Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program, 81460-81462 [2020-27674]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 242 / Wednesday, December 16, 2020 / Notices
burden of this collection on the
respondents, including through the use
of information technology. Please note
that written comments received in
response to this notice will be
considered public records.
Title of Collection: Teacher
Cancellation Low Income Directory.
OMB Control Number: 1845–0077.
Type of Review: An extension without
change of a currently approved
collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: State,
Local, and Tribal Governments.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 67.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Burden Hours: 6,840.
Abstract: The Higher Education Act of
1965, as amended, (HEA) allows for up
to a one hundred percent cancellation of
a Federal Perkins Loan and loan
forgiveness of a Federal Family
Education Loan and Direct Loan
program loan if the graduate teaches
full-time in an elementary or secondary
school serving low-income students.
The data collected for the
development of the Teacher
Cancellation Low Income Directory
provides web-based access to a list of all
elementary and secondary schools, and
educational service agencies that serve a
total enrollment of more than 30 percent
low income students (as defined under
Title I, Part A of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965, as
amended). The Directory allows postsecondary institutions to determine
whether or not a teacher, who received
a Federal Perkins Loan, Direct Loan, or
Federal Family Education Loan at their
school, is eligible to receive loan
cancellation or forgiveness or that a
teacher who received a TEACH Grant is
meeting the service obligation.
Dated: December 11, 2020.
Kate Mullan,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and
Clearance Governance and Strategy Division,
Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of
Planning, Evaluation and Policy
Development.
[FR Doc. 2020–27646 Filed 12–15–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
National Nuclear Security
Administration
Proposed Subsequent Arrangement
National Nuclear Security
Administration, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Proposed subsequent
arrangement.
AGENCY:
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This document is being
issued under the authority of the
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended.
The Department is providing notice of a
proposed subsequent arrangement
under the Agreement for Cooperation
Concerning Civil Uses of Atomic Energy
Between the Government of the United
States of America and the Government
of Canada, as amended (the Agreement).
DATES: This subsequent arrangement
will take effect no sooner than
December 31, 2020.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Sean Oehlbert, Office of
Nonproliferation and Arms Control,
National Nuclear Security
Administration, Department of Energy.
Telephone: 202–586–3806 or email:
sean.oehlbert@nnsa.doe.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
proposed subsequent arrangement
concerns the granting of advance
consent to Canada, pursuant to
paragraph D of Article XII of the
Agreement, to retransfer unirradiated
source material, unirradiated uranium
enriched to less than 20% in the isotope
U–235, and moderator material to
member states of the European Atomic
Energy Community (EURATOM), and to
the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland (UK). Any such
material transferred from Canada to
EURATOM would be made subject to
the Agreement for Cooperation in the
Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy
between the United States of America
and the European Atomic Energy
Community (the U.S.-EURATOM 123
Agreement). Any such material
transferred from Canada to the UK prior
to the entry into force of the Agreement
between the Government of the United
States of America and the Government
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland for Cooperation in
Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy (the
U.S.-UK 123 Agreement) would be made
subject to the U.S.-EURATOM 123
Agreement, and any such material
transferred from Canada to the UK
following the entry into force of the
U.S.-UK 123 Agreement would be made
subject to the U.S.-UK 123 Agreement.
Pursuant to the authority in section
131 a. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954,
as delegated, I have determined that this
proposed subsequent arrangement will
not be inimical to the common defense
and security of the United States of
America.
SUMMARY:
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of
Energy was signed on December 11,
2020, by Brent K. Park, Deputy
Administrator for Defense Nuclear
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Nonproliferation, 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 December
11, 2020.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S.
Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2020–27682 Filed 12–15–20; 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
the Surplus Plutonium Disposition
Program
National Nuclear Security
Administration, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
The National Nuclear
Security Administration (NNSA), a
semi-autonomous agency within the
United States (U.S.) Department of
Energy (DOE), announces its intent,
consistent with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA), to prepare a Surplus Plutonium
Disposition Program (SPDP)
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
to evaluate alternatives for the safe and
timely disposition of plutonium surplus
to the defense needs of the United
States. NNSA will prepare a SPDP EIS
to evaluate the dilute and dispose
alternative, also known as ‘‘plutonium
downblending,’’ and any other
identified reasonable alternatives for the
disposition of surplus plutonium. The
dilute and dispose approach would
require new, modified, or existing
capabilities at the Savannah River Site
(SRS), Los Alamos National Laboratory
(LANL), Pantex Plant (Pantex), and the
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The
purpose of this Notice is to invite public
participation in the process and to
encourage public involvement on the
scope and alternatives that should be
considered.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\16DEN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 242 / Wednesday, December 16, 2020 / Notices
The public scoping period begins
with the publication of this Notice in
the Federal Register and continues until
February 1, 2021. Comments received
after this date will be considered to the
extent practicable.
In light of recent public health
concerns, NNSA will be hosting an
internet- and telephone-based, virtual
public scoping meeting in place of an
in-person meeting. The date of the
meeting will be provided in a future
notice posted on the following website:
https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsanepa-reading-room. NNSA will hold the
meeting no earlier than 15 days from the
posting of the notice. Public scoping
meeting details will also be announced
in local media outlets.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the
scope of the SPDP EIS, requests to be
placed on the SPDP EIS mailing list, and
requests for information related to the
SPDP EIS should be sent to: Mr. Jeffrey
Galan, NNSA NEPA Document
Manager, by regular mail at: Mr. Jeffrey
Galan, NEPA Document Manager,
NNSA Office of Material Management
and Minimization, Savannah River Site,
P.O. Box A, Bldg. 730–2B, Rm. 328,
Aiken, SC 29802; or sent by email to
SPDP-EIS@NNSA.DOE.GOV or phone to
803–952–7434.
NNSA invites other 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 SPDP EIS. Written and oral
comments will be given equal weight
and NNSA will consider all comments
received or postmarked by the end of
the comment period in preparing the
Draft SPDP EIS. Comments received or
postmarked after the comment period
will be considered to the extent
practicable. Before including your
address, phone number, email address,
or other personally identifiable
information in your comment, please be
advised that your entire comment—
including your personally identifiable
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.
This Notice of Intent, information
related to the online scoping meeting
(including internet and telephone access
details), and instructions on how to
participate will be available at the
following website: https://
www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-
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DATES:
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reading-room and announced in local
media outlets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
further information about this Notice,
please contact Mr. Jeffrey Galan, NNSA
NEPA Document Manager, by regular
mail at: Mr. Jeffrey Galan, NEPA
Document Manager, NNSA Office of
Material Management and
Minimization, Savannah River Site, P.O.
Box A, Bldg. 730–2B, Rm. 328, Aiken,
SC 29802; phone: 803–952–7434; or
email to: SPDP-EIS@NNSA.DOE.GOV.
Requests for general information
concerning the NNSA NEPA process
should be directed to Mrs. Amy Miller,
NEPA Compliance Officer, NNSA Office
of General Counsel, P.O. Box 5400,
Albuquerque, NM 87185–5400; or sent
by email to SPDP-EIS@NNSA.DOE.GOV.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NNSA
will prepare the SPDP EIS in accordance
with the previous version of the Council
on Environmental Quality regulations
(40 CFR parts 1500–1508, 1978 as
amended in 1986 and 2005), as this
version was controlling at the time the
NEPA process for the SPDP was
initiated.
Background
The following is a summary of
NNSA’s previous NEPA reviews and
decisions regarding the disposition of
surplus plutonium.
Following the end of the Cold War,
the United States in 1994 declared 52.5
metric tons of plutonium surplus to the
defense needs of the Nation. In 2007, an
additional 9 metric tons of plutonium
was declared surplus. Since the mid1990s, NNSA has prepared several
NEPA reviews to evaluate alternative
means of assuring that the surplus
plutonium would no longer be suitable
for use in nuclear weapons. In 1996,
DOE completed the Storage and
Disposition of Weapons-Usable Fissile
Materials Programmatic Environmental
Impact Statement (DOE/EIS–0229). DOE
evaluated deep borehole,
immobilization, and reactor alternatives,
each with sub-alternatives, for
dispositioning surplus plutonium. In a
subsequent Record of Decision (ROD)
(62 FR 304, January 21, 1997), NNSA
documented its decision to (1)
immobilize some or all surplus
plutonium for disposal in a geologic
repository, (2) fabricate some surplus
plutonium into mixed oxide (MOX) fuel
for irradiation in commercial reactors,
(3) consolidate storage of pit plutonium
at Pantex, and (4) consolidate storage of
non-pit plutonium at the SRS.
In 1999, DOE completed the Surplus
Plutonium Disposition Environmental
Impact Statement (SPD EIS, DOE/EIS–
PO 00000
Frm 00020
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
81461
0283). In the SPD EIS, DOE evaluated
immobilization (ceramic and glass)
alternatives and MOX fuel fabrication
alternatives, as well as siting
alternatives for a Mixed-Oxide Fuel
Fabrication Facility (MFFF), a pit
disassembly and conversion facility
(PDCF), and an immobilization facility.
In a subsequent ROD (65 FR 1608,
January 11, 2000), NNSA documented
its decision to pursue a dual track
approach for plutonium disposition by
(1) immobilizing about 17 metric tons of
surplus weapons-usable plutonium, (2)
using 33 metric tons of surplus
weapons-usable plutonium to fabricate
MOX fuel for irradiation in commercial
nuclear reactors, and (3) constructing
and operating an immobilization
facility, a PDCF, and an MFFF at SRS.
On April 19, 2002 (67 FR 19432) and
April 24, 2003 (68 FR 20134), NNSA
decided to (1) cancel the immobilization
program, (2) immediately consolidate
storage of plutonium then stored at the
Rocky Flats Environmental Technology
Site at SRS, and (3) designate 34 metric
tons rather than 33 metric tons of
surplus plutonium for fabrication into
MOX fuel for irradiation in commercial
nuclear reactors. In 2008, NNSA
decided to construct and operate a
Waste Solidification Building (WSB) at
SRS to prepare waste from the MFFF
and the PDCF for disposal.
In 2015, NNSA completed the Surplus
Plutonium Disposition Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement (SPD
Supplemental EIS) (DOE/EIS–0283–S2).
In the SPD Supplemental EIS, NNSA
evaluated the MOX Fuel Alternative, the
WIPP Alternative (also referred to as
‘‘plutonium downblending’’ or ‘‘dilute
and dispose’’), and two variations on
immobilization for disposition of 6
metric tons of non-pit plutonium and
7.1 metric tons of pit plutonium. This
13.1 metric tons of surplus plutonium,
for which a disposition path had not
previously been assigned, was in
addition to the 34 metric tons NNSA
decided to disposition using the MOX
approach. In addition, NNSA evaluated
options for pit disassembly and
conversion. In 2015 (80 FR 80348,
December 24, 2015), DOE announced its
preferred alternative for the 6 metric
tons of non-pit plutonium evaluated in
the SPD Supplemental EIS. In 2016,
NNSA issued a ROD to dispose of the
6 metric tons of non-pit plutonium
using the WIPP Alternative (dilute and
dispose) (81 FR 19588, April 5, 2016).
Using that approach, NNSA is currently
diluting the 6 metric tons of non-pit
plutonium with an adulterant using
modified or existing facilities, packaging
the material as contact-handled TRU
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81462
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 242 / Wednesday, December 16, 2020 / Notices
waste, and shipping it to WIPP for
emplacement.
In addition, in August 2020 NNSA
prepared a Supplement Analysis (SA)
based on the analysis presented in the
2015 SPD SEIS to evaluate using dilute
and dispose for disposition of 7.1 MT of
non-pit plutonium that comprises a part
of the 34 MT (DOE/EIS–0283–SA–4,
August 2020). NNSA subsequently
issued an Amended ROD (AROD) to use
dilute and dispose to disposition that
7.1 MT of the 34 MT mission (85 FR
53350, August 28, 2020). The SA and
AROD are available online at https://
www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepareading-room.
This same dilute and dispose process
is being proposed to disposition the full
34 MT of surplus plutonium that is the
responsibility of the Surplus Plutonium
Disposition Program.
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Purpose and Need for Agency Action
NNSA’s purpose in taking action is to
reduce the threat of nuclear weapons
proliferation worldwide by
dispositioning surplus plutonium in the
United States in a safe and secure
manner, ensuring that it can never again
be readily used in nuclear weapons.
Since the end of the Cold War in the
early 1990s and the Presidential
declarations of surplus fissile materials,
NNSA has been charged with
dispositioning surplus plutonium. Over
the last two and a half decades, NNSA
has studied many alternative
technologies and locations for surplus
plutonium disposition. There is a need
for NNSA to implement a disposition
process and strategy that can be safely
executed in a reasonable time at a cost
consistent with fiscal realities.
Proposed Action and Alternatives
Preferred Alternative. NNSA proposes
implementing the dilute and dispose
approach to disposition surplus
weapons-usable plutonium. The effort
would require new, modified, or
existing capabilities at SRS, LANL,
Pantex, and WIPP. Under the dilute and
dispose approach, NNSA would convert
pit and non-pit metal plutonium to
oxide, blend surplus plutonium in oxide
form with an adulterant, and emplace
the resulting CH–TRU waste
underground in WIPP. NNSA believes
that implementing a proven method is
the most efficient way to move forward
with the Surplus Plutonium Disposition
Program. NNSA evaluated this process
in the SPD Supplemental EIS (DOE/EIS–
0283–S–2, April 2015) and decided to
use it to dispose of 6 MT of non-pit
plutonium (81 FR 19588, April 5, 2016).
The process was also evaluated in the
Supplement Analysis for Disposition of
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Additional Non-Pit Surplus Plutonium
(DOE/EIS–0283–SA–4, August 2020)
and NNSA decided to use it to
disposition 7.1 MT of non-pit
plutonium (85 FR 53350, August 28,
2020). Dilute and dispose is NNSA’s
preferred alternative for the disposition
of the full 34 MT of surplus plutonium
that is the responsibility of the Surplus
Plutonium Disposition Program.
No Action Alternative. NNSA will
evaluate a No Action Alternative in the
SPDP EIS. The No Action Alternative
will be continued safe storage of surplus
pit plutonium at Pantex and disposition
of 7.1 MT of non-pit plutonium using
the dilute and dispose approach.
If any other reasonable alternatives
are identified during the scoping period,
NNSA will also evaluate those
alternatives in the EIS. Following
completion of the SPDP EIS, NNSA will
select an alternative for disposition of
surplus weapons-usable plutonium,
including locations and options for
processing capabilities, and the specific
quantity of material to be dispositioned.
Potential Environmental Issues for
Analysis
NNSA tentatively identified the
following environmental issues that will
be analyzed in the SPDP EIS. This list
is not intended to be comprehensive.
• Impacts to the general population
and onsite workers from radiological
and non-radiological releases resulting
from construction and operation of
facilities required to implement the
proposed action and alternatives.
• Impacts of transporting plutonium
materials from current storage and
management locations to facilities
required to disassemble pits and dilute
plutonium oxide. Analysis of
transportation to WIPP may be
summarized from existing NEPA
analyses, as appropriate.
• Impacts to the general public and
onsite workers from postulated
accidents.
• Socioeconomic impacts to local
communities.
• Disproportionately high and
adverse impacts on low-income and
minority populations (environmental
justice).
• Impacts on air quality, surface
water quality, and groundwater quality.
• Impacts to land use, biota, and
threatened and endangered species.
• Impacts to cultural resources.
• Impacts to geology and soils,
including seismic risks.
EIS Preparation and Schedule
Following the scoping period, and
after consideration of comments
received during scoping, NNSA will
PO 00000
Frm 00021
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
prepare a draft EIS for disposition of
surplus plutonium. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
will announce the availability of the
draft EIS in the Federal Register. NNSA
will also publish a Notice of availability
in the Federal Register and announce
the draft EIS in local media outlets.
NNSA expects to issue the draft SPDP
EIS in calendar year 2021.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of
Energy was signed on December 10,
2020, by William A. Bookless, Acting
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 December
11, 2020.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S.
Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2020–27674 Filed 12–15–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. IC21–3–000]
Commission Information Collection
Activities; Request for Emergency
Extension for FERC–725D
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of request for an
emergency extension.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(Commission or FERC) has solicited
public comments on FERC–725D
(Mandatory Reliability Standard:
Facilities Design, Connections and
Maintenance Reliability Standards).
FERC submitted a request to the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) for a
three-month emergency extension (to
March 31, 2021) to ensure this
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 242 (Wednesday, December 16, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81460-81462]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-27674]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
National Nuclear Security Administration
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program
AGENCY: National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi-
autonomous agency within the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy
(DOE), announces its intent, consistent with the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), to prepare a Surplus Plutonium Disposition
Program (SPDP) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate
alternatives for the safe and timely disposition of plutonium surplus
to the defense needs of the United States. NNSA will prepare a SPDP EIS
to evaluate the dilute and dispose alternative, also known as
``plutonium downblending,'' and any other identified reasonable
alternatives for the disposition of surplus plutonium. The dilute and
dispose approach would require new, modified, or existing capabilities
at the Savannah River Site (SRS), Los Alamos National Laboratory
(LANL), Pantex Plant (Pantex), and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
(WIPP). The purpose of this Notice is to invite public participation in
the process and to encourage public involvement on the scope and
alternatives that should be considered.
[[Page 81461]]
DATES: The public scoping period begins with the publication of this
Notice in the Federal Register and continues until February 1, 2021.
Comments received after this date will be considered to the extent
practicable.
In light of recent public health concerns, NNSA will be hosting an
internet- and telephone-based, virtual public scoping meeting in place
of an in-person meeting. The date of the meeting will be provided in a
future notice posted on the following website: https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room. NNSA will hold the meeting no earlier than
15 days from the posting of the notice. Public scoping meeting details
will also be announced in local media outlets.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the SPDP EIS, requests to
be placed on the SPDP EIS mailing list, and requests for information
related to the SPDP EIS should be sent to: Mr. Jeffrey Galan, NNSA NEPA
Document Manager, by regular mail at: Mr. Jeffrey Galan, NEPA Document
Manager, NNSA Office of Material Management and Minimization, Savannah
River Site, P.O. Box A, Bldg. 730-2B, Rm. 328, Aiken, SC 29802; or sent
by email to [email protected] or phone to 803-952-7434.
NNSA invites other 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
SPDP EIS. Written and oral comments will be given equal weight and NNSA
will consider all comments received or postmarked by the end of the
comment period in preparing the Draft SPDP EIS. Comments received or
postmarked after the comment period will be considered to the extent
practicable. Before including your address, phone number, email
address, or other personally identifiable information in your comment,
please be advised that your entire comment--including your personally
identifiable 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.
This Notice of Intent, information related to the online scoping
meeting (including internet and telephone access details), and
instructions on how to participate will be available at the following
website: https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room and
announced in local media outlets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about this
Notice, please contact Mr. Jeffrey Galan, NNSA NEPA Document Manager,
by regular mail at: Mr. Jeffrey Galan, NEPA Document Manager, NNSA
Office of Material Management and Minimization, Savannah River Site,
P.O. Box A, Bldg. 730-2B, Rm. 328, Aiken, SC 29802; phone: 803-952-
7434; or email to: [email protected].
Requests for general information concerning the NNSA NEPA process
should be directed to Mrs. Amy Miller, NEPA Compliance Officer, NNSA
Office of General Counsel, P.O. Box 5400, Albuquerque, NM 87185-5400;
or sent by email to [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NNSA will prepare the SPDP EIS in accordance
with the previous version of the Council on Environmental Quality
regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508, 1978 as amended in 1986 and 2005),
as this version was controlling at the time the NEPA process for the
SPDP was initiated.
Background
The following is a summary of NNSA's previous NEPA reviews and
decisions regarding the disposition of surplus plutonium.
Following the end of the Cold War, the United States in 1994
declared 52.5 metric tons of plutonium surplus to the defense needs of
the Nation. In 2007, an additional 9 metric tons of plutonium was
declared surplus. Since the mid-1990s, NNSA has prepared several NEPA
reviews to evaluate alternative means of assuring that the surplus
plutonium would no longer be suitable for use in nuclear weapons. In
1996, DOE completed the Storage and Disposition of Weapons-Usable
Fissile Materials Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS-
0229). DOE evaluated deep borehole, immobilization, and reactor
alternatives, each with sub-alternatives, for dispositioning surplus
plutonium. In a subsequent Record of Decision (ROD) (62 FR 304, January
21, 1997), NNSA documented its decision to (1) immobilize some or all
surplus plutonium for disposal in a geologic repository, (2) fabricate
some surplus plutonium into mixed oxide (MOX) fuel for irradiation in
commercial reactors, (3) consolidate storage of pit plutonium at
Pantex, and (4) consolidate storage of non-pit plutonium at the SRS.
In 1999, DOE completed the Surplus Plutonium Disposition
Environmental Impact Statement (SPD EIS, DOE/EIS-0283). In the SPD EIS,
DOE evaluated immobilization (ceramic and glass) alternatives and MOX
fuel fabrication alternatives, as well as siting alternatives for a
Mixed-Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF), a pit disassembly and
conversion facility (PDCF), and an immobilization facility. In a
subsequent ROD (65 FR 1608, January 11, 2000), NNSA documented its
decision to pursue a dual track approach for plutonium disposition by
(1) immobilizing about 17 metric tons of surplus weapons-usable
plutonium, (2) using 33 metric tons of surplus weapons-usable plutonium
to fabricate MOX fuel for irradiation in commercial nuclear reactors,
and (3) constructing and operating an immobilization facility, a PDCF,
and an MFFF at SRS.
On April 19, 2002 (67 FR 19432) and April 24, 2003 (68 FR 20134),
NNSA decided to (1) cancel the immobilization program, (2) immediately
consolidate storage of plutonium then stored at the Rocky Flats
Environmental Technology Site at SRS, and (3) designate 34 metric tons
rather than 33 metric tons of surplus plutonium for fabrication into
MOX fuel for irradiation in commercial nuclear reactors. In 2008, NNSA
decided to construct and operate a Waste Solidification Building (WSB)
at SRS to prepare waste from the MFFF and the PDCF for disposal.
In 2015, NNSA completed the Surplus Plutonium Disposition
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SPD Supplemental EIS)
(DOE/EIS-0283-S2). In the SPD Supplemental EIS, NNSA evaluated the MOX
Fuel Alternative, the WIPP Alternative (also referred to as ``plutonium
downblending'' or ``dilute and dispose''), and two variations on
immobilization for disposition of 6 metric tons of non-pit plutonium
and 7.1 metric tons of pit plutonium. This 13.1 metric tons of surplus
plutonium, for which a disposition path had not previously been
assigned, was in addition to the 34 metric tons NNSA decided to
disposition using the MOX approach. In addition, NNSA evaluated options
for pit disassembly and conversion. In 2015 (80 FR 80348, December 24,
2015), DOE announced its preferred alternative for the 6 metric tons of
non-pit plutonium evaluated in the SPD Supplemental EIS. In 2016, NNSA
issued a ROD to dispose of the 6 metric tons of non-pit plutonium using
the WIPP Alternative (dilute and dispose) (81 FR 19588, April 5, 2016).
Using that approach, NNSA is currently diluting the 6 metric tons of
non-pit plutonium with an adulterant using modified or existing
facilities, packaging the material as contact-handled TRU
[[Page 81462]]
waste, and shipping it to WIPP for emplacement.
In addition, in August 2020 NNSA prepared a Supplement Analysis
(SA) based on the analysis presented in the 2015 SPD SEIS to evaluate
using dilute and dispose for disposition of 7.1 MT of non-pit plutonium
that comprises a part of the 34 MT (DOE/EIS-0283-SA-4, August 2020).
NNSA subsequently issued an Amended ROD (AROD) to use dilute and
dispose to disposition that 7.1 MT of the 34 MT mission (85 FR 53350,
August 28, 2020). The SA and AROD are available online at https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room.
This same dilute and dispose process is being proposed to
disposition the full 34 MT of surplus plutonium that is the
responsibility of the Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program.
Purpose and Need for Agency Action
NNSA's purpose in taking action is to reduce the threat of nuclear
weapons proliferation worldwide by dispositioning surplus plutonium in
the United States in a safe and secure manner, ensuring that it can
never again be readily used in nuclear weapons.
Since the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s and the
Presidential declarations of surplus fissile materials, NNSA has been
charged with dispositioning surplus plutonium. Over the last two and a
half decades, NNSA has studied many alternative technologies and
locations for surplus plutonium disposition. There is a need for NNSA
to implement a disposition process and strategy that can be safely
executed in a reasonable time at a cost consistent with fiscal
realities.
Proposed Action and Alternatives
Preferred Alternative. NNSA proposes implementing the dilute and
dispose approach to disposition surplus weapons-usable plutonium. The
effort would require new, modified, or existing capabilities at SRS,
LANL, Pantex, and WIPP. Under the dilute and dispose approach, NNSA
would convert pit and non-pit metal plutonium to oxide, blend surplus
plutonium in oxide form with an adulterant, and emplace the resulting
CH-TRU waste underground in WIPP. NNSA believes that implementing a
proven method is the most efficient way to move forward with the
Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program. NNSA evaluated this process in
the SPD Supplemental EIS (DOE/EIS-0283-S-2, April 2015) and decided to
use it to dispose of 6 MT of non-pit plutonium (81 FR 19588, April 5,
2016). The process was also evaluated in the Supplement Analysis for
Disposition of Additional Non-Pit Surplus Plutonium (DOE/EIS-0283-SA-4,
August 2020) and NNSA decided to use it to disposition 7.1 MT of non-
pit plutonium (85 FR 53350, August 28, 2020). Dilute and dispose is
NNSA's preferred alternative for the disposition of the full 34 MT of
surplus plutonium that is the responsibility of the Surplus Plutonium
Disposition Program.
No Action Alternative. NNSA will evaluate a No Action Alternative
in the SPDP EIS. The No Action Alternative will be continued safe
storage of surplus pit plutonium at Pantex and disposition of 7.1 MT of
non-pit plutonium using the dilute and dispose approach.
If any other reasonable alternatives are identified during the
scoping period, NNSA will also evaluate those alternatives in the EIS.
Following completion of the SPDP EIS, NNSA will select an alternative
for disposition of surplus weapons-usable plutonium, including
locations and options for processing capabilities, and the specific
quantity of material to be dispositioned.
Potential Environmental Issues for Analysis
NNSA tentatively identified the following environmental issues that
will be analyzed in the SPDP EIS. This list is not intended to be
comprehensive.
Impacts to the general population and onsite workers from
radiological and non-radiological releases resulting from construction
and operation of facilities required to implement the proposed action
and alternatives.
Impacts of transporting plutonium materials from current
storage and management locations to facilities required to disassemble
pits and dilute plutonium oxide. Analysis of transportation to WIPP may
be summarized from existing NEPA analyses, as appropriate.
Impacts to the general public and onsite workers from
postulated accidents.
Socioeconomic impacts to local communities.
Disproportionately high and adverse impacts on low-income
and minority populations (environmental justice).
Impacts on air quality, surface water quality, and
groundwater quality.
Impacts to land use, biota, and threatened and endangered
species.
Impacts to cultural resources.
Impacts to geology and soils, including seismic risks.
EIS Preparation and Schedule
Following the scoping period, and after consideration of comments
received during scoping, NNSA will prepare a draft EIS for disposition
of surplus plutonium. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
will announce the availability of the draft EIS in the Federal
Register. NNSA will also publish a Notice of availability in the
Federal Register and announce the draft EIS in local media outlets.
NNSA expects to issue the draft SPDP EIS in calendar year 2021.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of Energy was signed on December
10, 2020, by William A. Bookless, Acting 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 December 11, 2020.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2020-27674 Filed 12-15-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
