3642 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 13 / Friday, January 19, 2024 / Notices 

2, 2024, to be considered by the Board. 

The DFO will review all timely 

submitted written comments or 

statements with the Board Chair and 

ensure the comments are provided to all 

members of the Board before the 

meeting. Written comments or 

statements received after this date may 

not be provided to the Board until its 

next scheduled meeting. Please note 

that all submitted comments and 

statements will be treated as public 

documents and will be made available 

for public inspection, including, but not 

limited to, being posted on the Board’s 

website. 

Dated: January 12, 2024. 

Aaron T. Siegel, 

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison 

Officer, Department of Defense. 

[FR Doc. 2024–00961 Filed 1–18–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6001–FR–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

National Nuclear Security 

Administration 

Notice of Availability of Final 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Surplus Plutonium Disposition 

Program 

AGENCY: National Nuclear Security 

Administration, Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: The National Nuclear 

Security Administration (NNSA), a 

semi-autonomous agency within the 

Department of Energy (DOE), announces 

the availability of the Final 

Environmental Impact Statement for the 

Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program 

(SPDP EIS) (DOE/EIS–0549) in 

compliance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA). NNSA prepared the Final SPDP 

EIS to evaluate the potential 

environmental impacts of dispositioning 

34 metric tons (MT) of surplus 

plutonium. 

DATES: NNSA will not issue a Record of 

Decision (ROD) on the proposal for a 

minimum of 30 days after the date that 

the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) publishes its Notice of 

Availability (NOA) in the Federal 

Register. 

ADDRESSES: Requests for additional 

information related to the EIS should be 

sent by email to SPDP-EIS@

nnsa.doe.gov or to Ms. Maxcine Maxted, 

NEPA Document Manager, National 

Nuclear Security Administration, Office 

of Material Management and 

Minimization, P.O. Box A, Bldg. 730– 

2B, Rm. 328, Aiken, SC 29802. 

The SPDP EIS is available on the 

internet at: https://www.energy.gov/ 

nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room and 

https://www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis0549-surplus-plutonium-dispositionprogram. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information about this notice, 

please contact Ms. Maxcine Maxted, 

NEPA Document Manager, National 

Nuclear Security Administration, Office 

of Material Management and 

Minimization, P.O. Box A, Bldg. 730– 

2B, Rm. 328, Aiken, SC 29802; phone: 

(803) 952–7434; email: SPDP-EIS@

nnsa.doe.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

NNSA prepared the SPDP EIS 

pursuant to NEPA (Title 42 U.S.C. 4321 

et seq.), the Council on Environmental 

Quality’s NEPA regulations (40 CFR 

parts 1500–1508), and the DOE NEPA 

implementing procedures (10 CFR part 

1021). NNSA’s previous NEPA reviews 

and decisions regarding the disposition 

of surplus plutonium are summarized in 

Section 1.1 of the SPDP EIS. The 

following paragraphs describe recent 

developments relevant to the scope of 

the SPDP EIS. 

In 2015, NNSA completed the Surplus 

Plutonium Disposition Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement (SPD 

Supplemental EIS) (DOE/EIS–0283–S2). 

In the SPD Supplemental EIS, NNSA 

evaluated the environmental impacts of 

alternatives for dispositioning 13.1 MT 

of surplus plutonium (7.1 MT of pit and 

6 MT of non-pit) for which a disposition 

path had not been assigned. The 

alternatives evaluated in the 2015 SPD 

Supplemental EIS included the Mixed 

Oxide (MOX) Fuel Alternative, the 

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) 

Alternative, and two variations of waste 

immobilization. In addition, NNSA 

evaluated four options for pit 

disassembly and conversion (pit 

disassembly and conversion is 

equivalent to pit disassembly and 

processing [PDP] as used in this Notice 

and the SPDP EIS) using facilities at the 

Savannah River Site (SRS) and Los 

Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). In 

2015, NNSA announced that its 

preferred alternative for disposition of 

the six MT of non-pit surplus plutonium 

evaluated in the SPD Supplemental EIS 

was to prepare the non-pit surplus 

plutonium for eventual disposal at the 

WIPP facility in Carlsbad, New Mexico 

(80 FR 80348, December 24, 2015). In a 

2016 ROD, NNSA announced a decision 

to disposition the six MT of non-pit 

surplus plutonium by downblending it 

with an adulterant (downblending is a 

process equivalent to dilution in the 

dilute and dispose strategy as used in 

the SPDP EIS), packaging it as defenserelated contact-handled transuranic 

(CH–TRU) waste, and shipping it to the 

WIPP facility for disposal (81 FR 19588). 

In the 2016 ROD, NNSA did not make 

a decision about the disposition of the 

7.1 MT of pit plutonium or about the 

various options for pit disassembly and 

conversion that were analyzed in the 

2015 SPD Supplemental EIS. 

In 2016, NNSA, partnering with the 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 

developed an independent cost estimate 

for the MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility 

(MFFF) project and concluded that the 

cost of the project, upon completion of 

construction, would be approximately 

$17 billion and construction would not 

be complete until 2048. Congress 

directed NNSA to prepare a lifecycle 

cost estimate for disposal of surplus 

plutonium using the same approach 

announced for the six MT, now referred 

to as the dilute and dispose strategy. 

The completed cost estimate indicated 

that the estimate-to-complete lifecycle 

cost of the dilute and dispose strategy 

would be substantially lower than the 

cost to complete the MOX project. In 

response, the Secretary of Energy halted 

construction of the MOX fuel project in 

May 2018 by waiving the requirement to 

use funds for construction and support 

activities for the MFFF per the National 

Defense Authorization Act. In a letter 

dated May 10, 2018, the Secretary of 

Energy certified that ‘‘the remaining 

lifecycle cost for the dilute and dispose 

strategy will be less than approximately 

half of the estimated remaining lifecycle 

cost of the MOX fuel program.’’ On 

October 10, 2018, NNSA issued a notice 

terminating the contract for construction 

of MFFF. On February 8, 2019, the U.S. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 

terminated the construction license for 

MFFF (NRC 2019). NNSA is preparing 

this SPDP EIS to evaluate alternatives 

for disposition of the 34 MT of surplus 

plutonium previously designated for 

disposition using the MOX fuel program 

that no longer has a disposition path. 

In 2020, NNSA prepared a 

Supplement Analysis (SA) based on the 

analysis presented in the 2015 SPD 

Supplemental EIS. NNSA determined 

that disposition of 7.1 MT of non-pit 

surplus plutonium was not a substantial 

change in the action analyzed in the 

2015 SPD Supplemental EIS to 

disposition 7.1 MT of pit plutonium via 

the WIPP Alternative and that the 

environmental impacts had been 

sufficiently analyzed. NNSA 

subsequently issued an Amended ROD 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 13 / Friday, January 19, 2024 / Notices 3643 

(AROD) to include preparation of an 

additional 7.1 MT of non-pit surplus 

plutonium for disposal as defenserelated CH–TRU waste at the WIPP 

facility (85 FR 53350, August 28, 2020). 

In the same 2020 AROD, NNSA also 

decided that non-pit metal processing 

(NPMP) may be performed at either 

LANL or SRS. The SA and AROD are 

available online at https://

www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepareading-room. 

The 7.1 MT of non-pit surplus 

plutonium referred to in the 2020 AROD 

is part of the 34 MT of surplus 

plutonium that NNSA had decided to 

disposition by fabricating it into MOX 

fuel for use in commercial reactors. The 

disposition of that 34 MT is the subject 

of this SPDP EIS. 

Purpose and Need for Agency Action 

Since the end of the Cold War in the 

early 1990s and the Presidential 

declarations of surplus fissile materials, 

DOE has been charged with the 

disposition of surplus plutonium. 

NNSA’s purpose and need for action 

is to safely and securely disposition 

plutonium that is surplus to the 

Nation’s defense needs so that it is not 

readily usable in nuclear weapons. 

NNSA needs to disposition 34 MT of 

surplus plutonium in a safe and secure 

manner and in a reasonable time frame 

at a cost consistent with NNSA 

priorities and fiscal realities. To achieve 

this, NNSA must use mature methods 

and proven technologies that are based 

on processes requiring minimal research 

and engineering development. 

Proposed Action and Alternatives 

Both the Preferred Alternative and the 

No Action Alternative in the SPDP EIS 

use the dilute and dispose strategy, and 

both address up to 7.1 MT of non-pit 

surplus plutonium that NNSA 

previously decided to dispose of using 

the dilute and dispose strategy (85 FR 

53350). The dilute and dispose strategy 

includes processing surplus plutonium 

to plutonium oxide, diluting it with an 

adulterant to inhibit plutonium 

recovery, and disposing the resulting 

defense-related CH–TRU waste at the 

WIPP facility. 

Preferred Alternative 

NNSA’s Preferred Alternative is to use 

the dilute and dispose strategy for 34 

MT of surplus plutonium comprised of 

both pit and non-pit surplus plutonium. 

The exact amounts of pit and non-pit 

forms of plutonium that compose the 34 

MT are safeguarded, so they cannot be 

delineated further. Therefore, to bound 

the impacts, the analysis in the SPDP 

EIS evaluates the impacts of 

dispositioning 34 MT of surplus 

plutonium in pit form and the impacts 

of dispositioning 7.1 MT of non-pit 

surplus plutonium. The activities that 

are part of the Preferred Alternative 

would occur at five DOE sites—the 

Pantex Plant (Pantex) in Texas, LANL in 

New Mexico, SRS in South Carolina, the 

Y–12 National Security Complex (Y–12) 

in Tennessee, and the WIPP facility in 

New Mexico. NNSA has developed four 

sub-alternatives for the Preferred 

Alternative based on the location of 

activities. 

Base Approach Sub-Alternative 

Under the Base Approach SubAlternative, NNSA analyzes the impacts 

of shipping 34 MT of surplus pit 

plutonium from Pantex to LANL and 

disassembling and processing (i.e., PDP) 

of the 34 MT of surplus pit plutonium 

at LANL with subsequent shipment of 

the decontaminated and oxidized highly 

enriched uranium (HEU) to Y–12. 

NNSA also analyzes the impacts of 

processing 7.1 MT of non-pit surplus 

plutonium at LANL, using some of the 

same capabilities as PDP. This subalternative would rely on expanding 

existing capabilities at LANL in the 

Plutonium Facility (PF–4) for PDP and 

modifying or building additional 

support facilities. The resulting 

plutonium oxide from the surplus pit 

and non-pit surplus plutonium would 

be shipped to K-Area at SRS, where it 

would be diluted, characterized, and 

packaged for shipment to and disposal 

at the WIPP facility. 

SRS NPMP Sub-Alternative 

The SRS NPMP Sub-Alternative is 

similar to the Base Approach SubAlternative. NNSA analyzes the impacts 

of shipping 34 MT of surplus pit 

plutonium from Pantex to LANL and 

PDP of the 34 MT of surplus pit 

plutonium at LANL. The 

decontaminated and oxidized HEU 

would then be shipped to Y–12. This 

sub-alternative would rely on NNSA 

expanding existing capabilities at LANL 

in PF–4 for PDP and modifying or 

building additional support facilities. 

Plutonium oxide resulting from PDP 

would be shipped to SRS (K-Area). 

Unlike the Base Approach SubAlternative, under this sub-alternative, 

NNSA does not analyze NPMP at LANL. 

Instead, processing of 7.1 MT of non-pit 

surplus plutonium would occur in the 

SRS K-Area either in Building 105–K or 

in a modular system adjacent to the 

building. Under this sub-alternative, 

NNSA considers the impacts of dilution 

and characterization and packaging 

(C&P) of the diluted plutonium oxide as 

defense-related CH–TRU waste in SRS’s 

K-Area for shipment to and disposal at 

the WIPP facility. 

All LANL Sub-Alternative 

Under the All LANL Sub-Alternative, 

NNSA would use only capabilities at 

LANL for the entire disposition pathway 

prior to shipment to the WIPP facility. 

Under this Sub-Alternative, NNSA 

analyzes the impacts of shipping 34 MT 

of surplus pit plutonium from Pantex to 

LANL, PDP at LANL, and shipment of 

the decontaminated and oxidized HEU 

to Y–12. NNSA would rely on 

expanding existing capabilities at LANL 

in PF–4 and modifying or building 

additional support facilities. NNSA also 

analyzes the impacts of processing 7.1 

MT of non-pit surplus plutonium at 

LANL in PF–4. Under the All LANL 

Sub-Alternative NNSA considers the 

impacts of dilution in PF–4 and C&P of 

the diluted plutonium oxide defenserelated CH–TRU waste for shipment to 

and disposal at the WIPP facility. 

All SRS Sub-Alternative 

Under the All SRS Sub-Alternative, 

NNSA would use only capabilities at 

SRS for the entire disposition pathway 

prior to shipment to the WIPP facility. 

Under this sub-alternative, NNSA 

analyzes the impacts of shipping 34 MT 

of surplus pit plutonium from Pantex to 

SRS and the disassembly and processing 

of the 34 MT of surplus pit plutonium 

and processing 7.1 MT of non-pit 

surplus plutonium in a new capability 

installed at SRS in either K-Area or FArea. NNSA analyzes the subsequent 

shipment of the decontaminated and 

oxidized HEU to Y–12 and the shipment 

of by-product material to LANL. Under 

this Sub-Alternative, NNSA considers 

the impacts of dilution and C&P of the 

diluted plutonium oxide defense-related 

CH–TRU waste in SRS’s K-Area for 

shipment to and disposal at the WIPP 

facility. 

No Action Alternative 

The No Action Alternative is the 

continued management of 34 MT of 

surplus plutonium. This includes (1) 

continued storage of surplus pits at 

Pantex, (2) continuing the plutonium 

mission at LANL to process up to 400 

kg of actinides (including surplus 

plutonium) per year, and (3) disposition 

of up to 7.1 MT of non-pit surplus 

plutonium for which the disposition 

decision, using the dilute and dispose 

strategy, was announced in NNSA’s 

2020 AROD (85 FR 53350). 

Public Involvement 

The SPDP EIS is an element of the 

NEPA strategy related to the disposition 

of surplus plutonium, which NNSA 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
3644 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 13 / Friday, January 19, 2024 / Notices 

announced in the Notice of Intent 

published in the Federal Register on 

December 16, 2020 (85 FR 81460). In 

that announcement, NNSA provided 

information regarding NNSA’s overall 

NEPA strategy related to fulfilling the 

purpose and need to disposition 34 MT 

of surplus plutonium. 

On December 16, 2022, NNSA 

electronically published the Draft SPDP 

EIS and published an NOA in the 

Federal Register announcing a 60-day 

public comment period for the Draft 

SPDP EIS (87 FR 77096). EPA also 

published its NOA of the Draft SPDP 

EIS on December 16, 2022 (87 FR 

77106). The comment period was 

scheduled to end on February 14, 2023. 

On February 7, 2023, NNSA notified the 

EPA that it was extending the comment 

period until March 16, 2023. On 

February 10, 2023, the EPA published a 

notice in the Federal Register that 

announced the extension to the public 

comment period (88 FR 8843). NNSA 

held three in-person public hearings 

and one internet-based (with telephone 

access) virtual public hearing. The inperson public hearings were held on 

January 19, 2023, in North Augusta, 

South Carolina, on January 24, 2023, in 

Carlsbad, New Mexico, and on January 

26, 2023, in Los Alamos, New Mexico. 

The virtual public hearing was held on 

January 30, 2023. In addition to the 

public hearings, the public was 

encouraged to provide comments via 

U.S. postal mail, by phone, or 

electronically via email. NNSA received 

121 comment documents from 

individuals, interested groups, and 

Federal, State, and local agencies during 

the public comment period on the Draft 

SPDP EIS. 

NNSA considered all comments 

received before May 2023, on the Draft 

SPDP EIS in preparing the Final EIS and 

revised the Draft EIS to incorporate 

changes as a result of public comments. 

The Final EIS also includes NNSA’s 

responses to all comments received. 

NNSA will consider the 

environmental impact analysis 

presented in the Final SPDP EIS, along 

with other information, when making 

decisions regarding surplus plutonium 

disposition. NNSA will then issue a 

ROD on the proposal no sooner than 30 

days following the date that EPA 

publishes its NOA in the Federal 

Register. 

Signing Authority 

This document of the Department of 

Energy was signed on December 19, 

2023, by Jill Hruby, Under Secretary for 

Nuclear Security and Administrator, 

National Nuclear Security 

Administration, pursuant to delegated 

authority from the Secretary of Energy. 

That 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 Department of 

Energy. This administrative process in 

no way alters the legal effect of this 

document upon publication in the 

Federal Register. 

Signed in Washington, DC, on January 12, 

2024. 

Treena V. Garrett, 

Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. 

Department of Energy. 

[FR Doc. 2024–00890 Filed 1–18–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. ER24–847–000] 

Sunlight Road Solar, L.L.C.; 

Supplemental Notice That Initial 

Market-Based Rate Filing Includes 

Request for Blanket Section 204 

Authorization 

This is a supplemental notice in the 

above-referenced proceeding of Sunlight 

Road Solar, L.L.C.’s application for 

market-based rate authority, with an 

accompanying rate tariff, noting that 

such application includes a request for 

blanket authorization, under 18 CFR 

part 34, of future issuances of securities 

and assumptions of liability. 

Any person desiring to intervene or to 

protest should file with the Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 

First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426, 

in accordance with Rules 211 and 214 

of the Commission’s Rules of Practice 

and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and 

385.214). Anyone filing a motion to 

intervene or protest must serve a copy 

of that document on the Applicant. 

Notice is hereby given that the 

deadline for filing protests with regard 

to the applicant’s request for blanket 

authorization, under 18 CFR part 34, of 

future issuances of securities and 

assumptions of liability, is February 1, 

2024. 

The Commission encourages 

electronic submission of protests and 

interventions in lieu of paper, using the 

FERC Online links at http://

www.ferc.gov. To facilitate electronic 

service, persons with internet access 

who will eFile a document and/or be 

listed as a contact for an intervenor 

must create and validate an 

eRegistration account using the 

eRegistration link. Select the eFiling 

link to log on and submit the 

intervention or protests. 

Persons unable to file electronically 

may mail similar pleadings to the 

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 

888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 

20426. Hand delivered submissions in 

docketed proceedings should be 

delivered to Health and Human 

Services, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, 

Rockville, Maryland 20852. 

In addition to publishing the full text 

of this document in the Federal 

Register, the Commission provides all 

interested persons an opportunity to 

view and/or print the contents of this 

document via the internet through the 

Commission’s Home Page (http://

www.ferc.gov). From the Commission’s 

Home Page on the internet, this 

information is available on eLibrary. 

The full text of this document is 

available on eLibrary in PDF and 

Microsoft Word format for viewing, 

printing, and/or downloading. To access 

this document in eLibrary, type the 

docket number excluding the last three 

digits of this document in the docket 

number field. 

User assistance is available for 

eLibrary and the Commission’s website 

during normal business hours from 

FERC Online Support at 202–502–6652 

(toll free at 1–866–208–3676) or email at 

ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov, or the 

Public Reference Room at (202) 502– 

8371, TTY (202) 502–8659. Email the 

Public Reference Room at 

public.referenceroom@ferc.gov. 

The Commission’s Office of Public 

Participation (OPP) supports meaningful 

public engagement and participation in 

Commission proceedings. OPP can help 

members of the public, including 

landowners, environmental justice 

communities, Tribal members and 

others, access publicly available 

information and navigate Commission 

processes. For public inquiries and 

assistance with making filings such as 

interventions, comments, or requests for 

rehearing, the public is encouraged to 

contact OPP at (202) 502–6595 or OPP@

ferc.gov. 

Dated: January 12, 2024. 

Debbie-Anne A. Reese, 

Acting Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01039 Filed 1–18–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1