[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 52 (Thursday, March 17, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-6258]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: March 17, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
 

Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Interim Management of Nuclear Materials at the Savannah River Site

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) announces its intent to prepare 
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.). DOE proposes to evaluate nuclear materials currently stored at 
the Savannah River Site (SRS) and determine what materials can safely 
remain in their current form for an interim period (approximately 5 
years) until disposition decisions can be made. DOE will also determine 
what materials are at risk and therefore require near-term 
stabilization to assure continued safe management. DOE will evaluate 
the nuclear materials using a proposed set of criteria to determine 
materials which require near-term stabilization to help maintain the 
health and safety of workers and the public and to maintain 
environmental quality. DOE would then stabilize the materials 
determined to be of concern.
    DOE also proposes that some nuclear materials at the SRS should be 
converted, or should be considered for conversion, to a useable form. 
Plutonium-242 is used for research and development programs and the SRS 
inventory of this material is needed for this programmatic purpose. As 
a result, DOE proposes to convert the SRS inventory of plutonium-242 
solution to an oxide. Additionally, DOE is in the process of 
determining whether a programmatic need exists for americium-243, 
curium-244, and neptunium-237. If it is determined that a need for this 
material exists, the EIS will also evaluate its conversion to a useable 
form. Any conversion of this material would be for purposes other than 
the production of nuclear weapons.
    The nuclear materials to be evaluated will be those which have 
historically been either the feed materials for, or the in-process 
material of, SRS production and reprocessing programs.\1\ The need for 
the EIS is driven by the evolving requirements associated with the 
defense programs of the United States and the resultant requirement to 
manage the materials in the interim pending disposition decisions.
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    \1\This material does not include that associated with the 
plutonium-238 production mission in HB-Line. The purpose of that 
mission is to support the National Aeronautics Space Administration 
deep space probe program. This effort is the subject of separate 
NEPA documentation.
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    DOE plans to address waste management activities at SRS in a 
separate EIS. The waste management EIS for SRS will be announced 
shortly, by a separate Notice of Intent.

INVITATION TO COMMENT: To ensure the EIS addresses the full range of 
issues and alternatives related to this proposal, DOE invites comments 
on the proposed scope of the EIS from all interested parties. Please 
direct written comments to assist DOE in identifying significant 
environmental issues and defining the appropriate scope of the EIS to 
Mr. Stephen R. Wright at the address indicated below. DOE also invites 
agencies, organizations, and the general public to present oral 
comments pertinent to the preparation of this EIS at the public scoping 
meetings on the dates indicated below. In addition, DOE will accept 
comments electronically via voice mail or facsimile transmission by 
calling 1-800-242-8269. DOE will give equal consideration to all 
comments.
    After the completion of the public scoping process, DOE will 
prepare an EIS Implementation Plan and make it available to the public 
upon request. The Implementation Plan will record the results of the 
scoping process and define the alternatives and issues that DOE will 
evaluate in the EIS. DOE intends to complete the Draft EIS in late 
1994, and will announce its availability in the Federal Register. DOE 
will solicit comments from the public, organizations, and other 
agencies on the Draft EIS, and will consider all comments in its 
preparation of the Final EIS.

DATES: The public scoping period will continue until May 31, 1994. DOE 
will consider all written comments postmarked by May 31, 1994, and will 
consider comments postmarked after that date to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Please direct written comments or suggestions on the scope 
of the EIS and questions concerning the project to: Mr. Stephen R. 
Wright, U.S. Department of Energy, Savannah River Operations Office, 
P.O. Box A, Aiken, South Carolina 29802, (803) 725-3957.
    Mark the envelopes: ``Nuclear Materials Interim Management EIS.''
    For general information on the DOE NEPA review process, please 
contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Oversight 
(EH-25), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-4600 or (800) 472-2756.

PUBLIC SCOPING PROCESS: DOE will host a series of informal sessions to 
provide the public with additional information on the materials to be 
evaluated and the proposed action and alternatives discussed in this 
NOI. These sessions are intended to be interactive and DOE 
representatives will be available to answer questions. These informal 
sessions are scheduled at the following times and locations: 1 p.m. to 
4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., April 12, 1994, North Augusta Community 
Center, 495 Brookside Avenue, North Augusta, South Carolina; 1 p.m. to 
4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., April 19, 1994, DeSoto Hilton Hotel, 15 
Liberty Street, Savannah, Georgia; 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 
p.m., April 21, 1994, Holiday Inn Coliseum at USC, 630 Assembly Street, 
Columbia, South Carolina.
    DOE will then conduct public scoping meetings to assist in defining 
the appropriate scope of the EIS and identifying significant 
environmental issues to be addressed. DOE representatives will be 
available at the meetings to discuss, in informal conversations, SRS 
nuclear materials programs. These meetings are scheduled at the 
following times and locations: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., 
May 12, 1994, Coastal Georgia Center for Continuing Education, 305 
Martin Luther King Boulevard (Battlefield Park), Savannah, Georgia; 1 
p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., May 17, 1994, North Augusta 
Community Center, 495 Brookside Avenue, North Augusta, South Carolina; 
1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., May 19, 1994, Holiday Inn 
Coliseum at USC, 630 Assembly Street, Columbia, South Carolina.
    DOE will publish additional notices on the dates and locations of 
the information sessions and scoping meetings in local newspapers well 
in advance of the scheduled dates. DOE is committed to providing 
opportunities for the involvement of interested individuals and groups 
in this and other DOE planning activities.
    The public, organizations, and agencies are invited to present oral 
and written comments concerning (1) the scope of the EIS, (2) the 
issues the EIS should address, and (3) the alternatives the EIS should 
analyze. Please address written comments to Mr. Wright at the address 
indicated above. These comments should be postmarked by May 31, 1994, 
to ensure full consideration.
    Organizations and individuals wishing to participate in the public 
meetings can call 1-800-242-8269 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern 
Time, Monday through Friday, or submit their requests to Mr. Wright at 
the address indicated above. DOE requests that anyone who wishes to 
speak at one of the scoping meetings pre-register by contacting Mr. 
Wright, either by phone or in writing. Pre-registration should occur at 
least two days before the designated meeting. Persons who have not pre-
registered to speak may register at the meeting and will be called to 
speak as time permits.
    DOE will document comments received during the public scoping 
process. Copies will be available for inspection at these locations 
during regular business hours, Monday through Friday:

The DOE Freedom of Information Reading Room, room 1E-190, Forrestal 
Building, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 
586-6020; and
The DOE Public Document Room, University of South Carolina, Aiken 
Campus, University Library, 2nd Floor, 171 University Parkway, Aiken, 
South Carolina 29801, (803) 648-6851.

    Additional locations may be selected through the scoping process.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Savannah River Site is an 800 square-
kilometer (300 square-mile), controlled area in southwestern South 
Carolina. The Site is approximately 25 miles southeast of Augusta, 
Georgia and 20 miles south of Aiken, South Carolina. Since its 
establishment, the mission of the SRS has been to produce nuclear 
materials that support the defense, research, and medical programs of 
the United States.
    Historically, reactor fuel or target assemblies were chemically 
dissolved into aqueous solutions in the F- or H-Canyon chemical 
separations facilities.
    Various processes were performed to separate the useful isotopes 
(uranium-235, uranium-238, neptunium-237, plutonium-238, americium-243, 
curium-244, and plutonium-239) from the rest of the fuel and target 
material. The uranium-235 solutions were shipped off the site for 
conversion to a solid form and the uranium-238 in solution was 
converted to an oxide using the FA-Line facility at SRS. The neptunium-
237 was recovered, and when required, converted to a solid and 
fashioned into new targets. The plutonium was recovered and converted 
to metal or oxide products using the FB- and HB-Line facilities. Most 
converted materials were shipped to other DOE sites. Any product 
materials stored onsite were placed in ``vaults'' designed for storage.
    In March 1992, chemical processing operations were suspended in the 
canyons to address a potential safety concern. The concern was 
subsequently addressed, but prior to resumption of processing, the 
Secretary of Energy directed that defense-related chemical separations 
activities (i.e., reprocessing) be phased out at SRS. Since this 
decision, the Department has determined that further action related to 
the disposition of nuclear material is subject to the NEPA process. 
Non-safety related facility operations have remained shut down, with 
the exception of plutonium-238 processing associated with the support 
of NASA missions.
    As a result of these shutdowns, the canyons and the reactor fuel 
and target storage basins\2\ have a large inventory of in-process 
solutions, fuel assemblies, and targets. This inventory includes 
materials containing a wide variety of special isotopes (plutonium-239, 
uranium-235, plutonium-242, americium-243, curium-244, neptunium-237, 
etc.). There are approximately 100,000 gallons of in-process solutions 
in storage and approximately 200 metric tons of spent fuel and targets 
in storage.
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    \2\There are several storage basins currently in use. These are 
the K-, L-, and P-Reactor basins, the Receiving Basin for Off-site 
Fuels (RBOF) located in H-Area, and the Canyon receiving basins.
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    In addition to the above solutions and targets, there are over 
90,000 gallons of uranyl nitrate hexahydrate (UNH) stored in tanks 
outside the facility. The UNH contains the uranium-235 recovered from 
the processing of fuel from SRS production reactors, and DOE, domestic, 
and foreign research reactors.
    There are also approximately 35,000 55-gallon drums of uranium-238 
(known as ``depleted uranium'') oxide stored on the site. This material 
is the product of processing the targets from which plutonium-239 is 
recovered.
    For some solutions (e.g., enriched uranium and americium/curium) no 
conversion capability exists. Conversion, stabilization, or disposition 
options must be developed for such solutions.
    DOE has established a Secretarial task force to evaluate 
disposition of surplus nuclear materials stored at various locations 
within the weapons complex. Until disposition decisions are made 
(approximately 5 years), some of the materials at SRS, due to their 
form or to the condition in which they are currently maintained, could 
represent an unreasonable risk to public and worker health and safety 
or an unreasonable risk to the environment. For example, the aluminum 
cladding on some of the targets is deteriorating due to corrosion. As 
the cladding corrodes, highly radioactive material is exposed to the 
water in the storage basin. Some of this material is released into the 
water, which can result in increased worker exposures and environmental 
releases. Another example of material that could present an 
unreasonable risk is stored solutions containing plutonium, other 
transuranic elements, and uranium. These solutions require continuing 
vigilance to assure their continued safe storage and to avoid 
potentially severe radiological impacts should an accident occur.
    Additionally, DOE wants to reduce the cost of maintaining and 
storing these nuclear materials. The cost to maintain just the SRS 
canyons, with their current inventory of material, is about $300 
million a year. These costs could be reduced through consolidation, 
conversion, and stabilization.

Proposed Action

    The Department proposes to stabilize nuclear materials currently 
stored at the SRS that are in a condition that may not be safe over the 
time that is necessary to make decisions regarding their long-term 
disposition (approximately 5 years). The EIS will evaluate and identify 
which nuclear materials should be stabilized because of a health, 
safety, or environmental concern related to the condition of the 
material.\3\
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    \3\If at any time during the course of preparing the 
environmental impact statement the Department were to determine that 
an emergency condition such as unreasonable risk to public or worker 
health and safety or the environment exists with respect to any of 
the unstable materials, the Department would take action to respond 
immediately to the situation and consult with the Council on 
Environmental Quality regarding alternative arragements for 
compliance with NEPA.
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    The Department also proposes to convert to a useable form those 
materials for which a programmatic need exists. These materials are 
used in research and development programs. Specifically, DOE has 
identified a need for additional plutonium-242, and proposes to convert 
the existing inventory of that material at SRS from a solution to an 
oxide. In addition, if during the development of this EIS, a 
programmatic need is identified for neptunium-237, americium-243, or 
curium-244, this material will also be proposed for conversion to a 
useable form. Any programmatic need for americium-243 and curium-244 
could not be satisfied until conversion technology is developed.

Alternatives Proposed for Consideration

    DOE will examine various methods to accomplish stabilization. Based 
on current information, the preferred alternative for some of these 
materials, (e.g., in-process liquids) would be to operate the canyon 
facilities (including FB-Line and HB-Line, Phases I and II) only as may 
be necessary for stabilization, and then to place the facilities in a 
standby condition. For some materials, (e.g., americium and curium 
solutions) the Department currently has no preferred alternative, and 
the EIS will assist the Department in identifying a preferred 
alternative. The Department solicits public participation in 
identifying and evaluating alternatives. Alternatives could include dry 
storage, new wet storage, and processing for vitrification without 
chemical separation. Alternatives to the conversion of material 
required for programmatic needs have not been identified. Consistent 
with NEPA's requirement that the ``no action'' alternative be 
considered, DOE will evaluate the environmental impacts of continuing 
to manage all materials in their current form until decisions regarding 
disposition are made.

Material Inventory Evaluation Criteria

    DOE proposes to evaluate the inventory of nuclear materials at the 
SRS and place the material into one of three categories. These 
categories are: (1) Materials that may warrant near-term stabilization 
in order to maintain the health and safety of workers and the public 
and to maintain environmental quality; (2) material for which there is 
still a programmatic need; and (3) materials for which there is 
currently no designated programmatic need and which are already in a 
stable form. DOE proposes to use the following criteria to categorize 
material that warrants near-term stabilization and solicits public 
comments on how these criteria may be further refined:
    1. Materials which, without stabilization, would present a near-
term (i.e., approximately 5 years) risk of increasing worker radiation 
exposure or exposure to hazardous materials by an amount that is not 
insignificant.
    2. Materials which, without stabilization, would present a near-
term risk of a release of radioactive or hazardous material to the 
public or the environment that is not insignificant.
    3. Materials for which stabilization or use of an alternative 
storage method will, in the near-term, reduce the degree of hazard 
presented by the material in its current form by an amount that is not 
insignificant.
    4. Material for which stabilization in the near-term would reduce 
the generation of radioactive waste by an amount that is not 
insignificant.
    DOE intends that decisions regarding which materials merit near-
term stabilization will be based exclusively on the risk they pose to 
the safety and health of workers or the public, or to the environment. 
Although DOE expects to realize some maintenance related cost savings 
by stabilizing at-risk materials, DOE does not intend to consider 
economics as a criterion in the categorization process. That is, DOE 
does not propose to process materials that DOE determines, after public 
input, will remain stable until decisions regarding disposition can be 
made, even if it were judged to be cost effective to process them in 
conjunction with materials to be stabilized.
    DOE solicits public comments on the criteria and approach described 
above.

Identification of Environmental and Other Issues

    DOE has identified the following issues for analysis for proposed 
and alternative actions in the EIS.

Environmental Issues

    1. Public and Worker Safety, Health Risk Assessment--Radiological 
and nonradiological impacts, including projected effects on workers and 
the public from normal operations and potential accidents.
    2. Waste Management--The impact on the generation, treatment, 
storage, and disposal of high-level radioactive waste, low-level 
radioactive waste, transuranic (TRU) waste, hazardous waste, and mixed 
waste on new and existing onsite waste management and storage 
facilities. The EIS will describe the types and quantities of waste 
that would be generated by implementation. It will not consider 
specific waste disposal alternatives (e.g., a comparison of the impacts 
caused by the treatment and interim storage of vitrified reprocessing 
waste with those caused by the treatment and interim storage of 
unprocessed forms). These will be evaluated in the SRS waste management 
EIS.
    3. Regulatory Compliance--A determination of the status of 
compliance with all applicable Federal, state, and local statutes and 
regulations; required Federal and state environmental consultations and 
notifications; and
    DOE Orders on waste management, including waste minimization 
initiatives, and environmental protection.
    4. Air Quality--Potential effects on air quality from radiological 
and nonradiological emissions.
    5. Water Resources--Effects on the quality and the quantity of 
ground- and surface-water resources, including wetlands, and on 
downstream water users.
    6. Onsite Transportation--Impacts on the onsite workers and 
transportation systems resulting from transportation of raw materials, 
supplies, equipment, products, and wastes for both routine 
transportation and accident scenarios.
    7. Socioeconomic--Socioeconomic impacts in the SRS area.

Related NEPA Reviews

    The following is a list of existing or forthcoming NEPA 
documentation related to materials or activities at SRS.

Savannah River Site Waste Management EIS

    DOE will shortly announce its intent to prepare an EIS on waste 
management activities at the SRS. The purpose of the EIS is to provide 
a basis for DOE to select a sitewide strategic approach to managing 
present and future SRS waste generated as a result of ongoing 
operations, environmental restoration activities, transition, and 
decontamination and decommissioning activities. The EIS will address, 
at a minimum, the generation, minimization, treatment, storage, and 
disposal of low-level waste, liquid high-level waste, nonradioactive 
hazardous waste, mixed waste, and transuranic waste.

PEIS for Waste Management

    DOE has published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare a 
Programmatic EIS on Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM 
PEIS) (55 FR 42633, October 22, 1990). An Implementation Plan for this 
PEIS was published in February 1994. A draft PEIS is currently expected 
to be issued by September 1994.

EIS for Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel Management and Idaho National 
Engineering Laboratory (INEL) Environmental Restoration and Waste 
Management

    This EIS is currently in preparation and will include, among other 
issues, a programmatic analysis for the transportation, receipt, 
processing and storage of spent nuclear fuel, including consideration 
of sites other than INEL. SRS is one of the alternative sites being 
evaluated.

Environmental Assessment (EA) for HB-Line Operation

    HB-Line is currently operating to provide plutonium-238 for future 
space missions. In July 1991, DOE issued an Environmental Assessment 
for Radioisotope Heat Source Fuel Processing and Fabrication, DOE/EA-
0534. Based on the analysis in the EA, DOE determined that the proposed 
action, which included operation of HB-Line Phases I and III, does not 
significantly affect the quality of the human environment. DOE issued a 
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on July 21, 1991; the FONSI 
was published in the Federal Register on July 25, 1991 (56 FR 34057). 
As part of a negotiated court settlement, DOE is preparing an 
additional EA that will examine impacts of operating HB-Line Phases I 
and III beyond those activities currently underway. The cumulative 
impacts of operation of HB-Line Phases I and III in conjunction with 
the proposed action and alternatives will be addressed in this nuclear 
materials interim management EIS.

EA and EIS for Foreign Research Reactor Spent Fuel

    DOE is preparing an EIS on the proposed adoption and implementation 
of a policy for the acceptance of up to 15,000 spent nuclear fuel 
elements from foreign research reactors. This EIS is scheduled to be 
completed by the end of June 1995. In the interim, to meet the needs of 
certain foreign research reactor operators and to avoid failure of a 
key United States nuclear nonproliferation objective, DOE proposes to 
accept a small number of foreign research reactor spent fuel elements 
for storage at an existing SRS wet storage facility. DOE has prepared 
and has issued for public comment, a draft EA (February 1994) to 
evaluate the environmental impact of this proposed interim action.

Canyon Ventilation Upgrade EIS

    On March 20, 1992, DOE published an NOI to prepare an EIS for the 
upgrade of canyon exhaust systems at SRS (57 FR 9693). An 
Implementation Plan was issued in January 1993. The scope of the 
upgrade is being substantially reduced and DOE is presently evaluating 
what level of analysis is required under NEPA, as a result of the 
change in scope.

EA for Plutonium Storage in Building 247-F Vault

    DOE is preparing an environmental assessment to evaluate the 
impacts of consolidating certain stable plutonium materials for interim 
storage into an existing vault located in Building 247-F at the SRS. 
The EA will evaluate the consolidated storage of plutonium materials 
currently stored at several locations on the SRS.

EISs for Reactor Operation

    DOE has published two Final EISs on nuclear reactor operation at 
SRS: L-Reactor Operation, DOE/EIS-0108, 1984, and Continued Operation 
of K-,
L-, and P-Reactors (ROEIS), DOE/EIS-0147, 1990. DOE stated in the Final 
ROEIS that it will prepare an EIS ``that includes more detail on the 
environmental impacts of support facilities.'' The EIS addressed by 
this NOI partially fulfills that commitment.

Reconfiguration PEIS

    On July 23, 1993, DOE published a revised Notice of Intent to 
prepare a PEIS for reconfiguration of its nuclear weapons complex (56 
FR 39528) due to nuclear weapons stockpile reductions. The Department 
is reviewing the reconfiguration alternatives based on scoping comments 
resulting from public review of the revised Notice of Intent and budget 
projections. The results of this review will be presented in a revised 
Implementation Plan that will replace the earlier (February 1992) 
Implementation Plan. The SRS will be analyzed as a candidate site.

Related Publications

    The following recent publications are available in the public 
reading rooms listed at the end of the Public Scoping Meetings section 
of this NOI. These publications deal with nuclear material management 
issues and provide current information on the environmental impact of 
SRS operations:
Office of Technology Assessment, 1993. Dismantling the Bomb and 
Managing the Nuclear Materials. OTA-0-572. Washington, DC U.S. 
Government Printing Office.
National Academy of Sciences, 1994. Management and Disposition of 
Excess Weapons Plutonium. National Academy Press, Washington, DC.
Spent Fuel Working Group, 1993. Inventory and Storage of the 
Department's Spent Nuclear Fuel and Other Reactor Irradiated Nuclear 
Materials and Their Environmental, Safety, and Health Vulnerabilities. 
U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Westinghouse Savannah River Company, 1993. Savannah River Site 
Environmental Report for 1992, WSRC-TR-93-075, Savannah River Site, 
Aiken, South Carolina.

    Issued in Washington, DC, this 11th day of March 1994.
Tara O'Toole, M.D., M.P.H.,
Assistant Secretary, Environment, Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 94-6258 Filed 3-16-94; 8:45 am]
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