[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 161 (Monday, August 21, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43470-43471]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-20669]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5282-4]
RIN 2060-AE30


Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Review Committee of the National 
Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology; Notice of 
Public Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: Under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Pub. L. 92-463 (5 
U.S.C. App. 2), EPA hereby gives notice of a two-day public meeting of 
the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Review Committee of the National 
Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT). This 
will be the third meeting of the WIPP Review Committee, whose purpose 
is to provide advice to the EPA regarding EPA's regulatory oversight of 
the Department of Energy's (DOE) WIPP activities pursuant to the 1992 
WIPP Land Withdrawal Act. The purpose of the public meeting is to 
obtain NACEPT's advice on three issues, each raised during the initial 
public comment period, that are related to EPA's proposed criteria (40 
CFR Part 194) for determining whether the WIPP complies with EPA's 
previously-issued radioactive waste disposal standards (40 CFR Part 
191). The meeting and related background information are described in 
more detail below.

DATES: The EPA NACEPT WIPP Review Committee public meeting will take 
place September 6-7, 1995 and will be held at the Hyatt Regency, 330 
Tijeras, NW., in Albuquerque, NM. The meeting will begin on September 6 
at 9 a.m. and end at 4:10 p.m. The meeting will resume the following 
day, September 7, at 9 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. The Committee will break 
for lunch from approximately 12 noon to 1 p.m. both days.

ADDRESSES: Copies of materials related to EPA's proposed compliance 
criteria, described further below, are available to the public at EPA 
Docket No. A-92-56 maintained at the following addresses: (1) Room 1500 
(first floor in the Waterside Mall near the Washington Information 
Center), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Docket, 401 M 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20460 (open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on 
weekdays); (2) EPA's docket in the Government Publications Department 
of the Zimmerman Library of the University of New Mexico located in 
Albuquerque, NM (open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, 
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 
9 p.m. on Sunday); (3) EPA's docket in the Fogelson Library of the 
College of Santa Fe, located at 1600 St. Michaels Drive, Santa Fe, NM 
(open from 8 a.m. to 12 midnight on Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 
5 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on 
Sunday); and (4) EPA's docket in the Municipal Library of Carlsbad, NM, 
located at 101 South Halegueno (open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday 
through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 1 p.m. 
to 5 p.m. on Sunday). As provided in 40 CFR Part 2, a reasonable fee 
may be charged for photocopying docket materials.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Martin Offutt, Office of Radiation and 
Indoor Air, Criteria and Standards Division, Mailcode 6602J, 401 M 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone (202) 233-9310, for 
questions and information about the compliance criteria discussion 
topics for this meeting. For general questions or information on the 
meeting logistics contact Rafaela Ferguson, Office of Radiation and 
Indoor Air, (202) 233-9362 or call EPA's 24-hour toll-free WIPP 
Information Line, 1-800-331-WIPP.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Department of Energy has proposed to use the WIPP, located in 
Eddy County, New Mexico, as a deep geologic repository for the disposal 
of transuranic radioactive waste generated by nuclear defense 
activities. The 1992 Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Land Withdrawal Act, 
Pub. L. No. 102-579, calls for EPA to perform several regulatory 
activities for the WIPP including: (1) Issuing radioactive waste 
disposal standards; (2) establishing criteria for EPA to determine 
whether the WIPP complies with the radioactive waste disposal 
standards; and (3) certifying whether DOE's WIPP facility complies with 
the disposal standards, based on a DOE-submitted compliance 
certification application. See section 8 of the WIPP Land Withdrawal 
Act. The WIPP Land Withdrawal Act prohibits DOE from commencing 
emplacement of transuranic waste at WIPP until EPA certifies that the 
WIPP facility will comply with EPA's radioactive waste disposal 
standards. See section 7(b) of the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act.
    EPA has issued final radioactive waste disposal standards, which 
are codified at 40 CFR Part 191. See 58 FR 66398 (Dec. 20, 1993). EPA 
has also proposed criteria for certifying whether the WIPP facility 
will comply with EPA's radioactive waste disposal standards, to be 
codified at 40 CFR Part 194. See 60 FR 5766 (Jan. 30, 1995). EPA 
recently announced the reopening of the public comment period on the 
proposed compliance criteria for 45 days. See 50 FR 39131 (Aug. 1, 
1995). EPA intends to issue the final compliance criteria in the 
Federal Register in February 1996. The public is referred to the 
December 20, 1993 and January 30, 1995 Federal Register notices for 
more detailed information about EPA's regulatory activities at the 
WIPP.

II. NACEPT WIPP Review Committee Meeting

    The NACEPT WIPP Review Committee is scheduled to discuss three 
issues related to EPA's proposed 40 CFR Part 194 compliance criteria. 
See 60 FR 5766. As noted, the meeting will be held on September 6-7, 
1995 and will be open to the public.
    The WIPP Review Committee is scheduled to discuss the following 
issues:
    (1) Should credit be given for the use of passive institutional 
controls?
    (2) What criteria should the Agency use to select the activities 
that should have a requirement for peer review?
    (3) The WIPP's compliance with 40 CFR Part 191 is based, in part, 
on ``release limits'' for each radionuclide. These release limits must 
be determined based on the physical state of the waste at a fixed point 
in time and will vary in size depending on the fixed time that is 
chosen. What time, relative to the time the WIPP is backfilled and 
sealed, should the Agency specify for determining the release limits?
    EPA staff will make a presentation to the Committee on each of the 
three issues and the status of EPA's efforts to finalize the WIPP 
compliance criteria. The Committee is scheduled to hold an open 
discussion of the criteria issues that have been presented by the EPA.
    Any member of the public may submit a written statement to the 
Committee. In addition, on September 7, a limited period of time for 
oral public comment to the Committee will be provided.

[[Page 43471]]

    Any written statements submitted to the Committee and detailed 
minutes of the Committee meeting will be included in the EPA public 
docket identified in the ADDRESSES section of this Notice.

    Dated: August 14, 1995.
Mary D. Nichols,
Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 95-20669 Filed 8-18-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P