Record of Decision for the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Plutonium Pit Production at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina (DOE/EIS-0541), 70601-70604 [2020-24517]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 215 / Thursday, November 5, 2020 / Notices
environmental impacts associated with
the programmatic alternatives indicated
that the No Net Production/Capability
Based Alternative is environmentally
preferable. Under this alternative NNSA
would maintain capabilities to continue
surveillance of the weapons stockpile,
produce limited life components, and
dismantle weapons, but would not add
new types or increased numbers of
weapons to the stockpile. This
alternative would result in the
minimum infrastructure demands,
produce the least amount of wastes,
reduce worker radiation doses, and
require the fewest employees. Almost
all of these reductions in potential
impacts result from the reduced
production levels assumed for this
alternative. The environmentally
preferable alternative for programmatic
alternatives accounts for actions across
the complex at multiple sites. This
determination may not apply to sitespecific determinations where other
factors are considered in the analysis.
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Amended Decision
NNSA has decided at a programmatic
level to implement aspects of a
Modified DCE Alternative from the
Complex Transformation SPEIS to
produce a minimum of 50 pits per year
at a repurposed MFFF at SRS, with
additional surge capacity, if needed, to
meet the requirements of producing not
less than 80 pits per year beginning
during 2030 for the nuclear weapons
stockpile. This decision continues the
transformation of the Complex
following the end of the Cold War and
the cessation of nuclear weapons
testing, particularly decisions
announced in the 1996 ROD for the
SSM PEIS (DOE/EIS–0236) (61 FR
68014; Dec. 26, 1996) and the 2008
Programmatic Alternatives ROD for the
Complex Transformation SPEIS. This
Amended ROD modifies only the
plutonium operations aspects of the
2008 Programmatic ROD. NNSA has
made no proposals to, and there are no
changes to, NNSA’s decisions on other
aspects of the 2008 Programmatic ROD
or to the September 2020 Amended
ROD to produce a minimum of 30 war
reserve pits per year at LANL for the
national pit production mission during
2026 and implement surge efforts to
exceed 30 pits per year as needed.
Basis for Decision
In making this decision, NNSA
considered the 2019 SPEIS SA, the
Complex Transformation SPEIS, other
referenced NEPA analyses, and its
statutory responsibilities to support the
nuclear weapons stockpile. Federal law
and national security policies continue
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:36 Nov 04, 2020
Jkt 253001
to require NNSA to maintain a safe,
secure, and reliable nuclear weapons
stockpile and create a responsive
nuclear weapons infrastructure that are
cost-effective and have adequate
capacity to meet reasonably foreseeable
national security requirements. This
Amended ROD will enable NNSA to
continue meeting Federal law and
national security requirements.
As described in the Complex
Transformation SPEIS and the 2008
Programmatic ROD, NNSA operates in
compliance with environmental laws,
regulations, and policies within a
framework of contractual requirements;
many of these requirements mandate
actions to control and mitigate potential
adverse environmental effects.
Examples of mitigation measures
include site security and threat
protection plans, emergency plans,
Integrated Safety Management Systems,
pollution prevention and waste
minimization programs, cultural
resource and protected species
programs, and energy and water
conservation programs. Any additional
site-specific mitigation actions would be
identified in site-specific NEPA
documents.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of
Energy was signed on October 30, 2020,
by Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty, Under
Secretary for Nuclear Security and
Administrator, NNSA, pursuant to
delegated authority from the Secretary
of Energy. That document with the
original signature and date is
maintained by DOE. For administrative
purposes only, and in compliance with
requirements of the Office of the Federal
Register, the undersigned DOE Federal
Register Liaison Officer has been
authorized to sign and submit the
document in electronic format for
publication, as an official document of
the Department of Energy. This
administrative process in no way alters
the legal effect of this document upon
publication in the Federal Register.
Signed in Washington, DC, on October 30,
2020.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S.
Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2020–24516 Filed 11–4–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
Frm 00026
Fmt 4703
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
National Nuclear Security
Administration
Record of Decision for the Final
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for Plutonium Pit Production at the
Savannah River Site (SRS) in South
Carolina (DOE/EIS–0541)
National Nuclear Security
Administration, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Record of decision.
AGENCY:
Mitigation Measures
PO 00000
70601
Sfmt 4703
The National Nuclear
Security Administration (NNSA), a
semi-autonomous agency within the
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is
announcing this Record of Decision
(ROD) for the Final Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for Plutonium
Pit Production at the Savannah River
Site (SRS) in South Carolina (SRS Pit
Production EIS) (DOE/EIS–0541). In this
ROD, NNSA announces its decision to
implement the Proposed Action to
repurpose the Mixed-Oxide Fuel
Fabrication Facility (MFFF) to produce
a minimum of 50 war reserve pits per
year at SRS and to develop the ability
to implement a short-term surge
capacity to enable NNSA to meet the
requirements of producing pits at a rate
of not less than 80 war reserve pits per
year up to the analyzed limit as
necessary beginning during 2030 for the
nuclear weapons stockpile. NNSA has
previously evaluated this action at the
programmatic level in the 2008
Complex Transformation Supplemental
Programmatic EIS (Complex
Transformation SPEIS), and recently in
a separate Complex Transformation
SPEIS Supplement Analysis (2019
SPEIS SA).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
further information on this ROD or the
SRS Pit Production EIS, contact:
Jennifer Nelson, NEPA Document
Manager, National Nuclear Security
Administration, Savannah River Field
Office, P.O. Box A, Aiken, SC 29802;
phone: (803) 557–6372 or (803) 557–
NEPA; or via email at NEPA-SRS@
srs.gov. This ROD, the SRS Pit
Production EIS, and related NEPA
documents are available at https://
www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepareading-room.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
Background
NNSA has a statutory mission to
maintain and enhance the safety,
reliability, and performance of the U.S.
nuclear weapons stockpile including the
ability to design, produce, and test, in
order to meet national security
E:\FR\FM\05NON1.SGM
05NON1
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
70602
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 215 / Thursday, November 5, 2020 / Notices
requirements. Under Federal law and to
meet national security requirements,
NNSA must implement a strategy to
provide the enduring capability and
capacity to produce not less than 80 war
reserve pits per year beginning during
2030 (50 U.S.C. 2538a, as amended).
NNSA’s current pit production capacity
cannot meet this requirement. To meet
this requirement, NNSA has decided to
implement the Proposed Action in the
SRS Pit Production EIS.
Pit production, at a level of at least 80
pits per year at SRS, has been analyzed
in two programmatic EISs and the sitespecific SRS Pit Production EIS. The
first programmatic EIS in the post-Cold
War era was the 1996 Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement for
Stockpile Stewardship and Management
(SSM PEIS) (DOE/EIS–0236). The SSM
PEIS evaluated reasonable alternatives
for reestablishing interim pit production
capability on a small scale. It analyzed
a production level of 80 pits per year at
SRS and LANL at a programmatic level
and associated impacts across the
Complex. In December 1996, NNSA
issued a ROD announcing a decision
setting pit production at LANL at 20 pits
per year (61 FR 68014; December 26,
1996).
In 2008, NNSA prepared the Complex
Transformation Supplemental
Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement (Complex Transformation
SPEIS) (DOE/EIS–0236–S4). The
Complex Transformation SPEIS
evaluates, among other things,
alternatives for producing 10–200 pits
per year at different site alternatives,
including SRS. At SRS, the Complex
Transformation SPEIS evaluated a pit
production facility that would use the
planned MFFF and Pit Disassembly and
Conversion Facility infrastructure. In
the 2008 Programmatic ROD, NNSA did
not make any new decisions related to
pit production capacity beyond 20 pits
per year at LANL (73 FR 77644;
December 19, 2008).
Since 2014, Federal law has required
the nuclear security enterprise to
produce not less than 30 war reserve
plutonium pits during 2026. Federal law
now requires that the nuclear security
enterprise produce not less than 80 war
reserve plutonium pits during 2030 (50
U.S.C. 2538a, as amended). The 2018
Nuclear Posture Review reinforces this
pit production requirement by stating
that NNSA must produce at least 80
plutonium pits per year beginning
during 2030 and must sustain the
capacity for future life extension
programs and follow-on programs. As a
result, the United States is pursuing an
initiative to provide the enduring
capability and capacity to produce
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:36 Nov 04, 2020
Jkt 253001
plutonium pits at a rate of no fewer than
80 pits per year beginning during 2030.
To these ends, the DoD Under Secretary
of Defense for Acquisition and
Sustainment and the NNSA
Administrator issued a Joint Statement
on May 10, 2018, describing NNSA’s
recommended alternative to pursue a
two-prong (two-site) approach—a
minimum of 50 pits per year produced
at SRS and a minimum of 30 pits per
year produced at LANL. In addition to
improving the resiliency, flexibility, and
redundancy of our nuclear security
enterprise by reducing reliance on a
single production site, this approach
enables the capability to allow for
enhanced warhead safety and security
to meet DoD and NNSA requirements;
deliberate, methodical replacement of
older existing plutonium pits with
newly manufactured pits as risk
mitigation against plutonium aging; and
response to changes in deterrent
requirements driven by renewed great
power competition.
In 2019, NNSA prepared the 2019
SPEIS SA, which analyzed NNSA’s twosite pit production approach at a
programmatic level. Based on the 2019
SPEIS SA, NNSA determined that the
proposed approach for pit production
does not constitute a substantial change
from actions analyzed previously and
there are no significant new
circumstances or information relevant to
environmental concerns. The 2019
SPEIS SA affirmed NNSA’s decision to
prepare site-specific documentation for
the proposal to repurpose the MFFF to
produce a minimum of 50 war reserve
pits per year at SRS and to develop the
ability to implement a short-term surge
capacity to enable NNSA to meet the
requirements of producing pits at a rate
of not less than 80 war reserve pits per
year beginning during 2030 for the
nuclear weapons stockpile. In the SRS
Pit Production EIS and this ROD, the
repurposed MFFF is referred to as the
Savannah River Plutonium Processing
Facility (SRPPF) to reflect the
reconfiguration of the existing MFFF to
perform plutonium-related processing to
support NNSA missions.
Consistent with the SSM PEIS and the
Complex Transformation SPEIS, the
SRS Pit Production EIS identified that
the term, pit production, was used to
describe a complex process that
involves three main areas: (1) Material
receipt, unpacking, and storage; (2) feed
preparation; and (3) manufacturing. The
production of pits at SRS includes the
activities needed to fabricate new pits,
to modify the internal features of
existing pits, and to certify new pits or
requalify existing pits.
PO 00000
Frm 00027
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
NEPA Process for This ROD
NNSA prepared this ROD for the SRS
Pit Production EIS pursuant to the
regulations of the Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ) for
implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts
1500–1508) and DOE’s NEPA
implementing procedures (10 CFR part
1021). This ROD is based on Federal law
and NNSA’s mission and information
and analysis in the SRS Pit Production
EIS, including public comments
received.
The SRS Pit Production EIS was
distributed electronically for review as
part of the public participation process.
DOE announced the availability of the
Draft SRS Pit Production EIS on April
3, 2020 (85 FR 18947). The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
announced the availability of the Final
SRS Pit Production EIS on September
25, 2020 (85 FR 60458). DOE also
published an announcement of the Final
SRS Pit Production EIS on September
30, 2020 (85 FR 61741). Approximately
400 comment documents (including
approximately 190 comment documents
submitted as one of seven email
campaign letters) were received from
individuals, interested groups, and
Federal, State, and local agencies during
the public comment period on the Draft
SRS Pit Production EIS. In addition, 44
commenters spoke at an online, virtual
public hearing (with telephone access),
and their comments were recorded in
formal transcripts. The majority of the
comments received on the Draft EIS
focused on policy issues related to the
appropriateness or the need for nuclear
weapons or the need for additional pits.
The primary topics identified in the
public comments included: (1) Requests
for a programmatic EIS for pit
production; (2) requests to consider pit
reuse as a reasonable alternative; (3)
requests for an extension to the
comment period due to the COVID–19
pandemic; (4) disagreement with the
two-prong (two-site) approach to pit
production; (5) general opposition to, or
support for, the proposal; (6) comments
about nuclear weapon policies or new
weapon design; (7) comments about the
need for pits and the lifetime of current
pits; (8) comments about waste
management; (9) comments about
transuranic waste storage at the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant; (10) comments
about impacts to human health and
potential environmental justice impacts;
and (11) comments about budget
priorities and the need to clean up SRS.
After considering all comments and
modifying the Draft EIS, NNSA
completed the Final SRS Pit Production
EIS.
E:\FR\FM\05NON1.SGM
05NON1
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 215 / Thursday, November 5, 2020 / Notices
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Summary of Impacts
Both Federal law and national
security policy require pit production
rates of not less than 80 pits per year
nationally during 2030. The SRS Pit
Production EIS analyzed the potential
impacts of producing 50, 80, and 125
pits per year at SRS. This approach
provides a conservative analysis and
affords NNSA the flexibility to adapt to
shifting requirements or changed
circumstances in the future if SRS must
produce more than 50 pits per year.
Table 2–5 of the SRS Pit Production EIS
presents a summary of the potential
environmental impacts of the Proposed
Action and the No Action Alternative.
Table 2–6 summarizes the potential
cumulative environmental impacts
presented in Chapter 5 of the EIS.
Construction activities associated with
the Proposed Action would re-disturb
approximately 48 acres of previously
disturbed land. This land requirement
represents less than one percent of the
total 198,344-acre SRS. Although
construction activities would change the
existing land use, the proposed SRPPF
would be compatible and consistent
with the land use plans at SRS and
would be compatible with the current
land use designations.
The site for the proposed SRPPF
complex is located in a highly
developed and previously disturbed
industrial area; therefore, there would
be no loss of habitat or impacts to
biological, cultural, or archaeological
resources. Construction impacts would
be minor, and appropriate soil and
erosion mitigation measures would
minimize any adverse impacts. No
Federal- or State-threatened or
endangered species or other species of
special interest are expected to be
impacted by the Proposed Action.
During construction and operations,
groundwater use would be
approximately 2.2 percent and 1.7
percent, respectively, of the total current
water use at SRS. The maximum
amount of electrical consumption
would represent less than four percent
of the SRS sitewide electrical capacity.
Although there would be overall
positive socioeconomic impacts
associated with construction and
operational workforces, an increase in
vehicle traffic could affect the roads and
transportation network surrounding
SRS. Employment increases would
represent less than one percent of the
total employment in the socioeconomic
area.
During normal operations, a minimal
amount of radioactive material and
activation products could be released to
the environment. However, any
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:36 Nov 04, 2020
Jkt 253001
70603
radiation dose received by a member of
the public from emissions would be
small and well below regulatory limits.
Operation of the proposed SRPPF
would generate a variety of wastes
(including radioactive, hazardous,
mixed, and sanitary) as an unavoidable
result of normal operations.
For production of 50 pits per year,
there would be approximately 145
annual shipments of radiological
materials and wastes, which could
impact the public along transportation
routes. Potential doses to the public and
workers would be well below regulatory
limits.
Basis for Decision
Environmentally Preferable Alternative
Mitigation Measures
Considering the many environmental
facets of the alternatives analyzed in the
SRS Pit Production EIS, and looking out
over the long term, the No-Action
Alternative would be the
environmentally preferred alternative
because no adverse impacts would
result compared to the Proposed Action.
However, the No-Action Alternative
would not meet the purpose and need
for agency action.
SRS operates in compliance with
environmental laws, regulations, and
policies within a framework of
contractual requirements; many of these
requirements mandate actions to control
and mitigate potential adverse
environmental effects. Examples of
mitigation measures include site
security and threat protection plans,
emergency plans, land use plans,
Integrated Safety Management Systems,
an Environmental Management System,
pollution prevention and waste
minimization programs, cultural
resource and protected species
management plans, and energy and
water conservation programs. If
mitigation measures above and beyond
those required by regulations are needed
to reduce impacts, NNSA is required to
describe mitigation commitments in the
ROD and prepare a mitigation action
plan (10 CFR 1021.331). The mitigation
action plan would explain how, before
implementing the Proposed Action,
certain measures would be planned and
implemented to mitigate adverse
environmental impacts. Because no
potential adverse impacts were
identified that would require additional
mitigation measures beyond those
required by regulation or achieved
through design features or best
management practices, NNSA does not
expect to prepare a mitigation action
plan.
Comments on the Final SRS Pit
Production EIS
NNSA posted the Final SRS Pit
Production EIS on the NNSA NEPA
Reading Room website (https://
www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepareading-room) and EPA published a
Notice of Availability in the Federal
Register (85 FR 60458, September 25,
2020). DOE also published a Notice of
Availability of the Final SRS Pit
Production EIS in the Federal Register
on September 30, 2020 (85 FR 61741).
In response to these Notices, NNSA
received three comment documents
related to the Final SRS Pit Production
EIS. NNSA considered each of the
comments contained in these
documents during the preparation of
this ROD.
Decision
NNSA has decided to implement the
Proposed Action to repurpose the MFFF
to produce a minimum of 50 war reserve
pits per year at SRS and to develop the
ability to implement a short-term surge
capacity to enable NNSA to meet the
requirements of producing pits at a rate
of not less than 80 war reserve pits per
year beginning during 2030 for the
nuclear weapons stockpile. Pit
production at SRS would be limited to
the analyzed limit in the SRS Pit
Production EIS to meet national security
requirements.
PO 00000
Frm 00028
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
In making these decisions, NNSA
considered the Final SRS Pit Production
EIS, other referenced NEPA analyses,
and its statutory responsibilities to
support the nuclear weapons stockpile.
Federal law and national security
policies continue to require NNSA to
maintain a safe, secure, and reliable
nuclear weapons stockpile and to create
a responsive nuclear weapons
infrastructure that are cost-effective and
have adequate capacity to meet
reasonably foreseeable national security
requirements. This ROD will enable
NNSA to continue meeting Federal law
and national security requirements.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of
Energy was signed on October 30, 2020,
by Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty, Under
Secretary for Nuclear Security and
Administrator, NNSA, pursuant to
delegated authority from the Secretary
of Energy. That document with the
original signature and date is
maintained by DOE. For administrative
purposes only, and in compliance with
requirements of the Office of the Federal
E:\FR\FM\05NON1.SGM
05NON1
70604
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 215 / Thursday, November 5, 2020 / Notices
Register, the undersigned DOE Federal
Register Liaison Officer has been
authorized to sign and submit the
document in electronic format for
publication, as an official document of
the Department of Energy. This
administrative process in no way alters
the legal effect of this document upon
publication in the Federal Register.
Signed in Washington, DC, on October 30,
2020.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S.
Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2020–24517 Filed 11–4–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. IC20–22–000]
Commission Information Collection
Activities (FERC–588); Comment
Request; Extension
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Notice of information collection
and request for comments.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission
(Commission or FERC) is soliciting
public comment on the currently
approved information collection FERC–
588 (Emergency Natural Gas
Transportation, Sale, and Exchange
Transactions), and is submitting the
information collection to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review. Any interested person may file
comments directly with OMB and
should address a copy of those
comments to the Commission as
explained below.
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
Comments on the collection of
information are due December 7, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments on
FERC–588 to OMB through
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain,
Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission Desk Officer. Please
identify the OMB control number
(1902–0144) in the subject line. Your
comments should be sent within 30
days of publication of this notice in the
Federal Register.
Please submit copies of your
comments to the Commission
(identified by Docket No. IC20–22–000)
by any of the following methods:
• eFiling at Commission’s Website:
https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
efiling.asp.
• U.S. Postal Service Mail: Persons
unable to file electronically may mail
similar pleadings to the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street
NE, Washington, DC 20426.
• Effective 7/1/2020, delivery of
filings other than by eFiling or the U.S.
Postal Service should be delivered to
Health and Human Services, 12225
Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland
20852. Instructions:
OMB submissions must be formatted
and filed in accordance with submission
guidelines at www.reginfo.gov/public/
do/PRAMain; Using the search function
under the Currently Under Review field,
select Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission; click submit and select
comment to the right of the subject
collection.
FERC submissions must be formatted
and filed in accordance with submission
guidelines at: https://www.ferc.gov. For
user assistance, contact FERC Online
Support by email at ferconlinesupport@
ferc.gov, or by phone at: (866) 208–3676
(toll-free).
Docket: Users interested in receiving
automatic notification of activity in this
docket or in viewing/downloading
DATES:
comments and issuances in this docket
may do so at https://www.ferc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ellen Brown may be reached by email
at DataClearance@FERC.gov and
telephone at (202) 502–8663.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: FERC–588 (Emergency Natural
Gas Transportation, Sale, and Exchange
Transactions).
OMB Control No.: 1902–0144.
Type of Request: Three-year extension
of the FERC–588 information collection
requirements with no changes to the
current reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
Abstract: FERC–588 is an existing
information collection consisting of
filing requirements and notice
procedures at 18 CFR 157.17 and
284.270. These regulations pertain to
non-jurisdictional companies’ assistance
in natural gas emergency circumstances.
The non-jurisdictional companies that
assist in such emergency transactions
must file information with the
Commission under 18 CFR 284.270, so
that the Commission may ensure
compliance with relevant legal
requirements. An interstate pipeline
that seeks an emergency certificate for
facilities must file an application under
18 CFR 157.17.
On July 17, 2020, the Commission
published a Notice in the Federal
Register (85 FR 43579) in Docket No.
IC20–22–000 requesting public
comments. The Commission received no
public comment in response.
Types of Respondents: Providers and
recipients of assistance in natural gas
emergency circumstances.
Estimate of Annual Burden: 1 The
Commission estimates the total annual
burden and cost 2 for this information
collection in the following table:
Number of
respondents
Annual
number of
responses per
respondent
Total
number of
responses
Average burden (hr.) and
cost ($) per response
Total annual burden (hr.)
and cost ($)
A.
B.
C.
(Col. A × Col. B)
D.
E.
(Col. C × Col D)
10
3
30
10 hrs; $830 .............................................................
300 hrs.; $24,900
Comments: Comments are invited on:
(1) Whether the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
Commission, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(2) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate
of the burden and cost of the collection
of information, including the validity of
1 Burden is the total time, effort, or financial
resources expended by persons to generate,
maintain, retain, or disclose or provide information
to or for a Federal agency. For further explanation
of what is included in the information collection
burden, refer to 5 CFR 1320.3.
2 The Commission staff believes that industry and
Commission staff are similarly situated in terms of
cost for wages and benefits. Therefore, we are using
$83.00 per hour in this calculation. That is the 2020
average hourly cost, for wages plus benefits, for one
FERC full-time equivalent.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:36 Nov 04, 2020
Jkt 253001
PO 00000
Frm 00029
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
E:\FR\FM\05NON1.SGM
05NON1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 215 (Thursday, November 5, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70601-70604]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-24517]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
National Nuclear Security Administration
Record of Decision for the Final Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for Plutonium Pit Production at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in
South Carolina (DOE/EIS-0541)
AGENCY: National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Record of decision.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi-
autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is
announcing this Record of Decision (ROD) for the Final Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for Plutonium Pit Production at the Savannah
River Site (SRS) in South Carolina (SRS Pit Production EIS) (DOE/EIS-
0541). In this ROD, NNSA announces its decision to implement the
Proposed Action to repurpose the Mixed-Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility
(MFFF) to produce a minimum of 50 war reserve pits per year at SRS and
to develop the ability to implement a short-term surge capacity to
enable NNSA to meet the requirements of producing pits at a rate of not
less than 80 war reserve pits per year up to the analyzed limit as
necessary beginning during 2030 for the nuclear weapons stockpile. NNSA
has previously evaluated this action at the programmatic level in the
2008 Complex Transformation Supplemental Programmatic EIS (Complex
Transformation SPEIS), and recently in a separate Complex
Transformation SPEIS Supplement Analysis (2019 SPEIS SA).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on this ROD or
the SRS Pit Production EIS, contact: Jennifer Nelson, NEPA Document
Manager, National Nuclear Security Administration, Savannah River Field
Office, P.O. Box A, Aiken, SC 29802; phone: (803) 557-6372 or (803)
557-NEPA; or via email at [email protected]. This ROD, the SRS Pit
Production EIS, and related NEPA documents are available at https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
NNSA has a statutory mission to maintain and enhance the safety,
reliability, and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile
including the ability to design, produce, and test, in order to meet
national security
[[Page 70602]]
requirements. Under Federal law and to meet national security
requirements, NNSA must implement a strategy to provide the enduring
capability and capacity to produce not less than 80 war reserve pits
per year beginning during 2030 (50 U.S.C. 2538a, as amended). NNSA's
current pit production capacity cannot meet this requirement. To meet
this requirement, NNSA has decided to implement the Proposed Action in
the SRS Pit Production EIS.
Pit production, at a level of at least 80 pits per year at SRS, has
been analyzed in two programmatic EISs and the site-specific SRS Pit
Production EIS. The first programmatic EIS in the post-Cold War era was
the 1996 Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Stockpile
Stewardship and Management (SSM PEIS) (DOE/EIS-0236). The SSM PEIS
evaluated reasonable alternatives for reestablishing interim pit
production capability on a small scale. It analyzed a production level
of 80 pits per year at SRS and LANL at a programmatic level and
associated impacts across the Complex. In December 1996, NNSA issued a
ROD announcing a decision setting pit production at LANL at 20 pits per
year (61 FR 68014; December 26, 1996).
In 2008, NNSA prepared the Complex Transformation Supplemental
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Complex Transformation
SPEIS) (DOE/EIS-0236-S4). The Complex Transformation SPEIS evaluates,
among other things, alternatives for producing 10-200 pits per year at
different site alternatives, including SRS. At SRS, the Complex
Transformation SPEIS evaluated a pit production facility that would use
the planned MFFF and Pit Disassembly and Conversion Facility
infrastructure. In the 2008 Programmatic ROD, NNSA did not make any new
decisions related to pit production capacity beyond 20 pits per year at
LANL (73 FR 77644; December 19, 2008).
Since 2014, Federal law has required the nuclear security
enterprise to produce not less than 30 war reserve plutonium pits
during 2026. Federal law now requires that the nuclear security
enterprise produce not less than 80 war reserve plutonium pits during
2030 (50 U.S.C. 2538a, as amended). The 2018 Nuclear Posture Review
reinforces this pit production requirement by stating that NNSA must
produce at least 80 plutonium pits per year beginning during 2030 and
must sustain the capacity for future life extension programs and
follow-on programs. As a result, the United States is pursuing an
initiative to provide the enduring capability and capacity to produce
plutonium pits at a rate of no fewer than 80 pits per year beginning
during 2030. To these ends, the DoD Under Secretary of Defense for
Acquisition and Sustainment and the NNSA Administrator issued a Joint
Statement on May 10, 2018, describing NNSA's recommended alternative to
pursue a two-prong (two-site) approach--a minimum of 50 pits per year
produced at SRS and a minimum of 30 pits per year produced at LANL. In
addition to improving the resiliency, flexibility, and redundancy of
our nuclear security enterprise by reducing reliance on a single
production site, this approach enables the capability to allow for
enhanced warhead safety and security to meet DoD and NNSA requirements;
deliberate, methodical replacement of older existing plutonium pits
with newly manufactured pits as risk mitigation against plutonium
aging; and response to changes in deterrent requirements driven by
renewed great power competition.
In 2019, NNSA prepared the 2019 SPEIS SA, which analyzed NNSA's
two-site pit production approach at a programmatic level. Based on the
2019 SPEIS SA, NNSA determined that the proposed approach for pit
production does not constitute a substantial change from actions
analyzed previously and there are no significant new circumstances or
information relevant to environmental concerns. The 2019 SPEIS SA
affirmed NNSA's decision to prepare site-specific documentation for the
proposal to repurpose the MFFF to produce a minimum of 50 war reserve
pits per year at SRS and to develop the ability to implement a short-
term surge capacity to enable NNSA to meet the requirements of
producing pits at a rate of not less than 80 war reserve pits per year
beginning during 2030 for the nuclear weapons stockpile. In the SRS Pit
Production EIS and this ROD, the repurposed MFFF is referred to as the
Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility (SRPPF) to reflect the
reconfiguration of the existing MFFF to perform plutonium-related
processing to support NNSA missions.
Consistent with the SSM PEIS and the Complex Transformation SPEIS,
the SRS Pit Production EIS identified that the term, pit production,
was used to describe a complex process that involves three main areas:
(1) Material receipt, unpacking, and storage; (2) feed preparation; and
(3) manufacturing. The production of pits at SRS includes the
activities needed to fabricate new pits, to modify the internal
features of existing pits, and to certify new pits or requalify
existing pits.
NEPA Process for This ROD
NNSA prepared this ROD for the SRS Pit Production EIS pursuant to
the regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for
implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) and DOE's NEPA implementing
procedures (10 CFR part 1021). This ROD is based on Federal law and
NNSA's mission and information and analysis in the SRS Pit Production
EIS, including public comments received.
The SRS Pit Production EIS was distributed electronically for
review as part of the public participation process. DOE announced the
availability of the Draft SRS Pit Production EIS on April 3, 2020 (85
FR 18947). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the
availability of the Final SRS Pit Production EIS on September 25, 2020
(85 FR 60458). DOE also published an announcement of the Final SRS Pit
Production EIS on September 30, 2020 (85 FR 61741). Approximately 400
comment documents (including approximately 190 comment documents
submitted as one of seven email campaign letters) were received from
individuals, interested groups, and Federal, State, and local agencies
during the public comment period on the Draft SRS Pit Production EIS.
In addition, 44 commenters spoke at an online, virtual public hearing
(with telephone access), and their comments were recorded in formal
transcripts. The majority of the comments received on the Draft EIS
focused on policy issues related to the appropriateness or the need for
nuclear weapons or the need for additional pits. The primary topics
identified in the public comments included: (1) Requests for a
programmatic EIS for pit production; (2) requests to consider pit reuse
as a reasonable alternative; (3) requests for an extension to the
comment period due to the COVID-19 pandemic; (4) disagreement with the
two-prong (two-site) approach to pit production; (5) general opposition
to, or support for, the proposal; (6) comments about nuclear weapon
policies or new weapon design; (7) comments about the need for pits and
the lifetime of current pits; (8) comments about waste management; (9)
comments about transuranic waste storage at the Waste Isolation Pilot
Plant; (10) comments about impacts to human health and potential
environmental justice impacts; and (11) comments about budget
priorities and the need to clean up SRS. After considering all comments
and modifying the Draft EIS, NNSA completed the Final SRS Pit
Production EIS.
[[Page 70603]]
Summary of Impacts
Both Federal law and national security policy require pit
production rates of not less than 80 pits per year nationally during
2030. The SRS Pit Production EIS analyzed the potential impacts of
producing 50, 80, and 125 pits per year at SRS. This approach provides
a conservative analysis and affords NNSA the flexibility to adapt to
shifting requirements or changed circumstances in the future if SRS
must produce more than 50 pits per year. Table 2-5 of the SRS Pit
Production EIS presents a summary of the potential environmental
impacts of the Proposed Action and the No Action Alternative. Table 2-6
summarizes the potential cumulative environmental impacts presented in
Chapter 5 of the EIS. Construction activities associated with the
Proposed Action would re-disturb approximately 48 acres of previously
disturbed land. This land requirement represents less than one percent
of the total 198,344-acre SRS. Although construction activities would
change the existing land use, the proposed SRPPF would be compatible
and consistent with the land use plans at SRS and would be compatible
with the current land use designations.
The site for the proposed SRPPF complex is located in a highly
developed and previously disturbed industrial area; therefore, there
would be no loss of habitat or impacts to biological, cultural, or
archaeological resources. Construction impacts would be minor, and
appropriate soil and erosion mitigation measures would minimize any
adverse impacts. No Federal- or State-threatened or endangered species
or other species of special interest are expected to be impacted by the
Proposed Action.
During construction and operations, groundwater use would be
approximately 2.2 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively, of the total
current water use at SRS. The maximum amount of electrical consumption
would represent less than four percent of the SRS sitewide electrical
capacity.
Although there would be overall positive socioeconomic impacts
associated with construction and operational workforces, an increase in
vehicle traffic could affect the roads and transportation network
surrounding SRS. Employment increases would represent less than one
percent of the total employment in the socioeconomic area.
During normal operations, a minimal amount of radioactive material
and activation products could be released to the environment. However,
any radiation dose received by a member of the public from emissions
would be small and well below regulatory limits.
Operation of the proposed SRPPF would generate a variety of wastes
(including radioactive, hazardous, mixed, and sanitary) as an
unavoidable result of normal operations.
For production of 50 pits per year, there would be approximately
145 annual shipments of radiological materials and wastes, which could
impact the public along transportation routes. Potential doses to the
public and workers would be well below regulatory limits.
Environmentally Preferable Alternative
Considering the many environmental facets of the alternatives
analyzed in the SRS Pit Production EIS, and looking out over the long
term, the No-Action Alternative would be the environmentally preferred
alternative because no adverse impacts would result compared to the
Proposed Action. However, the No-Action Alternative would not meet the
purpose and need for agency action.
Comments on the Final SRS Pit Production EIS
NNSA posted the Final SRS Pit Production EIS on the NNSA NEPA
Reading Room website (https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room) and EPA published a Notice of Availability in the Federal
Register (85 FR 60458, September 25, 2020). DOE also published a Notice
of Availability of the Final SRS Pit Production EIS in the Federal
Register on September 30, 2020 (85 FR 61741). In response to these
Notices, NNSA received three comment documents related to the Final SRS
Pit Production EIS. NNSA considered each of the comments contained in
these documents during the preparation of this ROD.
Decision
NNSA has decided to implement the Proposed Action to repurpose the
MFFF to produce a minimum of 50 war reserve pits per year at SRS and to
develop the ability to implement a short-term surge capacity to enable
NNSA to meet the requirements of producing pits at a rate of not less
than 80 war reserve pits per year beginning during 2030 for the nuclear
weapons stockpile. Pit production at SRS would be limited to the
analyzed limit in the SRS Pit Production EIS to meet national security
requirements.
Basis for Decision
In making these decisions, NNSA considered the Final SRS Pit
Production EIS, other referenced NEPA analyses, and its statutory
responsibilities to support the nuclear weapons stockpile. Federal law
and national security policies continue to require NNSA to maintain a
safe, secure, and reliable nuclear weapons stockpile and to create a
responsive nuclear weapons infrastructure that are cost-effective and
have adequate capacity to meet reasonably foreseeable national security
requirements. This ROD will enable NNSA to continue meeting Federal law
and national security requirements.
Mitigation Measures
SRS operates in compliance with environmental laws, regulations,
and policies within a framework of contractual requirements; many of
these requirements mandate actions to control and mitigate potential
adverse environmental effects. Examples of mitigation measures include
site security and threat protection plans, emergency plans, land use
plans, Integrated Safety Management Systems, an Environmental
Management System, pollution prevention and waste minimization
programs, cultural resource and protected species management plans, and
energy and water conservation programs. If mitigation measures above
and beyond those required by regulations are needed to reduce impacts,
NNSA is required to describe mitigation commitments in the ROD and
prepare a mitigation action plan (10 CFR 1021.331). The mitigation
action plan would explain how, before implementing the Proposed Action,
certain measures would be planned and implemented to mitigate adverse
environmental impacts. Because no potential adverse impacts were
identified that would require additional mitigation measures beyond
those required by regulation or achieved through design features or
best management practices, NNSA does not expect to prepare a mitigation
action plan.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of Energy was signed on October 30,
2020, by Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty, Under Secretary for Nuclear Security
and Administrator, NNSA, pursuant to delegated authority from the
Secretary of Energy. That document with the original signature and date
is maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes only, and in
compliance with requirements of the Office of the Federal
[[Page 70604]]
Register, the undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been
authorized to sign and submit the document in electronic format for
publication, as an official document of the Department of Energy. This
administrative process in no way alters the legal effect of this
document upon publication in the Federal Register.
Signed in Washington, DC, on October 30, 2020.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2020-24517 Filed 11-4-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
