzed the potential environmental impacts for the No Action 
Alternative and four action alternatives for disposition of 13.1 metric 
tons (MT) of surplus plutonium, of which the 6 MT of non-pit plutonium 
is a subset (Final SPD Supplemental EIS Summary, figure S-7). The four 
action alternatives that are applicable to the surplus non-pit 
plutonium are described in section S.9.2 of the Final SPD Supplemental 
EIS.
    The scope of this notice pertains only to the 6 MT of surplus non-
pit plutonium for which a disposition path is not assigned. DOE/NNSA 
has no Preferred Alternative, at this time, for other potential actions 
considered in the Final SPD Supplemental EIS. Specifically, DOE/NNSA 
has no Preferred Alternative for the disposition of the remaining 7.1 
MT of surplus plutonium from pits, nor does it have a Preferred 
Alternative among the pathways analyzed for providing the capability to 
disassemble surplus pits and convert the plutonium from pits to a form 
suitable for disposition.

Preferred Alternative for Non-Pit Plutonium

    DOE/NNSA's Preferred Alternative with regard to the disposition of 
6 MT of surplus non-pit plutonium is to prepare this plutonium for 
eventual disposal at WIPP in Carlsbad, New Mexico, a geologic 
repository for disposal of TRU waste generated by atomic energy defense 
activities. This would allow the DOE/NNSA to continue progress on the 
disposition of surplus weapon usable plutonium in furtherance of the 
policies of the United States to ensure that surplus plutonium is never 
used in a nuclear weapon, and to remove surplus plutonium from the 
State of South Carolina. Surplus non-pit plutonium would be prepared 
and packaged at the Savannah River Site (SRS) using H-Canyon/HB-line 
and/or K-Area facilities to meet the WIPP waste acceptance criteria and 
all other applicable regulatory requirements and would be temporarily 
stored in E-Area at SRS until shipped. Shipments of this surplus 
plutonium to WIPP would not commence until WIPP is fully operational, 
and would be placed in the appropriate place in any queue of material 
to be shipped to WIPP.
    DOE/NNSA may issue a ROD containing its plan for disposition of the 
6 MT of surplus non-pit plutonium analyzed in Final SPD Supplemental 
EIS no sooner than 30 days from the date of publication of this notice 
in the Federal Register.

    Issued at Washington, DC on December 18, 2015.
Frank G. Klotz,
Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-32440 Filed 12-23-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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