National Nuclear Security Administration 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Amended Record of Decision: Surplus Plutonium Disposition; Waste Solidification Building
Document Number: E8-29240
Type: Notice
Date: 2008-12-10
Agency: Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a separately organized agency within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is amending the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Surplus Plutonium Disposition Environmental Impact Statement (SPD EIS) (DOE/EIS-0283, November 1999). In the SPD EIS ROD (65 FR 1608; January 11, 2000), DOE announced decisions for implementing the U.S. Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program, including affirming its January 1997 decision (62 FR 3014) to pursue a hybrid approach for the safe and secure disposition of up to 50 metric tons of surplus weapons-usable plutonium using both immobilization and mixed oxide (MOX) fuel technologies as evaluated in the Storage and Disposition of Weapons-Usable Fissile Materials Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Storage and Disposition PEIS) (DOE/EIS-0229, November 1996). Decisions announced in the SPD EIS ROD included construction and operation of three new facilities at the Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina, to disposition approximately 17 tons of surplus plutonium using the immobilization approach and the use of up to 33 metric tons as MOX fuel that would be irradiated in commercial reactors. The three new facilities were identified as a pit disassembly and conversion facility (PDCF), an immobilization facility,\1\ and a MOX fuel fabrication facility (MFFF). These facilities as analyzed in the SPD EIS were to be constructed in F-Area at SRS and included capabilities for management of wastes generated as part of the processing activities in each of the facilities. DOE/NNSA is today announcing its decision to construct and operate a standalone building, the waste solidification building (WSB), for treating and solidifying liquid transuranic waste and certain liquid low-level radioactive wastes from MFFF and PDCF, specifically a high-activity (high-alpha) waste stream from MFFF, a low-activity stripped-uranium waste stream from MFFF, and a low-activity laboratory waste stream from PDCF.\2\ This decision is based on the Supplement Analysis for Construction and Operation of a Waste Solidification Building at the Savannah River Site (WSB SA) (DOE/EIS-0283-SA-2) prepared pursuant to DOE procedures implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (10 CFR 1021.314). The WSB SA demonstrates that construction and operation of a standalone WSB represent neither substantial changes relevant to environmental concerns nor significant new circumstances or information relevant to environmental concerns from those evaluated in previous NEPA documents.
Record of Decision: Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operation of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
Document Number: E8-22678
Type: Notice
Date: 2008-09-26
Agency: Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is issuing this Record of Decision (ROD) for the continued operation of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in Los Alamos, New Mexico. This ROD is based on information and analyses contained in the Final Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for the Continued Operation of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, DOE/EIS-0380 (Final SWEIS or 2008 SWEIS) issued on May 16, 2008; comments on the SWEIS; and other factors, including costs, security considerations and the missions of NNSA. In the 2008 SWEIS, NNSA assessed three alternatives for the continued operation of LANL: (1) No Action, (2) Reduced Operations, and (3) Expanded Operations. The No Action Alternative analyzed in this SWEIS consists of NNSA and LANL continuing to implement earlier decisions based on previous National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews, including the 1999 LANL SWEIS (DOE/EIS-0238) and its ROD (64 FR 50797, Sept. 20, 1999). The 2008 SWEIS identified the Expanded Operations Alternative as NNSA's Preferred Alternative. The SWEIS includes a classified appendix that assesses the potential environmental impacts of a representative set of credible terrorist scenarios. Because NNSA is continuing to evaluate significant technical and national security issues that could affect the operation and missions of LANL, NNSA is making only a few decisions at this time regarding the continued operation of the laboratory. NNSA will not make any decisions regarding nuclear weapons production and other actions analyzed in the Complex Transformation Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS-0236-S4) (Complex Transformation SPEIS or SPEIS) prior to the completion of the SPEIS. However, NNSA must make some decisions now regarding LANL to support the safe and successful execution of the laboratory's current missions. It is likely that NNSA will issue other RODs regarding the continued operation of LANL based on the 2008 SWEIS, the SPEIS and other NEPA analyses. NNSA has decided to continue to implement the No Action Alternative with the addition of some elements of the Expanded Operations Alternative. These elements include increases in operation of some existing facilities and new facility projects needed for ongoing programs and protection of workers and the environment. For the most part, NNSA will continue the missions conducted at LANL at current levels at this time. NNSA will also continue to implement actions necessary to comply with the March 2005 Compliance Order on Consent (Consent Order), which requires investigation and remediation of environmental contamination at LANL. NNSA will not change pit production at LANL at this time; the 1999 ROD set pit production at LANL at 20 per year.
Notice of Availability of the Final Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operation of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
Document Number: E8-11007
Type: Notice
Date: 2008-05-16
Agency: Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration
NNSA announces the availability of the Final Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operation of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico (Final SWEIS) (DOE/EIS- 0380). The Final SWEIS analyzes the potential environmental impacts of continuing to operate Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and addresses public comments received on the Draft SWEIS. NNSA's Preferred Alternative for LANL, as identified in the Draft and Final SWEIS, is the Expanded Operations Alternative. The Final SWEIS also evaluates a No Action Alternative and a Reduced Operations Alternative.
Finding of No Significant Impact; Modernization of Facilities and Infrastructure for the Non-Nuclear Production Activities Conducted at the National Nuclear Security Administration's Kansas City Plant Environmental Assessment (DOE/EA-1592)
Document Number: E8-9322
Type: Notice
Date: 2008-04-29
Agency: Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, General Services Administration, Agencies and Commissions
The General Services Administration (GSA) and the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) issue this Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on their proposal to relocate certain non-nuclear component production and procurement activities to a smaller, more efficient and flexible facility. This FONSI is based on the General Services Administration/National Nuclear Security Administration ``Modernization of Facilities and Infrastructure for the Non-Nuclear Production Activities Conducted at the National Nuclear Security Administration's Kansas City Plant Environmental Assessment'' (EA), DOE/EA-1592, April 21, 2008. The EA was prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. Sec. Sec. 4321 et seq.), regulations implementing NEPA issued by the Council on Environmental Quality (40 C.F.R. Parts 15001508), and the NEPA implementing procedures of GSA (ADM 1095.1F) and the Department of Energy (10 C.F.R. Part 1021). The selected alternative is for GSA to procure the construction of a new facility at the intersection of Botts Road and Missouri Highway 150 in Kansas City, Missouri. GSA would lease the facility on NNSA's behalf, and NNSA would move its operations from the Bannister Federal Complex to the new facility, and conduct production and procurement operations for electrical and mechanical non-nuclear components there (the phrase ``electrical and mechanical'' non-nuclear components, as used in the EA and this FONSI, also includes electronics, electromechanical parts, and engineered materials such as plastics, ceramics, glass, polymers and foams). The NNSA's Kansas City Plant (KCP) performs these activities for NNSA, Department of Energy (DOE) programs, and other federal agencies (``work for others'').
Additional Public Hearing on the Draft Complex Transformation Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
Document Number: E8-4544
Type: Notice
Date: 2008-03-07
Agency: Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration
On January 11, 2008, NNSA published a Notice of Availability and Public Hearings for the Draft Complex Transformation Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Draft Complex Transformation SPEIS, DOE/EIS-0236-S4; 73 FR 2023). That notice provided the schedule for 19 public hearings to receive comments on the Draft Complex Transformation SPEIS. Today, NNSA announces an additional public hearing to be held in Espa[ntilde]ola, New Mexico. Date and Location: NNSA will hold the additional public hearing on March 27, 2008 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at: San Gabriel Mision y Convento, Plaza de Espa[ntilde]ola, 1 Calle de las Espa[ntilde]olas, Espa[ntilde]ola, New Mexico (NW corner of the intersection of NM Rt 30 and Paseo de Onate in the City of Espa[ntilde]ola).
Draft Complex Transformation Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
Document Number: E8-365
Type: Notice
Date: 2008-01-11
Agency: Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi- autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), announces the availability of the Draft Complex Transformation Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Draft Complex Transformation SPEIS, DOE/EIS-0236-S4). The Draft Complex Transformation SPEIS analyzes the potential environmental impacts of reasonable alternatives to continue the transformation of the U.S. nuclear weapons complex to one that is smaller, more efficient, more secure, and better able to respond to changes in national security requirements. While NNSA has revised the document title from that indicated in the Notice of Intent, it remains a supplement to the Stockpile Stewardship and Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. NNSA has prepared this document in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations that implement the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and DOE procedures implementing NEPA (10 CFR Part 1021).
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