WASHINGTON – The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) released a final Supplement Analysis (SA) to the 2008 Complex Transformation Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Complex Transformation SPEIS) that demonstrates no new National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation is required at the programmatic level for the plutonium pit manufacturing capability and production mission.

This analysis of the programmatic environmental implications of establishing a capability to produce no fewer than 80 plutonium pits per year by 2030 was made following the review of extensive NEPA documentation and a 45-day public comment period from June 26 to Aug. 12, 2019. NNSA closely analyzed and gave serious consideration to comments received during this period.

“The capability to meet the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review’s recommendation of producing 80 plutonium pits per year by 2030 is vital component of the NNSA’s mission to assure the Nation has a safe, secure and credible deterrent,” said Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty, DOE Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and NNSA Administrator. “The NEPA analysis benefited greatly from public input, and we will continue to provide opportunities for public participation on future studies related to pit production.”

The NNSA will publish an Amended Record of Decision on the Final Complex Transformation SPEIS SA and its determination in the Federal Register at least 30 days after the Notice of Availability for the final SA and its posting on NNSA’s NEPA Reading Room website.

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) currently has a plutonium pit production capability and is developing a site specific SA on its Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) to assess the need for additional NEPA review. This site-specific SA will build upon prior analysis of pit production at LANL.

NNSA will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the proposal to produce a minimum of 50 plutonium pits per year at Savannah River Site because plutonium pit production using the proposed Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility at the site would be a new capability not previously analyzed. As was the case with the Complex Transformation SPEIS – in which NNSA went beyond what is required by law in providing an opportunity for public comment and preparing a Comment Response Document – there will be ample opportunity for public participation.