Welcome to the National Nuclear Security Administration’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Reading Room. This site serves as a focal point for NNSA NEPA implementation and will contain information about past and current NNSA NEPA actions as well as other resources for NEPA practitioners and members of the public.
- NNSA NEPA environmental assessments (EAs) and environmental impact statements (EISs).
- NNSA NEPA categorical exclusion (CX) determinations.
- Other NNSA environmental documents.
- NNSA NEPA policy (NAP 451.1, April 2018)
SURPLUS PLUTONIUM DISPOSITION PROGRAM ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT NOTICE OF INTENT
The NNSA has published a Notice of Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register on Dec. 16, 2020, to announce its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) for the Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program (SPDP EIS) to evaluate alternatives for the safe and timely disposition of plutonium surplus to the defense needs of the United States. NNSA will prepare a SPDP EIS to meet the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and will analyze the potential environmental impacts of the dilute and dispose alternative, also known as “plutonium downblending,” other identified reasonable alternatives for the disposition of surplus plutonium that may be identified, and the No Action Alternative. The dilute and dispose approach would require new, modified, or existing capabilities at the Savannah River Site (SRS), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Pantex Plant (Pantex), and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).
NNSA invites the Federal and state agencies, state and local governments, Native American tribes, industry, other organizations, and members of the public to submit comments to assist in identifying environmental issues and determining the appropriate scope of the SPDP EIS from Dec. 16, 2020, through Feb. 1, 2021.
Written comments on the scope of the SPDP EIS, requests to be placed on the SPDP EIS mailing list, and requests for information related to the SPDP EIS should be sent by Feb. 1, 2021, to:
By regular mail to:
Mr. Jeffrey Galan
NEPA Document Manager, NNSA Office of Material Management and Minimization
Savannah River Site
P.O. Box A, Bldg. 730-2B, Rm. 328
Aiken, SC 29802
Or by email to: SPDP-EIS@NNSA.DOE.GOV
Or by telephone to: 803-952-7434
NNSA will hold a public scoping meeting for the proposed SPDP EIS as follows:
In light of recent public health concerns, NNSA will be hosting an internet- and telephone-based, virtual public scoping meeting in place of an in-person meeting. The date of the meeting will be provided in a future notice posted on this website: https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room. NNSA will hold the meeting no earlier than 15 days from the posting of the notice on the NNSA NEPA Reading Room website. Public scoping meeting details will also be announced in local media outlets.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable information in your comment, please be advised that your entire comment — including your personally identifiable information — may be made publicly available. If you wish for NNSA to withhold your name and/or other personally identifiable information, please state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. You may also submit comments anonymously.
The Federal Register Notice of Intent for the SPDP EIS is available here for your review:
https://energy.gov/nepa/downloads/doeeis-0549-notice-intent
More information on the SPDP EIS is available here:
https://www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0549-surplus-plutonium-disposition-program
DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE LITHIUM PROCESSING FACILITY AT THE Y-12 NATIONAL SECURITY COMPLEX, OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE
NNSA is making a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Lithium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, (DOE/EA-2145) available for public comment. NNSA has prepared the Draft EA to analyze the potential environmental impacts of constructing and operating the Lithium Processing Facility (LPF) to process and supply the lithium material and components that are needed to support the Nuclear Security Enterprise. The LPF would be located at Y-12 on a proposed site that is currently occupied by the Biology Complex. NNSA invites the public to review and submit comments on the Draft EA through Jan. 22, 2021.
Comments must be submitted by no later than Jan. 22, 2021.
By mail to: NNSA NEPA Document Manager
Attn: LPF Draft EA
P.O. Box 2050
Oak Ridge, TN 37831
Or by email to: NEPA.Comments@npo.doe.gov
NNSA’s Notice of Availability (NOA) of the final SRS Pit Production EIS in the Federal Register
AROD of the 2008 LANL Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) for Pit Production at LANL
Final SA of the SWEIS for pit production at LANL
The draft SA of the 2008 SWEIS for Continued Operations of LANL is available here for your review
More information on the 2008 SWEIS for Continued Operations of LANL is available here.
The Final SA for the Complex Transformation SPEIS is available here for your review.
The Draft SA for the Complex Transformation SPEIS is available here for your review.
The Federal Register Notice of Availability is available here for your review.
More information on the Complex Transformation SPEIS is available for your review.
SRS Pit Production EIS Scoping Meeting presentation from 6/27/2019 public scoping meeting.
The draft SRS Pit Production EIS
NNSA’s Federal Register Notice of Availability (NOA) of the draft SRS Pit Production EIS
- Environmental Assessment (EA) - A concise public document that a Federal agency prepares under NEPA to provide sufficient evidence and analysis to determine whether a proposed agency action would require preparation of an environmental impact statement or a finding of no significant impact.
- Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) - The detailed written statement that is required by section 102(2)(C) of NEPA for a proposed major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.
- Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) - A public document issued by a Federal agency briefly presenting the reasons why an action for which the agency has prepared an environmental assessment will not have a significant effect on the human environment and, therefore, will not require preparation of an environmental impact statement.
- A Floodplain and Wetland Assessment is an evaluation that DOE prepares under DOE Floodplain and Wetland Environmental Review Requirements (10 CFR Part 1022) consisting of a description of a proposed action, a discussion of its potential effects on the floodplain or wetland, and consideration of alternatives. A Floodplain Statement of Findings is a brief document issued pursuant to 10 CFR 1022.14 that describes the results of the floodplain assessment.
- A Mitigation Action Plan is a document DOE prepares in accordance with DOE NEPA regulations (10 CFR 1021.331) that describes the plan for implementing commitments made in a DOE environmental impact statement and its associated record of decision, or, when appropriate, an EA or FONSI, to mitigate adverse environmental impacts associated with an action.
- Notice of Availability (NOA) is a formal notice, published in the Federal Register, that announces the issuance and public availability of a draft or final EIS. The Environmental Protection Agency NOA is the official public notification of an EIS; a DOE NOA is an optional notice used to provide information to the public.
- Notice of Intent (NOI) is a formal announcement of intent to prepare an EIS as defined in Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1508.22). DOE publishes NOIs in the Federal Register in accordance with DOE NEPA regulations (10 CFR 1021.311). On rare occasions we may produce and issue an Advance NOI which means a formal public notice of DOE's intent to prepare an EIS, which is published in advance of an NOI in order to facilitate public involvement in the NEPA process.
- Programmatic NEPA document means a broad-scope EIS (PEIS) or EA that identifies and assesses the environmental impacts of a DOE program; it may also refer to an associated NEPA document, such as an NOI, ROD, or FONSI.
- A Record of Decision (ROD) is a concise public document that records a Federal agency's decision(s) concerning a proposed action for which the agency has prepared an environmental impact statement (See CEQ and DOE NEPA regulations at 40 CFR 1505.2 and 10 CFR 1021.315, respectively).
- Scoping means the process described at 40 CFR 1501.7; “public scoping process” refers to that portion of the scoping process where the public is invited to participate, as described at 40 CFR 1501.7 (a)(1) and (b)(4).
- Site-wide NEPA document means a broad-scope EIS (SWEIS) or EA that is programmatic in nature and identifies and assesses the individual and cumulative impacts of ongoing and reasonably foreseeable future actions at a DOE site; Site-wide may also refer to an associated NEPA document, such as an NOI, ROD, or FONSI.
- Supplement Analysis (SA) means a DOE document used to determine whether a supplemental EIS should be prepared pursuant to 40 CFR 1502.9(c), or to support a decision to prepare a new EIS.
- Supplemental EIS (SEIS) means an EIS prepared to supplement a prior EIS as provided at 40 CFR 1502.9(c).
For more information about the NEPA law and guidance, please go to this page.
For more information about NNSA NEPA documents, please contact NEPA@nnsa.doe.gov.