Notice of Availability for the Final Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operation of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 75566-75567 [2023-24141]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
• National Nuclear Security Administration

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 212 (Friday, November 3, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75566-75567]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-24141]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

National Nuclear Security Administration


Notice of Availability for the Final Site-Wide Environmental 
Impact Statement for Continued Operation of the Lawrence Livermore 
National Laboratory

AGENCY: National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi-
autonomous agency within the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy 
(DOE), announces the availability of a Final Site-Wide Environmental 
Impact Statement for Continued Operation of the Lawrence Livermore 
National Laboratory (Final LLNL SWEIS) (DOE/EIS-0547) in compliance 
with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). NNSA 
prepared the Final LLNL SWEIS to analyze the potential environmental 
impacts associated with continuing LLNL operations and foreseeable new 
and/or modified operations and facilities for approximately the next 15 
years. Volume 3 of the Final LLNL SWEIS is a comment response document 
(CRD), which includes all comments received during the public comment 
period on the Draft LLNL SWEIS, as well as NNSA's responses to those 
comments.

DATES: NNSA will not issue any Record of Decision (ROD) on the proposal 
for a minimum of 30 days after the date that the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) publishes its Notice of Availability (NOA) in 
the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Requests for additional information related to the Final 
LLNL SWEIS should be sent to Mr. Tom Grim, NEPA Document Manager, 
National Nuclear Security Administration, 1000 Independence Ave. SW, 
Washington, DC 20585; or sent by email to: [email protected].
    The Final LLNL SWEIS is available for viewing and downloading on 
the NNSA NEPA Reading Room website (www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room) and the DOE NEPA website (https://energy.gov/nepa/nepa-documents). Copies of the Final LLNL SWEIS will also be available at 
the Livermore Public Library, 1188 South Livermore Avenue, Livermore, 
California, and the Tracy Public Library, 20 East Eaton Avenue, Tracy, 
California.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about this 
notice, please contact Mr. Tom Grim, NEPA Document Manager, National 
Nuclear Security Administration, 1000 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, 
DC 20585; call 833-778-0508 to leave a message; or email at: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NNSA is responsible for meeting the national 
security requirements established by the President and Congress to 
maintain and enhance the safety, reliability, and performance of the 
U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. The continued operation of LLNL is 
critical to NNSA's Stockpile Stewardship and Management Program, 
preventing the spread and use of nuclear weapons worldwide, and many 
other areas that may impact national security and global stability. The 
Final LLNL SWEIS analyzes two alternatives: (1) the No-Action 
Alternative and (2) the Proposed Action. The Final LLNL SWEIS also 
analyzes the new hybrid work environment under both alternatives due to 
increases in remote work at LLNL. Under the No-Action Alternative, NNSA 
would continue current facility operations throughout LLNL in support 
of assigned missions. The No-Action Alternative includes previously 
approved construction of new facilities; modernization, upgrade, and 
utility projects; and decontamination, decommissioning, and demolition 
of excess and aging facilities through 2022.
    The Proposed Action includes the scope of the No-Action Alternative 
and an increase in current facility operations or enhanced operations 
that may require new or modified facilities and that are reasonably 
foreseeable over the next 15 years. Continued re-investment in site 
infrastructure would allow LLNL to meet mission deliverables and 
sustain science, technology, and engineering excellence to respond to 
future national security challenges. The Proposed Action includes 75 
new projects, totaling 3.3 million square feet, between 2023 and 2035. 
This comprises 61 proposed projects, totaling 2.9 million square feet, 
at LLNL's main site in Livermore, California and 14 proposed projects, 
totaling 385,000 square feet, at LLNL's remote testing site, Site 300, 
near Tracy, California. In addition, NNSA proposes 20 types of 
modernization, upgrade, and utility projects, each involving several 
facilities. Under the Proposed Action, NNSA would also decontaminate, 
decommission, and demolish 150 facilities, totaling 1,170,000 square 
feet. NNSA is also proposing operational changes that would increase 
the tritium emissions limits in the National Ignition Facility 
(Building 581) and the Tritium Facility (Building 331), decrease the 
administrative limit for fuels-grade-equivalent plutonium in the 
Superblock (Building 332), increase the administrative limits for 
plutonium-239 at Building 235, and revise the National Ignition 
Facility radioactive materials administrative limits to be consistent 
with DOE's Facility Hazard Categorization Standard. The Proposed Action 
also includes several projects to enhance the resilience of the energy 
infrastructure and demonstrate renewable power solutions.
    This Final LLNL SWEIS contains revisions and new information based 
in part on comments received on the Draft LLNL SWEIS. These revisions 
and new information are indicated by sidebars in the margins. Volume 3 
of the Final LLNL SWEIS contains summaries of the comments received, 
images of the comment documents, and NNSA's responses to the comments. 
NNSA considered all comments received on the Draft LLNL SWEIS in 
preparing the Final LLNL SWEIS.
    NNSA will consider the environmental impact analysis presented in 
the Final LLNL SWEIS, along with other information, in making decisions 
regarding how operations will be conducted at LLNL, including 
construction and operation of new facilities, modification and upgrade 
of existing facilities and utilities, operational changes, and/or 
decontamination, decommission and demolition of excess and aging 
facilities. NNSA will not issue any ROD on the proposal for a minimum 
of 30 days after the date that EPA publishes its NOA in the Federal 
Register. NNSA will publish any ROD in the Federal Register.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on October 13, 
2023, by Jill Hruby, Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and 
Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration, 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

[[Page 75567]]

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 27, 2023.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2023-24141 Filed 11-2-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P