Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Plutonium Pit Production at the Savannah River Site, 26849-26851 [2019-12003]
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 111 / Monday, June 10, 2019 / Notices
The EA will also analyze a no action
alternative under which the DWPF
recycle wastewater would remain in the
SRS liquid waste system until
disposition occurs. As currently
planned, beginning in FY 2024, the
DWPF recycle wastewater would
undergo a pre-treatment process prior to
transfer to the SRS Effluent Treatment
Project and the Saltstone Production
Facility. The potential environmental
impacts of the no action alternative are
anticipated to be similar to those
analyzed by the supplemental
environmental impact statements for
DWPF (DOE/EIS–0082–S) and Savannah
River Site Salt Processing Alternatives
(DOE/EIS–0082–S2), relative to the
quantities of waste involved. DOE’s
purpose and need for this proposal is to
expand its disposal options, and hence
no NEPA analyses on treatment and
disposal at Federal disposal facilities
will be conducted.
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Potential Areas of Environmental
Analysis
DOE has tentatively identified the
following areas for detailed analysis in
the EA. The list is not intended to be
comprehensive or to predetermine the
potential impacts to be analyzed.
• Impacts to the general population
and workers from radiological and nonradiological releases, and other public
and worker health and safety impacts.
• Impacts of emissions on air and
water quality, including impacts of
greenhouse gas emissions.
• Impacts on ecological systems and
threatened and endangered species.
• Impacts on waste management
activities.
• Impacts of transportation of
radioactive materials to commercial
treatment and disposal facilities.
• Impacts that could occur as a result
of postulated accidents and intentional
destructive acts (terrorist actions and
sabotage).
• Potential disproportionately high
and adverse effects on low-income and
minority populations (environmental
justice).
• Short-term and long-term land use
impacts, including potential impacts of
disposal.
• Cumulative impacts.
NEPA Process and Public Participation
DOE will issue a Federal Register
Notice later this year on the availability
of the Draft Commercial Disposal of
Recycle Wastewater EA and will
include instructions on how to submit
public comments on the Draft EA. DOE
adheres to all NEPA regulations
including those related to public
participation and stakeholder
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interactions. In general, the NEPA
process requires meaningful
opportunities for public participation.
Key opportunities for public
participation in the NEPA process
include submitting comments on
publicly available draft NEPA
documents such as the Draft
Commercial Disposal of Recycle
Wastewater EA announced in this
Federal Register Notice. Based on the
EA analysis, DOE will either issue a
Finding of No Significant Impact or
announce its intention to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
Signed at Washington, DC, on May 30,
2019.
Anne Marie White,
Assistant Secretary for Environmental
Management.
[FR Doc. 2019–12114 Filed 6–7–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
National Nuclear Security
Administration
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for
Plutonium Pit Production at the
Savannah River Site
National Nuclear Security
Administration, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
The Department of Energy
(DOE) National Nuclear Security
Administration (NNSA) hereby
announces its intent, consistent with the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), to prepare an environmental
impact statement (EIS) for plutonium pit
production at the Savannah River Site
(SRS) in South Carolina (the SRS EIS).
The 2018 Nuclear Posture Review
announced that the United States will
pursue initiatives to ensure the
necessary capability, capacity, and
responsiveness of the nuclear weapons
infrastructure and the needed skill of
the workforce, including providing the
enduring capability and capacity to
produce no fewer than 80 plutonium
pits per year by 2030. To achieve the
Department of Defense (DoD)
requirement, NNSA is proposing to
repurpose the Mixed Oxide Fuel
Fabrication Facility (MFFF) at SRS to
produce plutonium pits while also
maximizing pit production activities at
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
in New Mexico. NNSA also hereby
provides information regarding its
overall NEPA strategy related to
fulfilling national requirements for pit
production. NNSA will first conduct a
SUMMARY:
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26849
programmatic review to assist in
decisions and second conduct sitespecific reviews. NNSA anticipates that
it will prepare at least three documents
including: A supplement analysis (SA)
to the Final Complex Transformation
Supplemental Programmatic EIS
(Complex Transformation SPEIS); a sitespecific EIS for the proposal to produce
pits at SRS; and site-specific
documentation for the proposal to
authorize expanding pit production at
LANL.
DATES: NNSA invites Federal and state
agencies, state and local governments,
Native American tribes, industry, other
organizations, and members of the
public to submit comments to assist in
identifying environmental issues and in
determining the appropriate scope of
the SRS EIS until July 25, 2019.
Comments received after this date will
be considered to the extent practicable.
NNSA will hold one public scoping
meeting for the proposed EIS as follows:
• June 27, 2019 (5:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
EST) at the North Augusta Community
Center, 495 Brookside Ave. North
Augusta, SC 29841.
Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. on June
27, 2019 at the community center for the
public to view posters on display.
NNSA will provide a brief presentation
on the EIS beginning at 6:00 p.m. and
then NNSA will accept public
comments on the scope of the EIS.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the
scope of the EIS, requests to be placed
on the EIS distribution list, and
comments or questions on the scoping
process should be sent to: Ms. Jennifer
Nelson, NEPA Document Manager,
National Nuclear Security
Administration Savannah River Field
Office, P.O. Box A, Aiken, SC 29802 or
email to NEPA-SRS@srs.gov. If you
would like to pre-register to comment
during the public scoping meeting, send
an email to NEPA-SRS@srs.gov. Before
including your address, phone number,
email address, or other personal
identifying information in your
comment, please be advised that your
entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—may
be made publicly available. If you wish
for NNSA to withhold your name and/
or other personally identifiable
information, please state this
prominently at the beginning of your
comment. You may also submit
comments anonymously. Also, NNSA
requests Federal, State, and local
agencies that desire to be designated as
cooperating agencies on the EIS to
contact the NEPA Document Manager at
the address listed in this section by the
end of the scoping period.
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 111 / Monday, June 10, 2019 / Notices
For
further information about this Notice,
please contact Mr. James R. Sanderson,
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance,
U.S. Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue SW, Washington,
DC 20585–0119, email to: NEPA-SRS@
srs.gov.
This Notice will be available on the
internet at: https://www.energy.gov/
nepa/listings/notices-intent-noi.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Background
National security policies require
DOE, through NNSA, to maintain the
United States’ nuclear weapons
stockpile, as well as the nation’s core
competencies in nuclear weapons.
NNSA, a semi-autonomous agency
within the DOE, has the mission to
maintain and enhance the safety,
security, and effectiveness of the
nuclear weapons stockpile.
Plutonium pits are critical
components of every nuclear weapon,
with nearly all current stockpile pits
having been produced from 1978–1989.
Today, the United States’ capability to
produce plutonium pits is limited. To
produce pits with enhanced safety
features to meet NNSA and DoD
requirements, mitigate against the risk
of plutonium aging, and respond to
changes in deterrent requirements
driven by growing threats from peer
competitors, the Department of Defense
(DoD) requires NNSA to produce no
fewer than 80 plutonium pits per year
by 2030, and to sustain the capacity for
future (Life Extension Programs and
follow-on) programs.
NNSA’s pit production mission was
emphasized as a national security
imperative by the 2018 Nuclear Posture
Review, issued in February 2018 by the
Office of the Secretary of Defense and
subsequent Congressional statements of
the policy of the United States. The
2018 Nuclear Posture Review
announced that the United States will
pursue initiatives to ensure the
necessary capability, capacity, and
responsiveness of the nuclear weapons
infrastructure and the needed skill of
the workforce, including providing the
enduring capability and capacity to
produce no fewer than 80 pits per year
by 2030. The 2018 Nuclear Posture
Review concludes that the United States
must have sufficient research, design,
development, and production capacity
to support the sustainment of its nuclear
forces.
To that end, DoD Under Secretary of
Defense for Acquisition and
Sustainment Ellen M. Lord and Under
Secretary for Nuclear Security and
Administrator of the NNSA Lisa
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Gordon-Hagerty issued a Joint Statement
on May 10, 2018, identifying their
recommended alternative to meet the pit
production requirement based on the
completion of an Analysis of
Alternatives, an Engineering
Assessment and a Workforce Analysis.
To achieve the nation’s requirement of
producing no fewer than 80 pits per
year by 2030, NNSA is proposing to
repurpose the MFFF at SRS to produce
plutonium pits while also maximizing
pit production activities at LANL. This
two-pronged approach—with a
minimum of 50 pits per year produced
at SRS and a minimum of 30 pits per
year at LANL—is proposed as the best
way to manage the cost, schedule, and
risk of such a vital undertaking. This
approach improves the resiliency,
flexibility, and redundancy of our
Nuclear Security Enterprise by reducing
reliance on a single production site.
Purpose and Need for Agency Action
The security policies of the United
States require the maintenance of a safe,
secure, and reliable nuclear weapons
stockpile and the maintenance of core
competencies to design, manufacture,
and maintain nuclear weapons. NNSA
will pursue initiatives to meet national
security requirements and ensure the
necessary capability, capacity, and
responsiveness of the nuclear weapons
infrastructure and the needed skill of
the workforce, including providing the
enduring capability and capacity to
produce no fewer than 80 plutonium
pits per year by 2030. This need follows
the requirements identified by the 2018
Nuclear Posture Review and
Congressional statement of the policy of
the United States (Pub. L. 115–232).
Alternatives Considered
NNSA proposes to prepare an EIS for
the proposed action to repurpose the
MFFF to produce a minimum of 50 pits
per year at SRS. NNSA intends to
evaluate the following alternatives in
the EIS: (1) Proposed action to
repurpose MFFF to produce a minimum
of 50 pits per year; and (2) No Action
Alternative. If any other reasonable
alternatives are identified during the
scoping period, NNSA will also evaluate
those alternatives in the EIS. The EIS
will include an analysis of potential
impacts to the environment and human
health from the proposed action, and an
evaluation of potential impacts of the
No Action Alternative.
The proposed action to repurpose the
MFFF to produce a minimum of 50 pits
per year would include, but not be
limited to: Reconfiguration (including
disassembly and removal of equipment
and utility commodities) of the MFFF;
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installation of equipment necessary for
activities associated with pit production
(disassembly/metal preparation, pit
assembly, machining, aqueous
processing, foundry operations, material
characterization and analytical
chemistry operations for certification);
constructing and repurposing other
facilities surrounding the MFFF for
support activities (e.g., waste handling,
training, office space, roads, storage, and
parking); security and nuclear safety
upgrades to support pit production;
providing reliable utilities and
infrastructure required for pit
production; and hiring and training
necessary workforce to ensure the safe,
secure, reliable, and responsive
capability for pit production at SRS.
Site-Specific SRS EIS Process
The scoping process is intended to
involve all interested agencies (Federal,
State, county, and local), public interest
groups, Native American Tribes,
businesses, and members of the public.
Interested parties are invited to
participate in the EIS process, both to
refine the preliminary alternatives and
environmental issues to be analyzed in
depth and to eliminate from detailed
study those alternatives and
environmental issues that are not
reasonable or pertinent. Input from the
scoping meeting will assist NNSA in
formulating the proposed action,
refining the alternatives, and defining
the scope of EIS analyses.
Following the scoping period
announced in this Notice, and after
consideration of comments received
during scoping, NNSA will prepare a
draft EIS for the production of
plutonium pits at SRS. NNSA will
announce the availability of the draft
EIS in the Federal Register and local
media outlets. Comments received on
the draft EIS will be considered and
addressed in the Final EIS. NNSA will
issue a record of decision (ROD) no
sooner than 30 days after publication by
the Environmental Protection Agency of
a Notice of Availability of the Final EIS.
Relationship to Existing and Other
NEPA Analyses
NNSA is responsible for management
and implementation of the requirements
of NEPA and the regulations and
policies promulgated thereunder,
including but not limited to the Council
of Environmental Quality NEPA
regulations (40 CFR parts1500–1508),
the DOE NEPA implementing
procedures (10 CFR part 1021), and
NNSA Policy (NAP) 451.1.
Previously, NNSA prepared the
Complex Transformation SPEIS to
analyze the potential environmental
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 111 / Monday, June 10, 2019 / Notices
impacts associated with pit production
at different site alternatives: LANL in
Los Alamos, New Mexico; SRS near
Aiken, South Carolina; Pantex Plant
near Amarillo, Texas; Y–12 National
Security Complex in Oak Ridge,
Tennessee; and the Nevada National
Security Site north of Las Vegas,
Nevada. At SRS, the Complex
Transformation SPEIS also evaluated a
pit production facility that would use
the MFFF and pit disassembly and
conversion facility infrastructure [73 FR
63470, October 24, 2008]. Additionally,
pit production at LANL has been
analyzed in several NEPA documents
over the past two decades. Federal
decisions (RODs) have authorized pit
production levels of no more than
approximately 20 pits per year at LANL
[64 FR 50797, September 20, 1999].
However, higher levels of pit production
have been analyzed in: The Complex
Transformation SPEIS, which analyzed
pit production levels as high as 125 pits
per year for the 5 sites listed above [73
FR 77644, December 19, 2008]; and in
the 2008 LANL Sitewide Environmental
Impact Statement, which analyzed up to
80 pits per year at LANL in the
Expanded Operations Alternative (DOE/
EIS–0380, May 2008). Prior to making
any decisions on producing a minimum
of 30 pits per year at LANL and a
minimum of 50 pits per year at SRS,
NNSA will conduct further NEPA
analyses as discussed below.
NNSA anticipates that it will prepare
at least three documents including: A
SA to the Final Complex
Transformation Supplemental
Programmatic EIS (Complex
Transformation SPEIS); the site-specific
EIS for the proposal to produce pits at
SRS announced in this Notice; and sitespecific documentation for the proposal
to authorize expanding pit production
beyond 20 pits per year at LANL.
NNSA is preparing a SA to the
Complex Transformation SPEIS related
to the proposed action for pit
production. NNSA will use the SA to
determine if there are significant
changes in the proposed action which
are substantial and relevant to
environmental concerns or whether new
circumstances or information relevant to
environmental concerns and bearing on
the proposed action or its impacts are
significant. The SA would inform the
site-specific documentation for the
proposed pit production activities at
both SRS and LANL. Although pertinent
regulations do not require public
comment on a SA, NNSA has decided,
in its discretion, that public comment in
this instance would be helpful and will
issue a draft SA.
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16:45 Jun 07, 2019
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If the SA identifies no new significant
circumstances or information relevant to
environmental concerns that effect
NNSA’s decisions concerning pit
production at a programmatic level,
NNSA would announce the
determination from the SA to the
Complex Transformation SPEIS at the
same time it would announce an
amended ROD. If NNSA determines that
a supplement to the Complex
Transformation SPEIS or a new EIS is
required, NNSA will announce those
decisions as appropriate.
NNSA also intends to conduct sitespecific NEPA analysis for expanded pit
production activities at LANL to
determine if there are significant
changes in the proposed action which
are substantial and relevant to
environmental concerns or whether new
circumstances or information relevant to
environmental concerns and bearing on
the proposed action or its impacts are
significant. The type of site-specific
analysis for producing a minimum of 30
pits per year at LANL will include a SA
to the 2008 LANL Sitewide
Environmental Impact Statement.
Depending on the results of the sitespecific review at LANL, NNSA may
announce an amended ROD or prepare
additional NEPA documentation for the
proposed action.
EIS Preparation and Schedule
NNSA expects to issue the draft EIS
in 2020.
Signed in Washington, DC, this 31st day of
May 2019, for the United States Department
of Energy.
Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty,
Under Secretary for Nuclear Security
Administration, National Nuclear Security
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2019–12003 Filed 6–7–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[FRL–9995–08–Region 8]
Public Water System Supervision
Program Revision for the State of Utah
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
Public notice is hereby given
that the state of Utah has revised its
Public Water System Supervision
(PWSS) Program by adopting federal
regulations for the Revised Total
Coliform Rule (RTCR) that correspond
to the National Primary Drinking Water
Regulations (NPDWR). The EPA has
SUMMARY:
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26851
reviewed Utah’s regulations and
determined they are no less stringent
than the federal regulations. The EPA is
proposing to approve Utah’s primacy
revision for the RTCR.
This approval action does not extend
to public water systems in Indian
country. Please see SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION, Item B.
DATES: Any member of the public is
invited to request a public hearing on
this determination by July 10, 2019.
Please see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION,
Item C, for details. Should no timely
and appropriate request for a hearing be
received, and the Regional
Administrator (RA) does not elect to
hold a hearing on his/her own motion,
this determination shall become
applicable July 10, 2019. If a public
hearing is requested and granted, then
this determination shall not become
applicable until such time following the
hearing as the RA issues an order
affirming or rescinding this action.
ADDRESSES: Requests for a public
hearing should be addressed to: Robert
Clement, Drinking Water B Section, EPA
Region 8, 1595 Wynkoop Street, Denver,
CO 80202–1129.
All documents relating to this
determination are available for
inspection at: EPA Region 8, Drinking
Water Section (5th Floor), 1595
Wynkoop Street, Denver, Colorado.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Robert Clement, Drinking Water B
Section, EPA Region 8, 1595 Wynkoop
Street, Denver, CO 80202–1129, phone
303–312–6653.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with the provisions of
section 1413 of the Safe Drinking Water
Act (SDWA), 42 U.S.C. 300g–2, and 40
CFR 142.13, public notice is hereby
given that the state of Utah has revised
its PWSS program by adopting federal
regulations for the RTCR that
correspond to the NPDWR in 40 CFR
parts 141 and 142. The EPA has
reviewed Utah’s regulations and
determined they are no less stringent
than the federal regulations. The EPA is
proposing to approve Utah’s primacy
revision for the RTCR.
This approval action does not extend
to public water systems in Indian
country as defined in 18 U.S.C. 1151.
Please see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION,
Item B.
A. Why are revisions to state programs
necessary?
States with primary PWSS
enforcement authority must comply
with the requirements of 40 CFR part
142 to maintain primacy. They must
adopt regulations that are at least as
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 111 (Monday, June 10, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26849-26851]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-12003]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
National Nuclear Security Administration
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
Plutonium Pit Production at the Savannah River Site
AGENCY: National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security
Administration (NNSA) hereby announces its intent, consistent with the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to prepare an environmental
impact statement (EIS) for plutonium pit production at the Savannah
River Site (SRS) in South Carolina (the SRS EIS). The 2018 Nuclear
Posture Review announced that the United States will pursue initiatives
to ensure the necessary capability, capacity, and responsiveness of the
nuclear weapons infrastructure and the needed skill of the workforce,
including providing the enduring capability and capacity to produce no
fewer than 80 plutonium pits per year by 2030. To achieve the
Department of Defense (DoD) requirement, NNSA is proposing to repurpose
the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) at SRS to produce
plutonium pits while also maximizing pit production activities at Los
Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico. NNSA also hereby
provides information regarding its overall NEPA strategy related to
fulfilling national requirements for pit production. NNSA will first
conduct a programmatic review to assist in decisions and second conduct
site-specific reviews. NNSA anticipates that it will prepare at least
three documents including: A supplement analysis (SA) to the Final
Complex Transformation Supplemental Programmatic EIS (Complex
Transformation SPEIS); a site-specific EIS for the proposal to produce
pits at SRS; and site-specific documentation for the proposal to
authorize expanding pit production at LANL.
DATES: NNSA invites Federal and state agencies, state and local
governments, Native American tribes, industry, other organizations, and
members of the public to submit comments to assist in identifying
environmental issues and in determining the appropriate scope of the
SRS EIS until July 25, 2019. Comments received after this date will be
considered to the extent practicable. NNSA will hold one public scoping
meeting for the proposed EIS as follows:
June 27, 2019 (5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. EST) at the North
Augusta Community Center, 495 Brookside Ave. North Augusta, SC 29841.
Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. on June 27, 2019 at the community
center for the public to view posters on display. NNSA will provide a
brief presentation on the EIS beginning at 6:00 p.m. and then NNSA will
accept public comments on the scope of the EIS.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS, requests to be
placed on the EIS distribution list, and comments or questions on the
scoping process should be sent to: Ms. Jennifer Nelson, NEPA Document
Manager, National Nuclear Security Administration Savannah River Field
Office, P.O. Box A, Aiken, SC 29802 or email to [email protected]. If
you would like to pre-register to comment during the public scoping
meeting, send an email to [email protected]. Before including your
address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying
information in your comment, please be advised that your entire
comment--including your personal identifying information--may be made
publicly available. If you wish for NNSA to withhold your name and/or
other personally identifiable information, please state this
prominently at the beginning of your comment. You may also submit
comments anonymously. Also, NNSA requests Federal, State, and local
agencies that desire to be designated as cooperating agencies on the
EIS to contact the NEPA Document Manager at the address listed in this
section by the end of the scoping period.
[[Page 26850]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about this
Notice, please contact Mr. James R. Sanderson, Office of NEPA Policy
and Compliance, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW,
Washington, DC 20585-0119, email to: [email protected].
This Notice will be available on the internet at: https://www.energy.gov/nepa/listings/notices-intent-noi.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
National security policies require DOE, through NNSA, to maintain
the United States' nuclear weapons stockpile, as well as the nation's
core competencies in nuclear weapons. NNSA, a semi-autonomous agency
within the DOE, has the mission to maintain and enhance the safety,
security, and effectiveness of the nuclear weapons stockpile.
Plutonium pits are critical components of every nuclear weapon,
with nearly all current stockpile pits having been produced from 1978-
1989. Today, the United States' capability to produce plutonium pits is
limited. To produce pits with enhanced safety features to meet NNSA and
DoD requirements, mitigate against the risk of plutonium aging, and
respond to changes in deterrent requirements driven by growing threats
from peer competitors, the Department of Defense (DoD) requires NNSA to
produce no fewer than 80 plutonium pits per year by 2030, and to
sustain the capacity for future (Life Extension Programs and follow-on)
programs.
NNSA's pit production mission was emphasized as a national security
imperative by the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review, issued in February 2018
by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and subsequent Congressional
statements of the policy of the United States. The 2018 Nuclear Posture
Review announced that the United States will pursue initiatives to
ensure the necessary capability, capacity, and responsiveness of the
nuclear weapons infrastructure and the needed skill of the workforce,
including providing the enduring capability and capacity to produce no
fewer than 80 pits per year by 2030. The 2018 Nuclear Posture Review
concludes that the United States must have sufficient research, design,
development, and production capacity to support the sustainment of its
nuclear forces.
To that end, DoD Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and
Sustainment Ellen M. Lord and Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and
Administrator of the NNSA Lisa Gordon-Hagerty issued a Joint Statement
on May 10, 2018, identifying their recommended alternative to meet the
pit production requirement based on the completion of an Analysis of
Alternatives, an Engineering Assessment and a Workforce Analysis. To
achieve the nation's requirement of producing no fewer than 80 pits per
year by 2030, NNSA is proposing to repurpose the MFFF at SRS to produce
plutonium pits while also maximizing pit production activities at LANL.
This two-pronged approach--with a minimum of 50 pits per year produced
at SRS and a minimum of 30 pits per year at LANL--is proposed as the
best way to manage the cost, schedule, and risk of such a vital
undertaking. This approach improves the resiliency, flexibility, and
redundancy of our Nuclear Security Enterprise by reducing reliance on a
single production site.
Purpose and Need for Agency Action
The security policies of the United States require the maintenance
of a safe, secure, and reliable nuclear weapons stockpile and the
maintenance of core competencies to design, manufacture, and maintain
nuclear weapons. NNSA will pursue initiatives to meet national security
requirements and ensure the necessary capability, capacity, and
responsiveness of the nuclear weapons infrastructure and the needed
skill of the workforce, including providing the enduring capability and
capacity to produce no fewer than 80 plutonium pits per year by 2030.
This need follows the requirements identified by the 2018 Nuclear
Posture Review and Congressional statement of the policy of the United
States (Pub. L. 115-232).
Alternatives Considered
NNSA proposes to prepare an EIS for the proposed action to
repurpose the MFFF to produce a minimum of 50 pits per year at SRS.
NNSA intends to evaluate the following alternatives in the EIS: (1)
Proposed action to repurpose MFFF to produce a minimum of 50 pits per
year; and (2) No Action Alternative. If any other reasonable
alternatives are identified during the scoping period, NNSA will also
evaluate those alternatives in the EIS. The EIS will include an
analysis of potential impacts to the environment and human health from
the proposed action, and an evaluation of potential impacts of the No
Action Alternative.
The proposed action to repurpose the MFFF to produce a minimum of
50 pits per year would include, but not be limited to: Reconfiguration
(including disassembly and removal of equipment and utility
commodities) of the MFFF; installation of equipment necessary for
activities associated with pit production (disassembly/metal
preparation, pit assembly, machining, aqueous processing, foundry
operations, material characterization and analytical chemistry
operations for certification); constructing and repurposing other
facilities surrounding the MFFF for support activities (e.g., waste
handling, training, office space, roads, storage, and parking);
security and nuclear safety upgrades to support pit production;
providing reliable utilities and infrastructure required for pit
production; and hiring and training necessary workforce to ensure the
safe, secure, reliable, and responsive capability for pit production at
SRS.
Site-Specific SRS EIS Process
The scoping process is intended to involve all interested agencies
(Federal, State, county, and local), public interest groups, Native
American Tribes, businesses, and members of the public. Interested
parties are invited to participate in the EIS process, both to refine
the preliminary alternatives and environmental issues to be analyzed in
depth and to eliminate from detailed study those alternatives and
environmental issues that are not reasonable or pertinent. Input from
the scoping meeting will assist NNSA in formulating the proposed
action, refining the alternatives, and defining the scope of EIS
analyses.
Following the scoping period announced in this Notice, and after
consideration of comments received during scoping, NNSA will prepare a
draft EIS for the production of plutonium pits at SRS. NNSA will
announce the availability of the draft EIS in the Federal Register and
local media outlets. Comments received on the draft EIS will be
considered and addressed in the Final EIS. NNSA will issue a record of
decision (ROD) no sooner than 30 days after publication by the
Environmental Protection Agency of a Notice of Availability of the
Final EIS.
Relationship to Existing and Other NEPA Analyses
NNSA is responsible for management and implementation of the
requirements of NEPA and the regulations and policies promulgated
thereunder, including but not limited to the Council of Environmental
Quality NEPA regulations (40 CFR parts1500-1508), the DOE NEPA
implementing procedures (10 CFR part 1021), and NNSA Policy (NAP)
451.1.
Previously, NNSA prepared the Complex Transformation SPEIS to
analyze the potential environmental
[[Page 26851]]
impacts associated with pit production at different site alternatives:
LANL in Los Alamos, New Mexico; SRS near Aiken, South Carolina; Pantex
Plant near Amarillo, Texas; Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak
Ridge, Tennessee; and the Nevada National Security Site north of Las
Vegas, Nevada. At SRS, the Complex Transformation SPEIS also evaluated
a pit production facility that would use the MFFF and pit disassembly
and conversion facility infrastructure [73 FR 63470, October 24, 2008].
Additionally, pit production at LANL has been analyzed in several NEPA
documents over the past two decades. Federal decisions (RODs) have
authorized pit production levels of no more than approximately 20 pits
per year at LANL [64 FR 50797, September 20, 1999]. However, higher
levels of pit production have been analyzed in: The Complex
Transformation SPEIS, which analyzed pit production levels as high as
125 pits per year for the 5 sites listed above [73 FR 77644, December
19, 2008]; and in the 2008 LANL Sitewide Environmental Impact
Statement, which analyzed up to 80 pits per year at LANL in the
Expanded Operations Alternative (DOE/EIS-0380, May 2008). Prior to
making any decisions on producing a minimum of 30 pits per year at LANL
and a minimum of 50 pits per year at SRS, NNSA will conduct further
NEPA analyses as discussed below.
NNSA anticipates that it will prepare at least three documents
including: A SA to the Final Complex Transformation Supplemental
Programmatic EIS (Complex Transformation SPEIS); the site-specific EIS
for the proposal to produce pits at SRS announced in this Notice; and
site-specific documentation for the proposal to authorize expanding pit
production beyond 20 pits per year at LANL.
NNSA is preparing a SA to the Complex Transformation SPEIS related
to the proposed action for pit production. NNSA will use the SA to
determine if there are significant changes in the proposed action which
are substantial and relevant to environmental concerns or whether new
circumstances or information relevant to environmental concerns and
bearing on the proposed action or its impacts are significant. The SA
would inform the site-specific documentation for the proposed pit
production activities at both SRS and LANL. Although pertinent
regulations do not require public comment on a SA, NNSA has decided, in
its discretion, that public comment in this instance would be helpful
and will issue a draft SA.
If the SA identifies no new significant circumstances or
information relevant to environmental concerns that effect NNSA's
decisions concerning pit production at a programmatic level, NNSA would
announce the determination from the SA to the Complex Transformation
SPEIS at the same time it would announce an amended ROD. If NNSA
determines that a supplement to the Complex Transformation SPEIS or a
new EIS is required, NNSA will announce those decisions as appropriate.
NNSA also intends to conduct site-specific NEPA analysis for
expanded pit production activities at LANL to determine if there are
significant changes in the proposed action which are substantial and
relevant to environmental concerns or whether new circumstances or
information relevant to environmental concerns and bearing on the
proposed action or its impacts are significant. The type of site-
specific analysis for producing a minimum of 30 pits per year at LANL
will include a SA to the 2008 LANL Sitewide Environmental Impact
Statement.
Depending on the results of the site-specific review at LANL, NNSA
may announce an amended ROD or prepare additional NEPA documentation
for the proposed action.
EIS Preparation and Schedule
NNSA expects to issue the draft EIS in 2020.
Signed in Washington, DC, this 31st day of May 2019, for the
United States Department of Energy.
Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty,
Under Secretary for Nuclear Security Administration, National Nuclear
Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2019-12003 Filed 6-7-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
