[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 95 (Wednesday, May 17, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 26417]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-12044]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Waste Management at the 
Savannah River Site, Aiken, South Carolina

AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Revision to one alternative in the Savannah River Site Waste 
Management Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS-0217D).

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SUMMARY: DOE issued the Savannah River Site Waste Management Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on January 20, 1995. The EIS 
evaluates alternative approaches to and environmental impacts of 
managing wastes at the Savannah River Site (SRS). The EIS examines 
alternatives for managing five types of waste (liquid high-level 
radioactive, low-level radioactive, hazardous, mixed (radioactive and 
hazardous combined), and transuranic) during the next decade and 
establishes a baseline for assessing options for waste management 
beyond that time. DOE extended the initial 45-day public comment period 
to March 31, 1995, in response to a request from the SRC's Citizens 
Advisory Board.
    Throughout the comment period, DOE continued to consider many of 
the issues addressed in the draft EIS. As a result of these 
considerations, DOE has decided to change the treatment of low-level 
waste proposed in the ``moderate treatment'' alternative. The change 
concerns the location of, but not the technology used in, the treatment 
of about 40% of the expected volume of low-level waste at the SRS. This 
change would reduce disposal vault capacity requirements by providing: 
(1) Immediate utilization of commercial volume reduction capacity in 
lieu of construction of an onsite compactor, (2) more detailed and 
effective sorting, and (3) offsite waste treatment during maintenance 
periods of onsite treatment facilities.
    In the draft EIS, the ``moderate treatment'' alternative included 
onsite incineration, supercompaction, or direct disposal of low-level 
waste. In the final EIS, this alternative would include: (1) Onsite 
incineration or direct disposal of low-level waste, and (2) 
supercompaction, size reduction (e.g., sorting, shredding, and 
melting), and incineration at an offsite commercial treatment facility. 
In the event of offsite treatment, all residues would be returned to 
the SRS for further treatment or disposal.
    DOE is modifying this alternative in the final EIS because at 
present the Department does not consider construction of an onsite 
supercompactor to be a reasonable component of the ``moderate 
treatment'' alternative. As licensed offsite supercompaction services 
are currently available, it would not be cost effective for DOE to 
build a supercompactor at the SRS. The modified alternative allows DOE 
to conserve space in its existing disposal vaults and to defer the 
costs of building additional vaults.
    DOE intends to continue with the present schedule for issuing the 
final EIS because the impacts of the treatment technologies that would 
be used were already evaluated as onsite options in the draft EIS. The 
impacts of transportation to commercial treatment facilities and these 
facilities' capacity will be evaluated in the final EIS. DOE does not 
consider this change in the ``moderate treatment'' alternative to be 
sufficiently significant to reissue the draft EIS. Minor modifications 
will also be made to each alternative to account for updates to the 
waste volume forecasts.
    DOE would solicit proposals from commercial facilities for reducing 
the volume of low-level radioactive waste in the future, and would 
require the facilities to supply information that DOE would use to 
prepare an additional environmental review as required by Title 10 Code 
of Federal Regulation (CFR) Sec. 1021.216.

ADDRESSES: DOE will accept comments on the above modifications through 
June 12, 1995. Any comments on the revision or requests for further 
information should be directed to: A.B. Gould, Jr., NEPA Compliance 
Officer, U.S. Department of Energy, Savannah River Operations Office, 
P.O. Box 5031, Aiken, South Carolina 29804-5031, Attention ``WMEIS'', 
e-mail: [email protected], or by telephone or facsimile through the 
Information Line (800) 242-8269.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on DOE's 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, please contact: Ms. 
Carol Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-
42), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20585. Telephone: (202) 586-4600 or leave a message at 
(800) 472-2756.
Jill E. Lytle,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Waste Management, Environmental 
Management.
[FR Doc. 95-12044 Filed 5-16-95; 8:45 am]
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