[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 146 (Tuesday, July 30, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61104-61106]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-16689]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

National Nuclear Security Administration


Amended Record of Decision for the Continued Operation of the 
Nevada National Security Site and Off-Site Locations in the State of 
Nevada

AGENCY: National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Amended record of decision.

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SUMMARY: The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi-
autonomous agency within the United States Department of Energy (DOE), 
is issuing this amendment to the December 30, 2014, Record of Decision 
(ROD) for the Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued 
Operation of the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security 
Administration Nevada National Security Site and Off-Site Locations in 
the State of Nevada (DOE/EIS-0426) (SWEIS). In this Amended ROD (AROD), 
NNSA announces its decision to implement the actions and operations 
described in a 2024 Supplement Analysis (SA) to the earlier SWEIS. The 
SA assessed the potential environmental impacts of projects/changes 
that have occurred at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) and off-
site locations in the State of Nevada, since publication of the SWEIS 
and ROD, or are expected to occur within approximately the next five 
years. Based on the analysis, NNSA determined that the potential 
impacts associated with the actions and operations evaluated in the SA: 
would not be significantly different than impacts presented in the 
SWEIS; would not constitute a substantial change to the actions 
evaluated in the SWEIS relevant to environmental concerns; there are no 
significant new circumstances or information relevant to environmental 
concerns; and no additional National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
documentation is required at this time.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on this AROD 
or the SA, contact: Ms. Patricia Gallo, NEPA Compliance Officer, NNSA 
Nevada

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Field Office, 232 Energy Way, North Las Vegas, Nevada, 89030; by phone 
at (702) 295-3211; or via email at [email protected]. This 
AROD as well as the SA, SWEIS, and related NEPA documents are available 
at https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    NNSA is responsible for meeting the national security requirements 
established by the President and the Congress to maintain and enhance 
the safety, reliability, and performance of the United States nuclear 
weapons stockpile. NNSS supports the NNSA nuclear Stockpile Stewardship 
and Management Plan (SSMP) mission as well as other DOE and NNSA 
programs, national security programs, and other Federal agency work. 
NNSA published a SWEIS in 2013 that analyzed the potential 
environmental impacts of continued management and operation of the 
NNSS. A ROD for the SWEIS was announced in the Federal Register (FR) on 
December 30, 2014 (79 FR 78421). Since publication of the 2014 ROD, 
NNSA has been conducting operations in accordance with the ROD, with no 
notable changes.
    The 2024 Final Supplement Analysis of the Site-Wide Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Continued Operation of the Department of 
Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada National 
Security Site and Off-Site Locations in the State of Nevada (DOE/EIS-
0426-SA-01) SA evaluation included the same four locations evaluated in 
the SWEIS: the NNSS, located approximately 65 miles northwest of Las 
Vegas, and three off-site locations in Nevada; the Tonopah Test Range 
(TTR), located north of the NNSS within the Nevada Test and Training 
Range; the North Las Vegas Facility (NLVF), located in North Las Vegas; 
and the Remote Sensing Laboratory-Nellis (RSL-Nellis), located at the 
Nellis Air Force Base north of Las Vegas.
    The actions analyzed in the SA are consistent with the 2014 ROD. 
The actions and operations evaluated at the NNSS include modernization 
of site facilities and infrastructure, expansion of existing facility 
operations and experimentation at the Device Assembly Facility and the 
U1a Complex, expanded uncrewed aerial system operations, and 
construction and operation of a new waste disposal cell at the 
Radioactive Waste Management Complex. NNSA also proposed and evaluated 
actions to increase energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions 
at the NNSS by constructing solar projects, installing electric vehicle 
charging stations across the site, and transitioning to 100 percent 
zero-emission vehicle acquisitions by approximately 2035.
    For the TTR, the SA evaluated operational changes and increased 
maintenance activities, but operations remain consistent with past 
operations. For the NLVF, the SA evaluated the potential construction 
and relocation of personnel and light laboratory spaces to a new campus 
in a planned industrial park that has not yet been built, referred to 
as the Northwest Las Vegas (NWLV) Campus. The NWLV Campus would replace 
some facilities at the NLVF, which are inefficiently designed, 
oversized, and outdated. The NWLV Campus would be located at a site 
that is approximately 12 to 15 miles northwest of the existing NLVF. 
NNSA did not identify any actions or notable changes in operations at 
RSL-Nellis; therefore, the SA did not analyze any changes at RSL-
Nellis. A complete listing of the actions and operations evaluated for 
the NNSS and the off-site locations in the State of Nevada is found in 
Table 2-2 of the SA.

NEPA Process for This AROD

    NNSA prepared the SA in accordance with the DOE NEPA implementing 
procedures at 10 CFR part 1021, to assess the potential environmental 
impacts of continued operations at the NNSS and off-site locations in 
the State of Nevada. The purpose of the SA is to determine if the 
actions evaluated in the SA constitute a substantial change to the 
actions evaluated in the 2013 SWEIS, if there are significant new 
circumstances or information relevant to environmental concerns, and 
whether a new or supplemental SWEIS or whether no further NEPA 
documentation is required. The SA focuses on the projects/changes that 
have occurred at the NNSS and the off-site locations in the State of 
Nevada since publication of the 2013 SWEIS and 2014 ROD or are expected 
to occur within approximately the next five years. The SA evaluates the 
impacts of these projects/changes against the impacts presented in the 
2013 SWEIS.
    Although publication of a Draft SA is not required, NNSA provided 
the Draft SA to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP), 
Nye and Clark County representatives, the American Indian Writers 
Subgroup, and the 16 tribes culturally affiliated with the NNSS. NNSA 
provided a 30-day review period for the Draft SA. During that review 
period, NNSA received one comment document from NDEP. The NDEP comments 
and NNSA's corresponding responses are provided in Appendix B of the 
Final SA.

Summary of Impacts

    The SA analyzed the potential impacts of the actions and operations 
described in Table 2-2 of the SA on the following areas: land use; 
infrastructure and energy; transportation and traffic; socioeconomics; 
geology and soils; hydrology; biological resources; air quality, 
climate, and noise; visual resources; cultural resources; waste 
management; human health and safety; environmental justice; and 
accidents and intentional destructive acts. Impacts are presented for 
the NNSS (see Section 3.1 of the SA), TTR (see Section 3.2 of the SA), 
and the NLVF/NWLV Campus (see Section 3.3 of the SA). Section 4 of the 
SA presents the cumulative impacts.
    Based on the analyses in the SA, NNSA determined that the potential 
impacts associated with the actions evaluated in the SA are not 
significantly different than impacts presented in the SWEIS. 
Consequently, NNSA determined that: (1) the actions evaluated in the SA 
do not constitute a substantial change to the actions evaluated in the 
2013 SWEIS; (2) there are no significant new circumstances or 
information relevant to environmental concerns; and therefore (3) no 
further NEPA analysis or documentation is required at this time.

Environmentally Preferable Alternative

    In the 2014 ROD, NNSA identified the Reduced Operations Alternative 
as the environmentally preferable alternative because fewer adverse 
impacts would result compared to the other alternatives. NNSA still 
believes the Reduced Operations Alternative is the environmentally 
preferable alternative.

Decision

    The continued operation of NNSS is critical to NNSA's SSMP, to 
prevent the spread and use of nuclear weapons worldwide, and to other 
areas that impact national security and global stability. The primary 
mission supported by NNSS is ensuring the United States stockpile of 
nuclear weapons remains safe and reliable. Other activities conducted 
on the NNSS include experiments aimed at improving national 
nonproliferation objectives, arms control and treaty verification; 
weapons of mass destruction first responder training; experiments 
involving the controlled release and monitoring of hazardous material; 
remediation of legacy contamination sites; preparing waste for 
compliant disposition at the Waste

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Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, New Mexico, including waste 
that will be processed at the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, 
Idaho, to meet the WIPP waste acceptance criteria; and disposal of low-
level radioactive waste (LLW) and mixed LLW. NNSA will implement the 
actions and operations described in Table 2-2 of the SA. Implementing 
these actions and operations will enable NNSA to fulfill its 
responsibilities by properly considering economic, environmental, 
technical, and other factors.

Basis for Decision

    In making this decision, NNSA considered the SA, the 2013 SWEIS, 
the 2014 ROD, and its statutory responsibilities to safeguard the 
nuclear weapons stockpile. Federal law and national security policies 
require NNSA to maintain and enhance the safety, reliability, and 
performance of the United States nuclear weapons stockpile and maintain 
a responsive nuclear weapons infrastructure that is cost-effective and 
has adequate capacity to meet foreseeable national security 
requirements. The NNSS and off-site locations in the State of Nevada 
support the NNSA nuclear stockpile stewardship and management mission 
as well as other DOE and NNSA programs, national security programs, and 
other Federal agency work. The SA provided the NNSA decision-maker with 
valuable information regarding the potential environmental impacts of 
the actions required to accomplish the national security mission and 
related programs. In addition to environmental information, NNSA also 
considered statutory responsibilities, strategic objectives, technical 
needs, safeguards and security, costs, and schedule in its decision-
making.
    This AROD documents NNSA's decision to continue operations at the 
NNSS and off-site locations in the State of Nevada and provides public 
notification of this decision. This decision enables NNSA to continue 
to meet its statutory obligations to safeguard the nuclear weapons 
stockpile and support the national security mission.

Mitigation Measures

    No potential adverse impacts were identified that will require 
additional mitigation measures beyond those contained in the SWEIS, 
required by environmental laws, regulations, permits, and agreements, 
or achieved through design features or best management practices. 
Because no new potential adverse impacts were identified that will 
require additional mitigation measures, NNSA does not expect to prepare 
a Mitigation Action Plan.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on July 12, 
2024, by Jill Hruby, Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and 
Administrator, NNSA, pursuant to delegated authority from the Secretary 
of Energy. The document with the original signature and date is 
maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes only, and in compliance 
with requirements of the Office of the Federal Register, the 
undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to 
sign and submit the document in electronic format for publication, as 
an official document of the DOE. This administrative process in no way 
alters the legal effect of this document upon publication in the 
Federal Register.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on July 25, 2024.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2024-16689 Filed 7-29-24; 8:45 am]
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