[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 184 (Monday, September 23, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59577-59580]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-24076]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

National Nuclear Security Administration


Notice of Intent to Prepare a Supplemental Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement on Stockpile Stewardship and Management 
for a Modern Pit Facility

AGENCY: Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy's (DOE) National Nuclear Security 
Administration (NNSA) is responsible for the safety and reliability of 
the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, including protection of production 
readiness to maintain that stockpile. Since 1989, the DOE has been 
without the capability to produce plutonium pits (the portion of a 
nuclear weapon which generates the fission energy to drive modern 
thermonuclear weapons). The NNSA, the Department of Defense (DOD), and 
Congress have highlighted the lack of long-term pit production 
capability as a national security issue requiring timely resolution. 
While an interim capability is currently being established at the Los 
Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), classified analyses indicate that 
this capability will not suffice to maintain, long-term, the nuclear 
deterrent that is a cornerstone of U.S. national security policy. 
Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as 
amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and the DOE Regulations Implementing 
NEPA (10 CFR Part 1021), the NNSA is announcing its intent to prepare a 
Supplement to the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on 
Stockpile Stewardship and Management (SSM) for

[[Page 59578]]

a Modern Pit Facility (MPF) in order to decide: (1) whether to proceed 
with the MPF; and (2) if so, where to locate the MPF. This NOI also 
sets forth the dates, times, and locations for public scoping meetings 
on the Supplement to the Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern Pit 
Facility.

DATES: NNSA is inviting comments related to its intention to prepare a 
Supplement to the Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern Pit Facility. 
Comments should be submitted within November 22, 2002. Comments 
submitted during the 60-day comment period following publication of 
this NOI will assist the NNSA in developing the Supplement to the 
Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern Pit Facility. Public scoping 
meetings to discuss issues and receive comments on the scope of the 
Supplement to the Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern Pit Facility 
will be held in the vicinity of sites that may be affected by the 
proposed action, as well as in Washington, DC. The public scoping 
meetings will provide the public with an opportunity to present 
comments, ask questions, and discuss concerns with NNSA officials 
regarding the Supplement to the Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern 
Pit Facility. The locations, dates, and times for these public scoping 
meetings are as follows:

Pantex--October 8, 2002 , 7 p.m.-10 p.m., College Union Building, Oak 
Room, Amarillo College, Washington Street Campus, 24th and Jackson 
Streets, Amarillo, TX 79178, (806) 371-5100
Carlsbad, NM--October 10, 2002, 7 p.m.-10 p.m., U.S. Department of 
Energy, Carlsbad Area Office, 4021 National Parks Highway, Carlsbad, NM 
88220, (505) 234-7227
Washington, DC--October 15, 2002, 2 p.m.-5 p.m., U.S. Department of 
Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 1E-245, Washington, DC 
20585, (202) 586-0821
Nevada Test Site--October 17, 2002, 7 p.m.-10 p.m., U.S. Department of 
Energy, Nevada Operations Office, Auditorium, 232 Energy Way, Las 
Vegas, NV 89030, (702) 295-3521
Los Alamos National Laboratory--October 24, 2002, 7 p.m.-10 p.m., Duane 
W. Smith Auditorium, 1400 Diamond Drive, Los Alamos, NM 87544, (505) 
663-2510
Savannah River Site--October 29, 2002, 7 p.m.-10 p.m., North Augusta 
Community Center, 495 Brookside Avenue, North Augusta, SC 29841, (803) 
441-4290

    The NNSA will publish additional notices on the dates, times, and 
locations of the scoping meetings in local newspapers in advance of the 
scheduled meetings. Any necessary changes will be announced in the 
local media. Any agency, state, pueblo, tribe, or unit of local 
government that desires to be designated a cooperating agency should 
contact Mr. Jay Rose at the address listed below by October 15, 2002.

ADDRESSES: General questions concerning this Notice of Intent for the 
Supplement to the Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern Pit Facility can 
be asked by calling 1-800-832-0885, ext. 65484, or by writing to: Mr. 
Jay Rose, Supplement to the Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern Pit 
Facility Document Manager, NA-53, Forrestal Building, U.S. Department 
of Energy/NNSA, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, D.C. 20585. 
Comments can be submitted to Mr. Rose at the address above; or faxed 
to: 1-202-586-5324; or e-mailed to [email protected]. Please mark 
envelopes, faxes, and E-mail: ``Supplement to the Programmatic EIS on 
SSM for a Modern Pit Facility Comments.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the NNSA 
NEPA process, please contact: Mr. James J. Mangeno, NNSA NEPA 
Compliance Officer, NA-3.6, Forrestal Building, U.S. Department of 
Energy/NNSA, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, D.C. 20585; or 
telephone 1-800-832-0885, ext. 6-8395. For general information on the 
DOE NEPA process, please contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, 
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance, EH-42, Forrestal Building, U.S. 
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 
20585, telephone 202-586-4600, or leave a message at 1-800-472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Plutonium pits are essential components of 
nuclear weapons. Prior to the shutdown of its production activities in 
1989, plutonium pits for the nuclear weapons stockpile were 
manufactured at the DOE Rocky Flats Plant in Colorado. No stockpile-
certified pits have been produced by this country since that shutdown. 
During the mid-1990s, the DOE conducted a comprehensive analysis of the 
capability and capacity needs for the entire Nuclear Weapons Complex 
and evaluated alternatives for maintaining the Nation's nuclear 
stockpile in the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for 
Stockpile Stewardship and Management (SSM PEIS, DOE/EIS-0236). Issued 
in September 1996, the SSM PEIS looked extensively at pit manufacturing 
capability and capacity needs, and evaluated reasonable alternatives 
for re-establishing interim pit production capability on a small scale. 
A large pit production capacity--in line with the capacity planned for 
other manufacturing functions--was not evaluated in the PEIS ``because 
of the small current demand for the fabrication of replacement pits, 
and the significant, but currently undefined, time period before 
additional capacity may be needed.'' In the SSM PEIS Record of Decision 
(ROD) (61 FR 68014, December 26, 1996), the Secretary of Energy decided 
to re-establish an interim pit fabrication capability, with a small 
capacity, at LANL. That decision limited pit fabrication to a facility 
``sized to meet programmatic requirements over the next ten or more 
years.'' In the ROD, DOE committed to ``performing development and 
demonstration work at its operating plutonium facilities over the next 
several years to study alternative facility concepts for larger 
capacity.''
    Subsequent to the SSM PEIS ROD, a number of citizen groups filed 
suit challenging the adequacy of the SSM PEIS. In August 1998, the SSM 
PEIS litigation was resolved. As a result of that litigation, DOE 
agreed to entry of a court order that required, ``[p]rior to taking any 
action that would commit DOE resources to detailed engineering design, 
testing, procurement, or installment of pit production capability for a 
capacity in excess of the level that has been analyzed in the SSM PEIS 
[50 pits per year under routine conditions, 80 pits per year under 
multiple-shift operations], DOE shall prepare and circulate a 
Supplemental PEIS, in accordance with DOE NEPA Regulation 10 CFR 
1021.314, analyzing the reasonably foreseeable environmental impacts of 
and alternatives to operating such an enhanced capacity, and shall 
issue a Record of Decision based thereon.'' This Supplement to the SSM 
PEIS is being prepared in part to satisfy that obligation.
    Following the SSM PEIS, in January 1999, the Department prepared 
the LANL Site-Wide EIS (SWEIS) (DOE/EIS-0238), which evaluated site-
specific alternatives for implementing pit production at LANL. 
Consistent with the SSM PEIS ROD, the LANL SWEIS evaluated alternatives 
that would implement pit production with a capacity up to 50 pits per 
year under single-shift operations and 80 pits per year using multiple 
shifts. In the ROD for the LANL SWEIS (64 FR 50797, September 20, 
1999), DOE decided to produce up to 20 pits per year at LANL,

[[Page 59579]]

and deferred any decision to expand pit manufacturing beyond that 
level.
    Consistent with the 1996 SSM PEIS ROD and the 1999 LANL SWEIS ROD, 
NNSA has been re-establishing a small pit manufacturing capability at 
LANL. The establishment of the interim pit production capacity is 
expected to be completed in 2007. However, classified analyses indicate 
that the capability being established at LANL will not support either 
the projected capacity requirements (number of pits to be produced over 
a period of time), or the agility (ability to rapidly change from 
production of one pit type to another, ability to simultaneously 
produce multiple pit types, or the flexibility to produce pits of a new 
design in a timely manner) necessary for long-term support of the 
stockpile. In particular, any systemic problems that might be 
identified in an existing pit type or class of pits (particularly any 
aging phenomenon) could not be adequately addressed today, nor could it 
be with the capability being established at LANL. Although no such 
problems have been identified, the potential for such problems 
increases as pits age. NNSA's inability to respond to such issues is a 
matter of national security concern. NNSA is responsible for ensuring 
that appropriate pit production capacity and agility are available when 
needed, and this Supplement to the SSM PEIS is being undertaken to 
assist NNSA in discharging this responsibility.

NEPA Strategy and EIS Alternatives

    Currently, the NNSA envisions the Supplement to the Programmatic 
EIS on SSM for a Modern Pit Facility as a ``programmatic document'' 
that will support two decisions: (1) Whether to proceed with the MPF; 
and (2) if so, where to locate the MPF. A tiered, project-specific EIS 
is expected to be prepared after the Supplement to the Programmatic EIS 
on SSM for a Modern Pit Facility if the Secretary decides to proceed 
with such a facility. That tiered EIS, which would utilize detailed 
design information to evaluate site-specific alternatives at any site 
selected as a potential location for a MPF, would ultimately support a 
decision for construction and operation of the MPF. As described below, 
the NNSA has developed preliminary alternatives for the Supplement to 
the Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern Pit Facility.
    Alternatives: The NNSA has prepared, and will continue to prepare 
mission, requirements, and planning documents required to support an 
NNSA decision on whether to proceed with the MPF, and has conducted a 
site screening analysis to assure that potential sites meet program 
requirements. Initially, all existing, major DOE sites were considered 
to serve as potential host location for the MPF. The site screening 
analysis considered the following criteria: population encroachment, 
mission compatibility, margin for safety/security, synergy with 
existing/future plutonium operations, minimizing transportation of 
plutonium, NNSA presence at the site, and infrastructure. The first two 
criteria were deemed to be ``exclusionary'' criteria; that is, a site 
either passed or failed on each of these two criteria. The sites that 
passed the exclusionary criteria were then scored against all criteria. 
Based upon results from the site screening analysis, the following 
sites were determined to be reasonable alternatives for the MPF: (1) 
Los Alamos National Laboratory at Los Alamos, New Mexico; (2) Nevada 
Test Site near Las Vegas, Nevada ; (3) Pantex Plant at Amarillo, Texas; 
(4) Savannah River Site at Aiken, South Carolina; and (5) the Waste 
Isolation Pilot Plant at Carlsbad, NM. The Supplement to the 
Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern Pit Facility will also evaluate 
the no-action alternative of maintaining the current plutonium pit 
capabilities at LANL, and the reasonableness of upgrading the existing 
facilities at LANL to increase pit production capacity. Additionally, 
the Supplement to the Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern Pit Facility 
will evaluate a range of pit production capacities consistent with 
national security requirements.

Identification of Environmental and Other Issues

    The environmental impacts of constructing and operating the MPF, 
including the impacts that might occur at each potential site, will be 
addressed in the Supplement to the Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern 
Pit Facility. These impacts will be presented along with environmental 
baseline information to enable the reader to discern the differences 
between alternatives. The NNSA has identified the following issues for 
analysis in the Supplement to the Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern 
Pit Facility. Additional issues may be identified as a result of the 
scoping process.
    1. Public and Worker Safety, Health Risk Assessment: Radiological 
and non-radiological impacts, including projected effects on workers 
and the public from construction, normal operations and accident 
conditions, and decommissioning and decontamination activities 
associated with constructing and operating the MPF.
    2. Impacts from releases to air, water, and soil associated with 
constructing and operating the MPF.
    3. Impacts to plants, animals, and habitats, including threatened 
or endangered species and their habitats, associated with constructing 
and operating the MPF.
    4. The consumption of natural resources and energy associated with 
constructing and operating the MPF.
    5. Socioeconomic impacts to affected communities from construction 
and operation of the MPF.
    6. Environmental justice: Disproportionately high and adverse human 
health or environmental effects on minority and low-income populations 
associated with constructing and operating the MPF.
    7. Impacts to cultural resources such as historic, archaeological, 
scientific, or culturally important sites associated with constructing 
and operating the MPF.
    8. Impacts associated with transportation and storage of nuclear 
materials.
    9. Status of compliance with all applicable Federal, state, and 
local statutes and regulations; required Federal, state, and tribe 
environmental consultations and notifications; and DOE Orders on waste 
management, waste minimization, and environmental protection.
    10. Cumulative impacts from the proposed action and other past, 
present, and reasonably foreseeable actions at the alternative sites.
    11. Potential irreversible and irretrievable commitments of 
resources associated with constructing and operating the MPF.
    12. Pollution prevention and waste management practices, including 
characterization, storage, treatment and disposal of wastes associated 
with constructing and operating the MPF. NNSA anticipates that certain 
classified information will be utilized in preparing the Supplement to 
the Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern Pit Facility and considered by 
the NNSA in deciding whether to construct and operate MPF, and if so, 
where the facility would be located. Accordingly, the Supplement to the 
Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern Pit Facility will likely contain a 
classified appendix. To the extent allowable, the Supplement to the 
Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern Pit Facility will summarize this 
information in an unclassified manner.

[[Page 59580]]

Supplement to the Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern Pit Facility 
Schedule

    The proposed Supplement to the Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern 
Pit Facility schedule is as follows:
    Notice of Intent: September 2002.
    Public Scoping Meetings: October 2002.
    Publish Draft EIS: May 2003.
    Draft EIS Public Hearings: June-July 2003.
    Publish Final EIS: March 2004.
    Record of Decision: April 2004.

Public Scoping Process

    To assist in defining the appropriate scope of the Supplement to 
the Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern Pit Facility and to identify 
significant environmental issues to be addressed, NNSA representatives 
will conduct public scoping meetings at the dates, times, and locations 
described above under DATES. At these meetings, the NNSA will present a 
short summary of the project, indicate the alternatives to be 
considered, and present the proposed scope of the Supplement to the 
Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern Pit Facility. Following the 
initial presentation at each site, NNSA representatives will answer 
questions and accept comments, and the public will have a chance to 
offer their comments on the proposal, alternatives to be studied and 
the scope of the Supplement to the Programmatic EIS on SSM for a Modern 
Pit Facility. Copies of handouts from the meetings will be available to 
those unable to attend, by contacting the NNSA as described above under 
ADDRESSES.

    Issued in Washington, DC, this 16th day of September 2002.
Spencer Abraham,
Secretary of Energy.
[FR Doc. 02-24076 Filed 9-20-02; 8:45 am]
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