[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 208 (Friday, October 28, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page ]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-26786]


[Federal Register: October 28, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Reconfiguration of the Nuclear Weapons Complex

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice to Separate the Current Reconfiguration Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) into Two Separate Analyses: 
Tritium Supply and Recycling, and Stockpile Stewardship and Management.

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SUMMARY: In January 1991, the then Secretary of Energy announced that 
the Department would prepare a programmatic environmental impact 
statement (PEIS) examining alternatives for the reconfiguration of the 
nuclear weapons complex (the Complex). The framework for the 
Reconfiguration PEIS was described in the January 1991 Nuclear Weapons 
Complex Reconfiguration Study (Reconfiguration Study), a detailed 
examination of alternatives for the future Complex. Because of the 
significant changes in the world since January 1991, especially with 
regard to projected future requirements for the United States' nuclear 
weapons stockpile, the Department has concluded that the framework 
described in the Reconfiguration Study does not exist today. 
Contributing factors to this conclusion include public comments at the 
September-October 1993 PEIS scoping meetings, the fact that no new 
nuclear weapons production is required for the foreseeable future, 
budget constraints, and the Department's decision to prepare a separate 
PEIS on Storage and Disposition of Weapons-Usable Fissile Nuclear 
Materials. As a result of these changed circumstances, the Department 
is proposing to separate the Reconfiguration PEIS into two PEISs: (1) a 
Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS to be completed in November 1995; and 
(2) a Stockpile Stewardship and Management PEIS.
    Stockpile stewardship includes activities required to maintain a 
high level of confidence in the safety, reliability, and performance of 
nuclear weapons in the absence of underground testing, and to be 
prepared to test weapons if directed by the President. Stockpile 
management activities include maintenance, evaluation, repair or 
replacement of weapons in the existing stockpile. To define a new 
stockpile stewardship and management proposal, the Department is 
reviewing its nuclear weapons complex stockpile stewardship and 
management activities. This review will take into account the latest 
information concerning current and projected future stockpile 
requirements. To assist the Department in defining a new proposal, the 
Department intends to hold a public meeting in early 1995 to receive 
comments on how to conduct the scoping process for the Stockpile 
Stewardship and Management PEIS, and to have preliminary discussions on 
potential alternatives. This will be followed by public scoping 
meetings later in 1995.
    In the meantime, the Department will continue to evaluate 
alternatives for tritium supply and recycling in a Tritium Supply and 
Recycling PEIS. While the focus of this PEIS will be on alternatives 
for a long-term, assured supply of tritium, the PEIS also will include 
an assessment of the environmental and institutional impacts associated 
with using one or more commercial light water reactors for tritium 
production as a contingency in the event of a national emergency. 
Specific commercial reactors will not be identified in this PEIS.
    The purpose of this notice is to provide the public with an update 
regarding DOE's intentions for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
review of elements of the future Complex, and to request comments on 
the Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS proposal. An Implementation Plan 
(IP) for the Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS will be issued after 
comments on this notice have been received and considered. The IP will 
explain more fully the scope of the Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS.

DATES: Comments, whether written, recorded on the program's toll-free 
telephone number, or submitted electronically, must be postmarked or 
received by November 28, 1994 to ensure consideration. Late comments 
will be considered to the extent practicable. The program's toll-free 
telephone number is 1-800-776-2765. Instructions on submitting comments 
electronically can be found in the Supplementary Information section of 
this notice.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS 
proposal, requests for further information on the Tritium Supply and 
Recycling program, requests for copies of the revised Tritium Supply 
and Recycling PEIS Implementation Plan (IP) (when available), and 
requests regarding the Stockpile Stewardship and Management PEIS should 
be sent to: Stephen Sohinki, Director, Office of Reconfiguration, U.S. 
Department of Energy, P.O. Box 3417, Alexandria, VA 22302, (202) 586-
1300.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the DOE 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, please contact: Carol 
M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Oversight, EH-25, U.S. 
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, D.C. 
20585, (202) 586-4600 or 1-800-472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In January 1991, the goal of the Reconfiguration program was, as it 
is now, to make the Complex smaller, less diverse, and less costly to 
operate. At the time, the projected production levels were much smaller 
than historic levels, but much larger than they are today. The document 
that provided the framework for the original proposal was the January 
1991 Reconfiguration Study. That document was the result of many months 
of effort by a task force which thoroughly reviewed the status and 
capabilities of the weapons complex against projected future 
requirements. As a result of that effort, the Department envisioned 
that the future Complex would consist of fewer sites, and that missions 
might be relocated to achieve consolidation, greater efficiency, and 
significant long-term cost savings. Indeed, as a result of the 
Secretary's decision last year approving the nonnuclear consolidation 
proposal (which had been separated from the original Reconfiguration 
PEIS effort), weapons complex functions will be terminated at three 
sites and significant cost savings will be achieved within a short 
period of time.
    The purpose of the Reconfiguration PEIS was to establish the 
locations for the future weapons complex missions. It was envisioned 
that, once future mission locations were established through the PEIS 
process, project-specific environmental analyses would follow the PEIS 
and cover in detail the projects necessary to implement the PEIS 
decisions at each site.
    Within the Reconfiguration PEIS scope, potential relocation and 
consolidation of the ``nuclear'' missions of the complex (i.e., 
plutonium and uranium component fabrication and processing, weapons 
assembly and disassembly, tritium supply and recycling, and fissile 
materials storage) were being analyzed. In order to relocate any of 
these missions at the assumed levels of production, major new 
construction would have been required, entailing significant (billions 
of dollars) ``up-front'' cost with a ``pay-back'' period significantly 
longer than for nonnuclear consolidation.
    With the end of the Cold War, the projected long hiatus in the need 
for new nuclear weapons production, and the budget constraints that are 
anticipated to continue for the foreseeable future, the framework 
presented in the January 1991 Reconfiguration Study no longer fits 
current circumstances or supports any realistic proposal for 
reconfiguration of the nuclear weapons complex. Therefore, the 
Department intends to separate the Reconfiguration proposal into two 
parts, and will prepare a PEIS on each part. The first PEIS is the 
Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS, which will address the need for 
tritium. The second is the Stockpile Stewardship and Management PEIS, 
which will address the rest of the complex.
    To assist in the development of a Stockpile Stewardship and 
Management proposal, the Department intends to involve stakeholders in 
early 1995 through a meeting in advance of formal scoping. The goal of 
this approach is to enable stakeholders to have an active role in 
developing the Stockpile Stewardship and Management proposal, rather 
than reacting to a proposal developed solely by the Department. The 
Department expects to develop a proposal after this initial meeting, 
and to issue a Notice of Intent before public scoping meetings later in 
1995.
    The Department currently has no capability for the production of 
tritium, which decays at a rate of approximately five percent per year, 
and which is required for every active weapon in the stockpile. Current 
projections indicate that new tritium is required to be available in 
the 2011-2015 time frame. Depending upon the alternative selected, it 
could take up to fifteen years or more for a tritium source, once 
selected, to begin producing tritium. Not only is planning for a new, 
assured tritium supply required to begin now to meet projected 
stockpile requirements, but the Department must meet a statutory 
deadline of March 1, 1995, to issue a PEIS addressing tritium supply 
alternatives. Therefore, the Department intends to separate the tritium 
supply and recycling alternatives from the future Stockpile Stewardship 
and Management proposal. The following discussion outlines the history 
of the Reconfiguration program, and the current proposal for tritium 
supply and recycling.

Original Reconfiguration Plan (February 1991 to July 1993)

    An NOI to prepare a PEIS for Reconfiguration of the Nuclear Weapons 
Complex was published in the Federal Register on February 11, 1991 (56 
FR 5590). That NOI proposed to study the options presented in the 
Nuclear Weapons Complex Reconfiguration Study (DOE/DP-0083) of January 
1991. A series of 15 public scoping meetings were held around the 
country to solicit comments regarding the Reconfiguration proposal. At 
that time, alternatives for a new tritium supply facility were being 
evaluated in a separate New Production Reactor (NPR) Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS). In November 1991, however, in response to 
nuclear weapons stockpile reductions which delayed the need for a new 
tritium supply facility, the then Secretary of Energy announced that 
the analysis of NPR alternatives would be incorporated into the 
Reconfiguration PEIS.
    An IP for the Reconfiguration PEIS was published in February 1992. 
The IP summarized the comments received during scoping, including 
incorporation of the NPR analysis into Reconfiguration, described the 
scope of the Reconfiguration program, the alternatives that were to be 
evaluated, and the methodology for preparing the PEIS.

Program Changes (July 1993 to April 1994)

    After the publication of the original IP in February 1992, 
additional major reductions in the nuclear weapons stockpile resulted 
in significant program changes. As a result of these changes, a revised 
NOI for the PEIS was published in the Federal Register on July 23, 1993 
(58 FR 39528). Changes in the scope of the Reconfiguration PEIS 
reflected the fact that the future Complex could be smaller and more 
integrated than previously envisioned, and placed increased importance 
on stewardship of existing special nuclear materials.
    During the public scoping period from July-October 1993, many 
members of the public questioned why the Department planned to analyze 
new nuclear weapon facilities in general, and new nuclear weapon 
component fabrication facilities in particular, given the lack of 
requirements for new nuclear weapons and an otherwise limited workload. 
There was a perception among many members of the public that evaluation 
of new facilities in the PEIS indicated an intention to construct those 
facilities in a predetermined time frame. Based upon this feedback, and 
a resulting reevaluation of known and projected requirements for 
weapons complex work for the next decade, the Department believes that 
the lack of any foreseeable need for new nuclear weapons, together with 
higher priority budget needs (both for the Department and the Nation), 
make it unnecessary and inappropriate to consider most types of new 
weapons production facilities, except for tritium facilities, at this 
time. Moreover, the Department has been directed, both by the President 
and the Congress, to establish a program for maintaining the safety and 
reliability of the nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing. 
This new program, entitled Stockpile Stewardship, is expected to 
require new diagnostic facilities and capabilities. As described above, 
efforts to formulate a new proposal for Stockpile Stewardship and 
Management will be initiated in 1995.
    In addition, a new, separate project has been initiated by the 
Secretary of Energy to consider alternatives for: (1) long-term storage 
of separated fissile nuclear materials (primarily plutonium and highly 
enriched uranium), whether stored for defense purposes or surplus to 
defense needs; and (2) disposition of surplus fissile nuclear 
materials. The environmental impacts associated with these options are 
being analyzed in the Storage and Disposition of Weapons-Usable Fissile 
Nuclear Materials PEIS, currently in preparation. The establishment of 
that project has further reduced the scope of the previously-envisioned 
Reconfiguration PEIS.

Current Proposal for Tritium Supply and Recycling

    The proposal for tritium supply and recycling includes the 
evaluation of technology and siting alternatives. The Department 
intends to identify a preferred technology and siting alternative in 
the Draft Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS. Four different 
technologies to supply tritium in a new facility will be assessed in 
the PEIS: Heavy Water Reactor (HWR); Modular High Temperature Gas-
Cooled Reactor (MHTGR); Advanced Light Water Reactor (ALWR) [both a 
large reactor design and a smaller reactor design]; and Accelerator 
Production of Tritium (APT).
    Currently, five candidate sites are being considered for new 
tritium facilities: the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL); 
the Nevada Test Site (NTS); the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) in 
Tennessee; the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas; and the Savannah 
River Site (SRS) in South Carolina.
    The tritium recycling mission includes removing, separating, and 
purifying tritium gas contained in tritium reservoirs from returned 
weapons, receiving new tritium from the tritium supply plant, blending 
the recycled tritium and the new tritium, and loading the tritium 
mixture into new or used reservoirs for shipment to the Pantex Plant 
for weapons assembly operations. Currently, tritium recycling is 
conducted at SRS. If a new tritium supply facility were to be located 
at SRS, tritium recycling would stay at SRS and be upgraded. If a 
tritium supply facility were constructed elsewhere, either a new 
tritium recycling facility would be collocated with it and the 
facilities at SRS phased out (thus terminating the defense mission at 
SRS), or the tritium recycling facilities at SRS would be upgraded. No-
action alternatives for each of the sites where tritium facilities may 
be located will provide a baseline for comparison of the environmental 
impacts.
    Additionally, the Department intends to include, in the Tritium 
Supply and Recycling PEIS, an assessment of the environmental and 
institutional impacts associated with using one or more commercial 
light water reactors for tritium production as a contingency in the 
event of a national emergency.
    While the purpose of the Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS is 
focused on assessing the reasonable alternatives for a government-
owned, long-term, assured supply of tritium, programmatic NEPA coverage 
of this contingency option, which would only be needed in the event of 
a national emergency, would ensure that the public is informed of the 
Department's overall planning for meeting tritium requirements--both 
contingency (until a long-term, assured source is on line) and long-
term. This analysis would be generic and would not identify any 
specific commercial reactors that might be used if such an option were 
ever required to be implemented.
    An IP for the Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS, to be issued after 
comments on this notice have been received and reviewed, will explain 
more fully the scope of the PEIS.

Public Involvement

    The Department's initiatives for further public involvement in the 
Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS are intended to provide the public 
complete, accurate, and timely information, and to facilitate effective 
participation in the NEPA process. The initiatives include a series of 
fact sheets describing various aspects of the Tritium Supply and 
Recycling PEIS as well as other program activities. These fact sheets 
will be mailed to those on the program mailing list throughout the 
remainder of 1994 and 1995. To provide substantial opportunities for 
feedback to the Department, the initiatives include the use of a toll-
free telephone number; placement of program information, including this 
notice, on an electronic bulletin board to enable comments and feedback 
to be transmitted electronically; and a speakers bureau to fulfill 
requests for DOE officials to speak with the public. In addition, once 
the Tritium Supply and Recycling draft PEIS is published, the public 
will be invited to review and comment on the document. During the 
comment period, the Department will conduct a series of interactive 
workshops to provide further explanation of information in the document 
and to provide the public with an opportunity to present comments, 
questions, and concerns, and to discuss them with DOE officials.
    DOE is in the process of updating the mailing list for the Tritium 
Supply and Recycling program and the Stockpile Stewardship and 
Management program. A fact sheet on this notice, along with a mailback 
response form, is being sent to all those on the current 
Reconfiguration mailing list. The purpose of the mailback response form 
is to allow individuals and organizations to indicate their continuing 
interest in receiving information regarding either the Tritium Supply 
and Recycling program or the Stockpile Stewardship and Management 
program. Interested parties wishing to remain on the mailing list for 
either the Tritium Supply and Recycling program or the Stockpile 
Stewardship and Management program must complete and return the 
mailback response form or call 1-800-776-2765 with the same request.

Environmental Issues

    The Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS will identify and analyze 
direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts resulting from the tritium 
supply and recycling alternatives. These include potential impacts from 
constructing and operating the proposed facilities, including: impacts 
to air quality, water resources, plants and animals, land use, historic 
resources, archaeological sites; socioeconomic impacts; impacts 
associated with generating radiological and nonradiological wastes; 
impacts associated with transporting radioactive materials; and the 
potential consequences of both normal and accidental radiological and 
nonradiological releases on the public and worker health and safety.

Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS Schedule

    The IP for the Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS will be completed 
after comments on this announcement have been considered. It is 
expected to be completed in January 1995. The Draft Tritium Supply and 
Recycling PEIS, which will include preferred alternatives for tritium 
supply and recycling functions, will be completed no later than March 
1, 1995. Following the publication of the Draft Tritium Supply and 
Recycling PEIS, public hearings (interactive workshops) will be held, 
and a Final Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS is expected to be 
completed by November 1995.

Tritium Supply and Recycling Decisions

    No sooner than 30 days after issuance of the Final Tritium Supply 
and Recycling PEIS, DOE will issue a Record of Decision (ROD) to 
document its decisions. The ROD will explain how DOE has balanced 
environmental considerations against other relevant factors, such as 
economic and technical considerations, and the Department's statutory 
mission, in reaching its decision. Following the ROD, project-specific 
NEPA documents will be prepared as necessary to support actual 
implementation of the ROD.

Comments

    All interested parties are invited to submit their comments on the 
Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS by regular mail as explained in the 
section entitled ``Addresses'' at the beginning of this notice, or by 
calling the Tritium Supply and Recycling toll free number at 1-800-776-
2765. Instructions will be given on how to record your comments. As an 
alternative, comments can also be submitted electronically by using the 
Federal Information Exchange bulletin board and following the 
instructions listed below:
Modem: Dial Toll Free 1-800-783-3349. Local (301) 258-0953. (Modem 
parameters set at: VT100 terminal emulation, `8' data bits, `1' stop 
bit and `N' parity, 1200-9600 baud.)
InterNet: Wide World Web (WWW), URL = http:lweb.fie.com/web/fed/doe/ or 
Telnet to: fedix.fie.com or Gopher to: gopher.fie.com
Hours: Available 24 hours a day (toll free: 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. 
eastern time, weekdays). A Help Line, (301) 975-0103, is available 
weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. eastern time, except Federal 
holidays.
Costs: Free, no cost to users. No telephone, registration, access, or 
downloading fees.

    Issued in Washington, D.C. this 24th day of October, 1994, for 
the United States Department of Energy.
Victor H. Reis,
Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs.
[FR Doc. 94-26786 Filed 10-27-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P