Environmental Impact Statement for the Continued Operation of the Pantex Plant and Associated Storage of Nuclear Weapon Components

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Environmental Impact Statement for the Continued Operation of the

Pantex Plant and Associated Storage of Nuclear Weapon Components

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability for

public review and comment of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS) for the Continued Operation of the Pantex Plant and Associated

Storage of Nuclear Weapon Components (DOE/EIS-0225). The Department's

preferred alternative is to continue nuclear weapons operations at the

Pantex Plant, located near Amarillo, Texas; to implement projects and

facility upgrades consistent with fulfilling these operations; and to

increase interim storage levels for plutonium components (pits) from

12,000 to 20,000 pits. The Draft EIS also evaluates a No Action

Alternative and a Relocation of Interim Pit Storage Alternative.

DATES: DOE invites the general public, other government agencies, and

all other interested parties to comment on this Draft EIS. The

information obtained during this period will assist DOE in finalizing

this EIS. Comments received by DOE must be postmarked no later than

July 5, 1996 to ensure consideration in the Final EIS. Comments

postmarked after that date will be considered to the extent

practicable.

The Department will hold public meetings at the potentially

affected sites to receive comments on the Draft Pantex EIS at the times

and locations listed below. Meetings on the dates identified with an

asterisk (*) are joint public meetings to be held in coordination with

the Pantex Draft EIS, the Stockpile Stewardship and Management Draft

Programmatic EIS, and the Storage and Disposition of Weapons-Usable

Fissile Materials Draft Programmatic EIS:

April 22-23, 1996*

Radisson Inn Airport, 7909 I-40 East at Lakeside, Amarillo,

Texas 79104, Time: April 22; 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm; April 23; 8:30am

to 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm

April 25, 1996

Community College of Southern Nevada--Cheyenne Campus, 3200 East

Cheyenne Avenue, North Las Vegas, Nevada 89030, Time: 3:00 pm to

5:00 pm and 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

April 30, 1996*

North Augusta Community Center, 495 Brookside Avenue, North

Augusta, South Carolina 29841, Time: 8:00 am to 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm

to 11:00 pm

May 2, 1996

Red Lion Inn, 802 George Washington Way, Richland, Washington

99352, Time: 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

May 7, 1996

Albuquerque Convention Center, 401 Second Street, NW,

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102, Time: 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm

to 9:00 pm

Public meeting times and locations will be published in local

newspapers prior to the meeting dates.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and requests should be directed to: Ms.

Nanette Founds, U.S. Department of Energy, Albuquerque Operations

Office, P.O. Box 5400, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87185-5400. Written

comments, suggestions, and requests

[[Page 15233]]

can also be submitted using the Pantex Plant EIS Faxline at 1-800-822-

5499. Facsimiles should be marked: Pantex Plant EIS. Oral comments and

requests concerning this EIS may also be submitted by calling the

Pantex Plant EIS Hotline at 1-800-788-0306. Comments may also be

submitted via the Internet. The e-mail address is:

[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on DOE's NEPA process,

please contact: Ms. Carol Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy

and Assistance (EH-42), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence

Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, 20585, 202-586- 4600 or 1-800-472-2756. For

information on this EIS, please contact: Ms. Nanette Founds at the

above address or by calling (505) 845-4351.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pantex Plant, near Amarillo, Texas, is the

Nation's nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly site. Its assigned

missions also include the fabrication of high explosive components and

the maintenance, modification and evaluation of existing nuclear

weapons. However, its current workload is centered on the dismantlement

of nuclear weapons being retired from the military stockpile. There are

currently no plans for producing new weapons. The preferred alternative

is to maintain Pantex Plant's assigned missions as well as increase the

plant's onsite interim storage levels from 12,000 to 20,000 pits. The

Draft EIS also evaluates a No Action Alternative, which would continue

current activities with no new projects or facility upgrades and limit

onsite interim storage to 12,000 pits and a Relocation of Pit Storage

Alternative, in which some or all of Pantex interim storage activities

would be relocated to an alternate site: the Savannah River Site near

Aiken, South Carolina; the Nevada Test Site near Las Vegas, Nevada; the

Hanford Site near Richland, Washington; or the Manzano Weapons Storage

Area at Kirtland Air Force Base near Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This Draft EIS incorporates public comments received during two

scoping periods (59 FR 26635, May 23, 1994; 60 FR 32661, June 23,

1995). Copies of all comments and associated EIS documentation prepared

by DOE are available for inspection at the following locations:

U.S. Department of Energy, Freedom of Information Reading Room, Room

1E-190, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20825, 202-586-6020

U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office Public Reading

Room, 2753 S. Highland Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109, 702-295-1274

U.S. Department of Energy, National Atomic Museum Public Reading

Room, Kirtland Air Force Base, Building 20358, Wyoming Boulevard,

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87115, 505-845-6670/4378

Los Alamos National Laboratory, Community Reading Room, Museum Parke

Office Complex, 1450 Central Avenue, Suite 101, Los Alamos, New

Mexico 87544, 505-665-2127 or 1-800-543-2342

U.S. Department of Energy, Public Document Room, 2nd Floor,

University Library, University of South Carolina, Aiken Campus, 171

University Parkway, Aiken, South Carolina 29801, 803-648-6851

Oak Ridge Public Reading Room, 55 Jefferson Avenue, Oak Ridge,

Tennessee 37830, 615-576-0887

U.S. Department of Energy Public Reading Room, Reference Department,

Lynn Library and Learning Center, Amarillo College, 2201 South

Washington, 4th Floor, Amarillo, Texas 79109, 806-371-5400

Pantex EIS Public Information Center, c/o Tetra Tech, Inc., 6900 I-

40 West, Suite 260, Amarillo, Texas, 806-355-9480

U.S. Department of Energy Public Reading Room, Carson County Public

Library, 401 Main Street, P.O. Box 339, Panhandle, Texas 79068, 806-

537-3742

U.S. Department of Energy, Public Reading Room, Washington State

University, 100 Sprout Road, Richland, Washington 99352, 509-376-

8583

Subsequent Document Preparation

DOE intends to complete the Final EIS and prepare a response to

comments received during the review of the Draft EIS in October 1996

and will announce its availability in the Federal Register.

Issued in Washington, DC, on March 29, 1996.

Henry K. Garson,

Associate Deputy Assistant, Secretary for Core Technical Support and

Facility Transition, Defense Programs.

[FR Doc. 96-8290 Filed 4-4-96; 8:45 am]

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