среда, 28 сентября 2011 г.

EIS describes a possible expansion in NNSS

By Mark Waite

Gone are the days when residents see mushroom clouds rise at the Nevada Test Site atmospheric nuclear test as another shot.

Since October 1992 the moratorium on nuclear testing was enacted, some sub-critical tests have been carried out yet, that is, the evidence does not reach critical mass.

So what of the National Nuclear Security Administration do with the 1,350 square miles of desert in the light of the changing political climate and treaties reducing nuclear weapons?

There will still be plenty of weapons testing.

An executive summary of the first review of the environmental impact statement for what is now called the National Security Nevada site since 1996, says: "The primary mission of the NNSS NNSA has developed an active program, testing available nuclear maintenance and ability to carry out underground nuclear tests, if ordered by the president. "

Resources have been allocated to other missions, such as executive orders of the Congress and the president to promote environmentally sound energy including solar and geothermal.

The tests include experiments dynamic nuclear arsenal plutonium. A waste management EIS issued in February 2000 designated the NNSS as one of the two regional centers for disposal of low level and mixed low-level radioactive waste, which will continue.

The three alternatives in the EIA include maintaining the status quo, reduction operations and expansion of operations.

The NNSS includes the Tonopah Test Range, the remote sensing laboratory at the Nellis Air Force and the Department of North Las Vegas.

Under the expanded operations alternative, 36,900 acres in the area 25, the southwest corner of the site near Lathrop Wells, we designed an area of ​​renewable energy, expanding the area of ​​4,100 hectares have already been announced. The NNSA would support the development of several commercial installations, solar power generation with a maximum generating capacity of 1,000 megawatts. A five-megawatt photovoltaic systems, solar power generation would be built in Area 6 and a demonstration project of geothermal energy and research center built elsewhere.

The elimination of low-level radioactive waste in the NNSS would increase from 15 million cubic feet to 48 million cubic feet, and the mixture of low-level radioactive waste from 900,000 cubic meters to 4 million cubic feet, expanded operations scenario. A waste site in Area 3 was opened.

Shipments of waste from the south before he traveled along I-40 to Highway 95, turning off at Searchlight on the road 164 to I-15, and then to Highway 160 and west of the NNSS. Shipments from the north came across Highway 95.

An agreement with the state not to send waste to the new bridge near the Hoover Dam and Las Vegas Spaghetti Bowl would be lifted in the theater of operations expanded.

The EIS notes transportation infrastructure in Las Vegas, including the new I-215 Beltway, has improved, while Highway 160 has seen a traffic increase of population growth.

NNSA estimates that the alternative of expanding operations could create up to 1,500 temporary and 625 permanent jobs in addition to the current workforce of 1,700 employees.

Most of them would be used to build and operate the solar power plant, which would require an average of 750 construction workers and 200 permanent employees. Unemployment would be reduced by 11 percent in Nye County, NNSA states.

In the scenario of reduced operations, operations would cease in the northwest part of the NNSS, areas 18, 19, 20, 29 and 30, except for environmental restoration and military training. Maintenance of roads in Mesa Pahute, washing and Buckboard Mesa Stockade would be terminated. The plan to reduce operations further support the development of a 100-megawatt commercial solar installation, energy generation in Area 25.

The expansion stage of operations will double the number of dynamic experiments performed at 10 to 20 years. Experiments would quintuple the conventional explosives NNSS year in areas 1, 2, 3, 4, 12 or 16, with a maximum of 120,000 pounds of TNT equivalent explosive charges instead of 70,000 pounds.

Beef explosives major experimental facility to be equipped with a table of second shot and the ability of high-energy X-rays. NNSS three areas will be established to conduct explosive experiments with depleted uranium.

The number of shock physics experiments per year in the whole shock actinides Research Fund for Experimental Physics is increased from 10 to 36. There would be 24 experiments per year using large-caliber gun powder instead of 10.

The Global Atlas is activated to carry out power pulses up to 24 experiments per year.

The number of plasma physics and fusion experiments each year in North Las Vegas facility will increase from 600 to 1000 and increased from 50 to 650 per year in Area 11 of the NNSS.

The NNSS currently used to dispose of damaged nuclear weapons. The expansion of operations including the removal of up to 100 nuclear weapons per year, replacing the components for up to 360 nuclear devices per year and components of weapons of quality control tests.

Between four and five tons of special nuclear material would be transferred from elsewhere in the DOE complex for use in experiments NNSS, in expanding operations.

Training emergency response to weapons of mass destruction will continue.

Efforts to control the spread of weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, will be enhanced by the construction of laboratory space for the design and certification of CTBT verification technologies, as well as training of trainers.

Some of the new facilities to be built under the further expansion of the following:

* A new, 85,000 square meters, construction of multi-storey security to be built in Area 23.

* A test of non-proliferation, which simulate chemical and radiological processes an adversary could make would be built.

* An urban warfare complex to be built to support training on terrorism.

* There would be additional hangars, shops and buildings for greater use of aerial work platforms for research, development, training and exercises.

* A plant would be built to simulate the release of radionuclides for detection.

* The facility will develop specialized explosive experiments.

* The new facility was developed to support research in the generation of radio frequencies.

* Simulation of clandestine laboratories will be developed to support chemical and biological simulant experiments.

* A 138 kilovolt transmission system would be replaced.

* Cellular Telecommunications is expanded.

* Mercury is to be reconfigured.

So the three underground and 12 outside, radioactive tracer experiments carried out a year if operations are expanded.

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