[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 17 (Monday, January 27, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3880-3884]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-1865]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Record of Decision: Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Continued Operation of the Pantex Plant and Associated Storage of 
Nuclear Weapon Components

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Record of decision.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy is issuing this Record of Decision 
for the continued operation of the Pantex Plant and associated storage 
of nuclear weapon components. This Record of Decision is based on the 
information, analysis, and public comment contained in the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Continued Operation of the 
Pantex Plant and Associated Storage of Nuclear Weapon Components 
(Pantex Plant EIS) (DOE/EIS-0225, November 1996). The Department has 
decided to implement the preferred alternative by: (1) Continuing 
nuclear weapon operations involving assembly and disassembly of nuclear 
weapons at the Pantex Plant; (2) implementing facility projects, 
including upgrades and construction consistent with conducting these 
operations; and (3) continuing to provide interim pit storage at the 
Pantex Plant and increasing the storage level from 12,000 to 20,000 
pits.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on or copies 
of the Pantex Plant EIS or other information related to this Record of 
Decision, please call 505-845-4351 or write to: Ms. Nanette D. Founds, 
Pantex Plant EIS Project Manager, EIS Project Office, U.S. Department 
of Energy, Albuquerque Operations Office, P.O. Box 5400, Albuquerque, 
New Mexico 87175-5400.
    For information on the Department's National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA) process, please contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, 
Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance, EH-42, U.S. Department of Energy, 
1000 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20585, telephone 202-586-
4600 or leave a message at 800-472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Energy has prepared this 
Record of Decision pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality 
Regulations implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR 
Parts 1500-1508) and the Department's NEPA implementing regulations (10 
CFR Part 1021). This Record of Decision is based on the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Continued Operation of the 
Pantex Plant and Associated Storage of Nuclear Weapon Components (DOE/
EIS-0225, November 1996), hereafter referred to as the Pantex Plant 
EIS, and other factors.

Background

    Until 1989, Pantex Plant activities were closely coupled with 
operations at the Rocky Flats Plant, now the Rocky Flats Environmental 
Technology Site, near Denver, Colorado. Two of the Rocky Flats Plant's 
primary missions were: (1) The manufacture of plutonium components 
(pits) which were eventually transported to the Pantex Plant for final 
assembly into nuclear weapons, and (2) receipt of pits from the Pantex 
Plant from disassembled weapons for recovery, reprocessing, and 
fabrication of the special nuclear material into new pits. In December 
1989, plutonium processing and pit fabrication operations at the Rocky 
Flats Plant were curtailed by the Department of Energy pending 
resolution of safety and environmental issues. The Pantex Plant 
continued to disassemble weapons, but shipments of pits from dismantled 
weapons between Pantex and Rocky Flats were suspended. The pits from 
those weapons were staged in Zone 4 at the Pantex Plant for later 
shipment to Rocky Flats. The Department had anticipated that shipments 
of pits to the Rocky Flats Plant would be reinitiated when processing 
activities in support of new weapons programs were resumed. Efforts to 
restart plutonium processing operations continued until January 1992, 
when they were terminated by the Department because of reduced 
requirements for nuclear weapons production in support of the national 
defense.
    Because pit transfers were suspended, the Department prepared the 
Environmental Assessment for Interim Storage of Plutonium Components at

[[Page 3881]]

Pantex (DOE/EA-0812, January 1994) to analyze activities necessary to 
accommodate the interim storage of up to 20,000 pits from the Pantex 
Plant disassembly operations. The environmental assessment did not 
suggest that the environmental impacts from the storage of 20,000 pits 
would be significant. However, in response to comments received from 
the State of Texas, local officials, and other stakeholders, the 
Department committed to store no more than 12,000 pits at the Pantex 
Plant until an environmental impact statement for the site had been 
completed. Accordingly, the Department issued a Finding of No 
Significant Impact for interim storage of up to 12,000 pits at the 
Pantex Plant (59 FR 3674, January 26, 1994).
    In May 1994, the Department published a Notice of Intent (NOI) (59 
FR 26635, May 23, 1994) to prepare the Pantex Plant EIS. Among 
alternatives identified in the NOI for consideration in the Pantex 
Plant EIS was to continue Pantex Plant nuclear weapon operations and 
increase onsite storage of pits; a no action alternative continuing 
Pantex Plant nuclear weapon operations but maintaining the 12,000 pit 
storage level; and an alternative relocating some Pantex Plant nuclear 
weapon operations and some or all pit storage activities currently 
conducted at the Pantex Plant, including relocation of other nuclear 
component storage from other sites. An amended Notice of Intent (60 FR 
32661, June 23, 1995) was issued to redefine the scope of the Pantex 
Plant EIS based on subsequent preparation of programmatic EISs, 
analyses of potential interim storage locations, and public scoping 
comments. Under the revised scope, the Pantex Plant EIS evaluated 
potential environmental impacts of continued operation of the Pantex 
Plant, including the interim storage of pits at the Pantex Plant or 
alternate sites (Nevada Test Site, Savannah River Site, Hanford Site, 
or Manzano Weapons Storage Facility at Kirtland Air Force Base) over an 
approximately 10-year period, and alternatives for relocating some or 
all Pantex Plant pit storage activities. The Pantex Plant EIS also 
examines cumulative impacts to Pantex by incorporating information from 
related programmatic EISs (see the discussion below entitled Other 
Decisions and Environmental Impact Statements Related to the Pantex 
Plant).
    In March 1996, the Department published the Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Continued Operation of Pantex Plant and 
Associated Storage of Nuclear Weapon Components and announced its 
availability in the Federal Register (61 FR 15232, April 5, 1996). The 
comment period for the Draft Pantex Plant EIS began on April 5, 1996, 
and originally would have ended on July 5, 1996, but was extended to 
July 12, 1996 (61 FR 18726, April 29, 1996). During the comment period, 
public hearings were held in Amarillo, Texas; North Las Vegas, Nevada; 
North Augusta, South Carolina; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Richland, 
Washington. The meetings held in Amarillo and North Augusta were 
conducted in concert with the Draft Stockpile Stewardship and 
Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (SSM PEIS) (DOE/
EIS-0236, February 1996) and the Storage and Disposition of Weapons-
Usable Fissile Material Draft Environmental Impact Statement (S&D PEIS) 
(DOE/EIS-0229, February 1996). In addition, a Technical Exchange 
Meeting was held in Amarillo with representatives from the State of 
Texas and local governments, and the public. All comments received 
during the public comment period were considered for potential changes 
or additions to the Final Pantex Plant EIS. Volume III of the Final 
Pantex Plant EIS contains the comments received and the Department's 
responses to those comments, and identifies the areas where changes 
were made to the Pantex Plant EIS.

Alternatives Considered

    The scope of the Pantex Plant EIS included assessing the impacts of 
operations performed at the Pantex Plant on the natural and physical 
environment and the relationships of people to that environment. The 
scope also included issues raised during the scoping and public comment 
periods. Among the areas of public interest were plant facilities and 
infrastructure, land resources (particularly agricultural resources), 
geology and soils (including the current environmental restoration 
program), water (particularly protection of the Ogallala aquifer), air 
quality (especially related to burning of high explosives and other 
material), acoustics, biotic resources, cultural resources, 
socioeconomics, intrasite transportation, waste management, human 
health, potential aircraft accidents, intersite transportation of 
nuclear and hazardous materials, and environmental justice. In addition 
to these analyses for each site, Pantex Plant potential mitigation 
measures, unavoidable impacts, irreversible and irretrievable 
commitment of resources, impacts on long-term productivity, and 
cumulative impacts were assessed.
    The Pantex Plant EIS examined impacts across a reasonable range of 
activity levels by assessing the operations on 2,000, 1,000, and 500 
weapons per year. These levels of weapons operations could involve any 
mix of nuclear weapons assemblies, disassemblies, retrofits, rebuilds, 
and quality assurance inspections. The scope also included those areas 
of the environment that might be impacted at the four candidate sites 
considered for the possible relocation of interim pit storage 
activities from the Pantex Plant. These candidate sites were the Nevada 
Test Site, near Las Vegas, Nevada; the Savannah River Site, near Aiken, 
South Carolina; the Hanford Site, near Richland, Washington; and 
Kirtland Air Force Base, near Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Pantex Plant 
EIS assessed activities over a period of approximately 10 years. The 
Pantex Plant EIS alternatives were the Proposed Action, No Action 
Alternative, and Relocation of Interim Pit Storage Alternative, as 
discussed in the following paragraphs.
    Proposed Action (Preferred Alternative): The Department proposed to 
continue nuclear weapon operations at the Pantex Plant, increase the 
maximum level of interim storage from 12,000 pits to 20,000 pits, and 
implement necessary facility projects consistent with conducting these 
operations. Types of operations conducted at the Pantex Plant include 
the assembly, disassembly, modification, and maintenance of nuclear 
weapons; surveillance of the weapons stockpile; production of high 
explosives components for nuclear weapons; quality assurance evaluation 
and testing of weapon components; and research and development 
activities supporting nuclear weapons. For the facility projects, only 
the Hazardous Waste Treatment and Processing Facility involves the 
construction of a new facility that will add to the overall plant 
footprint. Although the Pit Reuse Facility will establish a new mission 
at the Pantex Plant, an existing facility will be modified to 
incorporate these new operations instead of building a new, separate 
structure. The remaining four projects will be located within existing 
structures vacated because of workload reductions. These projects are: 
the Pit Reuse Facility, Gas Analysis Laboratory, Materials 
Compatibility and Assurance Facility, Nondestructive Evaluation 
Facility, and the Metrology and Health Physics Calibration and 
Acceptance Facility.
    No Action Alternative: The No Action Alternative is presented to 
provide a baseline for comparison with the Proposed Action. Under the 
No Action Alternative, the Department would continue current operations 
at the

[[Page 3882]]

Pantex Plant as described under the Proposed Action, but would cease 
weapons dismantlement after a storage level of 12,000 pits was reached. 
Only previously approved and funded projects would be implemented under 
this alternative. No new facilities would be constructed as described 
under the Proposed Action. Failure to construct one of these new 
projects (the Hazardous Waste Treatment and Processing Facility) would 
limit the Plant's waste treatment and processing capability to a level 
that would not meet the Department's objectives for improvements in 
environment, safety, and health conditions and operational efficiency, 
and would not fulfill an agreement reached with the State of Texas 
under the Federal Facility Compliance Act.
    Relocation of Interim Pit Storage Alternative: Under this 
alternative, the Department would transfer pit storage operations to 
another site. All other operations, upgrades, and new projects would be 
the same as for the Proposed Action. There are two options under this 
alternative: the relocation of up to 20,000 pits from the Pantex Plant, 
or the relocation of up to 8,000 pits from the Pantex Plant, leaving 
12,000 pits at the Pantex Plant. The candidate sites, which provided a 
reasonable range of geographic, operational, and environmental 
alternatives, were the Nevada Test Site, the Savannah River Site, the 
Hanford Site, and the Manzano Weapons Storage Facility at Kirtland Air 
Force Base.

Preferred Alternative

    Based on its analyses, the Department announced a preferred 
alternative in the Notice of Availability for the Pantex Plant Draft 
EIS (61 FR 15232, April 5, 1996) and in the Final Pantex Plant EIS. The 
Preferred Alternative is the Proposed Action, to continue nuclear 
weapons operations at the Pantex Plant, to implement facility projects 
including upgrades and construction consistent with performing these 
operations, and to provide interim storage for up to 20,000 pits at the 
Pantex Plant. This Record of Decision selects the Preferred Alternative 
for implementation.

Evaluation of Alternatives

    Only the Pantex Plant was analyzed for continued weapons 
operations; however, four alternative sites (Nevada Test Site, Savannah 
River Site, Hanford Reservation, and Kirtland Air Force Base) in 
addition to the Pantex Plant were evaluated for interim storage of up 
to 20,000 plutonium pits. Each of the alternatives were evaluated for 
three potential levels of activity (operations on 2,000, 1,000, and 500 
weapons per year) at the Pantex Plant. The principal differences among 
the alternatives lie in the number of pits that would be stored at the 
Pantex Plant and the new projects that would be implemented.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives

    Impacts to facilities and infrastructure, land resources, air 
quality, acoustics, cultural resources, and environmental justice were 
determined to be similar for each of the alternatives. Water usage and 
wastewater production were found to be similar (less than 1 percent 
variation) under each of the alternatives. The main differences in 
impacts among the alternatives would involve the disturbance to soils 
and biotic resources due to construction of a new facility, radiation 
exposure to workers involved in the transfer of pits, and risks 
associated with aircraft accidents. These differences are generally 
small.
    A suite of accident scenarios was evaluated in detail to encompass 
the range of accidents at the Pantex Plant that have the potential to 
affect workers or members of the public. For all alternatives evaluated 
in the Final Pantex Plant EIS, the dominant accident in terms of risk 
from radioactive releases to the public involves the crash of an 
aircraft into a weapons storage magazine, nuclear weapons assembly/
disassembly bay or cell, or a special purpose building that results in 
the detonation of the conventional explosives in the weapons. The 
estimated risk associated with this potential accident is 7.2  x  
10-6 excess cancer fatalities per year to the population within 80 
kilometers (50 miles) of the Pantex Plant.
    For all alternatives evaluated in the Final Pantex Plant EIS, the 
dominant accident scenario in terms of release of hazardous chemicals 
to the public involves the accidental release of up to 408 kilograms 
(900 pounds) of chlorine gas from the water treatment facilities. 
Approximately 10 percent of the public within 80 kilometers (50 miles) 
could be exposed to concentrations of chlorine that, if experienced for 
over an hour, could cause mild transient adverse health effects.
    The potential for accidents that pose risks to worker safety exists 
at the Pantex Plant. These accidents include normal manufacturing and 
heavy equipment accidents, fires, and explosions. The types of 
accidents that could result in release of radioactive or hazardous 
material are bounded by those accidents discussed above. Although the 
accident is the same, the consequences to a worker tends to be more 
severe than to a member of the public. In the case of an explosion, the 
consequence to an affected worker is generally a fatality. In the case 
of a chlorine release, a higher exposure to chlorine is expected for a 
worker at the Pantex Plant, but no serious or long term health impacts 
would result.
    All alternatives would result in unavoidable worker exposures to 
radiation from normal handling of plutonium pits during transfer and 
storage. Under the Preferred Alternative, workers at the Pantex Plant 
would receive an additional 17 person-rem as a result of storing and 
handling 20,000 pits instead of the 12,000 pits currently authorized. 
However, the 20,000-pit Relocation Alternative would result in an 
additional exposure of up to 283 person-rem due to additional pit 
handling and loading/unloading of the Safe Secure Tractor Trailers used 
to transport the pits to the alternative site. The Department will 
continue to strive to reduce radiological exposures to plant workers. 
Radiological exposures incurred from future weapons operations will be 
controlled and minimized by Pantex Plant procedures, administrative 
controls, and an active As Low As Reasonably Achievable exposure 
control program that promotes minimizing exposure of workers to 
radiation. Limits on allowable radiological exposures to workers are 
given in 10 CFR Part 835, Occupation Radiation Protection and safe 
radiological worker practices are described in the Pantex Radiological 
Control Manual. Health studies of Pantex Plant workers to date indicate 
that there has been no significant excess cancer mortality in the 
Pantex Plant area attributable to Pantex Plant operations. There have 
been no verifiable indications of any short-or long-term health impacts 
to workers at the Pantex Plant. Radiological exposure to non-involved 
workers and members of the public from Pantex Plant operations is 
effectively zero.

The Environmentally Preferable Alternative

    The environmentally preferable alternative is defined as the 
alternative that would cause the least impact to the physical 
environment, and best protect worker and public health. According to 
the analysis conducted for the Pantex Plant EIS, the Preferred 
Alternative is the environmentally preferable alternative. Under the 
Preferred Alternative, the Pantex Plant would implement a new project 
(the Hazardous Waste Treatment and Processing Facility) to improve the 
efficiency of

[[Page 3883]]

low-level radioactive, hazardous, and mixed waste processing, provide 
greater environmental protection, and improve worker safety and health. 
For the Pit Reuse Facility, an existing facility would be modified 
instead of constructing a new facility. For the Gas Analysis 
Laboratory, Materials Compatibility Assurance Facility, Nondestructive 
Evaluation Facility, and Metrology and Health Physics Calibration and 
Acceptance Facility, current activities would be moved into existing 
facilities instead of constructing new facilities. Moving into existing 
facilities is environmentally preferred to construction of new 
facilities and No Action because the impacts of construction are 
avoided and worker safety is improved, respectively. Retaining interim 
storage of pits at the Pantex Plant would minimize the radiation 
exposure to workers and the public because the pits would be handled 
less than if they had to be shipped to another site for storage.

Comments on the Final Pantex Plant EIS

    During the 30-day comment period which ended January 13, 1997, the 
Department received two letters regarding the Pantex Plant Final EIS. 
The first letter from the Environmental Protection Agency stated that 
the Agency's previous comments on the Pantex Plant Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement were addressed and offered no additional comments.
    The second letter from the State of Tennessee, Department of 
Environment and Conservation, Department of Energy Oversight Division, 
expressed dissatisfaction regarding the Department's response in the 
Final Pantex Plant EIS to their previous comment regarding the shipment 
of depleted uranium from Pantex Plant to the Y-12 Plant at the Oak 
Ridge Reservation. As noted in the Final Pantex Plant EIS, the 
relocation of storage for nuclear components other than pits is not 
reasonable during the time period of the Pantex Plant EIS. Accordingly, 
highly enriched uranium and depleted uranium components must continue 
to be shipped from the Pantex Plant to the Y-12 Plant. The decisions 
announced in this Record of Decision will not affect the ongoing 
depleted uranium operations at the Y-12 Plant. The Y-12 Plant currently 
has existing storage capacity to accommodate the depleted uranium 
returns from the Pantex Plant. The amount of depleted uranium to be 
returned from the Pantex Plant is classified information. However, the 
amount of depleted uranium returned coupled with the existing site 
inventory will not surpass the historical maximum level of depleted 
uranium stored at the Y-12 Plant. The Department, through the Oak Ridge 
Operations Office, is working with the State of Tennessee to address 
their concerns and will provide a briefing to appropriately cleared 
State of Tennessee representatives on the depleted uranium activities 
in February 1997.

Decisions

    The Department is making three decisions regarding continued 
operation of the Pantex Plant and associated storage of nuclear weapon 
components. Details of these decisions are as follows:
    (1) Continue current nuclear weapons operations: The Final Pantex 
Plant EIS examines three levels of activity for weapons operations 
conducted at the Pantex Plant over the next 10 years. It is expected 
that the activity level for the next 3 to 5 years will be less than the 
2,000 weapons level, and will then continue to decline to the 500 
weapons level until SSM PEIS decisions are implemented.
    (2) Implement facility projects consistent with performing current 
Pantex Plant operations: Six facilities were analyzed in the Final 
Pantex Plant EIS. For each facility, a proposed action, an alternative 
action, and no action were examined. The following describes the 
alternative selected for each facility:
    Hazardous Waste Treatment and Processing Facility: The Department 
has selected the Proposed Action, to construct this facility, as 
described in Appendix H of the Pantex Plant EIS. Construction of the 
facility will enhance Pantex Plant low-level radioactive, hazardous, 
and mixed waste operations and will comply with an agreement reached 
with the State of Texas under the Federal Facility Compliance Act. This 
decision will be reviewed based on future decisions resulting from the 
Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to 
assure consistency with those programmatic decisions (see discussion 
below under Other Decisions and Environmental Impact Statements). The 
engineering design for this facility will proceed while the Department 
is completing the Waste Management PEIS process.
    Pit Reuse Facility: The Department has selected the Proposed 
Action, to modify an existing Pantex Plant Zone 12 facility (Building 
12-104) as described in Appendix H of the Pantex Plant EIS. This 
decision is consistent with the SSM PEIS Record of Decision (61 FR 
68014, December 26, 1996).
    Gas Analysis Laboratory, Materials Compatibility Assurance 
Facility, Nondestructive Evaluation Facility, and Metrology and Health 
Physics Calibration and Acceptance Facility: The Department has 
selected the Move to an Existing Facility Alternative at the Pantex 
Plant as described in Appendix H of the Pantex Plant EIS rather than 
constructing a new facility. This decision is consistent with the SSM 
PEIS Record of Decision.
    The decision to move into existing facilities rather than build new 
ones will result in reduced environmental impacts because construction 
activities will be minimized. In addition, modifying existing 
facilities rather than constructing new facilities will reduce costs.
    (3) Continue providing interim pit storage at Pantex Plant and 
increase the authorized storage level to 20,000 pits: This decision 
will allow the Pantex Plant to continue nuclear weapon dismantlement 
operations scheduled over the next 10 years until disposition decisions 
are made and implemented.

Mitigation Measures

    Due to ongoing quality assurance, industrial hygiene, safety 
analysis, and other programs at the Pantex Plant and the level of 
impacts identified in the Pantex Plant EIS, no additional mitigation 
measures will be adopted for continued operations or storage activities 
at the Pantex Plant. However, because of a high level of public 
interest, activities associated with reducing the risk from aircraft 
accidents are worth special consideration here. Due to public concern 
regarding the risk of an aircraft crash at the Pantex Plant, an 
Overflight Working Group was formed, consisting of representatives of 
the Department of Energy, the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. 
Air Force, the State of Texas and the public, to address ways to reduce 
the number of aircraft flying over the Pantex Plant. Recommendations 
included such actions as modifying the path of approaching and 
departing aircraft from the Amarillo Airport to avoid flying over the 
Pantex Plant boundary, and installing additional equipment at the 
airport to aid in vectoring aircraft away from areas where nuclear 
material is kept. The Department has committed to implement the risk 
reduction measures recommended by this Overflight Working Group.
    During preparation of the Pantex Plant EIS, the Pantex Plant also 
undertook mitigation measures to afford the public greater protection 
from a plutonium dispersal accident should such an accident occur. 
Physical

[[Page 3884]]

modifications to assembly cell doors were started to significantly 
reduce the amount of radioactive material that could leak from a cell 
in case of an accident. These modifications are projected to be 
completed by 1998.

Future Analytical Activities

    The aircraft crash accident analysis of the Final EIS was based 
upon the Draft Department of Energy Standard, Accident Analysis for 
Aircraft Crash into Hazardous Facilities (July 1996). The Department 
will further refine the analysis of potential aircraft crash scenarios 
through Safety Analysis Reports, which will be prepared in accordance 
with the Final Standard, which was published in October 1996. The Basis 
for Interim Operation is the current safety authorization document for 
Pantex until formal Safety Analysis Reports can be completed and 
approved. This document will incorporate by reference the aircraft 
crash analyses. The analysis in the Final Pantex Plant EIS 
substantiates prior analyses that aircraft crashes at the Pantex Plant 
do not present a significant risk to Pantex workers or the surrounding 
communities. The Department, through the Safety Analysis Reports, will 
prepare more detailed, building-specific analyses for aircraft crash 
accidents. During this process, the Department will continue to apprise 
the State of Texas of our progress. Once complete, the Department will 
provide the State of Texas with the opportunity to thoroughly review 
all facets of the aircraft crash analyses, including evaluation, safety 
standards, and implementation of mitigation measures. The Department 
will encourage the Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium to 
provide the necessary resources to the State of Texas for this effort.

Other Decisions and Environmental Impact Statements Related to the 
Pantex Plant

    Final Stockpile Stewardship and Management Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement (SSM PEIS): The SSM PEIS Record of 
Decision determined that there will be over time a downsizing of the 
weapons assembly/disassembly and high explosive component fabrication 
missions at the Pantex Plant. The decisions made today in this Record 
of Decision for the operation of the Pantex Plant over the next 10 
years are consistent with those determinations. The SSM PEIS also 
evaluated storage alternatives for strategic reserve material 
(plutonium and highly enriched uranium that has not been declared 
surplus to national security needs). However, decisions on storage of 
strategic reserve materials are being made in the Record of Decision 
for the S&D PEIS regarding the storage of surplus materials (see 
below). In these documents, the preferred alternative is Zone 12 at the 
Pantex Plant for strategic reserve storage of plutonium pits and the Y-
12 Plant at the Oak Ridge Reservation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for 
strategic reserve storage of highly enriched uranium.
    Storage and Disposition of Weapons-Usable Fissile Materials Final 
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (S&D PEIS): The S&D PEIS 
Record of Decision (signed January 14, 1997) selected among 
alternatives for safe and secure storage of weapons-usable fissile 
materials and a strategy for the disposition of surplus weapons-usable 
plutonium. The Pantex Plant was selected for the storage of strategic 
reserve pits and surplus pits resulting from dismantlement operations 
in upgraded facilities in Zone 12. This decision included the transfer 
of pits from the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site to the 
Pantex Plant (as early as 1997) for storage in Zone 4 until upgraded 
facilities are available for consolidated storage in Zone 12. The 
Pantex Plant is also a potential site for disposition alternatives 
including a Federal government-owned mixed oxide fuel fabrication 
facility and a pit disassembly/conversion facility. Additional NEPA 
review will be completed before site selections are made.
    Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement 
(PEIS): The Waste Management PEIS provides a Department-wide evaluation 
of management alternatives for where to treat, store or dispose of 
radioactive and hazardous wastes. Pantex is one of 17 sites considered 
for treatment and disposal of low-level and mixed waste, as well as one 
of 11 sites evaluated for hazardous waste treatment. Under all options, 
Pantex would either manage only its own wastes or ship some or all of 
its waste to another site. The Final Waste Management PEIS, which will 
be issued shortly, will identify the Department's preferred 
alternatives for management of these wastes and the role of Pantex in 
these configurations.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on January 17, 1997.
Hazel R. O'Leary,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-1865 Filed 1-24-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P