94-26786. Reconfiguration of the Nuclear Weapons Complex  

  • [Federal Register Volume 59, Number 208 (Friday, October 28, 1994)]
    [Unknown Section]
    [Page ]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 94-26786]
    
    
    [Federal Register: October 28, 1994]
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
    
    Reconfiguration of the Nuclear Weapons Complex
    
    AGENCY: Department of Energy.
    
    ACTION: Notice to Separate the Current Reconfiguration Programmatic 
    Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) into Two Separate Analyses: 
    Tritium Supply and Recycling, and Stockpile Stewardship and Management.
    
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    SUMMARY: In January 1991, the then Secretary of Energy announced that 
    the Department would prepare a programmatic environmental impact 
    statement (PEIS) examining alternatives for the reconfiguration of the 
    nuclear weapons complex (the Complex). The framework for the 
    Reconfiguration PEIS was described in the January 1991 Nuclear Weapons 
    Complex Reconfiguration Study (Reconfiguration Study), a detailed 
    examination of alternatives for the future Complex. Because of the 
    significant changes in the world since January 1991, especially with 
    regard to projected future requirements for the United States' nuclear 
    weapons stockpile, the Department has concluded that the framework 
    described in the Reconfiguration Study does not exist today. 
    Contributing factors to this conclusion include public comments at the 
    September-October 1993 PEIS scoping meetings, the fact that no new 
    nuclear weapons production is required for the foreseeable future, 
    budget constraints, and the Department's decision to prepare a separate 
    PEIS on Storage and Disposition of Weapons-Usable Fissile Nuclear 
    Materials. As a result of these changed circumstances, the Department 
    is proposing to separate the Reconfiguration PEIS into two PEISs: (1) a 
    Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS to be completed in November 1995; and 
    (2) a Stockpile Stewardship and Management PEIS.
        Stockpile stewardship includes activities required to maintain a 
    high level of confidence in the safety, reliability, and performance of 
    nuclear weapons in the absence of underground testing, and to be 
    prepared to test weapons if directed by the President. Stockpile 
    management activities include maintenance, evaluation, repair or 
    replacement of weapons in the existing stockpile. To define a new 
    stockpile stewardship and management proposal, the Department is 
    reviewing its nuclear weapons complex stockpile stewardship and 
    management activities. This review will take into account the latest 
    information concerning current and projected future stockpile 
    requirements. To assist the Department in defining a new proposal, the 
    Department intends to hold a public meeting in early 1995 to receive 
    comments on how to conduct the scoping process for the Stockpile 
    Stewardship and Management PEIS, and to have preliminary discussions on 
    potential alternatives. This will be followed by public scoping 
    meetings later in 1995.
        In the meantime, the Department will continue to evaluate 
    alternatives for tritium supply and recycling in a Tritium Supply and 
    Recycling PEIS. While the focus of this PEIS will be on alternatives 
    for a long-term, assured supply of tritium, the PEIS also will include 
    an assessment of the environmental and institutional impacts associated 
    with using one or more commercial light water reactors for tritium 
    production as a contingency in the event of a national emergency. 
    Specific commercial reactors will not be identified in this PEIS.
        The purpose of this notice is to provide the public with an update 
    regarding DOE's intentions for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
    review of elements of the future Complex, and to request comments on 
    the Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS proposal. An Implementation Plan 
    (IP) for the Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS will be issued after 
    comments on this notice have been received and considered. The IP will 
    explain more fully the scope of the Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS.
    
    DATES: Comments, whether written, recorded on the program's toll-free 
    telephone number, or submitted electronically, must be postmarked or 
    received by November 28, 1994 to ensure consideration. Late comments 
    will be considered to the extent practicable. The program's toll-free 
    telephone number is 1-800-776-2765. Instructions on submitting comments 
    electronically can be found in the Supplementary Information section of 
    this notice.
    
    ADDRESSES: Written comments on the Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS 
    proposal, requests for further information on the Tritium Supply and 
    Recycling program, requests for copies of the revised Tritium Supply 
    and Recycling PEIS Implementation Plan (IP) (when available), and 
    requests regarding the Stockpile Stewardship and Management PEIS should 
    be sent to: Stephen Sohinki, Director, Office of Reconfiguration, U.S. 
    Department of Energy, P.O. Box 3417, Alexandria, VA 22302, (202) 586-
    1300.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the DOE 
    National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, please contact: Carol 
    M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Oversight, EH-25, U.S. 
    Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, D.C. 
    20585, (202) 586-4600 or 1-800-472-2756.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    
    Background
    
        In January 1991, the goal of the Reconfiguration program was, as it 
    is now, to make the Complex smaller, less diverse, and less costly to 
    operate. At the time, the projected production levels were much smaller 
    than historic levels, but much larger than they are today. The document 
    that provided the framework for the original proposal was the January 
    1991 Reconfiguration Study. That document was the result of many months 
    of effort by a task force which thoroughly reviewed the status and 
    capabilities of the weapons complex against projected future 
    requirements. As a result of that effort, the Department envisioned 
    that the future Complex would consist of fewer sites, and that missions 
    might be relocated to achieve consolidation, greater efficiency, and 
    significant long-term cost savings. Indeed, as a result of the 
    Secretary's decision last year approving the nonnuclear consolidation 
    proposal (which had been separated from the original Reconfiguration 
    PEIS effort), weapons complex functions will be terminated at three 
    sites and significant cost savings will be achieved within a short 
    period of time.
        The purpose of the Reconfiguration PEIS was to establish the 
    locations for the future weapons complex missions. It was envisioned 
    that, once future mission locations were established through the PEIS 
    process, project-specific environmental analyses would follow the PEIS 
    and cover in detail the projects necessary to implement the PEIS 
    decisions at each site.
        Within the Reconfiguration PEIS scope, potential relocation and 
    consolidation of the ``nuclear'' missions of the complex (i.e., 
    plutonium and uranium component fabrication and processing, weapons 
    assembly and disassembly, tritium supply and recycling, and fissile 
    materials storage) were being analyzed. In order to relocate any of 
    these missions at the assumed levels of production, major new 
    construction would have been required, entailing significant (billions 
    of dollars) ``up-front'' cost with a ``pay-back'' period significantly 
    longer than for nonnuclear consolidation.
        With the end of the Cold War, the projected long hiatus in the need 
    for new nuclear weapons production, and the budget constraints that are 
    anticipated to continue for the foreseeable future, the framework 
    presented in the January 1991 Reconfiguration Study no longer fits 
    current circumstances or supports any realistic proposal for 
    reconfiguration of the nuclear weapons complex. Therefore, the 
    Department intends to separate the Reconfiguration proposal into two 
    parts, and will prepare a PEIS on each part. The first PEIS is the 
    Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS, which will address the need for 
    tritium. The second is the Stockpile Stewardship and Management PEIS, 
    which will address the rest of the complex.
        To assist in the development of a Stockpile Stewardship and 
    Management proposal, the Department intends to involve stakeholders in 
    early 1995 through a meeting in advance of formal scoping. The goal of 
    this approach is to enable stakeholders to have an active role in 
    developing the Stockpile Stewardship and Management proposal, rather 
    than reacting to a proposal developed solely by the Department. The 
    Department expects to develop a proposal after this initial meeting, 
    and to issue a Notice of Intent before public scoping meetings later in 
    1995.
        The Department currently has no capability for the production of 
    tritium, which decays at a rate of approximately five percent per year, 
    and which is required for every active weapon in the stockpile. Current 
    projections indicate that new tritium is required to be available in 
    the 2011-2015 time frame. Depending upon the alternative selected, it 
    could take up to fifteen years or more for a tritium source, once 
    selected, to begin producing tritium. Not only is planning for a new, 
    assured tritium supply required to begin now to meet projected 
    stockpile requirements, but the Department must meet a statutory 
    deadline of March 1, 1995, to issue a PEIS addressing tritium supply 
    alternatives. Therefore, the Department intends to separate the tritium 
    supply and recycling alternatives from the future Stockpile Stewardship 
    and Management proposal. The following discussion outlines the history 
    of the Reconfiguration program, and the current proposal for tritium 
    supply and recycling.
    
    Original Reconfiguration Plan (February 1991 to July 1993)
    
        An NOI to prepare a PEIS for Reconfiguration of the Nuclear Weapons 
    Complex was published in the Federal Register on February 11, 1991 (56 
    FR 5590). That NOI proposed to study the options presented in the 
    Nuclear Weapons Complex Reconfiguration Study (DOE/DP-0083) of January 
    1991. A series of 15 public scoping meetings were held around the 
    country to solicit comments regarding the Reconfiguration proposal. At 
    that time, alternatives for a new tritium supply facility were being 
    evaluated in a separate New Production Reactor (NPR) Environmental 
    Impact Statement (EIS). In November 1991, however, in response to 
    nuclear weapons stockpile reductions which delayed the need for a new 
    tritium supply facility, the then Secretary of Energy announced that 
    the analysis of NPR alternatives would be incorporated into the 
    Reconfiguration PEIS.
        An IP for the Reconfiguration PEIS was published in February 1992. 
    The IP summarized the comments received during scoping, including 
    incorporation of the NPR analysis into Reconfiguration, described the 
    scope of the Reconfiguration program, the alternatives that were to be 
    evaluated, and the methodology for preparing the PEIS.
    
    Program Changes (July 1993 to April 1994)
    
        After the publication of the original IP in February 1992, 
    additional major reductions in the nuclear weapons stockpile resulted 
    in significant program changes. As a result of these changes, a revised 
    NOI for the PEIS was published in the Federal Register on July 23, 1993 
    (58 FR 39528). Changes in the scope of the Reconfiguration PEIS 
    reflected the fact that the future Complex could be smaller and more 
    integrated than previously envisioned, and placed increased importance 
    on stewardship of existing special nuclear materials.
        During the public scoping period from July-October 1993, many 
    members of the public questioned why the Department planned to analyze 
    new nuclear weapon facilities in general, and new nuclear weapon 
    component fabrication facilities in particular, given the lack of 
    requirements for new nuclear weapons and an otherwise limited workload. 
    There was a perception among many members of the public that evaluation 
    of new facilities in the PEIS indicated an intention to construct those 
    facilities in a predetermined time frame. Based upon this feedback, and 
    a resulting reevaluation of known and projected requirements for 
    weapons complex work for the next decade, the Department believes that 
    the lack of any foreseeable need for new nuclear weapons, together with 
    higher priority budget needs (both for the Department and the Nation), 
    make it unnecessary and inappropriate to consider most types of new 
    weapons production facilities, except for tritium facilities, at this 
    time. Moreover, the Department has been directed, both by the President 
    and the Congress, to establish a program for maintaining the safety and 
    reliability of the nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing. 
    This new program, entitled Stockpile Stewardship, is expected to 
    require new diagnostic facilities and capabilities. As described above, 
    efforts to formulate a new proposal for Stockpile Stewardship and 
    Management will be initiated in 1995.
        In addition, a new, separate project has been initiated by the 
    Secretary of Energy to consider alternatives for: (1) long-term storage 
    of separated fissile nuclear materials (primarily plutonium and highly 
    enriched uranium), whether stored for defense purposes or surplus to 
    defense needs; and (2) disposition of surplus fissile nuclear 
    materials. The environmental impacts associated with these options are 
    being analyzed in the Storage and Disposition of Weapons-Usable Fissile 
    Nuclear Materials PEIS, currently in preparation. The establishment of 
    that project has further reduced the scope of the previously-envisioned 
    Reconfiguration PEIS.
    
    Current Proposal for Tritium Supply and Recycling
    
        The proposal for tritium supply and recycling includes the 
    evaluation of technology and siting alternatives. The Department 
    intends to identify a preferred technology and siting alternative in 
    the Draft Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS. Four different 
    technologies to supply tritium in a new facility will be assessed in 
    the PEIS: Heavy Water Reactor (HWR); Modular High Temperature Gas-
    Cooled Reactor (MHTGR); Advanced Light Water Reactor (ALWR) [both a 
    large reactor design and a smaller reactor design]; and Accelerator 
    Production of Tritium (APT).
        Currently, five candidate sites are being considered for new 
    tritium facilities: the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL); 
    the Nevada Test Site (NTS); the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) in 
    Tennessee; the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas; and the Savannah 
    River Site (SRS) in South Carolina.
        The tritium recycling mission includes removing, separating, and 
    purifying tritium gas contained in tritium reservoirs from returned 
    weapons, receiving new tritium from the tritium supply plant, blending 
    the recycled tritium and the new tritium, and loading the tritium 
    mixture into new or used reservoirs for shipment to the Pantex Plant 
    for weapons assembly operations. Currently, tritium recycling is 
    conducted at SRS. If a new tritium supply facility were to be located 
    at SRS, tritium recycling would stay at SRS and be upgraded. If a 
    tritium supply facility were constructed elsewhere, either a new 
    tritium recycling facility would be collocated with it and the 
    facilities at SRS phased out (thus terminating the defense mission at 
    SRS), or the tritium recycling facilities at SRS would be upgraded. No-
    action alternatives for each of the sites where tritium facilities may 
    be located will provide a baseline for comparison of the environmental 
    impacts.
        Additionally, the Department intends to include, in the Tritium 
    Supply and Recycling PEIS, an assessment of the environmental and 
    institutional impacts associated with using one or more commercial 
    light water reactors for tritium production as a contingency in the 
    event of a national emergency.
        While the purpose of the Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS is 
    focused on assessing the reasonable alternatives for a government-
    owned, long-term, assured supply of tritium, programmatic NEPA coverage 
    of this contingency option, which would only be needed in the event of 
    a national emergency, would ensure that the public is informed of the 
    Department's overall planning for meeting tritium requirements--both 
    contingency (until a long-term, assured source is on line) and long-
    term. This analysis would be generic and would not identify any 
    specific commercial reactors that might be used if such an option were 
    ever required to be implemented.
        An IP for the Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS, to be issued after 
    comments on this notice have been received and reviewed, will explain 
    more fully the scope of the PEIS.
    
    Public Involvement
    
        The Department's initiatives for further public involvement in the 
    Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS are intended to provide the public 
    complete, accurate, and timely information, and to facilitate effective 
    participation in the NEPA process. The initiatives include a series of 
    fact sheets describing various aspects of the Tritium Supply and 
    Recycling PEIS as well as other program activities. These fact sheets 
    will be mailed to those on the program mailing list throughout the 
    remainder of 1994 and 1995. To provide substantial opportunities for 
    feedback to the Department, the initiatives include the use of a toll-
    free telephone number; placement of program information, including this 
    notice, on an electronic bulletin board to enable comments and feedback 
    to be transmitted electronically; and a speakers bureau to fulfill 
    requests for DOE officials to speak with the public. In addition, once 
    the Tritium Supply and Recycling draft PEIS is published, the public 
    will be invited to review and comment on the document. During the 
    comment period, the Department will conduct a series of interactive 
    workshops to provide further explanation of information in the document 
    and to provide the public with an opportunity to present comments, 
    questions, and concerns, and to discuss them with DOE officials.
        DOE is in the process of updating the mailing list for the Tritium 
    Supply and Recycling program and the Stockpile Stewardship and 
    Management program. A fact sheet on this notice, along with a mailback 
    response form, is being sent to all those on the current 
    Reconfiguration mailing list. The purpose of the mailback response form 
    is to allow individuals and organizations to indicate their continuing 
    interest in receiving information regarding either the Tritium Supply 
    and Recycling program or the Stockpile Stewardship and Management 
    program. Interested parties wishing to remain on the mailing list for 
    either the Tritium Supply and Recycling program or the Stockpile 
    Stewardship and Management program must complete and return the 
    mailback response form or call 1-800-776-2765 with the same request.
    
    Environmental Issues
    
        The Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS will identify and analyze 
    direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts resulting from the tritium 
    supply and recycling alternatives. These include potential impacts from 
    constructing and operating the proposed facilities, including: impacts 
    to air quality, water resources, plants and animals, land use, historic 
    resources, archaeological sites; socioeconomic impacts; impacts 
    associated with generating radiological and nonradiological wastes; 
    impacts associated with transporting radioactive materials; and the 
    potential consequences of both normal and accidental radiological and 
    nonradiological releases on the public and worker health and safety.
    
    Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS Schedule
    
        The IP for the Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS will be completed 
    after comments on this announcement have been considered. It is 
    expected to be completed in January 1995. The Draft Tritium Supply and 
    Recycling PEIS, which will include preferred alternatives for tritium 
    supply and recycling functions, will be completed no later than March 
    1, 1995. Following the publication of the Draft Tritium Supply and 
    Recycling PEIS, public hearings (interactive workshops) will be held, 
    and a Final Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS is expected to be 
    completed by November 1995.
    
    Tritium Supply and Recycling Decisions
    
        No sooner than 30 days after issuance of the Final Tritium Supply 
    and Recycling PEIS, DOE will issue a Record of Decision (ROD) to 
    document its decisions. The ROD will explain how DOE has balanced 
    environmental considerations against other relevant factors, such as 
    economic and technical considerations, and the Department's statutory 
    mission, in reaching its decision. Following the ROD, project-specific 
    NEPA documents will be prepared as necessary to support actual 
    implementation of the ROD.
    
    Comments
    
        All interested parties are invited to submit their comments on the 
    Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS by regular mail as explained in the 
    section entitled ``Addresses'' at the beginning of this notice, or by 
    calling the Tritium Supply and Recycling toll free number at 1-800-776-
    2765. Instructions will be given on how to record your comments. As an 
    alternative, comments can also be submitted electronically by using the 
    Federal Information Exchange bulletin board and following the 
    instructions listed below:
    Modem: Dial Toll Free 1-800-783-3349. Local (301) 258-0953. (Modem 
    parameters set at: VT100 terminal emulation, `8' data bits, `1' stop 
    bit and `N' parity, 1200-9600 baud.)
    InterNet: Wide World Web (WWW), URL = http:lweb.fie.com/web/fed/doe/ or 
    Telnet to: fedix.fie.com or Gopher to: gopher.fie.com
    Hours: Available 24 hours a day (toll free: 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. 
    eastern time, weekdays). A Help Line, (301) 975-0103, is available 
    weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. eastern time, except Federal 
    holidays.
    Costs: Free, no cost to users. No telephone, registration, access, or 
    downloading fees.
    
        Issued in Washington, D.C. this 24th day of October, 1994, for 
    the United States Department of Energy.
    Victor H. Reis,
    Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs.
    [FR Doc. 94-26786 Filed 10-27-94; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
    
    
    

Document Information

Published:
10/28/1994
Department:
Energy Department
Entry Type:
Uncategorized Document
Action:
Notice to Separate the Current Reconfiguration Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) into Two Separate Analyses: Tritium Supply and Recycling, and Stockpile Stewardship and Management.
Document Number:
94-26786
Dates:
Comments, whether written, recorded on the program's toll-free telephone number, or submitted electronically, must be postmarked or received by November 28, 1994 to ensure consideration. Late comments will be considered to the extent practicable. The program's toll-free telephone number is 1-800-776-2765. Instructions on submitting comments electronically can be found in the Supplementary Information section of this notice.
Pages:
0-0 (None pages)
Docket Numbers:
Federal Register: October 28, 1994