[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 53 (Friday, March 19, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 13553]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-6776]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Availability of the Commercial Light Water Reactor Final 
Environmental Impact Statement, the Accelerator Production of Tritium 
Final Environmental Impact Statement, and the Tritium Extraction 
Facility Final Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability of 
three Final Environmental Impact Statements (EISs): (1) the Commercial 
Light Water Reactor (CLWR) EIS, DOE/EIS-0288; (2) the Accelerator 
Production of Tritium (APT) EIS, DOE/EIS-0270; and, (3) the Tritium 
Extraction Facility (TEF) EIS, DOE/EIS-0271. The CLWR EIS evaluates the 
environmental impacts associated with producing tritium at one or more 
of five commercial light water reactors operated by the Tennessee 
Valley Authority. The APT EIS evaluates the environmental impacts 
associated with constructing and operating a linear accelerator at the 
Savannah River Site, near Aiken, South Carolina, for the production of 
tritium. The TEF EIS evaluates the environmental impacts associated 
with the construction and operation of a tritium extraction facility, 
at the Savannah River Site, to extract tritium from commercial light 
water reactor targets and targets of similar design.

ADDRESSES: A copy of the CLWR Final EIS, or its Summary may be obtained 
by calling 1-800-776-2765, or writing to: Mr. Jay Rose, Office of 
Technical and Environmental Support, DP-45, U.S. Department of Energy, 
1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585.
    A copy of the APT Final EIS, and/or the TEF Final EIS, or their 
Summaries may be obtained by calling 1-800-881-7292, or writing to: 
Andrew Grainger, U.S. Department of Energy, Savannah River Operations, 
Office, Building 742A, Room 122, Aiken, South Carolina 29802.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the DOE 
NEPA process, please contact: Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of 
NEPA Policy and Assistance, EH-42, U.S. Department of Energy 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW, Washington DC 20585, (202) 586-4600 or (800) 
472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is 
responsible for providing the nation with nuclear weapons and ensuring 
those weapons remain safe and reliable. Tritium, a radioactive isotope 
of hydrogen, is an essential component of every weapon in the current 
and projected U.S. nuclear stockpile.
    Unlike other nuclear materials used in nuclear weapons, tritium 
decays at a rate of 5.5 percent per year. Accordingly, as long as the 
nation relies on a nuclear deterrent, the tritium in each nuclear 
weapon must be replenished periodically.
    At present, the U.S. nuclear weapons complex does not have the 
capability to produce the amounts of tritium that will be required to 
support the nation's future stockpile. In 1995, DOE prepared the 
Tritium Supply and Recycling Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement (PEIS). In that PEIS, DOE considered a range of reasonable 
alternatives for obtaining the required quantities of tritium. In the 
December 1995 Record of Decision for the Tritium Supply and Recycling 
PEIS, DOE decided to pursue a dual-track approach on the two most 
promising tritium-supply alternatives: (1) to initiate purchase of an 
existing commercial reactor (operating or partially complete) or 
irradiation services with an option to purchase the reactor for 
conversion to a defense facility; and (2) to design, build, and test 
critical components of an accelerator system for tritium production 
(the Savannah River Site was selected as the location for an 
accelerator, should one be built).
    On December 22, 1998, Secretary Bill Richardson announced that 
commercial light water reactors will be the primary tritium supply 
technology. The Secretary designated the Watts Bar Unit 1 nuclear 
reactor near Spring City, Tennessee, and the Sequoyah Unit 1 and 2 
nuclear reactors near Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, as the preferred CLWRs 
for tritium production. Each of these reactors is operated by the 
Tennessee Valley Authority. In his December 22, 1998 announcement, the 
Secretary also designated the APT as the backup technology for tritium 
supply. As a backup, DOE will continue with developmental activities 
and preliminary design, but will not construct the accelerator. 
Finally, in selecting the CLWR as the primary tritium supply 
technology, the Secretary reaffirmed a prior decision that a new 
tritium extraction capability will be constructed and operated at the 
Savannah River Site.
    The final CLWR Final EIS is a stand alone document, which 
incorporates comments on the draft CLWR EIS received from the public. 
Because there were only minor changes to the APT and TEF draft EISs, 
DOE will not prepare completely revised documents as final EISs. 
Rather, DOE finalized the EISs by reference to the draft EISs and have 
issued these documents as records of changes to the draft EIS. Persons 
desiring copies of the APT and TEF draft EISs should contact Mr. 
Grainger at the above address.
    No sooner than 30 days after publication of the Environmental 
Protection Agency's Notice of Availability in the Federal Register, DOE 
intends to issue a consolidated Record of Decision to formalize the 
December programmatic announcement and complete project-specific 
decisions for the three EIS.

    Signed in Washington, DC this 15th day of March 1999, for the 
United States Department of Energy.
Victor H. Reis,
Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs.
[FR Doc. 99-6776 Filed 3-18-99; 8:45 am]
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