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

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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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: http://

www.dp.doe.gov/dp-62. 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