[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 20 (Monday, January 31, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-2202]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: January 31, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

 

Proposed Urgent-Relief Acceptance of a Limited Amount of Spent 
Fuel From Foreign Research Reactors; Meetings

AGENCY: Department of Energy and Department of State.

ACTION: Notice of meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy and the Department of State plan to 
co-host a two-part forum to involve stakeholders in a meaningful and 
constructive dialogue on the proposed urgent-relief acceptance of a 
limited amount of spent fuel from foreign research reactors. This 
proposed action was originally described in a draft environmental 
assessment, prepared under the National Environmental Policy Act, 
distributed for comment by interested states and organizations in 
October 1993; the Department is revising the environmental assessment 
in response to comments and intends to reissue the draft for comment in 
early February. The Department proposes to transport this spent fuel to 
the United States as part of an effort to minimize the use of highly 
enriched uranium in civil programs worldwide. Under this program, the 
Department is proposing that highly enriched uranium spent fuel be 
shipped by sea to a southeastern port (several alternative ports are 
proposed) and then by truck to the Department's Savannah River site 
near Aiken, South Carolina, for interim storage.
    The first part of the forum will be a preparatory meeting on 
February 10, 1994, involving invited stakeholders from State and local 
governments, Congress, environmental and non-proliferation public 
interest groups, other private sector interests, foreign research 
reactor operators, and key affected communities. Key issues related to 
the proposed acceptance of the spent fuel will be explored with the aid 
of a professional facilitation team. Federal officials will briefly 
present a summary of the relevant policy history, foreign research 
reactor status and benefits, proliferation concerns, and other 
associated background topics. Other participants will be invited to 
present their views and concerns. It is expected that the issues will 
be framed by international and domestic perspectives and will be 
focused on feasible options to resolve the issues. These discussions 
will set the stage for the second part of the forum, which will consist 
of a round-table dialogue on February 25, 1994, of senior-level policy 
makers, including Governors, Members of Congress, and senior government 
officials in the Department of Energy, the Department of State, and the 
National Security Council. This meeting will include a summary of the 
discussions that took place at the February 10 meeting. Both meetings 
are open to the public.

DATES: The first part of the forum will take place on February 10, 
1994, and will be held at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, 400 New 
Jersey Avenue, NW., Washington, DC; telephone (202) 737-1234. The 
second part of the forum, involving invited senior policy makers 
(Governors, Members of Congress, and senior representatives of Federal 
agencies and interested organizations) will be held February 25, 1994, 
at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark W. Frei, Office of Waste 
Management, Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management, 
U.S. Department of Energy (Mail Stop EM-30), 1000 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Washington, DC 20585; telephone (202) 586-0370; or Timothy Mealey, 
Keystone Center, P.O. Box 8606, Keystone, Colorado 80435; (303) 468-
5822.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In October 1993, the Department of Energy 
distributed for comment a draft environmental assessment, prepared 
under the National Environmental Policy Act, which evaluated the 
proposed urgent-relief acceptance of up to 700 elements of foreign 
research reactor spent fuel containing highly enriched uranium that 
originated in the United States. The Department proposed to transport 
this spent fuel to the United States as part of an effort to minimize 
the use of highly enriched uranium in civil programs worldwide. The 
urgency of that proposed action arose from the need to ensure that 
countries currently possessing this spent fuel continue to support the 
nonproliferation initiatives of the United States embodied in the 
Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactor program.
    It is apparent from the comments the Department received in 
response to the draft environmental assessment distributed in October 
1993 that many people did not agree there is a need for the United 
States to accept this spent fuel, or have concerns regarding the plans 
for implementing the proposed action. The Department plans to prepare 
another draft of the environmental assessment, to include revisions 
made in response to the first round of comments, and circulate it for 
public review in early February. The Department is now proposing in the 
draft environmental assessment that highly enriched uranium spent fuel 
be shipped by sea to a port (Newport News, Norfolk, and Portsmouth, 
Virginia; Charleston, South Carolina; Wilmington, North Carolina; 
Savannah, Georgia; and Jacksonville, Florida are under consideration) 
and then by truck to the Department's Savannah River site near Aiken, 
South Carolina, for interim storage.
    The proposed urgent-relief acceptance of a limited amount of spent 
fuel is intended only as an interim measure to maintain the status quo 
while the Department completes an environmental impact statement on its 
proposal to adopt and implement a new fifteen year policy on the 
acceptance of up to 15,000 elements of foreign research reactor spent 
fuel containing uranium enriched in the United States.
    Recently completed visits by teams of experts from the United 
States to foreign research reactors in Europe and Australia, while 
altering some details of the Department's proposal for urgent-relief 
acceptance, have confirmed the near-term need for the acceptance of 
certain foreign research reactor spent fuel in order to maintain the 
status quo while the environmental impact statement is being prepared. 
Failure to accept any spent fuel under the environmental assessment 
would have serious negative impacts on the United States policy to 
minimize the civil use of highly enriched uranium and specifically on 
the Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors program. Although 
the countries from which the Department is considering accepting spent 
fuel are not themselves countries of nuclear proliferation concern, 
these countries export research reactors and fuel to developing 
countries and have participated in the Reduced Enrichment for Research 
and Test Reactors program. This program has been responsible for 
gaining worldwide acceptance of low enriched uranium fuels for research 
reactors, thus promoting important nonproliferation interests.
    The planned forum will allow senior officials of the Federal 
government to explore the proposed acceptance of this spent fuel with 
Members of Congress, and representatives of potentially affected States 
and communities, interest groups, industry, the international 
community, and other key stakeholders. These discussions will be taken 
into consideration in preparation of the final environmental 
assessment.

    Issued at Washington, DC, on January 27, 1994.
Mark W. Frei,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Waste Management, Environmental 
Restoration and Waste Management.
[FR Doc. 94-2202 Filed 1-28-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P