[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 98 (Monday, May 23, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-12644]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 23, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
 

Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Continued Operation of the Pantex Plant and Associated Storage of 
Nuclear Weapon Components

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (the Department) announces its 
intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, pursuant to the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.), in accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality 
Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR 
parts 1500-1508) and the Department's implementing procedures (10 CFR 
part 1021). The purpose of this Notice is to invite public 
participation in the process and to encourage public dialogue on 
alternatives that should be considered. This Environmental Impact 
Statement will address the potential environmental impacts concerning 
the continued operation of the Pantex Plant, including near- to mid-
term foreseeable activities and the nuclear component storage 
activities at other Department sites associated with nuclear weapon 
disassembly at the Pantex Plant, over the next 5 to 10 years. The 
Secretary of Energy committed to preparing this Environmental Impact 
Statement in a letter to the Governor of Texas and also in the Finding 
of No Significant Impact (59 FR 3674, January 26, 1994) for the 
Environmental Assessment for Interim Storage of Plutonium Components at 
Pantex (DOE/EA-0812, January 1994).
    The Pantex Plant, near Amarillo, Texas, is the site at which the 
Department fulfills its responsibilities regarding the disassembly of 
nuclear weapons, certain maintenance and monitoring activities of the 
nuclear weapons stockpile, modification and assembly of nuclear 
weapons, and production of high explosive components for nuclear 
weapons. The Department also conducts certain quality evaluation of 
weapons, quality assurance testing of weapon components, and research 
and development activities supporting nuclear weapons at the Pantex 
Plant. The Department's responsibilities are mandated by statute, 
Presidential direction, and Congressional authorization and 
appropriation. Currently, most of the work taking place at the Pantex 
Plant is the disassembly of nuclear weapons. The nuclear components 
resulting from the disassembly of the weapons are either stored at the 
Pantex Plant; stored or processed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory 
in Los Alamos, New Mexico; or stored or processed at the Oak Ridge 
Reservation near Knoxville, Tennessee. Tritium pressure vessels are 
processed and the tritium is recycled at the Savannah River Site near 
Aiken, South Carolina.
    In order to meet the Department's continuing responsibilities 
regarding the nuclear weapons stockpile, the Department proposes to 
continue the current operations of the Pantex Plant, continue the 
current nuclear component storage activities at the various Department 
sites, and implement projects and facility upgrades at Pantex 
consistent with current responsibilities over the next 5 to 10 years. 
Other alternatives being considered for discussion in this 
Environmental Impact Statement include the relocation of some of the 
Pantex Plant operations and relocation of current storage activities to 
other Department or Federal sites, as well as the ``No Action'' 
alternative required by NEPA. In addition, an alternative discussing 
the shutdown of operations at the Pantex Plant will be considered in 
evaluating baseline conditions.
    This Notice of Intent reflects commitments made to the State of 
Texas and stakeholders during the public participation efforts 
conducted for the Environmental Assessment for Interim Storage. The 
Department will shortly announce other NEPA analyses that might affect 
the scope of this Environmental Impact Statement or how commitments 
will be addressed. If this occurs, updates on the proposed scope of 
this Environmental Impact Statement will be published and the public 
will be given the opportunity to discuss and comment on any changes 
during the scoping process.

DATES: The Department invites the general public, other government 
agencies, and all other interested parties to comment on the 
appropriate scope and content of this Environmental Impact Statement 
for the continued operation of the Pantex Plant and associated storage 
of nuclear components to ensure that the full range of significant 
environmental issues and alternatives related to this proposal are 
addressed. The public scoping period will continue until June 30, 1994. 
All comments and suggestions received or postmarked by that date, 
whether written, oral, submitted directly to the Department, or 
presented during the scoping meetings, will be given equal 
consideration in defining the scope of this Environmental Impact 
Statement and the issues to be discussed. Comments received or 
postmarked after June 30, 1994 will be considered to the extent 
practicable. In addition, the Department is committed to providing 
opportunities for the involvement of interested individuals and groups 
in this and other Department planning activities outside of the formal 
scoping process of this Environmental Impact Statement.

Public Scoping Meetings

    Public scoping meetings are scheduled to be held at the following 
times and locations:

Amarillo Civic Center, 400 South Buchanan, Amarillo, Texas
Date: Tuesday, June 7, 1994
Time: 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Los Alamos High School, 1300 Diamond Drive, Los Alamos, New Mexico
Date: Thursday, June 9, 1994
Time: 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The Holiday Inn, 325 East Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date: Tuesday, June 14, 1994
Time: 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Aiken Conference Center, 214 Park Avenue, Southwest, Aiken, South 
Carolina
Date: Tuesday, June 14, 1994
Time: 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The Pollard Auditorium, 210 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Date: Thursday, June 16, 1994
Time: 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The Holiday Inn Capital, 550 ``C'' Street, Washington, DC
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 1994
Time: 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

    Oral and written comments may be presented at the public scoping 
meetings. The Department will publish additional notices on the dates 
and locations of the scoping meetings in local newspapers well in 
advance of the scheduled meetings. If it becomes necessary to change 
any of the dates, times, or locations of the meetings, the changes will 
be announced in the local media and in the Federal Register, if 
appropriate.

Oral Comments

    All interested parties are invited to record their comments or 
suggestions concerning this Environmental Impact Statement or their 
request to be placed on the distribution list by calling the Pantex 
Plant Environmental Impact Statement Hotline at 1-800-788-0306. The 
Hotline will give instructions on how to record your comments.

Written Comments

    Written comments or suggestions to assist the Department in 
identifying significant environmental issues and the appropriate scope 
of the Pantex Plant Environmental Impact Statement, questions 
concerning the Pantex Plant or the other Department sites involved, 
requests for speaking times, requests to be placed on the Pantex Plant 
Environmental Impact Statement mailing list, requests for copies of the 
Environmental Impact Statement Implementation Plan, and requests to be 
placed on the Environmental Impact Statement distribution list should 
be directed to: Mr. David E. Rosson, Jr., U.S. Department of Energy, 
Albuquerque Operations Office, P.O. Box 5400, Albuquerque, New Mexico 
87185-5400.
    As an alternative, written comments and requests can be submitted 
using the Pantex Plant Environmental Impact Statement Faxline at 1-800-
822-5499. Envelopes and facsimiles should be marked: ``Pantex Plant 
Environmental Impact Statement.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on DOE's NEPA process, 
please contact: Ms. Carol Borgstrom, Director, U.S. Department of 
Energy, Office of NEPA Oversight (EH-25), 1000 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Washington, DC 20585, 202-586-4600 or 1-800-472-2756.

ADDRESSES: Copies of all written comments, transcripts of all oral 
comments, and copies of the Environmental Impact Statement 
Implementation Plan will be prepared and retained by the Department for 
inspection by the public at the following locations:

U.S. Department of Energy Public Reading Room, Reference Department, 
Lynn Library and Learning Center, Amarillo College, 2201 South 
Washington, 4th Floor, Amarillo, Texas 79109, 806-371-5400
U.S. Department of Energy Public Reading Room, Carson County Public 
Library, 401 Main Street, P.O. Box 339, Panhandle, Texas 79068, 806-
537-3742
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Community Reading Room, Museum Parke 
Office Complex, 1450 Central Avenue, Suite 101, Los Alamos, New 
Mexico 87544, 505-665-2127 or 1-800-543-2342
Oak Ridge Public Reading Room, 55 Jefferson Avenue, Oak Ridge, 
Tennessee 37830, 615-576-0887
U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office Public Reading 
Room, 2753 S. Highland Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109, 702-295-1274
U.S. Department of Energy, Public Document Room, 2nd Floor, 
University Library, University of South Carolina, Aiken Campus, 171 
University Parkway, Aiken, South Carolina 29801, 803-648-6851
U.S. Department of Energy, National Atomic Museum Public Reading 
Room, Kirtland Air Force Base, Building 20358, Wyoming Boulevard, 
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87115, 505-845-6670/4378
U. S. Department of Energy, Freedom of Information Reading Room, 
room 1E-190, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20825 202-586-6020

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Historically, the Department's national security mission has 
included the assembly and disassembly of nuclear weapons as mandated by 
statute, Presidential direction, and Congressional authorization and 
appropriation. The Department has carried out this mission at the 
Pantex Plant, located in the Panhandle of Texas in Carson County near 
Amarillo. Assembled weapons are transported and transferred to the 
Department of Defense for deployment and retired weapons are returned 
to the Pantex Plant for disassembly. The Pantex Plant is owned by the 
Department and currently operated under contract with the Department by 
the Mason & Hanger-Silas Mason Co., Inc.
    Over the years, activities at the Pantex Plant have included four 
major types of operations: (1) Fabrication of conventional high 
explosives, (2) assembly of nuclear weapons from these high explosives 
and prefabricated weapons components received from off-site suppliers, 
(3) maintenance, modification, and quality assurance testing of nuclear 
weapons already in the military stockpile, and (4) disassembly of 
nuclear weapons. The Pantex Plant has conducted these activities in a 
safe and responsible fashion for more than 40 years. In the past, the 
Pantex Plant's primary activity was the assembly of nuclear weapons. 
Currently, the Pantex Plant's primary activity is the disassembly of 
nuclear weapons, although all of the historical missions are being or 
may still be performed.
    After the weapons have been disassembled, the disposition of the 
associated components depends on their characteristics, the facilities 
that the Department has available, and any future need for these 
components. Nuclear components, those containing significant amounts of 
tritium or Special Nuclear Material (enriched uranium or plutonium), 
are either retained by the Department at the Pantex Plant or sent to 
facilities at other Department sites. The major nuclear components and 
their respective destinations are as follows:
    (a) Plutonium components (pits), which are assemblies containing 
encapsulated weapons grade plutonium (the major constituent being the 
fissile plutonium isotope Pu-239), are currently retained at the Pantex 
Plant;
    (b) Radioisotopic Thermoelectric Generators, which are components 
containing an encapsulated plutonium heat source (the major constituent 
being the nonfissile isotope Pu-238), are shipped to the Los Alamos 
National Laboratory where the heat source is removed and either stored 
or de-encapsulated and may be shipped offsite for additional 
processing;
    (c) Secondaries, which contain enriched uranium, are sent to the 
Oak Ridge Reservation for storage; and
    (d) Reservoirs, which are tritium-containing pressure vessels, are 
sent to the Savannah River Site where the tritium is purified and 
reused in the enduring stockpile.
    Non-nuclear components are recycled, salvaged, or disposed of at 
the Pantex Plant or at other sites. These components include high 
explosives, electronics, and structural parts (some of which contain 
depleted uranium). Some disposition of these parts is handled through 
commercial firms.
    The Department recently completed the Environmental Assessment for 
Interim Storage of Plutonium Components at Pantex. The Department 
evaluated the proposed interim storage of up to 20,000 pits. In 
response to comments received from State and local officials and other 
stakeholders, the Department decided to store no more than 12,000 pits 
at Pantex until a site-wide Environmental Impact Statement (i.e., this 
Environmental Impact Statement) covering all current and proposed 
facilities and activities at Pantex is completed. Additionally, this 
Environmental Impact Statement will address the environmental impacts 
at other sites which may result from the storage of highly enriched 
uranium, tritium, and weapons components resulting from the 
dismantlement of nuclear weapons. A Record of Decision for this 
Environmental Impact Statement will be issued by November 15, 1996. The 
Department is preparing to initiate separate NEPA documentation that 
will address the long-term disposition of the materials and components 
covered in this Environmental Impact Statement, as well as other 
materials.

Preliminary Identification of Alternatives and Issues

    A preliminary set of alternatives and issues for evaluation in the 
Environmental Impact Statement has been identified below. The final set 
of alternatives and issues to be considered in the Environmental Impact 
Statement will reflect consideration of the public input received 
during the scoping period.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action is to meet the Department's responsibilities 
over the next 5 to 10 years by continuing to operate the Pantex Plant 
with its current missions, and by continuing to store nuclear 
components at the Department sites currently used for that purpose. 
Continuing operations include production of high explosives, weapon 
components, assembly and disassembly of nuclear weapons, modification 
and maintenance of the nuclear weapon stockpile, quality assurance 
testing of weapon components, evaluation and surveillance of nuclear 
weapons, and research and development activities supporting nuclear 
weapons. In addition, the proposed action also involves implementing 
those facility upgrades, modifications, replacement facilities, and new 
proposed projects that are foreseeable over the next 5 to 10 years, 
pursuant to the missions at Pantex as established by Congress and the 
President. This alternative would involve storing, on an interim basis, 
up to 20,000 pits at the Pantex Plant. The proposed action at the 
Pantex Plant would include the establishment of a new research center, 
the potential for new mixed-waste treatment facilities, environmental 
cleanup and restoration activities, cooperative agreements with Texas 
Technical University, and activities associated with the technology 
transfer program. The proposed action would also include all routine 
activities such as infrastructure and building maintenance, operations 
and equipment relocations and consolidations, modifications to 
buildings, general landscaping, site characterization, transportation 
of materials, and similar support activities.
    The proposed action will also consider and analyze to the extent 
practicable any environmental issues or impacts that may arise from the 
implementation of decisions by Congress and the President to allow 
third-party inspection at the Pantex Plant as part of any 
implementation of national nonproliferation policy.

Other Alternatives

    The following is an initial list of other alternatives for analysis 
in this Environmental Impact Statement. The list is tentative and is 
not intended to be all-inclusive, nor does it imply any predetermined 
selection of any alternative or decisions. Changes to this list may 
occur as the result of public input and the scoping process.
    Alternatives to the proposed action that have been preliminarily 
identified include:
    1. One alternative upon which the Department requests the public's 
views would consist of continuing the current course of operations at 
the Pantex Plant and the current component storage and recycling 
activities at the various Department sites. This is commonly referred 
to as a ``no action'' alternative. This alternative would not include 
any new projects or general facility upgrades or modifications. Current 
Pantex operations would include those projects already authorized and 
funded through Fiscal Year 1995, transportation activities (both onsite 
and offsite), environmental cleanup and restoration activities, and 
routine maintenance. The interim storage of up to 12,000 pits at the 
Pantex Plant would continue. The storage of highly enriched uranium 
components at the Oak Ridge Reservation, and the recycling of tritium-
containing components at the Savannah River Site and Radioisotopic 
Thermoelectric Generators at Los Alamos would also continue. No Action 
would result in curtailing dismantlement or the relocation of pits 
above 12,000 to another site for interim storage.
    2. A second alternative upon which the Department requests the 
public's views would discuss those activities that could be relocated 
or performed somewhere other than at the Pantex Plant and the current 
storage locations. This alternative will discuss the transfer of some 
or all of pit storage activities from the Pantex Plant and relocation 
of the other nuclear component storage from other sites. Discussion of 
alternate locations for some Pantex Plant operations will include the 
Nevada Test Site. Discussion of alternate locations for nuclear 
component storage will include certain Department sites and other 
Federal facilities, including those currently owned and operated by the 
Department of Defense. This alternative will analyze and consider, to 
the extent practical, any environmental issues or impacts that may 
arise from the implementation of decisions by Congress and the 
President to allow third-party inspection at the Pantex Plant as part 
of any implementation of national nonproliferation policy.

Department of Defense Sites as Storage Alternatives

    The Department of Energy solicits comments on the inclusion of 
Department of Defense sites as possible alternatives for the storage of 
nuclear components resulting from weapons disassembly. Through the 
public comment process on the Environmental Assessment for Interim 
Storage, a number of questions were raised in regard to the possibility 
of using Department of Defense sites as interim storage locations. 
Since the fact that nuclear weapons exist at a specific Department of 
Defense site is classified by the Department of Defense, the 
Environmental Assessment analyzed three generic sites: an active 
nuclear weapons storage facility, an inactive nuclear weapons storage 
facility, and an active conventional weapons storage facility. The use 
of Department of Defense sites was not considered as a viable 
alternative to the interim storage of plutonium components at the 
Pantex Plant under the Environmental Assessment for Interim Storage 
because it was not timely (per the immediate need), would cost more, 
and offered no environmental benefit.
    The Department of Energy is again considering Department of Defense 
sites as alternatives for near to mid-term storage of nuclear 
components at Department of Energy sites. Preliminary meetings have 
been held with Department of Defense staff to discuss the process for 
identifying facilities that are now or will be in excess to the 
Department of Defense needs that could be made available to the 
Department of Energy or those facilities where a joint tenant agreement 
could permit the Department to occupy a part of a larger facility. 
Based on the result of a facility review and preliminary assessment 
process, the degree of additional analysis, which may include 
additional scoping meetings at specific locations, and consideration of 
the Department of Defense facility alternatives will be determined. 
However, due to the same concerns regarding the classification of 
information about specific Department of Defense sites, the Department 
may be required to use the generic site method described above to 
discuss Department of Defense alternatives. The Department solicits 
comments on how to conduct the analysis of alternative Department of 
Defense storage sites so that maximum public participation is possible.

Preliminary Identification of Environmental Issues

    The issues listed below have been tentatively identified for 
analysis in this Environmental Impact Statement as being applicable to 
the operation of the Pantex Plant and the storage of nuclear 
components. The list is tentative and should be considered as 
illustrative to facilitate public comment on the scope of this 
Environmental Impact Statement. It is not intended to be all-inclusive, 
nor does it imply any predetermination of potential impacts. The 
Department invites suggestions for the addition or deletion of items on 
this list. Identified issues include:

--Potential effects on the public and workers from releases of 
radiological and hazardous materials during normal operations and from 
reasonably postulated accidents, including aircraft crashes;
--Potential effects of natural disasters including floods, tornadoes, 
and seismic events;
--Potential effect on air and water quality and other environmental 
consequences of normal operations and potential accidents;
--Potential cumulative effects of operations at the Pantex Plant and 
the storage activities at other sites, including relevant impacts from 
transportation activities, environmental restoration, present 
operations, and reasonably foreseeable activities at the sites;
--Potential socioeconomic impacts on surrounding communities, including 
demographics, economic base, labor pool, housing, transportation, 
utilities, public services/facilities, and education;
--Potential impacts on environmental justice;
--Potential effects on endangered species, economically and 
recreationally important species, floodplains, wetlands, and historic 
and archaeological resources, including paleontological sites and 
Native American resources;
--Potential effects on future decontamination and decommissioning 
decisions;
--Potential impacts from energy requirements and conservation 
alternatives;
--Effects on near and long-term waste management practices and 
activities, including pollution prevention, waste minimization, and 
waste stream characterization;
--Potential effects on agricultural lands and practices;
--Potential impacts of noise levels to the ambient environment and 
sensitive receptors;
--Potential impacts to scenic and visual resources;
--Potential impacts on land use plans, policies, and controls;
--Unavoidable adverse environmental impacts;
--Short-term uses of the environment versus long-term productivity; and
--Potential irretrievable and irreversible commitment of resources.

Related Documentation

    Background information regarding the operation of the Pantex Plant 
is available in the public reading rooms listed above. The Department 
will prepare transcripts of the oral comments received during the 
scoping meetings. The records of all comments, both oral and written, 
received during the scoping period will be made available for public 
review in the reading rooms listed earlier. All additional background 
documents and references developed during the Environmental Impact 
Statement process will also be made available in the reading rooms. The 
following is a list of forthcoming NEPA documentation related to this 
Environmental Impact Statement that have the potential for affecting 
its scope:
    (a) Reconfiguration Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement--On 
July 23, 1993, the Department published a revised Notice of Intent to 
prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for 
reconfiguration of its nuclear weapons complex due to nuclear weapons 
stockpile reductions. The Department will soon issue an update to its 
revised Notice of Intent which will reflect recent budget and stockpile 
reduction decisions;
    (b) Fissile Materials Storage and Disposition Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement--A draft Notice of Intent has been 
provided to stakeholders for review and comment. In the near future, 
the Department plans to publish a Notice of Intent in the Federal 
Register for a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement to address 
long-term storage of all fissile nuclear materials and disposition of 
surplus fissile nuclear materials; and
    (c) Proposed Interim Storage of Highly Enriched Uranium above the 
Maximum Historical Storage Level at the Y-12 Plant, Oak Ridge, 
Tennessee. This Environmental Assessment addresses proposed storage of 
highly enriched uranium above the maximum historical storage level at 
the Y-12 Plant. The draft Environmental Assessment has been reviewed by 
the State and by stakeholders, and is being revised.

Public Meeting Registration and Format

    Oral and written comments may be presented at the public scoping 
meetings. Persons desiring to speak at any of these meetings should 
register by calling the Pantex Plant Environmental Impact Statement 
Hotline by 3 p.m. two working days in advance of the scoping meeting; 
writing to Mr. Rosson at the Albuquerque Operations Office address; or 
submitting written requests using the Pantex Plant Environmental Impact 
Statement Faxline. Persons wishing to speak that have not registered in 
advance may register at the entrance of the meeting room. Individuals 
speaking on behalf of an organization should identify the organization 
represented.
    In order to solicit individual viewpoints and facilitate 
interactive communication between participants and representatives of 
the Department, separate meeting rooms will be established concurrent 
with the formal scoping meetings for questions and informal discussions 
regarding the issues in this Environmental Impact Statement.

Subsequent Document Preparation

    After the completion of the public scoping process, the Department 
will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement Implementation Plan (the 
Plan) and make it available to the public upon request and place it in 
the public reading rooms. The Plan will record the results of the 
scoping process and define the alternatives and issues that the 
Department will evaluate in this Environmental Impact Statement. The 
Department intends to complete the Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
in November 1995 and will announce its availability in the Federal 
Register. The Department will solicit comments from the public, 
organizations, and other agencies on the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement, and will consider all comments in its preparation of the 
Final Environmental Impact Statement.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 18, 1994.
Tara O'Toole,
Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 94-12644 Filed 5-20-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P