[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 241 (Friday, December 13, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65551-65563]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-31652]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Record of Decision: Environmental Impact Statement for the Nevada 
Test Site and Off-Site Locations in the State of Nevada

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Record of Decision.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) is issuing this Record of 
Decision on the management and operation of the Nevada Test Site and 
other DOE sites in the State of Nevada. This Record of Decision is 
based on the information and analysis contained in the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Nevada Test Site and Off-Site 
Locations in the State of Nevada, DOE/EIS-0243, and other factors, 
including the mission responsibilities of the Department, and comments 
received on the draft and Final Environmental Impact Statement. DOE has 
decided to implement a combination of three alternatives analyzed: 
Expanded Use; No Action (i.e., status quo); and Alternate Use of 
Withdrawn Lands. Most activities will be pursued at levels described by 
the Expanded Use Alternative. However, low-level and mixed low-level 
waste management activities will be conducted at levels described by 
the No Action Alternative, pending decisions by DOE under the Waste 
Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, DOE/EIS-0200, 
now in preparation. Also, DOE will initiate certain public education 
activities analyzed under the Alternate Use of Withdrawn Lands 
Alternative. This decision will result in the continuation of the 
multipurpose, multi-program use of the Nevada Test Site, under which 
DOE will pursue a further diversification of interagency, private 
industry, and public-education uses while meeting its Defense Program, 
Waste Management, and Environmental Restoration mission requirements at 
the Nevada Test Site and other Nevada sites, including the Tonopah Test 
Range, the Project Shoal Site, the Central Nevada Test Area, and on the 
Nellis Air Force Range Complex.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement or to receive a copy of the 
Environmental Impact Statement or other information related to this 
Record of Decision, contact: Bob G. Golden, National Environmental 
Policy Act Compliance Officer, U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada 
Operations Office, P.O. Box 98518, Las Vegas, NV 89193, (702) 295-2353.
    For information on the DOE National Environmental Policy Act 
process, contact: Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy 
and Assistance, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, 
SW, Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-4600, or leave a message at (800) 
472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    DOE prepared this Record of Decision pursuant to the regulations of 
the Council on Environmental Quality for implementing the National 
Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508) and DOE's National 
Environmental Policy Act Implementing Procedures (10 CFR Part 1021). 
This Record of Decision is based on DOE's Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Nevada Test Site and Off-Site Locations in the State 
of Nevada (DOE/EIS-0243). The Nevada Test Site occupies approximately 
3,496 square kilometers (1,350 square miles) in southern Nevada and is 
located approximately 105 kilometers (65 miles) northwest of Las Vegas. 
The DOE also manages several other sites in Nevada, including the 
Tonopah Test Range, Central Nevada Test Area, and Project Shoal Area 
located southeast of Fallon, Nevada.
    Historically, the primary mission of the Nevada Test Site was to 
conduct nuclear weapons tests. Since the moratorium on testing began in 
October 1992, this mission has changed to maintaining a readiness to 
conduct tests if so directed by the President (under the ``supreme 
national interest'' withdrawal provision in the Comprehensive Test Ban 
Treaty) and participating in the Department's science-based stockpile 
stewardship program by serving as a site for various

[[Page 65552]]

activities including subcritical experiments (i.e., explosively driven 
experiments with special nuclear material in which there is no self-
sustaining nuclear reaction). In addition to stockpile stewardship, the 
Nevada Test Site continues to host a number of national defense-related 
programs. Other changing mission priorities include an increase in 
environmental restoration efforts at the Nevada Test Site, Tonopah Test 
Range, Project Shoal Site, Central Nevada Test Area, and Nellis Air 
Force Range Complex and a concurrent need for waste management 
activities.
    The DOE is currently engaged in several other National 
Environmental Policy Act processes that include the Nevada Test Site as 
an alternate location for the action under consideration. These other 
National Environmental Policy Act reviews include programmatic 
environmental impact statements for Waste Management, Stockpile 
Stewardship and Management, Storage and Disposition of Weapons-Usable 
Fissile Materials, and the Continued Operation of the Pantex Plant. 
Inasmuch as these other Environmental Impact Statements identify 
potential new activities for the Nevada Test Site, the impacts of these 
activities are analyzed under the Expanded Use Alternative in the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Nevada Test Site. However, the 
nature of the decisions in this Record of Decision with regard to these 
programmatic proposals is simply to reserve land and infrastructure at 
the Nevada Test Site pending completion of these programmatic reviews 
and their corresponding decision documents.

Alternatives Considered

    DOE analyzed four use alternatives for the Nevada Test Site. A land 
use map containing site and zone categories was developed for each 
alternative. As part of each alternative, DOE activities at off-site 
locations were also addressed. The four use alternatives are as 
follows:

Alternative 1--Continue Current Operations (No Action)

    Under this alternative, DOE activities and operations in five 
mission programs--Defense, Waste Management, Environmental Restoration, 
Nondefense Research and Development, and Work for Others-- would 
continue in the same manner and degree as they have during the past 3 
to 5 years. Under the Defense Program, two scenarios were examined. The 
first was limited to maintaining a readiness to resume underground 
nuclear testing, in accordance with Presidential direction, and 
emphasized the execution of science-based stockpile stewardship 
experiments and operations such as subcritical experiments. The second 
scenario also included one or more underground nuclear tests on Pahute 
Mesa or Yucca Flat as a result of an end to the moratorium on weapons 
testing, or an invocation of the ``supreme national interest'' 
provision of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Although no new 
initiatives or projects would be pursued or added under Alternative 1, 
present Waste Management programs and activities would continue at the 
Nevada Test Site. Environmental Restoration Program activities at the 
Nevada Test Site and off-site locations would continue in the form of 
characterization and remediation of contaminated areas or facilities. 
The DOE would continue to support ongoing Nondefense Research and 
Development Program operations but no new program initiatives would be 
pursued. Under the Work for Others Program, DOE would continue to host 
the projects and activities of other federal agencies at activity 
levels not exceeding those of the past 3 to 5 years.

Alternative 2--Discontinue Operations

    This alternative is defined as the discontinuation of the DOE 
Nevada Operations Office and interagency programs and operations at the 
Nevada Test Site and at off-site locations. Site support activities 
would be limited to environmental monitoring and security functions 
necessary for human health and security. All facilities would be placed 
in cold standby after operations have ceased. DOE would not maintain a 
state of readiness for nuclear weapons testing and there would be an 
overall discontinuation of other defense-related activities at the 
Nevada Test Site. Only minimum low-level and mixed waste disposal 
capability would be maintained under the Waste Management Program until 
Nevada Test Site waste-generating activities were completely shut down, 
at which time the waste disposal facilities would be closed. Currently 
inventoried Environmental Restoration Program sites would be 
discontinued and abandoned as is. All Nondefense Research and 
Development Program initiatives would be discontinued at the Nevada 
Test Site, including siting of the Solar Enterprise Zone. The Work for 
Others Program would cease and DOE would no longer host the projects 
and activities of other federal agencies.

Alternative 3--Expanded Use

    The Expanded Use Alternative incorporates all the activities and 
operations under the Continue Current Operations Alternative, and 
increases some of those ongoing programs. This level of operation 
includes potential activities related to the programmatic decisions 
that may be made as a result of other DOE Environmental Impact 
Statements currently in progress. This alternative was developed in 
coordination with these other Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statements. The analysis for this alternative bounds the maximum 
potential impact that could occur at the Nevada Test Site as a result 
of decisions made on the other DOE Environmental Impact Statements. The 
Defense Program activities at both the Nevada Test Site and the Tonopah 
Test Range would expand, primarily in the areas of stockpile 
stewardship and management, materials disposition, and nuclear 
emergency response. Waste Management activities would increase for low-
level waste and mixed waste for wastes generated by DOE research and 
environmental cleanup and restoration programs within the State of 
Nevada and waste from other DOE and Department of Defense sites. The 
Environmental Restoration Program would continue, albeit potentially at 
an accelerated rate, at the Nevada Test Site and all off-site 
locations. The Nondefense Research and Development Program would 
continue to support ongoing program operations and pursue new 
initiatives, such as constructing and operating a solar power 
production facility and an Alternative Fuels Demonstration Project at 
the Nevada Test Site. Under the Work for Others Program, military use 
of airspace over the Nevada Test Site and the Tonopah Test Range would 
increase; use of certain lands on the test site by the military for 
training, research, and development would also increase.

Alternative 4--Alternate Use of Withdrawn Lands

    All defense-related activities and most activities under the Work 
for Others Program would cease at the Nevada Test Site, with the 
exception that military use of air space over the Nevada Test Site 
could increase. Under the Waste Management Program, only radioactive 
wastes from DOE sites in Nevada would be accepted at the Nevada Test 
Site. The Environmental Restoration Program would continue at current 
levels or accelerate at the Nevada Test Site and all off-site 
locations. Parts of the Nevada Test Site could be returned to public 
domain, and other parts of the test site would be available for public 
education and recreation. Similar to the Expanded Use Alternative, an 
expanded Solar

[[Page 65553]]

Enterprise Zone would be pursued that would include at least one of 
three sites in southern Nevada in addition to the two sites at the 
Nevada Test Site. Defense Program activities at the Tonopah Test Range 
associated with stewardship of the Nation's stockpile of nuclear 
weapons would continue.

Preferred Alternative

    The DOE Preferred Alternative identified in the Final Environmental 
Impact Statement was Alternative 3, Expanded Use, plus the public 
education activities from Alternative 4. The Expanded Use Alternative 
represents a continuation of the multipurpose, multi-program use of the 
site and further represents a continuation and diversification of the 
DOE Nevada Operations Office and interagency programs and operations at 
the Nevada Test Site. The Expanded Use Alternative includes support for 
ongoing DOE Nevada Operations Office program categories defined in the 
Continue Current Operations Alternative, and also provides for 
increased use of the Nevada Test Site and its related resources and 
capabilities. This alternative would also make the Nevada Test Site 
more available to both public and private institutions for purposes of 
demonstrating new technologies. Public education activities from 
Alternative 4 include establishing educational tour routes on the 
Nevada Test Site and promoting the concept of creating a nuclear era 
museum that would highlight the Nevada Test Site testing activities. 
Tours would allow the public to see firsthand some of the history and 
impacts of past nuclear testing. These activities would be an important 
contribution to public understanding of the Nation's nuclear testing 
and Cold War Era history.

Environmentally Preferable Alternative

    The Council on Environmental Quality, in its response to comments 
on 40 CFR 1505.2, defined the ``environmentally preferable 
alternative'' as the alternative that best promotes the national 
environmental policy. The Final Environmental Impact Statement analysis 
shows that potential environmental impacts on the Nevada Test Site and 
off-site locations in Nevada from each of the use alternatives 
considered would be small.
    After considering impacts to each resource area by program, the DOE 
has identified Alternative 1, under the ``maintaining readiness'' 
scenario, as the environmentally preferable alternative. Alternative 2 
was identified as having the fewest direct impacts to the physical 
environment and to worker and public health and safety because all 
operations would cease. However, the indirect impacts of not restoring 
contaminated areas could be significant over the long term. In 
addition, Alternative 2 results in the most significant impacts to the 
regional economy from the loss of jobs and income and also removes the 
Nevada Test Site from national programs requiring a remote testing 
facility. Alternative 1 was identified as having fewer adverse impacts 
than Alternatives 3 and 4, both of which include development of new 
projects such as a solar power generation facility. Alternatives 2 and 
4 would also result in longer-term impacts from the environmental 
burden and risks associated with untreated, stored, and buried wastes. 
Although DOE is adopting a portion of Alternative 1 as an interim 
measure (see Decisions section below), DOE is not selecting Alternative 
1 in total as a long range approach for management of the Nevada Test 
Site because that Alternative does not allow for expansion of the 
multipurpose, multi-program uses of the site.

Environmental Impacts of Alternatives

    DOE weighed environmental impacts as one factor in its decision 
making. DOE analyzed the potential impacts that might occur to land 
resources, air quality, noise, water resources, soils, biological 
resources, cultural resources, socioeconomics, and human health for the 
four alternatives. DOE considered the impacts that might occur from use 
of special nuclear materials, facility accidents, and the 
transportation of radioactive materials. DOE considered the impacts of 
projects and activities associated with the five program categories for 
each alternative, the irreversible or irretrievable commitments of 
resources, and the relationship between short-term uses of the 
environment and the maintenance and enhancement of long-term 
productivity.
    Alternatives 1 and 3 both include a scenario under which one or 
more underground nuclear tests would be conducted if directed by the 
President. Impacts from conducting underground tests remain the largest 
unavoidable adverse effects of management of the Nevada Test Site. 
Existing drill holes would be used for potential underground nuclear 
tests. The construction of new facilities would have a minor, localized 
impact to the physical environment of the site and would not lead to 
significant off-site impacts. Geologic media contaminated by past 
underground nuclear testing would remain contaminated and unavailable 
for use at any site where underground nuclear testing has been 
conducted. Contaminated groundwater that could not be remediated would 
be unavailable for use.
    The impacts of conducting subcritical experiments would be much 
less than those for underground nuclear testing since no self-
sustaining nuclear reactions occur and much less radioactivity is 
deposited to the geologic environment. Subcritical experiments in 
support of stockpile stewardship programs would have the unavoidable 
adverse impacts of introducing additional radioactivity in the 
subsurface environment.
    The incremental environmental impacts over baseline conditions from 
waste management activities under Alternatives 1 and 3 would be 
negligible. Under Alternative 3, some new facilities would create a 
slight increase beyond the impacts under Alternative 1. Under 
Alternatives 2 and 4, little change in impact would be seen over 
present conditions because most of the required land clearing, waste 
transportation, and geologic disturbance has already occurred.
    Low-level waste at the Area 3 Radioactive Waste Management Site is 
disposed of in subsidence craters formed from past underground nuclear 
tests. The craters that are and would continue to be used at the Area 3 
Radioactive Waste Management Site represent the unavoidable adverse 
impact that resulted from past underground nuclear tests. Use of the 
craters for waste disposal is a beneficial use of lands that have been 
significantly and unavoidably impacted by past actions. Expansion of 
waste management activities under Alternative 3 would occur in an area 
that has been previously disturbed and designated for radioactive waste 
management. Recent hydrological data support the current conceptual 
hydrogeologic model that no groundwater pathway exists beneath the Area 
3 disposal craters.
    Waste Management Program operations in Area 5 are more diverse and 
include facilities for hazardous and mixed waste management in addition 
to low-level waste management facilities. After 30 years of waste 
disposal operations, the DOE has not detected any contamination in 
groundwater monitoring wells near the Area 5 Radioactive Waste 
Management Site. No impact to groundwater from waste management 
operations in Area 5 would be expected to occur. Expansion of waste 
management activities under Alternative 3 would occur in an area that 
has been previously disturbed and

[[Page 65554]]

designated for radioactive waste management.
    The long-term effects of waste disposal operations have been 
evaluated as a part of the performance assessment process. Preliminary 
results of the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site Performance 
Assessment indicate that the risk of potential exposure to the public 
from waste disposal activities through surface water is not 
significant. Based on results of field studies, the groundwater pathway 
and air pathways are not considered credible transport mechanisms.
    Impacts from vehicle transportation of materials to and from the 
Nevada Test Site have been analyzed, including Defense Program nuclear 
material and waste management activities related to radioactive wastes 
and hazardous materials. The majority of the postulated injuries and 
fatalities in this analysis would be a result of traffic accidents and 
not a result of exposure to the transported material or waste. The 
results of the transportation risk analysis show that the human health 
risks from the transportation of material or waste are low under any 
alternative, and are not significant contributors to the total risk 
from all operations under these alternatives.
    Approximately 7,500 acres of land would be disturbed during the 
environmental restoration activities under Alternatives 1, 3, and 4. 
Under Alternative 2, environmental restoration activities would cease. 
This would result in a condition of noncompliance with environmental 
requirements and limit the future use of the land. At the Nevada Test 
Site, surface disturbance associated with any remediation, 
construction, and new testing programs would cause unavoidable impacts 
on habitat. At the Nellis Air Force Range Complex, surface disturbance 
associated with any remediation programs would cause unavoidable 
impacts on habitat.
    The most significant impact from the Nondefense Research and 
Development Program would occur under Alternatives 3 and 4 and would 
result from the siting and construction of the Solar Enterprise Zone 
facilities. The Solar Power Production Facility could result in up to 
2,400 acres of new land disturbance.
    In general, human health risks under each of the alternatives are 
expected to be dominated by occupational injuries to workers engaged in 
activities such as construction, maintenance, and excavation. 
Historically, actual injury and fatality rates at the Nevada Test Site 
have been lower than the average U.S. industrial rates used in the 
analysis. Occupational injury and fatality risks are reduced by strict 
adherence to DOE and Occupational Safety and Health Administration 
safety standards, practices, and procedures.
    Under Alternatives 1 and 3, the maximum reasonably foreseeable 
radiological accident involves a non-nuclear explosion in an Area 27 
nuclear weapons storage magazine. The accident has a probability of 
1 x 10-7 per year and could result in injuries or deaths to nearby 
workers due to the physical impacts of the explosion or delayed 
radiation health effects. Radiation exposure from the accident could 
result in 13 latent cancer fatalities in the worker population at the 
next nearest facility, and from 3 to 55 latent cancer fatalities in the 
off-site population within 50 miles.
    The maximum reasonably foreseeable chemical accident involves an 
airplane crash into the Spill Test Facility. The accident has a 
probability of 1 x 10-7 per year and could result in injuries or 
deaths to nearby workers due to the physical impacts of the crash or 
toxic effects of chemicals. Workers at the next nearest facility could 
experience non-life threatening health effects from exposure to 
airborne chemicals. The off-site population within 50 miles could 
experience up to 3 latent cancers if this accident were to occur.
    The Consolidated Group of Tribes and Organizations has identified 
impacts to American Indian groups with traditional ties to the Nevada 
Test Site and surrounding areas. Impacts include continued reduced 
access to culturally significant areas, the potential for unauthorized 
artifact collection, and the potential for culturally inappropriate 
environmental restoration techniques. Because of the expansion of 
activities under Alternative 3, potential impacts would be greater than 
those listed under Alternative 1.

Comments on the Final Environmental Impact Statement

    The DOE distributed approximately 1500 copies of the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement to Congressional members and committees, 
the State of Nevada, various American Indian tribes and organizations, 
local governments, other federal agencies, and the general public. 
Comments from the Environmental Protection Agency and the State of 
Nevada were received during the 30-day period following the filing of 
the Final Environmental Impact Statement with the Environmental 
Protection Agency.
    The Environmental Protection Agency found that the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement was generally responsive to its prior 
comments. However, the Environmental Protection Agency recommended five 
areas be addressed in the Record of Decision:
    Subsequent National Environmental Policy Act Documentation: The 
Environmental Protection Agency recommended that future tiered National 
Environmental Policy Act documents (including Environmental 
Assessments) be circulated for review and comment to all affected or 
interested parties and agencies, including federal, state, and local 
governments, tribal governments, and citizens to afford these agencies 
and individuals a full opportunity to participate in subsequent 
National Environmental Policy Act reviews.
    The DOE will ensure that future tiered National Environmental 
Policy Act documents (including Environmental Assessments) are 
circulated for review and comment to all affected and interested 
parties in order to afford a full opportunity for them to participate 
in subsequent National Environmental Policy Act processes. Moreover, 
DOE will continue to implement DOE orders, guidance, and regulations 
regarding the National Environmental Policy Act in conjunction with 
internal public participation plans.
    Use of Undisturbed Habitat for Future Tiered Projects: The 
Environmental Protection Agency also recommended future developments be 
sited in already-disturbed areas unless other overriding factors 
require placing such facilities in undisturbed areas.
    DOE will develop and implement a Resource Management Plan for the 
Nevada Test Site that incorporates the goal that when possible; new 
facilities will be sited in, or as close as possible to, previously 
disturbed lands in order to preserve and protect undisturbed land.
    Pollution Prevention: The Environmental Protection Agency comments 
also recommended that future proposals and projects at the Nevada Test 
Site and off-site locations in Nevada be designed, constructed, and 
operated with pollution prevention opportunities being a prime 
consideration.
     Implementation of DOE orders, guidance, and regulations regarding 
pollution prevention have been and will continue to be a prime 
consideration in the evaluation of future proposals and projects at the 
Nevada Test Site and off-site locations in Nevada.
    Polychlorinated Biphenyls: The Environmental Protection Agency 
requested that clarification of the status of polychlorinated biphenyls 
in capacitors located in Area 27 be included in the Record of Decision,

[[Page 65555]]

along with a commitment to notify the Environmental Protection Agency 
of the status.
    These capacitors are in service and included in the active 
inventory and are managed in accordance with 40 CFR Part 761. In the 
event that a decision is made that changes the status of the 
capacitors, the Environmental Protection Agency will be notified as 
required under applicable regulations.
    Native American Concerns: The Environmental Protection Agency 
commended the DOE for specifically reflecting Native American concerns 
and considerations, and recommended the DOE continue to seek active 
Native American participation in future projects and proposals at the 
Nevada Test Site and off-site locations in Nevada.
    DOE will continue to incorporate the Department's American Indian 
policy into its ongoing and long-term planning and management 
processes. Development and operation of programs that expand the use of 
the Nevada Test Site will be conducted within DOE's government-to-
government relationship with tribal governments. DOE will consult with 
tribal governments concerning activities under these programs that may 
affect natural, cultural, traditional, and/or religious resources 
important to American Indians.
    The State of Nevada comments identified five issues and made the 
following specific recommendations:
    Assessment of the Nevada Test Site Land Withdrawal and its 
Relationship to the Environmental Impact Statement No Action 
Alternative: The State of Nevada expressed the view that disposal of 
radioactive waste at the Nevada Test Site from off-site generators 
cannot be considered a continuation of current or past activities, and 
thus cannot be characterized as part of the No Action Alternative. 
Further, the State of Nevada asserted that DOE does not have the 
authority under existing land withdrawals that comprise the Nevada Test 
Site to support continuation of the radioactive waste disposal program 
at the Nevada Test Site.
    DOE believes that the characterization of No Action as the 
continuation of past and current activities is proper and is consistent 
with guidance provided by the Council on Environmental Quality. In the 
case of ongoing activities, ``. . . the `no action' alternative may be 
thought of in terms of continuing with the present course of action 
until that action is changed.'' ( ``Forty Most Asked Questions,'' 46 
CFR 18026, 18027, March 23, 1981.) For comparison purposes, Alternative 
2 of the Environmental Impact Statement evaluated cessation of waste 
management activities.
    As recognized by the State of Nevada in its comments, the 
radioactive waste disposal program began at the Nevada Test Site in the 
early 1960s as an activity related to testing of nuclear weapons, which 
is directly related to the land use designated in Public Land Order 
805, dated February 12, 1952, reserving lands for the use of the U.S. 
Atomic Energy Commission. Since that time, DOE has disposed of 
radioactive waste in pits, trenches, landfills, and boreholes. The 
Nevada Test Site presently serves as a disposal site for low-level 
waste generated by DOE approved generators. In 1983, the Bureau of Land 
Management reviewed the land withdrawals for the Nevada Test Site 
pursuant to the requirements of the Federal Land Policy and Management 
Act of 1976 (Public Law 94-579). The Bureau of Land Management 
concluded that the lands were still being used for the purposes for 
which they were withdrawn. The withdrawal review also acknowledged the 
pursuit of other activities as described in the 1977 Nevada Test Site 
Environmental Impact Statement and did not find that they were 
inconsistent with the withdrawals. Although this formal determination 
by the Bureau of Land Management remains in effect, the Department is 
reviewing this issue in light of comments made during the preparation 
of the Environmental Impact Statement. To date, DOE's review confirms 
that its use of the Nevada Test Site continues to be consistent with 
the existing land withdrawals. However, in view of the comments 
submitted by the State and Department of Interior, and in view of the 
combination of activities selected, DOE commits to continue to consult 
with the Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management as to 
whether the four major land withdrawals that comprise the Nevada Test 
Site need to be updated. As DOE has selected the No Action Alternative 
for management of low-level and mixed low-level wastes pending 
programmatic decisions regarding where the Department should manage 
these wastes, there will be no immediate changes in DOE's ongoing use 
of the lands for disposal of radioactive wastes.
    DOE Compliance with Programmatic Decisions Concerning the Disposal 
of Off-Site Generated Low-Level and Mixed Low-Level Radioactive Waste 
at the Nevada Test Site as Provided for Under the National 
Environmental Policy Act Regulations: The State of Nevada expressed the 
view that DOE must complete its ongoing programmatic review for siting 
low-level and mixed low-level waste treatment and disposal facilities 
before making specific decisions that affect the Nevada Test Site, and 
that DOE must also recognize certain conditions for consideration of a 
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Part B permit for new mixed 
waste disposal units for off-site generated waste at the Nevada Test 
Site.
    As discussed in the Decisions section below, DOE will continue low-
level and mixed low-level waste operations as described by the No 
Action Alternative until the programmatic review is completed. Once 
that review is completed, DOE will reexamine the low-level and mixed 
low-level waste activities at the Nevada Test Site to determine whether 
the status quo needs to be modified as a result of programmatic 
decisions. A new Record of Decision will be issued if appropriate. Any 
decisions to increase low-level and mixed low-level waste activities 
beyond the status quo would be implemented in full compliance with 
applicable laws and regulations.
    Compliance with DOE Disposal Site(s) Performance Assessment Process 
as per DOE Order 5820.2A: Citing DOE Order 5820.2A, the State of Nevada 
expressed the view that receipt of radioactive waste and mixed 
radioactive wastes for disposal at the Nevada Test Site should be 
suspended until the performance assessment process is completed for all 
past, present, and future waste types.
    DOE Order 5820.2A does not require that existing waste disposal 
operations cease until a performance assessment is prepared. DOE has 
prepared and continues to maintain a performance assessment for the 
Area 5 low-level Radioactive Waste Management Site at the Nevada Test 
Site. A performance assessment for the Area 3 Radioactive Waste 
Management Site is in process in conjunction with composite analyses 
for both the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site and the Area 3 
Radioactive Waste Management Site. A composite analysis is a planning 
tool used to reach interim decisions, pending implementation of a 
comprehensive approach through 10 CFR Part 834, regarding whether 
current low-level waste disposal activities will result in the need for 
future corrective or remedial actions to ensure protection of the 
public and the environment. However, as documented in the Environmental 
Impact Statement, DOE believes that sufficient information exists to 
demonstrate that waste can be disposed of at both sites in a safe 
manner.

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    Implementation of the Nevada Test Site Resource Management Plan and 
Clean-up Standards at Off-site Locations: The State of Nevada 
recommended that the Record of Decision contain a stipulation that the 
Resource Management Plan process will be completed in a specified time 
period, and commit to establishing a stakeholder advisory group to 
address Nevada Test Site development conflicts anticipated to arise in 
the future.
    In the Decisions section below, the DOE commits to Resource 
Management and Comprehensive Land-Use Planning and development of a 
Resource Management Plan for the Nevada Test Site over the next two 
years. The Resource Management Plan will establish a process for 
managing resources to ensure long-term diversity and productivity of 
affected ecosystems and sustainable use of land and facilities on the 
Nevada Test Site. Interested parties will have opportunities to provide 
input into the selection of goals developed to guide management of 
resource issues on the Nevada Test Site and to assist in the 
development of management actions needed to achieve those goals. 
Methods of ensuring interested party input such as establishment of a 
stakeholder advisory group will be evaluated and selected as the plan 
evolves.
    Special Case Waste, Waste Classified as Greater-Than-Class-C, and/
or Waste requiring Greater Confinement Disposal: The State of Nevada 
comments on the Final Nevada Test Site Environmental Impact Statement 
recommended that the Record of Decision stipulate that DOE will comply 
with the National Environmental Policy Act for disposal of radioactive 
waste that is not suitable for shallow land burial.
    DOE will prepare appropriate further documentation to comply with 
the National Environmental Policy Act before making decisions regarding 
Special Case Waste, Greater-than-Class-C, or wastes requiring Greater 
Confinement Disposal. In any case, DOE will ensure that all wastes 
disposed of at the Nevada Test Site meet waste acceptance criteria that 
will protect human health and the environment.

Other Decision Factors

    As a result of changing mission priorities, the DOE has a need to 
focus on new national security, energy, and environmental issues 
challenging the Nation and to define the role of the Nevada Test Site 
to help meet these new challenges. The policy considerations outlined 
below are factors in the decision process for continued and future 
management of the Nevada Test Site.
    It is DOE policy to manage all of its lands and facilities as 
valuable national resources. DOE stewardship will be based on the 
principles of ecosystem management and sustainable development. This 
policy requires each site to integrate mission, economic, ecologic, 
social, and cultural factors into a comprehensive plan that guides 
land- and facility-use decisions with stakeholder involvement. This 
will result in land and facility uses that support the Department's 
critical missions, stimulate the economy, and protect the environment.
    On September 24, 1996, President Clinton signed a Comprehensive 
Test Ban Treaty. It is the intention of the President to seek 
ratification of this Treaty as soon as possible. President Clinton has 
also established specific safeguards that define the conditions under 
which the United States has entered into the Comprehensive Test Ban 
Treaty. These safeguards are as follows:
     The conduct of a science-based stockpile stewardship 
program to ensure a high level of confidence in the safety and 
reliability of nuclear weapons in the active stockpile, including the 
conduct of a broad range of effective and continuing experimental 
programs.
     The maintenance of modern nuclear laboratory facilities 
and programs in theoretical and exploratory nuclear technology that 
would attract, retain, and ensure the continued application of our 
human scientific resources to those programs upon which continued 
progress in nuclear technology depends.
     The maintenance of the basic capability to resume nuclear 
test activities prohibited by the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty should 
the United States cease to be bound to adhere to such a treaty.
     The continuation of a comprehensive research and 
development program to improve treaty-monitoring capabilities and 
operations.
     The continuing development of a broad range of 
intelligence gathering and analytical capabilities and operations to 
ensure accurate and comprehensive information on worldwide nuclear 
arsenals, nuclear weapons development programs, and related nuclear 
programs.
     The understanding that if the President of the United 
States is informed by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of 
Energy, advised by the Nuclear Weapons Council, the Directors of DOE's 
nuclear weapons laboratories, and the Commander of the U.S. Strategic 
Command, that a high level of confidence in the safety and reliability 
of a nuclear weapon type that the two Secretaries consider to be 
critical to our nuclear deterrent could no longer be certified, the 
President, in consultation with Congress, would be prepared to withdraw 
from the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty under the ``supreme national 
interest'' clause in order to conduct whatever testing might be 
required.
    The Nevada Test Site has both a demonstrated and a potential role 
in implementing several of these safeguard elements. For example, the 
Nevada Test Site's role in the implementation of the first of these 
safeguards is to participate in full partnership, for a common purpose, 
with the scientific and academic communities, business and industry, 
and stakeholders to advance the Nevada Test Site as a valued national 
resource. The Nevada Test Site provides the modern nuclear laboratory 
platform for theoretical and exploratory nuclear technology that can 
attract and retain the human scientific resources required for 
continued progress in nuclear technology development. With the end of 
nuclear testing, the DOE is enhancing its capability to perform 
science-based stockpile stewardship activities consistent with the 
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Uncertainty in the behavior of aging 
stockpiled weapons will continue to increase with time and in the 
absence of testing. To ensure continued confidence in the safety and 
reliability of the United States' nuclear weapons stockpile, the DOE 
must enhance its capability to perform activities consistent with the 
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty such as dynamic experiments (including 
subcritical experiments) and other hydrodynamic experiments to assess 
the condition and behavior of nuclear weapons in the enduring 
stockpile. As an additional contingency, the DOE must maintain the 
basic capability to conduct underground nuclear testing activities 
should the need arise, in accordance with Presidential direction. The 
experimental program at the Nevada Test Site includes aspects that 
support both the Department's stockpile stewardship mission and its 
nuclear test readiness mission. Defense Program activities have been 
declining steadily in recent years resulting in the need to diversify 
user support at the Nevada Test Site. Diversification of users will 
offset infrastructure maintenance costs for Defense Programs necessary 
to allow the best use of limited stockpile stewardship resources and 
support the

[[Page 65557]]

successful execution of the stewardship mission at the Nevada Test 
Site.
    The Nevada Test Site, through its Work for Others Program, has 
supported improved treaty-monitoring capabilities. Chemical explosions 
at the Nevada Test Site have been used to develop and calibrate seismic 
and hydrodynamic detection and analysis techniques. Sensitive isotope 
analysis techniques, derived from nuclear chemistry applications to 
tests, are being developed for treaty monitoring and intelligence 
analysis. Development is being advanced by analysis of underground test 
residue and environmental studies at the Nevada Test Site.
    Environmental restoration and waste management have been part of 
Nevada Test Site operations since the beginning of the Nation's nuclear 
testing program. Low-level waste has been generated through the weapons 
development, testing, and production activities at DOE facilities as 
well as the environmental cleanup and restoration programs. As DOE 
missions have changed, there is an increasing volume of waste generated 
through the environmental restoration activities. This waste must be 
disposed of in accordance with applicable regulations and DOE orders. 
Thus, the DOE has a need to continue providing practical, cost-
effective, and environmentally sound means of low-level waste disposal. 
The potential expansion of the waste disposal mission at the Nevada 
Test Site is dependent on the pending decisions from the Waste 
Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (e.g., 
centralized or regionalized waste management alternatives).
    Through September 23, 1992, there were 928 nuclear tests conducted 
on the Nevada Test Site; no nuclear weapons tests explosions have been 
conducted since that date. Defense research and weapons-test 
verification activities were also conducted at the Project Shoal Area 
and the Central Nevada Test Area. From 1957 to 1963, several safety 
tests were conducted at sites at the Nevada Test Site, the Nellis Air 
Force Range Complex, and the Tonopah Test Range to test the safety of 
nuclear weapons in accident situations. Because these tests were not 
contained and used special nuclear materials and chemical explosives, 
they resulted in the release of radioactive materials and surface 
contamination. It is DOE policy to develop site remediation goals and 
cleanup levels for the Nevada Test Site and off-site test areas based 
on future land use and management goals for the protection of 
environmental resources. The DOE is working in cooperation with other 
agencies to define remediation and cleanup levels to ensure that the 
disposition of withdrawn lands is consistent with the controlling 
agencies' existing land-use or resource management plans.
    In the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993, 
Congress included a section that encouraged DOE to minimize the social 
economic impacts on workers and communities affected by the downsizing 
of defense-related facilities. This requirement, Section 3161 of the 
Act, provided for various activities to mitigate the downsizing impact 
both for individual workers and communities near DOE sites. One of the 
methods DOE has used to implement this Congressional direction is to 
establish local Community Reuse Organizations to assist economic 
development efforts. The purpose for this is to provide employment 
opportunities for former workers and therefore minimize the economic 
impact on local communities. Section 3161 of the Act authorized DOE to 
pursue a workforce restructuring plan and initiate private sector 
economic development at DOE facilities in this effort.

Decisions

    The Final Environmental Impact Statement identified Alternative 3, 
Expanded Use, plus the public education activities of Alternative 4, 
Alternative Use of Withdrawn Lands, as DOE's Preferred Alternative. 
Today DOE is deciding to implement a variation of this Preferred 
Alternative. As discussed below, DOE is deciding as an interim measure, 
to continue to conduct low-level and mixed low-level waste management 
activities in the same manner as it has in the past as represented by 
the No Action Alternative pending programmatic decisions. DOE is 
deciding to conduct all other activities consistent with the Preferred 
Alternative. The following discussion describes the major actions to be 
taken. This discussion is not intended to be exhaustive. Additional 
actions necessary to implement the major actions described may also be 
taken in support of the missions of the Nevada Test Site.

Resource Management and Comprehensive Land-Use Planning

    As part of this comprehensive planning responsibility, DOE will 
develop a Resource Management Plan for the Nevada Test Site over the 
next two years. The Resource Management Plan will identify the site 
resources that will be considered when making land-use decisions. It 
will define the goals for each of those resources, and establish the 
criteria for evaluating activities against those goals. The goals will 
be used to identify actions needed for wise resource use and sound 
ecosystem management. DOE will follow the framework published as Volume 
2 of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for development of the 
Resource Management Plan.
    The DOE Nevada Operations Office will use the Resource Management 
Plan as a part of the comprehensive land-use planning process, along 
with the National Environmental Policy Act process to evaluate and 
select the best alternative sites for future proposed activities at the 
Nevada Test Site. The Resource Management Plan will also document a 
process for monitoring the impacts of activities. Results of such 
monitoring will be used to review and update the Resource Management 
Plan.
    As has been its practice in the past, DOE remains committed to 
ensuring that its implementation of all the decisions made in this ROD 
complies with federal law and land withdrawal policies. In this regard, 
DOE commits to continuing its informal consultation with BLM as to 
whether the four major land withdrawals that comprise the NTS need to 
be updated.

Defense Program

    Defense Program activities at the Nevada Test Site will emphasize 
stockpile stewardship experiments and operations to maintain confidence 
in the safety and reliability of the stockpile without underground 
nuclear testing. These stockpile stewardship activities will include 
exercises, operations, experiments (including subcritical experiments 
involving special nuclear material), and other hydrodynamic tests. 
Appropriate transparency measures will be used to ensure that 
activities conducted at the Nevada Test Site are clearly consistent 
with the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. The DOE will continue to 
maintain nuclear test readiness at the Nevada Test Site but would 
conduct an underground nuclear test only if so directed by the 
President under the ``supreme national interest'' provision of the 
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Any such underground tests would only be 
conducted within the designated Nuclear Test Zone on the Nevada Test 
Site.
    Over the next ten years, the DOE plans to conduct a wide variety of 
experiments within the appropriately zoned areas of the Nevada Test 
Site. This includes dynamic experiments with very small to very large 
quantities of high explosives, subcritical

[[Page 65558]]

experiments, dynamic experiments to generate electrical pulses, and 
other experiment types. An upper limit estimate of the number of these 
activities has been made in order to assess their maximum reasonable 
potential environmental impact. While near-term planning indicates that 
only about four high explosive driven subcritical experiments will 
likely be conducted per year in the U1a complex, an upper-limit 
estimate total for all the defense related experiments that may be 
conducted at the Nevada Test Site is over 100 per year. The U1a complex 
(formerly known as the Lyner complex) and the Big Explosives Experiment 
Facility will be the principal sites for many of these experiments and 
tests. Dynamic experiments involving special nuclear material will be 
conducted only where containment is assured. The experiments planned at 
the Big Explosives Experiment Facility will include large high-
explosive charges and potentially hazardous materials, such as 
beryllium, depleted uranium, deuterium, and tritium. Explosive charges 
of up to 32,000 kg (70,000 lb) in conjunction with some of the 
materials previously mentioned are contemplated as part of this 
activity. Existing facilities including the Device Assembly Facility 
and Area 27 will be used to prepare the explosives, special nuclear 
material, and other material required for these experiments.
    The DOE will also reserve land and infrastructure on the Nevada 
Test Site to support the current test readiness and national security 
missions and to support future defense program activities. In addition 
to the Nuclear Test and Nuclear and High Explosive Test Zones which are 
available for compatible defense and nondefense activities, the DOE 
will also establish a Defense Industrial Zone around critical assembly 
areas. This zone will be dedicated solely to defense related activities 
and is an area in which various future stockpile stewardship and 
management facilities could be sited.
    In addition to the stockpile stewardship mission at the Nevada Test 
Site, the DOE Nevada Operations Office will also continue to maintain 
the capability to locate, retrieve, and destroy damaged nuclear 
weapons.
    The primary mission of DOE Defense Program activities at the 
Tonopah Test Range is to ensure that the Nation's nuclear weapons 
systems meet the highest standards of safety and reliability. The DOE 
will continue to conduct stockpile stewardship activities and assess 
the surety conditions of existing systems at the Tonopah Test Range.
    In support of the ongoing programmatic analyses for Stockpile 
Stewardship and Management, Storage and Disposition, and Continued 
Operations of the Pantex Plant, the DOE will reserve land and 
infrastructure on the Nevada Test Site for the National Ignition 
Facility, nuclear weapons assembly/disassembly operations, and for 
long-term storage and disposition of weapons-usable fissile materials 
pending these programmatic decisions.
    DOE will continue to conduct training and drills on the Nevada Test 
Site to exercise the technical disciplines of the Nation's Nuclear 
Emergency Search Team. This includes the construction of simulated 
nuclear assemblies (similar in construction to those used for nuclear 
explosive devices), and the conduct of high explosive experiments to 
investigate and baseline potential deployment scenarios. Additional 
training and drills will also be conducted on the Nevada Test Site for 
the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center.
    The DOE will continue to use the Nevada Test Site for the 
development of remote sensing, analytical, and display technology for 
detection of nuclear radiation in support of the Aerial Measuring 
System mission. The DOE Nevada Operations Office will continue to 
provide field response resources in support of nuclear weapons 
accidents, exercises, and training in support of Accident Response and 
the Radiological Assistance Programs.

Work for Others Program

    The DOE Nevada Operations Office Work for Others Program will 
continue to be an important aspect of Nevada Test Site related 
activities. These ongoing activities primarily involve the Department 
of Defense, the Defense Special Weapons Agency, and other federal 
agencies. The primary focus of these activities are centered around 
treaty verification, nonproliferation, counterproliferation, 
demilitarization, and defense related research and development.
    The Nevada Test Site and the Tonopah Test Range have been and will 
continue to be impacted by the implementation of current and future 
arms control treaties. DOE will continue to conduct those activities at 
the Nevada Test Site necessary for treaty verification and to develop 
verification technologies.
    The DOE will continue to conduct research and development 
activities at the Nevada Test Site and the Tonopah Test Range to 
support the United States' nonproliferation goals and objectives. The 
HAZMAT Spill Center provides unique capability in the development of 
chemical effluent remote sensors and will continue to be used 
periodically for this type of research and development.
    Counterproliferation refers to the Department of Defense efforts to 
combat the international proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. 
Facilities for developing, producing, and storing weapons of mass 
destruction are likely to be located underground. Counterproliferation 
research and development is directed toward the detection, monitoring, 
and neutralization of buried targets.
    The various tunnels and bunkers at the Nevada Test Site provide an 
ideal testing environment for counterproliferation research and 
development experiments. Experiments that use a variety of remote 
imagery and sensory applications in conjunction with Nevada Test Site 
bunkers and tunnels will be conducted to develop techniques and methods 
to detect, characterize, and monitor buried objects. Such experiments 
involve both land-based and airborne operations. Experiments designed 
to develop techniques for destroying or neutralizing weapons of mass 
destruction and buried objects, such as bunkers and tunnels, will also 
be performed. These experiments involve the surface and below ground 
detonation of conventional explosives in the immediate vicinity of the 
Nevada Test Site and Tonopah Test Range bunkers and tunnels.
    The demilitarization activity proposed for the Nevada Test Site is 
a demonstration of potential technologies used to destroy obsolete 
conventional munitions, pyrotechnics, and solid rocket motors. The DOE 
will demonstrate technologies which can be used to assist with the 
demilitarization efforts of other federal agencies at the Nevada Test 
Site. These technologies will be tested in designated Research, Test, 
and Experiment Zones around the existing underground tunnels and 
facilities of Area 25 and would include destruction, recovery, reuse, 
and recycling technologies. This offers a unique opportunity to 
demonstrate environmentally sound methods involving conventional 
weapons destruction. These systems provide for the containment and 
treatment of residual debris.
    Large-scale demilitarization activities at the Nevada Test Site 
designed to reduce significant portions of an obsolete munition would 
be subject to additional National Environmental

[[Page 65559]]

Policy Act review and applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
    Other defense related research and development activities include 
tests and training exercises employing weaponry, such as small arms, 
artillery, guns, aircraft, armored vehicles, demolitions, rockets, 
bazookas, and air-dropped armaments, as well as a variety of electronic 
imagery and sensory technologies, including, but not limited to, 
infrared lasers and radar. It is expected that these types of 
experiments and tests would take place in appropriately zoned areas of 
the Nevada Test Site and would be compatible with surrounding land use. 
Defense related activities are generally conducted in the Reserved 
Zones as well as in the Research, Test, and Experiment Zones.

Waste Management Program

    The draft Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement, DOE/EIS-0200, was issued for public comment in August 1995, 
and the Department anticipates that the final statement will be issued 
in the near future. That programmatic environmental impact statement 
analyzes alternative strategies to maximize efficiency for the 
Department's national Waste Management Program, and it will support the 
Department's complex-wide waste management decisions. Those decisions 
may require changes to the Waste Management Program at the Nevada Test 
Site in the future. Therefore, DOE is deciding today, that in the 
interim, pending those programmatic decisions, DOE will maintain the 
current level of low-level and mixed low-level waste management 
activity as described in the No Action Alternative in the Nevada Test 
Site Environmental Impact Statement. The activities include the 
planning, coordination, waste transportation, storage, 
characterization, and disposal and waste minimization and pollution 
prevention programs. Waste management activities other than for low 
level and mixed low-level waste do not involve issues that would be 
affected by decisions based on the Waste Management Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement. Therefore, DOE is deciding to implement 
Expanded Use for those other activities.
    Low-Level Waste: Disposal of low-level waste will continue for 
waste streams from current on-site and off-site waste generators. This 
represents the No Action Alternative of disposal capability for 
currently approved waste generators. Approval of other waste generators 
for disposal is pending future programmatic decisions. The DOE will 
continue to expand and create new disposal cells as necessary within 
the designated Radioactive Waste Management Zones.
    The Area 3 Radioactive Waste Management Site will continue to be 
developed for the disposal of low-level waste. The Area 3 Radioactive 
Waste Management Site support facilities will be maintained to serve 
operations and radiation safety personnel needs, as necessary.
    The Nevada Test Site will continue to manage a variety of low-level 
wastes from approved generators that include classified waste, waste 
inappropriate for shallow land disposal, and waste which is considered 
by some sites as special case waste. All such wastes disposed of at the 
Nevada Test Site will comply with the site's waste acceptance criteria.
    Mixed Waste: The DOE will continue to manage mixed waste which is 
currently on site or which may be generated by DOE at the Nevada Test 
Site. Storage of mixed waste will continue under a Mutual Consent 
Agreement with the State of Nevada.
    Currently, the DOE is storing all Nevada Test Site low-level mixed 
waste in the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site. Included in this 
waste type is Cotter Concentrate, a sludge-like residue resulting from 
uranium ore processing constituting approximately 88 percent of all 
low-level mixed waste stored at the Nevada Test Site. The treatment and 
disposal options for the current low-level mixed waste inventory are 
identified in the Nevada Test Site Site Treatment Plan and Federal 
Facility Compliance Act Consent Order effective March 27, 1996. 
However, the preferred treatment option for the Cotter Concentrate 
waste stream, treatment or reclamation at an off-site facility, differs 
from the solidification option currently presented in the Nevada Test 
Site Site Treatment Plan and Federal Facility Compliance Act Consent 
Order, which will be updated to reflect the preferred treatment option. 
DOE will construct a treatment facility for the solidification of 
Cotter Concentrate in accordance with the Nevada Test Site Site 
Treatment Plan and Federal Facility Compliance Act Consent Order if the 
preferred treatment option cannot be implemented.
    Transuranic Waste: The DOE will continue storing onsite transuranic 
and transuranic mixed waste pending the development of DOE disposal 
facilities. In addition, the DOE will construct and operate at the 
Nevada Test Site a waste examination facility for characterization and 
certification of transuranic and transuranic mixed waste for off-site 
disposal, presumably at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, 
New Mexico. The construction of characterization and certification 
facilities at the Nevada Test Site is required for compliance with the 
Site Treatment Plan developed under the Federal Facility Compliance Act 
and Consent Order negotiated with the State of Nevada and is included 
in this decision. The DOE will continue to store classified and other 
transuranic waste that does not meet the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant's 
waste acceptance criteria, until a disposal option is determined.
    Hazardous and Toxic Substances Control Act Waste: The DOE will 
continue to store polychlorinated biphenyl waste pending off-site 
disposal and will expand the storage capacity for hazardous waste 
pending off-site disposal. Treatment of explosive waste at the 
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit will continue to occur at the Nevada 
Test Site per the conditions of the Resource Conservation and Recovery 
Act Part B permit. The DOE will seek to increase the capacity of the 
hazardous waste storage unit to address the additional needs of DOE 
Nevada Operations Office Programs, if necessary. The Resource 
Conservation and Recovery Act Part B permit application would be 
modified to address the additional storage capacity.
    Solid Waste: The DOE will continue to provide disposal capability 
for solid waste generated on-site. Providing disposal capabilities for 
adjacent rural counties will be evaluated.
    Closure: The DOE will continue to pursue the development and 
implementation of approved closure plans and designs for the waste 
units that are inactive, already full, and those that become full in 
the future. Waste management closure activities will be conducted at 
both the Area 3 and the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Sites, as 
necessary.
    Site Improvements: The DOE will construct certain site improvements 
as part of its continuing Waste Management Program. DOE will construct 
an equipment maintenance building and flood protection dike and channel 
at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site to support current 
operations. In order to provide improved access to the Area 5 
Radioactive Waste Management Site, DOE proposed in the Nevada Test Site 
Environmental Impact Statement to either upgrade the 5-01 Road or the 
5-07 Road. At this time, DOE has identified a third option that would 
consist of extending the Cane Springs Road eastward from the Mercury 
highway to intersect with the 5-01 Road

[[Page 65560]]

just south of the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site. Inasmuch as 
this alternative was not included in the analysis performed for the 
Nevada Test Site Environmental Impact Statement, DOE will conduct an 
appropriate National Environmental Policy Act analysis before making 
any decision concerning implementation of the Cane Springs Road 
Extension or any of the other road improvement options.

Transportation of Materials and Waste

    DOE will comply with U.S. Department of Transportation regulations 
regarding the transportation of radioactive materials. Radioactive 
materials shipped on the Nation's highways and roads are subject to the 
regulations administered and enforced by the U.S. Department of 
Transportation. These regulations set standards for packaging and 
transporting materials and requirements for labeling, documenting, 
loading and unloading, and handling. Compliance with the standards 
ensures that package handlers, transporters, and the public do not 
receive dose rates in excess of recognized safe limits. The regulations 
also specify that drivers receive training to ensure they are qualified 
to transport radioactive materials and that motor carriers follow 
routes which are selected to minimize radiological risk.
    The DOE will use Environmental Protection Agency protective action 
guides and actions that are designed to limit doses and impacts in the 
event of a transportation accident involving radioactive material. The 
DOE use of these guides and actions will minimize the impacts of 
transportation accidents involving radioactive material.

Environmental Restoration Program

    DOE will continue its Environmental Restoration Program activities 
of characterization and selected remediation of contaminated areas or 
facilities identified in the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent 
Order. Environmental Restoration is not considered a land use, but an 
activity necessary for environmental protection, reuse, or disposition 
of land and facilities.
    Clean-up priorities and clean-up levels are subject to negotiation 
with regulators and involved stakeholders. The assessment and 
remediation of the Nevada Test Site and off-site locations in Nevada 
have been divided into several subproject categories:
     Off-Site Corrective Action Units (including Project Shoal 
Area and Central Nevada Test Area)
     Soils Media Corrective Action Units (including sites on 
the Tonopah Test Range and Nellis Air Force Range Complex)
     Underground Test Areas Corrective Action Units
     Industrial Sites Corrective Action Units (includes Defense 
Nuclear Agency sites and Decontamination and Decommissioning projects)
    DOE's priority for approaching environmental restoration work will 
be to characterize and remediate the surface and shallow subsurface at 
the Project Shoal and Central Nevada Test Area sites. The deep 
subsurface at these sites will be characterized and modeled. Next in 
priority will be to characterize and remediate the contaminated sites 
on the Tonopah Test Range and the Nellis Air Force Range Complex.
    The DOE will characterize sites on the Nevada Test Site beginning 
at the south end and progressing northward. Areas with minimum 
contamination will be the first priority for characterization and 
remediation. These areas can be readily remediated and released for 
other uses. The next priority will be to characterize and remediate 
selected sites within Areas 23 and 25 which will facilitate reuse in 
the future. Lowest in priority are those contaminated sites which are 
in areas designated for potential future weapons testing.

Site-Specific Remedial Actions

Off-Site Corrective Action Units
    For the Shoal Project Site and Central Nevada Test Area, DOE will 
remediate the surface facilities locations. The remedial strategy for 
the subsurface will be to characterize groundwater flow and zones of 
contamination, to model the potential for contaminant migration from 
the source cavities, and to assess health risks. Tritium migration will 
be the major focus, since tritium is the most mobile of the radioactive 
contaminants. Other radionuclides will be evaluated, provided tritium 
migration indicates the need for their inclusion in the source 
evaluation. Subsurface contaminants in and around the nuclear test 
cavities will not be remediated since cost-effective groundwater 
strategies have not yet been demonstrated for effectively removing or 
stabilizing radioactive contaminants. Institutional control of the deep 
subsurface will be maintained and long-term subsurface monitoring and 
surveillance of the sites is planned for at least 50 years.
Soils Media Corrective Action Unit
    The first soil sites that DOE will characterize and remediate are 
those that are located off the Nevada Test Site proper and those which 
straddle the boundary of the Nevada Test Site. Soils activities will 
aim toward remedial actions, including interim actions, designed to 
clean up the Clean Slates 1, 2, and 3 sites on Tonopah Test Range; the 
Small Boy Site east of Frenchman Flat; Schooner and Area 13 sites on 
Nellis Air Force Range Complex; and to obtain closure of the Double 
Tracks site on Nellis Air Force Range Complex which was the object of a 
voluntary interim Corrective Action in early 1996. These remedial 
actions will be conducted in accordance with the Federal Facility 
Agreement and Consent Order.
    Cleanup standards will be negotiated. Characterization and 
remediation will utilize the Kiwi system, which is a sensor system 
mounted on a four-wheeler and able to provide fine resolution. ``Hot 
spot'' materials located in limited selected areas will be removed. 
More extensive areas of surface contamination will require the use of 
mechanical excavation. Size separators or other physical processes may 
be used to obtain volume reduction of mechanically removed materials. 
Subsurface remedies will range from excavation to containment in place. 
For the long term, it is assumed that some areas of the Nevada Test 
Site will remain under institutional control.
    Remedial actions will be based on several factors including 
applicable regulatory standards and negotiated cleanup levels. 
Negotiated cleanup levels will be based on applicable regulatory 
standards, assessment of the risk posed by the contamination, current 
and anticipated land uses, resource management considerations, costs, 
feasibility, and other factors.
Underground Test Areas Corrective Action Unit
    DOE's activities in the Underground Test Areas will continue to 
focus on investigation of the effects of underground nuclear testing on 
groundwater and the surrounding media. Because cost-effective 
subsurface remediation technologies have not yet been demonstrated, 
subsurface contaminants in and around nuclear shot cavities will not be 
remediated. DOE would reevaluate possible corrective actions in the 
event that such technologies are developed in the future.
    Fate and transport modeling will continue to determine the extent 
of contamination and potential for health risk to the public. DOE will 
monitor existing wells and new wells will be drilled, if necessary, to 
support computer modeling to assess contaminant migration potential,

[[Page 65561]]

particularly beyond Nevada Test Site boundaries. Monitoring and 
surveillance will be conducted for at least 50 years.
Industrial Sites Corrective Action Units
    DOE will prioritize remediation of the industrial sites according 
to the highest potential for future use. Areas of the Nevada Test Site 
slated for potential future testing activities will be characterized, 
but not remediated, except in areas identified where potential for 
health risk exists as a result of direct exposure, inhalation, and/or 
resuspension of contaminants. For decontamination and decommissioning 
activities, facilities will be prioritized based on potential re-use. 
The Area 25 Engine Maintenance and Disassembly Facility will be 
decontaminated for potential re-use.
    The sites scheduled for assessment include:
     Nevada Test Site, Area 2; U-2bu Subsidence Crater
     Nevada Test Site, Area 23; Building 650 Leach Field
     Nevada Test Site, Area 23; Pesticide Storage
     Tonopah Test Range, Septic Waste Systems 2 and 6
    The sites scheduled for remediation include:
     Nevada Test Site, Area 2; Bitcutter Shop
     Nevada Test Site, Area 2; Photograph Development System
     Nevada Test Site, Areas 4, 7, & 12; Housekeeping Sites
     Nevada Test Site, Area 6; Steam Cleaning Effluent Ponds
     Nevada Test Site, Area 6; Decon Pond Facility
     Nevada Test Site, Area 12; Steam Cleaning Effluent
     Tonopah Test Range, Closed Ordnance Disposal Pits; Bomblet 
Pit and Five Points Landfill
     Tonopah Test Range, Buried DU Artillery Round #1
     Tonopah Test Range, Roller Coaster Lagoons and Trench
     Tonopah Test Range, Underground Storage Tank Sites, Second 
Gas Station
     Tonopah Test Range, Cactus Spring Waste Trenches

Nondefense Research and Development Program

    The DOE will continue to support ongoing program operations and 
pursue diversification of use to include nondefense and private use. In 
defining land use zones on the Nevada Test Site, the DOE will allow for 
compatible nondefense research and development activities to be 
conducted in all land use zones on the Nevada Test Site with the 
exception of the Defense Industrial Zone. These new initiatives will 
include the construction and operation of a solar power production 
facility and siting an Alternative Fuels Demonstration Project at the 
Nevada Test Site. Private uses, for example, could include activities 
such as the Kistler Aerospace Corporation proposal identified during 
the public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. 
Kistler's comments expressed interest in developing a commercial 
satellite delivery system as a future activity in this program area. To 
the extent that future National Environmental Policy Act review is 
required in connection with the satellite delivery aspects of this 
project, such review would occur in conjunction with the Federal 
Aviation Administration licensing process.
    In this program area the DOE will continue to support the Solar 
Enterprise Zone concept for Southern Nevada which includes locating up 
to 1000 megawatts of solar power generation among the evaluated sites. 
In addition to two locations at the Nevada Test Site, three other sites 
in southern Nevada are being considered by the Corporation for Solar 
Technology and Renewable Resources: Eldorado Valley, Dry Lake Valley, 
and Coyote Spring Valley. As part of this support, initially the DOE 
will cooperate in the construction and operation of a 100 megawatt or 
less solar power production facility in Area 22. This facility, when 
operational, will enhance the Nevada Test Site power infrastructure in 
support of the primary science-based stockpile stewardship mission. 
Additionally, the DOE will reserve land and infrastructure in Area 25 
for potential future solar power development.
    The DOE is planning an Alternative Fuels Demonstration Project 
which will test and evaluate various blends of fuels for both fixed 
base and transportation vehicles applications. The DOE currently has 16 
vehicles at the Nevada Test Site converted to operate on either natural 
gas or gasoline. The DOE will pursue additional funding for the 
Alternative Fuels Demonstration Project to construct a refueling 
facility and to further convert a portion of the remaining vehicle 
fleet.
    The DOE will expand the capability of the existing Spill Test 
Facility into a multi-use facility that will be known as the HAZMAT 
Spill Center. The following five crucial research and development needs 
of government and industry have been identified in this proposed 
expansion of capability at the HAZMAT Spill Center:
    Remote Sensing: The HAZMAT Spill Center will be used as a chemical 
release test bed for remote sensor development and testing for effluent 
analysis and for stand-off hazardous materials identification.
    Source Term Definition/Dispersion Modeling: Data sets will be 
generated during tests at the HAZMAT Spill Center that will allow for 
validation of computer model source term assumptions and dispersion 
estimates. These data sets will also be utilized to enhance, improve, 
and develop new computer models utilized in emergency response to 
HAZMAT incidents.
    Mitigation Techniques: Material releases will be used at the HAZMAT 
Spill Center to allow research and demonstration of mitigation 
technologies. The data collected during these tests will also be used 
to develop computer-based mitigation models.
    HAZMAT Training: Training of emergency response team members using 
hazardous materials will be conducted. This allows the participants to 
gain confidence in emergency response equipment and procedures for 
incident response.
    HAZMAT Testing: Personal protective equipment will be field tested, 
under a variety of conditions, using mannequins and test chemicals. 
This testing capability will also be utilized in the development and 
field testing of industrial hygiene sensors.
    The DOE will continue to conduct research and technology 
development and demonstration activities at the Nevada Test Site 
focused on overcoming major obstacles to progress in cleaning up 
contaminated DOE sites. The major remediation and waste management 
areas include plume control and remediation, soil separation, tank 
remediation, landfill stabilization and mixed waste characterization, 
treatment, and disposal. Demonstrations include nonintrusive particle 
imaging and laser-induced fluorescence systems for decontamination and 
decommissioning applications.
    As part of the Environmental Research Park program, the DOE will 
continue under a cooperative agreement with the University of Nevada 
and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to provide financial 
assistance for scientific research projects. Areas of research include, 
but are not limited to, habitat reclamation, hydrogeologic systems, 
radionuclide transport, ecological change, waste management, monitoring 
processes, remediation, and characterization, as necessary.

Alternate Uses

    The DOE will promote public use of the historic resources of the 
site. Public education activities include establishing

[[Page 65562]]

educational tour routes on the Nevada Test Site and promoting the 
creation of a museum that highlights previous Nevada Test Site testing 
activities and current and future Nevada Test Site uses. Tours will 
allow the public to see firsthand some of the history and impacts of 
past nuclear testing, and will stimulate public involvement in 
potential reuse of DOE weapons-complex sites. These activities will be 
an important contribution to public understanding of the Nation's 
nuclear testing history and how those historic activities have changed.

Site Support Activities

    Defense Program activities at the Nevada Test Site have been 
declining steadily in recent years, resulting in the need to diversify 
user support. Diversification of users will offset required 
infrastructure maintenance for Defense Programs, allow the best use of 
limited stockpile stewardship resources, and support the successful 
execution of the stewardship mission. The activities identified in the 
Preferred Alternative require infrastructure construction and 
maintenance and support facilities. These include the utilities, 
communications, and transportation systems, as well as the existing 
support facilities, both on- and off-site. Under the Preferred 
Alternative, the Department will undertake landlord-related 
construction and maintenance projects as circumstances dictate.

Mitigation

    Volume 1, Chapter 7, of the Final Environmental Impact Statement 
presents the measures under the four alternatives analyzed that would 
be implemented to reduce potentially adverse impacts to the 
environment. Operations integral with the agency Preferred Alternative, 
Alternative 3 (Expanded Use), plus the public education activities from 
Alternative 4 (Alternate Use of Withdrawn Land), are strictly 
controlled through Nevada Test Site management activities that 
incorporate routine mitigation measures. The DOE has orders, guidance, 
regulations, and Nevada Test Site Standing Operating Procedures for the 
conduct of operations. As these orders, regulations, and standing 
operating procedures have been developed, they incorporated 
environmental impact mitigation actions required for most program 
operations. Further, DOE's compliance programs require self-
assessments, external oversight, and audits to ensure adherence to 
regulations. Individually and collectively, these measures avoid, 
reduce, or eliminate potentially adverse environmental impacts from 
activities at the Nevada Test Site.
    Throughout the environmental impact analysis process, in 
conjunction with consultations with affected American Indian tribes and 
federal and state agencies and using input received from the public, 
DOE identified actions within the five mission programs that require 
measures that, under existing operational requirements, would be 
routinely implemented to protect soils, water, wildlife, vegetation, 
cultural resources, and public and occupational health and safety. In 
addition, selected actions within a program area were identified that 
require additional mitigation measures to address either impacts from 
the action itself or stakeholder concerns. Routine measures identified 
through the Environmental Impact Statement analyses identified in 
Volume 1, Chapter 7, represent all practicable means to avoid or 
minimize adverse impacts of DOE programs in Nevada on sensitive 
environmental resources and other areas of concern which may result 
from the Preferred Alternative. Those additional mitigation measures 
beyond day-to-day routine physical and administrative controls needed 
for implementation of the Preferred Alternative are described in the 
following sections. Implementation of specific mitigation measures will 
be addressed in detail in a Mitigation Action Plan. DOE will prepare a 
Mitigation Action Plan to describe how mitigation impacts from the 
transportation of materials from the Waste Management Program will be 
implemented. The Mitigation Action Plan will provide a general approach 
for addressing groundwater impacts, and specific details for mitigation 
of groundwater will be provided before the initiation of individual 
major projects.

Transportation

    Transportation of materials in support of the Waste Management 
Program results in potential impacts and concerns that will be 
addressed or mitigated through the following DOE actions:
     Conduct a comprehensive study of the potential social and 
cultural effects on affected Native American tribes from the transport 
of low-level radioactive waste and low-level mixed waste to the Nevada 
Test Site.
     Allow shipments of low-level radioactive waste and low-
level mixed waste that arrive at the Nevada Test Site during off-hours 
to park in a secure area inside the gate.
     Provide information to stakeholders concerning waste 
shipments.
     Meet with the Transportation Protocol Working Group 
regularly to discuss low-level waste and low-level mixed waste 
transportation issues. Respond to transportation concerns between 
meetings by phone calls, faxes, or personal meetings.
     In coordination with local emergency-response agencies, 
determine needs concerning emergency-response actions involving 
transportation of low-level waste and low-level mixed waste and assist 
in the fulfillment of those needs as far as practicable.
     Distribute surplus federal equipment to local agencies to 
the extent possible under current regulations concerning federal 
surplus disposition.
     Prepare an annual report that includes, at a minimum, 
identification of carriers, sources and destination of each shipment, 
the number and volume of shipments, highway and rail routes used, 
incidents/accidents data, and an evaluation of each shipping campaign.

Groundwater Hydrology

    In order to avoid adverse impacts to groundwater availability from 
development and operations associated with the five mission programs, 
DOE would, as necessary, implement appropriate well-field design and 
placement, move points of diversion farther away from potentially 
affected areas, import water from adjacent areas, adjust the production 
of water from well fields, drill new water supply wells, and carefully 
manage recharge and discharge areas.

Conclusion

    DOE has attempted to balance environmental impacts, stakeholder 
concerns, and national policy in its decisions regarding the management 
and use of the Nevada Test Site and off-site locations in the State of 
Nevada. The analysis contained in the Environmental Impact Statement is 
both programmatic and site specific in detail. It is programmatic from 
the broad multi-use facility management perspective, and site specific 
in the detailed project and program activity analysis. The impacts 
identified in the Environmental Impact Statement were based on 
conservative estimates and assumptions. In this regard, the DOE has 
attempted to bound the impacts of the alternatives defined in the 
Environmental Impact Statement. The Expanded Use Alternative was 
defined to include potential activities related to the programmatic 
decisions that may be made as a result of other DOE Environmental 
Impact Statements

[[Page 65563]]

currently in progress. Consequently, the analysis for this alternative 
bounds the maximum potential impacts that could occur at the Nevada 
Test Site as a result of decisions made from the other DOE 
Environmental Impact Statements. This Environmental Impact Statement 
and the analyses it contains can be used to support these future 
programmatic decisions.
    The decisions made in this Record of Decision are defined 
consistent with the conservative descriptions contained in the 
Environmental Impact Statement. In the application of these decisions 
it should be noted that some of the proposals will continue to evolve 
over time. In this regard, proposed new activities such as constructing 
and operating a 1000-megawatt Solar Power Production Facility at the 
Nevada Test Site were analyzed in the Environmental Impact Statement; 
however, the current proposal for a solar power production facility at 
the Nevada Test Site is less than this original power estimate and 
would initially serve only the Nevada Test Site. The true impact of 
this proposal with respect to ground clearing and water use impacts 
would likewise be less than those identified. DOE also estimated 
conservatively the number of science-based stockpile stewardship tests 
and experiments to be conducted over a ten year period at the Nevada 
Test Site. Actual schedules and data needs will dictate the number of 
stockpile stewardship experiments and tests conducted in a given year. 
This number could be less than that identified, and consequently the 
actual impacts would also be less. DOE also analyzed the potential 
impacts of a generic large heavy industrial facility under the Expanded 
Use Alternative in order to identify maximum potential impact at the 
site under the concept of expanded use. DOE may at some future time 
consider siting a defense, nondefense, or private industrial facility 
at Nevada Test Site. Once such a proposal becomes more defined, 
additional National Environmental Policy Act analysis, as appropriate, 
would tier from this programmatic heavy industrial facility analysis.
    In accordance with the provisions of the National Environmental 
Policy Act, its implementing procedures and regulations, and DOE's 
National Environmental Policy Act regulations, I have considered the 
information contained within the Final Environmental Impact Statement, 
including the classified Appendix and public comments received in 
response to the Draft and Final Environmental Impact Statement. Being 
fully apprised of the environmental consequences of the alternatives 
and other decision factors described above, I have decided to continue 
and expand the use of the Nevada Test Site and its resources as 
described. This will enhance the DOE's ability to meet its primary 
national security mission responsibility in Nevada and create an 
environment that fosters technological innovation in both the public 
and private sectors.

    Issued at Washington, DC, December 9, 1996.
Hazel R. O'Leary,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-31652 Filed 12-12-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P