Gas Main EA IV. Final

Floodplain Assessment. Final

Gas Main Revised FONSI. Final

Sitewide Environmental Supplement Analysis-Environmental Assessment-IV-Final

Final Notice – SWEIS – SA – January 2009

Signed Determination - SA- January 2009

Environmental Assessment for Proposed Perched Groundwater Corrective Measures

Notice to Prepare a Supplement Analysis for the Five-Year Evaluation

Planning Summary for NEPA Documents for Pantex Plant in 2006

Final Notice of Availability for the Environmental Assessment For Proposed Perched Groundwater Corrective Measures

FONSI- Proposed Perched Groundwater Corrective Measures

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) establishes requirements that federal agencies must meet to make well-informed decisions on proposed activities.  The decisions must be based on alternatives that consider, in part, detailed information concerning potential significant environmental impacts.  To minimize environmental impacts from Pantex operations, proposed activities are reviewed for NEPA requirements.  NEPA subject matter experts determine whether proposed Plant activities can be tiered off of previously approved NEPA documents or if they are new projects.  In the former case, an internal NEPA Review Form would be prepared, while in the latter case a standard NEPA Review Form is prepared, in order to assess the need for additional NEPA documentation.  Amendments document changes to previously approved NEPA Review Forms.

If environmental impacts are minimal and a categorical exclusion applies, the NEPA Compliance Officer located at the DOE/NNSA (DOE) Service Center can make the determination for the project, described in the standard NEPA Review Form.  If the standard NEPA Review Form is approved and any identified compliance issues have been resolved, the activity can begin.

An environmental assessment (EA) is prepared if the activity has potential environmental impacts, if the activity does not qualify for a categorical exclusion, or if the DOE/NNSA determines that further analysis is needed for planning and decision-making.  For each EA that is to be prepared, a notice of intent is published in the local media.

The scope of an EA is developed by an interdisciplinary Plant team, which identifies alternatives and considers the associated issues in coordination with a DOE/NNSA management review team.  Once prepared, the draft EA is reviewed by DOE/NNSA and provided to the State, and a notice of its availability is published in the local media.  DOE takes into consideration any comments by the State and other stakeholders in preparing the final EA.

When the EA is completed, the DOE determines if a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) can be issued.  If DOE/NNSA decides to issue a FONSI, a notice of availability of the FONSI and the final EA is published in the local media, before the project is started.  If a FONSI cannot be issued, an environmental impact statement (EIS) is prepared.

If it is decided that an EIS is required, a notice of intent is published in the Federal Register, by which the public is invited to participate in scoping meetings.  When a draft of the EIS is completed, a notice of its availability is published in the Federal Register, inviting the public to comment on the draft EIS.  The comment period is for a minimum of 45 days, during which at least one public hearing is held.  Comments to the EIS are considered, and may be incorporated.  DOE/NNSA Headquarters then decides whether the NEPA documentation is adequate for the proposed action.

Upon resolution of comments, and if the DOE/NNSA considers the EIS adequate, the final EIS is released and the DOE/NNSA publishes its notice of availability in the Federal Register.  If the NEPA documentation is determined to be inadequate, the EIS is rewritten and submitted again or the decision is made to terminate the project.  Publicizing the availability of the final EIS starts a 30-day waiting period.  After the 30-day waiting period, the DOE/NNSA may then issue its Record of Decision (ROD) that announces the preferred alternative is chosen and that the EIS has been signed and issued.  The DOE/NNSA then publishes the ROD in the Federal Register.

Every 5 years, the DOE/NNSA is required to evaluate site-wide EISs by means of a Supplement Analysis.  Based on the Supplement Analysis, DOE/NNSA determines whether the existing EIS remains adequate, or whether to prepare a new site-wide EIS or supplement the existing EIS.  The determination and supporting analysis will be made available in the appropriate DOE/NNSA public reading room(s) or in other appropriate location(s) for a reasonable time.  In 2003, a determination for the final Supplement Analysis, signed by the DOE/NNSA, stated that the continued operation of the Pantex Plant does not constitute a substantial change to the Pantex Plant site-wide EIS and no further NEPA documentation was required.