[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 95 (Wednesday, May 17, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26417-26419]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-12041]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Uranium 
Mill Tailings Remedial Action Ground Water Project

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy announces the availability of the 
draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Uranium Mill 
Tailings Remedial Action Ground Water Project. The proposed action is 
to conduct the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Ground Water 
Project using appropriate ground water compliance strategies at the 24 
uranium processing sites based on a health and environmental risk-based 
framework that provides a consistent and flexible approach. The three 
other alternatives analyzed in the programmatic environmental impact 
statement are: No action, active remediation to background levels at 
all processing sites, and passive remediation at all processing sites. 
Separate site-specific National Environmental Policy Act documentation 
will be prepared to address site-specific ground water compliance 
activities.

DATES: The public comment period extends through July 17, 1995. Written 
comments should be postmarked by that date to ensure consideration in 
preparation of the final document. Comments postmarked after that date 
will be considered to the extent practicable. Comments may also be 
submitted orally or in writing at public hearings to be held at the 
times, places, and dates listed below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the draft programmatic environmental 
impact statement should be directed to Mr. Rich Sena, Acting Director, 
Environmental Restoration Division, Department of Energy, Suite 4000, 
2155 Louisiana N.E., Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110. Addresses of 
Department of Energy Public Reading Rooms and public libraries where 
the draft [[Page 26418]] document will be available for review are 
listed below under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for copies of the draft 
programmatic environmental impact statement and requests for further 
information concerning this draft document may be directed to Mr. Rich 
Sena at the address above. Requests for copies of the draft 
programmatic environmental impact statement or requests for more 
information may also be made by leaving a message at 1-800-523-6495 
(outside New Mexico) and 1-800-423-2539 (within New Mexico). For 
general information on the procedures followed by the Department of 
Energy in complying with the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act, contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA 
Policy and Assistance (EH-42), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 
Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20585, Telephone 1-202-586-
4600 or leave a message at 1-800-472-2756.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Public concern regarding the potential human health and 
environmental effects from uranium mill tailings led to passage of the 
Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (Public Law 95-604, 42 USC 
Sec. 7901 et seq.) in 1978, wherein Congress acknowledged the 
potentially harmful health effects associated with uranium mill 
tailings at 24 abandoned uranium mill processing sites. Pursuant to the 
Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency developed standards (40 
CFR Part 192) which include exposure limits for surface contamination 
and concentration limits for ground water, to protect the public and 
the environment from potential radiological and nonradiological hazards 
from the abandoned mill processing sites. Final ground water protection 
standards were published in the Federal Register [60 FR 2854 (Jan. 11, 
1995)]. The Department of Energy is responsible for performing remedial 
action to bring the surface and ground water contaminant levels at the 
abandoned mill processing sites into compliance with these standards. 
The Department of Energy is accomplishing this function through the 
Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project. Remedial action will be 
conducted with the concurrence of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission and the full participation of affected States and Indian 
tribes.
    Uranium processing activities at most of the 24 mill processing 
sites resulted in the formation of contaminated ground water beneath 
and, in some cases, downgradient of the sites. The purpose of the 
Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Ground Water Project is to 
protect human health and the environment by meeting the Environmental 
Protection Agency standards in areas where ground water has been 
contaminated with hazardous constituents, such as uranium and nitrate, 
as a result of former uranium processing activities.
    A major first step in the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action 
Ground Water Project is the preparation of the Ground Water Project 
programmatic environmental impact statement which assesses the 
potential programmatic impacts of conducting the Ground Water Project, 
provides a method for determining the site-specific ground water 
compliance strategies, and supplies data and information that can be 
used to tier off site-specific environmental impact analysis documents 
to eliminate repetition. The proposed action and the alternatives in 
the document are considered programmatic in that they broadly address 
the overall plans for conducting the Ground Water Project.

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Preparation

    The Department of Energy published a Notice of Intent [57 FR 54374, 
Nov. 18, 1992)] to prepare a programmatic environmental impact 
statement and commence the scoping process. The public scoping process 
was completed on April 15, 1993. Public scoping meetings were held in 
Falls City, Texas; Durango, Colorado; Moenkopi Village, Arizona; 
Shiprock, Arizona; Tuba City, Arizona; Window Rock, Arizona; Grand 
Junction, Colorado; Gunnison, Colorado; Rifle, Colorado; Bowman, North 
Dakota; Lakeview, Oregon; Canonsburg, Pennsylvania; Halchita, Utah; 
Salt Lake City, Utah; St. Stephen, Wyoming; and Riverton, Wyoming. The 
Department of Energy received over 500 comments on the proposed scope 
of the programmatic environmental impact statement which were 
considered in preparation of the draft programmatic environmental 
impact statement.

Availability of Copies of the Draft Programmatic Environmental 
Impact Statement

    Copies of the draft programmatic environmental impact statement 
have been distributed to Federal, State, and local agencies, and to 
organizations, environmental groups, and individuals known to be 
interested in or affected by the Ground Water Project. Additional 
copies of the document may be obtained by contacting the Uranium Mill 
Tailings Project Office at the address or telephone numbers listed 
above. Copies of the draft programmatic environmental impact statement 
and applicable documents referenced in the document are available for 
inspection at the Department of Energy's reading rooms and at the 
public libraries in the vicinity of the 24 former uranium processing 
sites listed below.

Department of Energy Reading Rooms

Freedom of Information Reading Room, Room 1E-190, Department of Energy, 
Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 
20585
National Atomic Museum Library, Public Document Room, Department of 
Energy, Albuquerque Operations, Albuquerque, NM 87115
Grand Junction Project Office, Department of Energy, 2597 B 3/4 Road, 
Grand Junction, CO 81302
Public Libraries

Arizona

Tuba City Public Library, Tuba City, AZ 86045
Navajo Nation Library System, Window Rock, AZ 86515
Kykotsmovi Public Library, Community Development Director, Kykotsmovi, 
AZ 86039

Colorado

Cortez Public Library, 802 E. Montezuma, Cortez, CO 81321
Denver Public Library, 1357 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203
Rifle Branch Library, Second Street, Rifle, CO 81650
Mesa State College Library, Grand Junction, CO 81502
Dove Creek School Library, Dove Creek, CO 81324
Durango Public Library, Reference Department, Durango, CO 81301
Glenwood Springs Library, 413 9th Street, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601
Gunnison Public Library, 307 N. Wisconsin, Gunnison, CO 81230
Naturita Public Library, 312 W. Second Street, Naturita, CO 81422
Montrose Public Library, 4349 First Street, Montrose, CO 81424

Idaho

Boise Public Library, 715 S. Capitol Bldg., Boise, ID 83805 
[[Page 26419]] 

New Mexico

Navajo Community College Library, Shiprock Branch, Shiprock, NM 87420
Mother Whiteside Memorial Library, 525 W. High Street, Grants, NM 87020
New Mexico State University Library, 1500 3rd St., Grants, NM 87020
University New Mexico Gallup Library, 200 College Road, Gallup, NM 
87301
University New Mexico Zimmerman Library, Albuquerque, NM 87131-1466
New Mexico Environmental Department Library, 1190 St. Francis Drive, 
Santa Fe, NM 87502

North Dakota

Bowman Public Library, 104 Main Street, Bowman, ND 58623
Dickinson Public Library, 139 West 3rd Street, Dickinson, ND 58601

Oregon

Lake County Library, 513 Center Street, Lakeview, OR 97630

Pennsylvania

Canonsburg Public Library, East Pike Street, Canonsburg, PA 15317
People's Library, 2889 Leechburg Road, Lower Burrell, PA 15068

Texas

Falls City Public Library, P.O. Box 325, Falls City, TX 78113

Utah

Bluff Public Library, Bluff, UT 84512
Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
San Juan County Library, 25 West 300 St., Blanding, UT 84511
Grand County Library, 25 S. 1st East, Moab, UT 84532
Green River Library, 85 South Lang St., Green River, UT 84525

Wyoming

Riverton Branch Library, 1330 West Park, Riverton, WY 82501
Wyoming St. Library, Supreme Court Building, 24th & Capitol Street 
Cheyenne, WY 82002
University of Wyoming Library, University Station, Laramie, WY 82071
Opportunity to Comment

    Interested parties are invited to comment on the draft programmatic 
environmental impact statement. The Department of Energy will consider 
written and oral comments equally when preparing the final programmatic 
environmental impact statement. Written comments should be sent to Mr. 
Rich Sena, UMTRA Team, at the address given above. To be considered in 
the document, written comments should be postmarked by July 17, 1995; 
comments postmarked after that date will be considered to the extent 
practicable.

Public Hearings and Information Meetings

    The public is invited to comment on the draft programmatic 
environmental impact statement to the Department of Energy in person at 
the scheduled public hearings. The purposes of the hearings are to 
receive comments on the subjects analyzed in the draft document; to 
provide information to the public concerning the content and adequacy 
of the programmatic environmental impact statement; and to respond to 
public questions on the analyses or the programmatic environmental 
impact statement process. Hearings will be set up to address these 
areas. Persons presenting oral comments at the hearings are encouraged 
to provide the Department of Energy with written copies of their 
comments.

Conduct of Hearings

    Format for the conduct of the hearings will be announced by the 
presiding officer at the start of the hearings. The Department of 
Energy personnel conducting the hearings may ask clarifying questions 
regarding statements made at the hearings. Transcripts of the comments 
made at the hearings will be made available at Department of Energy 
reading rooms and public libraries listed above.

Hearing Schedules and Locations

Shiprock, New Mexico, June 7, 1995, Shiprock Chapter House, 7:00-10:00 
p.m.
Durango, Colorado, June 8, 1995, Durango City Hall, 7:00-10:00 p.m.
Halchita, Utah, June 13, 1995, Mexican Hat Elementary School, 7:00-
10:00 p.m.
Moenkopi, Arizona, June 14, 1995, Moenkopi Community Center, 7:00-10:00 
p.m.
Tuba City, Arizona, June 14, 1995, Tuba City Chapter House, 2:00-5:00 
p.m.
Grand Junction, Colorado, June 22, 1995, Grand Junction City Hall, 
7:00-10:00 p.m.
Gunnison, Colorado, June 21, 1995, Gunnison County Court House, 7:00-
10:00 p.m.
Falls City, Texas, June 27, 1995, Falls City Community Center, 7:00-
10:00 p.m.
Riverton, Wyoming, June 28, 1995, St. Stephens School, 7:30-10:30 p.m.

    Issued in Washington, D.C., on May 10, 1995.
James M. Ownedoff,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Restoration.
[FR Doc. 95-12041 Filed 5-16-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P