Revised Draft Environmental Assessment Pit Reuse Project

Various paginations (approximately 70 pages, printed on one side only). Figures. Tables. Maps. Agencies, Organizations, and Persons contacts. References. Appendix A, B, and C. Includes an unsigned copy of a letter from Thomas Hall, of Battelle Pantex to Mr. Ladino, U.S. Department of Energy Amarillo Area Office transmitting Revised Draft Environmental Assessment for the Pit Reuse Project. This Environmental Assessment for the Pit Reuse Project evaluated potential environmental impacts associated with the Proposed Action and selected alternatives. The purpose and need for agency action is to develop and demonstrate the capability to modify and upgrade certain pits removed from nuclear weapons dismantlement processes into a viable configuration for enhanced safety in future weapon systems. Modifications involved welding shells of fire resistant materials around the pit, modifying the pit tube, and purging and backfilling the pit. The Proposed Action would require upgrades to an existing facility, resulting in generation of minor quantities of construction waste. There would be no off-site transportation of pits, thus minimizing security risks and the potential for transportation-related accidents. A number of alternatives for the Pit Reuse Project were considered including the No-Action alternatives. Alternative project sites included the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Savannah River Plant, Y-12 Plant and the Rocky Flats Plant. The environmental impacts associated with the proposed actions were evaluated. It is unusual for a substantive draft, such as this revised draft, to remain available more than a quarter century after its production. Thus, it provides a significant data point not only on the Pit Reuse Project but, if able to be compared with a Final Environmental Assessment, on substantive and editorial differences from the final product. Loose pages held together with a binder clip.…