[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 153 (Wednesday, August 10, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-19531]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: August 10, 1994]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------


DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
 

Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for the Nevada 
Test Site and Other Off-Site Test Locations Within the State of Nevada

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental 
Quality regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA 
(40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and the Department's Implementing Procedures 
(10 CFR Part 1021), the DOE announces its intent to prepare a Site-wide 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Nevada Test Site and other 
off-site test locations within the State of Nevada. The purpose of this 
Notice is to invite the participation of Federal, state, and local 
agencies, affected Indian tribes, and other interested persons in the 
process that DOE will follow to comply with NEPA, and to solicit public 
comments on the proposed scope and content of the Nevada Test Site EIS.
    In order to meet present and potential future mission 
responsibilities at the Nevada Test Site, the Department proposes to 
evaluate resource management alternatives for the Nevada Test Site 
which would support current and future defense related missions, 
research and development, waste management, environmental restoration, 
infrastructure maintenance, and facility upgrades and alternative uses 
over the next 5-10 years. This Site-wide EIS will address numerous 
issues, including, without limitation: (1) environmental restoration 
and other Departmental activities at the Nevada Test Site and at off-
site locations in the State of Nevada where DOE conducted nuclear 
experiments, which include the Project Shoal Area, Central Nevada Test 
Area, Tonopah Test Range, and portions of the Nellis Air Force Range; 
and (2) transportation and disposal of wastes, which are generated on 
and off-site of the Nevada Test Site.

DATES: DOE invites and encourages the general public, other government 
agencies, and all other interested parties to comment on the 
appropriate scope and content of the EIS for the Nevada Test Site and 
off-site locations within the State of Nevada to ensure that all 
relevant environmental issues and alternatives are addressed. Public 
scoping meetings are discussed below in the Supplementary Information 
section. The public scoping period will continue until September 30, 
1994. All comments and suggestions received or postmarked by that date, 
whether written, oral, submitted directly to the Department, or 
presented during a scoping meeting, will be given equal consideration 
in defining the scope of this Site-wide EIS and the issues to be 
discussed. Comments received or postmarked after September 30, 1994, 
will be considered to the extent practicable. In addition, the 
Department is committed to providing opportunities for the involvement 
of interested individuals and groups in this and other Department 
planning activities outside of the formal scoping process on this EIS.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the Site-wide EIS should be 
directed to: Donald R. Elle, Director, Environmental Protection 
Division, U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office, P.O. Box 
14459, Las Vegas, NV 89114.
    Copies of written comments, transcripts of oral comments, and 
copies of the EIS Implementation Plan will be prepared and retained by 
the Department for inspection by the public at the following locations:

1. DOE Public Reading Room, 2753 S. Highland Ave., Las Vegas, NV 
89109
2. Las Vegas Public Library, 833 N. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 
89101
3. Carson City Public Library, 900 N. Roop St., Carson City, NV 
89701
4. Tonopah Public Library, 171 Central Street, Tonopah, NV 89049
5. Doris Shirkey Library, 2101 E. Calvada Blvd., Pahrump, NV 89041
6. Caliente Branch Library, 100 Depot Avenue, Caliente, NV 89008
7. University of Nevada, Reno, Noble H. Getchell Library, Reno, NV 
89557
8. University of Nevada, Las Vegas, James Dickenson Library, 4505 S. 
Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154
9. Freedom of Information Reading Room, Forrestal Bldg, 1000 
Independence Ave, S.W., Washington, DC 20585
10. Fallon Public Library, Churchill County Library, 553 S. Main, 
Fallon, NV 89406-3387
11. Washington County Library, 50 S. Main, St. George, UT 84770

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information please 
contact: Donald R. Elle, Director, Environmental Protection Division, 
U.S. Department of Energy, P.O. Box 14459, Las Vegas, Nevada 89114, 
(702) 794-1550.
    For information on the Department's NEPA process, please contact: 
Ms. Carol Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Oversight, U.S. 
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 
20585, (202) 586-4600 or leave a message at (800) 472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Nevada Test Site, near Las Vegas, Nevada, is the site at which 
the Department's Nevada Operations Office fulfills its primary 
responsibilities to:
    * Maintain a state of readiness to conduct underground nuclear 
testing.
    * Fulfill those activities to maintain the nation's stockpile of 
nuclear weapons in a safe and secure manner and fulfill other national 
security related missions.
    * Provide an ongoing waste management program covering all wastes 
generated both on-site and from other DOE-approved facilities across 
the U.S.
    * Perform site characterization and environmental restoration 
activities required to minimize or eliminate the impacts of past 
operations.
    * Supervise operations of non-DOE entities at the Liquefied Gaseous 
Fuels Spill Test Facility to perform research and demonstrations 
related to the safety aspects of hazardous chemicals and liquefied 
gaseous fuels.
    * Serve as an outdoor laboratory where scientists and students can 
conduct research on environmental issues as part of the DOE National 
Environmental Research Park Network.
    * Support the Threshold Test Ban Treaty and the Peaceful Nuclear 
Explosives Treaty verification mission along with an expanding role in 
supporting the ongoing Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty negotiations.
    * Provide the capability to respond to nuclear emergencies, 
including use of radiation detection systems for search and 
identification of lost or stolen nuclear weapons and special nuclear 
materials; exercises related to nuclear bomb threats and to radiation 
dispersal threats.
    * Demonstrate the capability to provide alternative energy sources 
to meet power needs for the Southwestern United States. This would 
include research activities in solar and other alternative energy 
source technologies.
    The Department's responsibilities are mandated by statute, 
Presidential direction, and Congressional authorization and 
appropriation. Other activities may be directed by regulatory mandates 
identified in compliance agreements or orders or other enforceable 
documents.
    The Nevada Test Site occupies 1,350 square miles in southern 
Nevada, and is located approximately 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. 
The Nevada Test Site is bordered to the north, west, and east by the 
Nellis Air Force Range, and on the south by Bureau of Land Management-
administered lands. To the east, the Nevada Test Site shares a nearly 
contiguous border with lands managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service for the Desert Game Range. The western half of the Game Range 
is also used by the U.S. Air Force, which shares a contiguous boundary 
with the Nevada Test Site. The Nevada Test Site is a remote, secure 
facility for conducting underground testing of nuclear weapons and for 
evaluating the effects of nuclear weapons on military communications 
systems, electronics, satellites, sensors, and other materials. Since 
the signing of the Threshold Test Ban Treaty in 1974, it has been the 
only site used by the United States for underground nuclear weapons 
testing. In September 1992, Congress, within the framework of the 
Threshold Test Ban Treaty, imposed a nine-month moratorium on 
underground nuclear testing. President Clinton extended the moratorium 
in July 1993 for an additional 15 months and subsequently, in March 
1994, extended the moratorium through September 1995.
    Existing land use on the Nevada Test Site falls into four general 
categories: Testing Areas; Reserved Areas; Industrial/Research Areas; 
and Waste Management Areas. Most of the work on the Nevada Test Site 
has been and continues to be related to national defense, with a 
growing emphasis on environmental restoration and waste management 
programs. Changing world conditions and national policies have reduced 
the need for testing programs, and other DOE and non-DOE activities are 
now being considered for siting at the Nevada Test Site. A map showing 
existing land use at the Nevada Test Site and the locations of the off-
site tests is available on request to Donald R. Elle at the above 
address.
    The Nevada Test Site is a unique facility. It is a large remote 
area with tightly controlled access, with a substantial infrastructure, 
and the capability to conduct tests with hazardous and radioactive 
materials. The southwest region of the Nevada Test Site provides 
support for nonweapons and nonnuclear weapons programs and for short 
term activities such as the nuclear weapons accident exercises 
conducted by the Nuclear Emergency Search Team. In 1993, DOE designated 
the Nevada Test Site as a National Environmental Research Park. The 
Research Park is available for use by the scientific community as an 
outdoor laboratory for research on the effects of human activities on 
the desert ecosystem. Land not used for mission or other purposes has 
been designated as reserved areas, available for future development. 
The northern part of the Nevada Test Site is reserved as an underground 
nuclear weapons testing area. Nuclear test locations are at Yucca Flat, 
Pahute Mesa, Rainer Mesa, and Buckboard Mesa.
    Waste management activities have been ongoing at the Nevada Test 
Site since 1952. For ease of identification, the Nevada Test Site has 
been divided into numbered geographic ``Areas''. Waste Operations are 
conducted in several areas. Sanitary and solid waste are disposed of in 
Areas 23 and 9. Hydrocarbon-contaminated soils are disposed of in a 
permitted landfill in Area 6. Radioactive waste management sites are 
located in Areas 3 and 5. Area 5 is also the location of a 90-day 
hazardous waste accumulation site. Waste streams continue to be 
generated, stored, and disposed of at the Nevada Test Site. Radioactive 
wastes are also shipped to the Nevada Test Site for disposal from other 
Department and Department-authorized sites. Waste management operations 
at Nevada Test Site include: Accumulation of hazardous waste; disposal 
of low-level radioactive waste including some classified waste; 
management of mixed radioactive and hazardous waste; storage of mixed 
transuranic waste; and disposal of sanitary waste.
    Mixed transuranic waste is stored on a pad at Area 5 under 
conditions set forth in the July 1992 Settlement Agreement between DOE 
and the State of Nevada. A consent agreement signed by DOE and the 
Nevada Division of Environmental Protection in 1994 allows storage at 
Area 5 of mixed waste generated during characterization activities.
    Through 1994 there have been 1054 nuclear tests conducted by the 
United States, 928 of which were conducted on the Nevada Test Site. 
Defense research and weapons test verification activities were 
conducted at other test locations in Nevada. Nuclear devices were 
detonated underground at the Project Shoal Area and the Central Nevada 
Test Area. From 1957 to 1963, many safety tests using special nuclear 
materials and chemical explosives were conducted at sites on the Nevada 
Test Site, Nellis Air Force Range, and Tonopah Test Range to test the 
safety of nuclear weapons in accident situations. These tests have 
resulted in the release of radioactive materials and surface 
contamination over large areas.
    The Yucca Mountain site is located on the southwestern boundary of 
the Nevada Test Site. In the 1987 amendments to the Nuclear Waste 
Policy Act (NWPA), Congress directed DOE to characterize the Yucca 
Mountain site for possible development of a geologic repository for 
disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high level nuclear waste. Prior to 
passage of the 1987 amendments, DOE had prepared an environmental 
assessment (EA) which included an analysis of the effects of site 
characterization activities at Yucca Mountain (DOE/RW-0073, May 1986). 
If DOE ultimately recommends approval of the Yucca Mountain site to the 
President, that recommendation must be accompanied by an EIS prepared 
under the specific provisions of the NWPA. All activities regarding the 
characterization of the Yucca Mountain site, and any eventual 
construction and operation of a repository, including environmental 
review, are regulated by the process prescribed in the NWPA. Therefore, 
the Nevada Test Site EIS will address ongoing Yucca Mountain site 
characterization activities only as they relate to the cumulative 
impacts of activities on the Nevada Test Site during the period covered 
by the EIS, using the Yucca Mountain EA as a baseline.
    Public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management surround 
the Nevada Test Site and Nellis Air Force Range on all sides. The 
Tonopah Test Range is located in the northwestern portion of the Nellis 
Air Force Range, and is operated by Sandia National Laboratories, under 
contract with the DOE Albuquerque Operations Office, and through a 
Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of Energy's Albuquerque 
and Nevada Operations Offices. The Central Nevada Test Area is located 
approximately 60 miles east of Tonopah between Warm Springs and Currant 
(approximately 160 miles north of Las Vegas), and the Project Shoal 
Area is located approximately 30 miles southeast of Fallon 
(approximately 90 miles east of Reno and 285 miles northwest of Las 
Vegas).
    The Nevada Test Site, Nellis Air Force Range, and Tonopah Test 
Range each have restricted-access areas that are not open to the public 
for purposes such as agriculture, mining, land disposal of wastes, or 
mineral leasing. With the exception of very limited special hunting 
access to a portion of the Nellis Air Force Range, these sites are not 
open for recreational use. The Project Shoal Area and the Central 
Nevada Test Area are not restricted-access areas and are open for 
general public uses including grazing and recreation, but not to 
mining.
    Public roads link the Project Shoal Area and the Central Nevada 
Test Area with the Nevada Test Site and these may be used to ship 
wastes to the Nevada Test Site. In addition, some public roads may be 
used to transport waste from Nellis Air Force Range and Tonopah Test 
Range to the waste management locations on the Nevada Test Site or 
elsewhere. Public roads are also used to ship low level radioactive 
waste from other DOE sites to the Nevada Test Site and to ship 
hazardous waste from the Nevada Test Site to permitted disposal 
facilities.

Preliminary Identification of Alternatives

    The proposed action is to develop a resource management plan for 
the Nevada Test Site. The Department of Energy needs a site resource 
management plan that would allow it to continue its missions in a way 
that minimizes or avoids environmental impacts. A preliminary set of 
resource management alternatives for evaluation in the EIS has been 
identified below. The final set of alternatives and issues to be 
considered in the EIS will reflect consideration of the public input 
received during the scoping period.

No Action

    Under the no action alternative, existing missions and operations 
would continue at the present level. Environmental restoration 
activities would continue at the Nevada Test Site and at off-site test 
locations within the State of Nevada. Off-site test location activities 
would be consistent with the applicable land use plans of the 
controlling agency. This alternative includes the potential to resume 
underground nuclear testing and conducting other nuclear weapon related 
experiments at the Nevada Test Site. Expanded use of the Nevada Test 
Site for defense-related experiments, alternative energy source 
technology development, non- or counter-proliferation research and 
development and environmental technology development would not be 
pursued. Waste management activities would continue to support existing 
DOE missions and operations in the same manner and degree as at present 
and in the recent past. Continuing activities at the Area 3 and 5 
radioactive waste management sites include: the disposal of low-level 
radioactive wastes generated from both on-site activities and off-site 
DOE and Department of Defense facilities such as the Fernald Field 
Office near Cincinnati, Ohio; the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology 
Site (formerly the Rocky Flats Plant), Golden, Colorado; the Amarillo 
Area Office (Pantex), Amarillo, Texas; and the Aberdeen Proving 
Grounds, Aberdeen, Maryland. Other continuing activities include 
storage of transuranic and other wastes, accumulation of hazardous 
wastes prior to off-site shipment for disposal, and disposal of on-site 
generated mixed waste that meets the Resource Conservation and Recovery 
Act (RCRA) land disposal restriction criteria. Groundwater 
characterization would continue with the associated waste management 
activities. This alternative is intended to encompass current 
operations, including waste management and technology development 
operations without the improvements or expansion which would occur 
under the expanded use alternative.

Expanded Use

    Under this alternative, maximum use would be made of the Nevada 
Test Site in support of national programs of both a defense and non-
defense nature. National Defense activities could include a resumption 
of underground nuclear testing with the required support activities; 
conducting other nuclear weapons related experiments; the construction 
and operation of various types of simulator facilities and other 
experimental test facilities; tritium production; plutonium storage and 
disposition; nuclear weapons storage and disassembly and similar 
activities that could be best conducted at a remote site. The site 
could also be used for various exercises and technology development 
aimed at countering nuclear terrorism or proliferation activities. Non-
defense programs could include the study of alternative energy sources 
including the construction and operation of various solar energy 
facilities that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the 
technologies; expanded use of the Liquefied Gaseous Fuels Spill Test 
Facility; and increased use of the site as an Environmental Research 
Park.
    This alternative would include continuation of on-going waste 
management activities, planned waste management and environmental 
restoration activities, and enhanced usage of the Site for waste 
management activities. In addition to on-going activities, planned 
waste management activities proposed for the Area 5 radioactive waste 
management site include construction and operation of: certification 
facilities for various types of waste, expanded mixed waste disposal 
facilities for on- and off-site generated mixed waste, increased 
capacity for hazardous and mixed waste storage, waste treatment 
facilities, closure barriers or caps, and infrastructure improvements.
    Enhanced usage would include, for example, options to utilize the 
Nevada Test Site as specified in other DOE and Department of Defense 
NEPA documents (such as the Environmental Restoration and Waste 
Management Programmatic EIS which, among other things, addresses a 
programmatic alternative under which all DOE low-level radioactive 
wastes would be disposed of at the Nevada Test Site); regional 
treatment of mixed waste in accordance with the Federal Facility 
Compliance Act; and disposal of mixed and transuranic wastes.

Other Alternatives

    The Department will consider other resource management 
alternatives, i.e., variations of the no action alternative that would 
involve no new projects or a phased reduction in current operations, 
and no shipments or reduced shipments of off-site waste to the Nevada 
Test Site. The Department invites public comment on the above, and 
suggestions regarding other resource management alternatives that 
should be considered.

Preliminary Identification of Environmental Issues

    The following issues have been tentatively identified for analysis 
in this EIS. This list is intended to facilitate public comment on the 
scope of the EIS. It is not intended to be all-inclusive, nor is it 
intended to be a predetermination of impacts.
    1. Potential effects on the public and on-site workers from 
releases of radiological and hazardous materials during normal 
operations and from reasonably foreseeable accidents.
    2. Potential effects on air and water quality and other 
environmental consequences of normal operations and reasonable 
foreseeable accidents.
    3. Potential cumulative effects from proposed actions and other 
past, present and reasonably foreseeable future actions.
    4. Potential environmental effects, including human health, 
economic and social effects on surrounding communities, including 
minority communities and low-income communities.
    5. Potential effects on sensitive species, economically and 
recreationally important species, floodplains, wetlands, and historic 
and archaeological resources, including paleontological sites and 
Native American resources.
    6. Potential environmental effects of future Nevada Test Site 
facility decontamination and decommissioning activities.
    7. Potential effects of near- and long-term waste management of 
off-site generated waste, and environmental restoration activities.
    8. Potential unavoidable adverse environmental impacts.
    9. Short-term uses of the environment versus long-term 
productivity.
    10. Potential irretrievable and irreversible commitments of 
resources.

Related Documentation

    The Department will prepare transcripts of the oral comments 
received during the scoping workshops. The records of all comments, 
both oral and written, received during the scoping period will be made 
available for public review in the reading rooms listed above. 
Additional background documents and references identified as pertinent 
during the EIS process will also be made available in the reading 
rooms.
    The following is a list of forthcoming NEPA documentation related 
to this EIS that have the potential for affecting its scope by 
inclusion of the Nevada Test Site as an alternative site for the action 
being considered:
    (a) Reconfiguration Programmatic EIS--On July 23, 1993, the 
Department published a revised Notice of Intent (56 FR 39528) to 
prepare a Programmatic EIS for reconfiguration of its nuclear weapons 
complex due to nuclear weapons stockpile reductions. The Department 
currently is considering how the scope of this Programmatic EIS should 
be revised further to reflect more recent budget and stockpile 
reduction decisions. The Nevada Test Site is a potential alternative 
site in this EIS.
    (b) The Fissile Materials Storage and Disposition Programmatic EIS 
will address the long-term storage of all fissile nuclear materials and 
disposition of surplus fissile nuclear materials. The Notice of Intent 
announcing the preparation of this EIS was published in the Federal 
Register (59 FR 31985), on June 21, 1994.
    (c) The Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Programmatic 
EIS will address waste management alternatives for existing and 
proposed actions and DOE complex-wide issues associated with long-term 
waste management policies and practices. In this Programmatic EIS, the 
Department is evaluating the Nevada Test Site as an alternative site 
for managing DOE wastes. An Implementation Plan for this Programmatic 
EIS was issued in January 1994. The final Programmatic EIS is scheduled 
to be issued in 1995.
    (d) The Spent Nuclear Fuel Management and Idaho National 
Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration and Waste Management 
Programs EIS analyzes the potential environmental consequences of 
alternatives to the transportation, receipt, processing, and storage of 
the Department's spent nuclear fuel. The Nevada Test Site is being 
evaluated as a potential spent nuclear fuel management site in this 
analysis, but the Department has stated that the Nevada Test Site is 
not the preferred alternative;
    (e) The Proposed Policy for the Acceptance of United States Origin 
Foreign Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel EIS will address the 
potential environmental impacts of the proposed policy renewal and its 
implementation. Under a renewed policy, the United States could accept 
up to 15,000 foreign research reactor spent fuel elements over a 10 to 
15 year period. The Nevada Test Site is a potential storage site in 
this EIS.
    (f) The Continued Operation of the Pantex Plant and Associated 
Storage of Nuclear Weapons Components EIS will address the potential 
environmental impacts of the continued operation of the Pantex Plant. 
These include near- to mid-term foreseeable activities and the nuclear 
component storage activities at other Department sites associated with 
nuclear weapon disassembly at the Pantex Plant, over the next 5 to 10 
years. The Nevada Test Site is being considered as a potential site 
under the relocation of operations alternative.
    (g) The environmental restoration program at the Fernald 
Environmental Management project is divided into five operable units. 
For each operable unit, a feasibility study/proposed plan is being 
prepared to provide a detailed evaluation of the leading remedial 
alternative for each area of contamination. Nevada Test Site may be 
identified as the preferred candidate disposal site for portions of the 
low level waste generated during cleanup activities for each operable 
unit. The current schedule for the Department to submit the feasibility 
study/proposed plans to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for 
approval is as follows: Operable Unit 1 (Waste Pits), submitted July 
1994; Operable Unit 2 (Solid Waste Units), to be submitted August 1994; 
Operable Unit 3 (Production Area), to be submitted November 1996; 
Operable Unit 4 (Silos), submitted December 1993; and Operable Unit 5 
(Environmental Media), to be submitted in February 1995.

Cooperating Agencies

    The preparation of this Site-wide EIS will require the 
participation of several Federal agencies, some of which may be 
identified as cooperating agencies under the NEPA process. These 
include the Air Force, Department of the Interior (Bureau of Land 
Management and Fish and Wildlife Service), and the Defense Nuclear 
Agency.

Public Scoping Meetings

    Public scoping meetings to provide and discuss information, and 
receive oral comments on the scope of the EIS will be held in the 
States of Nevada and Utah at locations near the Nevada Test Site which 
may be affected by potential decisions and implementation.
    The dates and locations for the public scoping meetings are listed 
below. All meetings are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.

September 7, 1994
    Fallon Convention Center
    100 Campus Way
    Fallon, Nevada
September 8, 1994
    Carson City Community Center
    851 East William Street
    Carson City, Nevada
September 13, 1994
    Dixie Center Convention Facilities
    425 South 700 East
    St. George, Utah
September 15, 1994
    Tonopah Convention Center
    301 Brougher
    Tonopah, Nevada
September 20, 1994
    Cashman Field Convention Center
    850 Las Vegas Blvd, North
    Las Vegas, Nevada
September 21, 1994
    Bob Ruud Community Center
    150 North Highway 160
    Pahrump, Nevada
September 22, 1994
    Caliente Youth Center
    Highway 93
    Caliente, Nevada

Oral Comments

    All interested parties are invited to record their comments or 
suggestions concerning this EIS or their request to be placed on the 
distribution list by calling the Nevada Test Site EIS Hotline at 1-800-
405-1140 or 702-794-1550. The hotline will give instructions on how to 
record comments or requests.

Written Comments

    Written comments or suggestions to assist the Department in 
identifying significant environmental issues and the appropriate scope 
of the EIS, questions concerning the Nevada Test Site or other involved 
Department sites, requests for speaking times, requests for copies of 
the EIS Implementation Plan, and requests to be placed on the 
distribution list should be directed to: Donald R. Elle, Director, 
Environmental Protection Division, U.S. Department of Energy, 
Environmental Impact Statement, P.O. Box 14459, Las Vegas, NV 89114.

Public Meetings Registration and Format

    Oral and written comments may be presented at the public scoping 
meetings. Persons desiring to speak at any of these meetings should 
register by calling the Nevada Test Site EIS Hotline by 3:00 p.m., 
Pacific Time, two working days in advance of the scoping meeting; or by 
writing to the Director of the Environmental Protection Division at the 
above address. Persons wishing to speak that have not registered in 
advance may register at the entrance of the meeting room. Individuals 
speaking on behalf of an organization should identify the organization 
represented.
    In order to solicit individual viewpoints and facilitate 
interactive communication between participants and representatives of 
the Department, opportunities will be provided at the scoping meetings 
for questions and informal discussions regarding the issues to be 
addressed in this EIS.

Subsequent Document Preparation

    After the completion of the public scoping process, the Department 
will prepare an EIS Implementation Plan and make it available to the 
public upon request and place it in the public reading rooms. The Plan 
will record the results of the scoping process and define the 
alternatives and issues that the Department will evaluate in this EIS. 
The Plan will also include a schedule for completing the Draft EIS. 
Availability of the Draft EIS will be announced in the Federal 
Register. The Department 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.

    Issued in Washington, DC this 4th day of August, 1994.
Peter N. Brush,
Acting Assistant Secretary, Environment, Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 94-19531 Filed 8-9-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P