[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 13 (Wednesday, January 21, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3097-3099]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1398]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Production of Tritium in a Commercial Light Water Reactor

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) announces its intent to prepare 
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the production of tritium 
using one or more commercial light water reactors (CLWR), pursuant to 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 
USC 4321 et seq.) and the DOE Regulations Implementing NEPA (10 CFR 
Part 1021). Under the CLWR Program, tritium production could occur in 
one of two manners: (1) purchase of CLWR irradiation services; or (2) 
purchase of a CLWR. Prior to preparation of the CLWR EIS, DOE initiated 
a procurement process to evaluate the feasibility of various CLWR 
alternatives, and the alternatives described in this notice have been 
derived from that procurement process. The CLWR EIS will evaluate the 
environmental impacts associated with tritium production for all 
reasonable alternatives identified through the procurement process.

DATES: Comments on the proposed scope of the CLWR EIS are invited from 
the public. To ensure consideration in the preparation of the EIS, 
comments must be postmarked by March 20, 1998. Late comments will be 
considered to the extent practicable. Public scoping meetings to 
discuss issues and receive oral comments on the scope of the EIS will 
be held in the vicinity of sites that may be affected by the proposed 
action. The public scoping meetings will provide the public with an 
opportunity to present comments, ask questions, and discuss concerns 
with DOE officials regarding CLWR activities. An interactive format 
will be used. The location, date, and time for these public scoping 
meetings is as follows:

Northeast Alabama Community College, 135 Alabama Highway 35 West, 
February 24, 1998, 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m., Rainsville, AL
Rhea County High School, February 26, 1998, 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m., 
Evensville, TN.

    The Tennessee Valley Authority has been designated as a cooperating 
agency for this EIS. Any other agency that desires to be designated as 
a cooperating agency should contact the CLWR Program Office at the 
address listed below by March 20, 1998.

ADDRESSES: General questions concerning the CLWR Project can be asked 
by calling the toll-free telephone number at 1-800-332-0801, or by 
writing to: Stephen M. Sohinki, Director, CLWR Project Office, U.S. 
Department of Energy, P.O. Box 44539, Washington, DC 20026-4539.
    As an alternative, comments can also be submitted by fax to: 1-800-
631-0612; or electronically to the CLWR Web Site: <a href="http://
www.dp.doe.gov/dp-62">http://
www.dp.doe.gov/dp-62</a>. Please mark envelopes, faxes, and E-mail: ``CLWR 
EIS Comments.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the DOE 
NEPA process, please contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office 
of NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-42), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 
Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20585, 202-586-4600; or 
telephone 800-472-2756 to leave a message.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: All of the nuclear weapons currently in the 
United States' stockpile must contain tritium, a radioactive isotope of 
hydrogen, to function as designed. Tritium decays at a rate of 5.5 
percent per year, giving it a half-life of 12.3 years. Because of this 
decay, the tritium contained in the nuclear weapons must be 
periodically replenished. Tritium is not a fissile material and cannot 
be used alone to construct a nuclear weapon. Tritium also has 
commercial uses such as watch dials, exit signs, and medical research.
    Tritium is so rare in nature that useful quantities must be man-
made. The United States stopped producing new tritium in 1988 when the 
last government-owned nuclear materials production reactor at the 
Savannah River Site (SRS) was shut down. Currently, there is no 
capability to

[[Page 3098]]

produce the required amounts of tritium within the Nuclear Weapons 
Complex.
    Previously, the Department evaluated the programmatic need for a 
new tritium source in a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement 
(PEIS) for Tritium Supply and Recycling (DOE/EIS-0161, October 1995). 
Based on the findings in that PEIS and other technical, cost, and 
schedule evaluations, the Department issued a Record of Decision (ROD) 
on December 5, 1995 (60 FR 63877). In the ROD, the Department announced 
a decision 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 (SRS was 
selected as the location for an accelerator, should one be built). The 
Department will select one of these approaches by the end of 1998 to 
serve as the primary source of tritium. The other alternative, if 
feasible, would continue to be developed as a backup tritium source.
    In recent years, international arms control agreements have caused 
the nuclear weapons stockpile to be reduced in size. This, in turn, has 
allowed DOE to recycle the tritium removed from dismantled weapons for 
use in supporting the remaining stockpile. However, due to the decay of 
tritium, the current inventory of tritium will not meet the national 
security needs that are projected for the future. The most recent 
Presidential direction, which is contained in the 1996 Nuclear Weapons 
Stockpile Plan and an accompanying Presidential Decision Directive, 
mandates that new tritium be available by 2005 if a CLWR is the 
selected option for tritium production. If the accelerator is the 
selected option for tritium production, the Presidential direction 
mandates that new tritium be available by 2007.
    The Department's strategy for compliance with NEPA has been to make 
decisions on programmatic alternatives in the ROD for the Tritium 
Supply and Recycling PEIS (now completed), followed by site-specific 
analyses to implement the programmatic decisions. The decisions made in 
the December 5, 1995, Tritium Supply and Recycling ROD have resulted in 
the Department's preparation of the following NEPA documents:
    1. An EIS for the Selection of One or More Commercial Light Water 
Reactors for Tritium Production (the subject of this Notice of Intent);
    2. An EIS for the Construction and Operation of an Accelerator for 
the Production of Tritium at the Savannah River Site (Draft EIS issued 
in December 1997);
    3. An Environmental Assessment for the Consolidation of Tritium 
Recycling Facilities at the Savannah River Site (currently under 
preparation);
    4. An EIS for the Construction and Operation of a Tritium 
Extraction Facility at the Savannah River Site (Notice of Intent issued 
September 5, 1996 (61 FR 46790);
    5. An Environmental Assessment for the Lead Test Assembly 
Irradiation and Analysis (completed in July 1997).

CLWR Production of Tritium

    The production of tritium in a CLWR is technically straightforward. 
As discussed in the Tritium Supply and Recycling PEIS, most existing 
pressurized water reactors utilize twelve-foot long rods containing an 
isotope of boron in ceramic form that is inserted in their fuel 
elements to absorb excess neutrons produced by the uranium fuel in the 
fission process. These rods are sometimes called burnable absorber 
rods. DOE's tritium program has developed another type of burnable 
absorber rod in which neutrons are absorbed by a lithium aluminate 
ceramic rather than the boron ceramic. These rods would be placed in 
the same locations in the reactor core as the standard burnable 
absorber rods. There is no fissile material (uranium or plutonium) in 
the DOE burnable absorber rods.
    While the two types of rods function in a very similar manner to 
absorb excess neutrons in the reactor core, there is one notable 
difference: when neutrons strike the lithium aluminate ceramic material 
in the DOE burnable absorber rod, tritium is produced. This tritium is 
then captured almost instantaneously in a solid zirconium material in 
the rod, called a ``getter.'' Thus, there is virtually no free tritium 
in the rod. In fact, the solid material that captures the tritium as it 
is produced in the rod is so effective that the rod will have to be 
heated to temperatures in excess of 1800 degrees Fahrenheit in the 
extraction process to recover the tritium for eventual use in the 
nuclear weapons stockpile. Depending upon tritium needs, as many as 
1000-3000 tritium-producing burnable absorber rods could be placed in 
each of one or more CLWRs for irradiation.

Relationship of the CLWR EIS and the CLWR Procurement Process

    Prior to preparation of the CLWR EIS, DOE initiated a procurement 
process to evaluate the feasibility of various CLWR alternatives. DOE 
anticipated that it would enter into a contract/agreement with the 
owner/operator of one or more commercial reactors for the purpose of 
producing tritium. Such a contract/agreement could result in DOE 
purchasing CLWR irradiation services and/or purchasing a CLWR. A 
partially completed reactor could be utilized for tritium production if 
the owner/operator were to first complete construction of the reactor.
    In June 1997, DOE requested proposals for producing tritium using 
existing and partially completed reactors. The proposals received from 
the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in September were the only 
proposals that were determined to be responsive to the requirements in 
the procurement request. Consequently, the TVA proposals were the only 
proposals that were determined to be in the competitive range. The 
alternatives listed below, which were identified through the 
procurement process, currently constitute the reasonable alternatives 
that will be evaluated in the CLWR EIS. Through the procurement 
process, DOE may enter into an agreement with the TVA, contingent upon 
completion of the NEPA process, for the production of tritium required 
to support the nuclear weapons stockpile. However, before completion of 
the EIS and its associated Record of Decision, the Department and TVA 
will take appropriate actions, e.g., studies and analyses, related to 
the potential submission of licensing documents to the Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission (NRC). Only those actions that are determined to 
be allowable interim actions would be permitted prior to the completion 
of the NEPA process. The NRC must issue regulatory approval for the use 
of tritium production rods in its licensed reactors.

Proposed Action and Alternatives

    The CLWR EIS will evaluate the environmental impacts associated 
with producing tritium at one or more of the following reactor plants:

Bellefonte Nuclear Plant Units #1 and/or #2 (Hollywood, Alabama)
Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit #1 (Spring City, Tennessee)

Sequoyah Nuclear Plant Units #1 and/or #2 (Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee)

    All of these plants are owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley 
Authority.

[[Page 3099]]

    As required by the Council on Environmental Quality regulations, 
the CLWR EIS will also evaluate the No Action alternative. Under this 
alternative, the stockpile demand for tritium would have to be met by 
other means, such as constructing and operating an accelerator at the 
Savannah River Site.

Identification of Environmental and Other Issues

    The Department has identified the following issues for analysis in 
the EIS. Additional issues may be identified as a result of the scoping 
process.
    1. Public and Worker Safety, Health Risk Assessment: Radiological 
and nonradiological impacts, including projected effects on workers and 
the public from construction, operation and accident conditions 
associated with tritium production.
    2. Impacts from releases to air, water, and soil associated with 
tritium production.
    3. Impacts to plants, animals, and habitats, including threatened 
or endangered species and their habitats associated with tritium 
production.
    4. The consumption of natural resources and energy associated with 
tritium production.
    5. Socioeconomic impacts to affected communities from construction 
and operation associated with tritium production.
    6. Environmental justice: Disproportionately high and adverse human 
health or environmental effects on minority and low-income populations 
associated with tritium production.
    7. Impacts to cultural resources such as historic, archaeological, 
scientific, or culturally important sites associated with tritium 
production.
    8. Impacts associated with transportation of nuclear materials.
    9. Status of compliance with all applicable Federal, state, and 
local statutes and regulations; required Federal and state 
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 tritium production.
    12. Pollution prevention and waste management practices, including 
characterization, storage, treatment and disposal of wastes associated 
with tritium production.

Public Scoping Process

    To assist in defining the appropriate scope of the EIS and to 
identify significant environmental issues to be addressed, DOE will 
conduct public scoping meetings at the locations, dates, and times 
described above under DATES. DOE will begin each scoping meeting with 
an overview of the CLWR program. Following the initial presentation, 
DOE will answer questions and accept comments. Copies of handouts from 
the meetings will be available to those unable to attend, by contacting 
the DOE CLWR project described above under ADDRESSES.

    Issued in Washington, D.C., this 15th day of January 1998.
Peter N. Brush,
Acting Assistant Secretary, Environment, Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 98-1398 Filed 1-20-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P