[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 217 (Thursday, November 9, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56581-56582]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-27821]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Management of Spent 
Nuclear Fuel From the K Basins at the Hanford Site, Richland, 
Washington

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability and public hearing.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability of 
the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Management of 
Spent Nuclear Fuel from the K Basins at the Hanford Site, Richland, 
Washington (DOE/EIS-0245D) for public review and comment. The date, 
time, and place for a public hearing on the DEIS is also provided. The 
alternative actions analyzed in the DEIS would occur at the DOE's 
Hanford Site in south central Washington State and in a foreign country 
if the foreign processing alternative were selected.

DATES: Comments must be postmarked by December 29, 1995, to ensure 
consideration. Late comments will be considered to the extent 
practicable. The DOE will use the comments received to help prepare the 
Final EIS. A public hearing on the DEIS will be held on December 12, 
1995 at 1:30 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. at the Red Lion Inn, 2525 N 20th, 
Pasco, Washington. The public hearing will provide an opportunity for 
information exchange and discussion and for submission of oral and/or 
written comments.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the DEIS, written comments on the 
DEIS, or other matters regarding this environmental review should be 
addressed to: Dr. P.G. Loscoe, U.S. 

[[Page 56582]]
Department of Energy, P.O. Box 550, M/S S7-41, Richland, Washington 
99352. Dr. Loscoe may be contacted by telephone at (509) 376-7434 or at 
(800) 321-2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the 
project, interested parties may contact Dr. Loscoe at the address and 
phone number above. For general information on the DOE NEPA process, 
please contact Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy 
and Assistance, EH-42, Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave., 
SW, Washington, D.C. 20585. Ms. Borgstrom may be contacted by leaving a 
message at (800) 472-2756 or by calling (202) 586-4600.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS was prepared pursuant to the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321-
4370d), the Council on Environmental Quality NEPA regulations (40 CFR 
1500), and the DOE NEPA regulations (10 CFR 1021).
    DOE proposes to provide for the safe management and storage of 
spent nuclear fuel (SNF) that is currently stored in the K-East and K-
West storage basins at the Hanford Site. DOE has determined that the K 
Basins at Hanford are not suitable for long-term storage of SNF.
    The DEIS analyzes the environmental consequences of alternative 
ways to provide for the safe management and storage of SNF currently 
stored in the Hanford K Basins. DOE's preferred alternative is drying/
passivation (conditioning) of the SNF followed by dry vault storage. 
This alternative would provide for drying the SNF, placing it in multi-
canister overpacks in an inert atmosphere, and storing it in a vault 
for up to 40 years. The DEIS compares the environmental impacts that 
would be expected to occur from continuing storage in the K-East and K-
West basins (the no action alternative) with the consequences that 
would be expected to occur if DOE implemented the preferred alternative 
or one of five other alternatives. The five other alternatives are (1) 
an enhanced K Basin storage alternative under which SNF would be 
consolidated in the K-West Basin; (2) removal of the SNF and subsequent 
storage in a new wet storage facility at Hanford; (3) removal of the 
SNF followed by calcination and dry storage at Hanford; (4) removal of 
the SNF followed by processing at Hanford and dry storage of the 
recovered uranium and plutonium at Hanford; and (5) removal of the SNF 
followed by foreign processing and dry storage of the recovered uranium 
and plutonium at Hanford.
    DOE has distributed copies of the DEIS to appropriate members of 
Congress, legislators, State of Washington agencies, American Indian 
tribal governments, local and county governments, federal agencies, and 
other interested parties.

    Signed in Richland, Washington, this 2nd day of November 1995, 
for the United States Department of Energy.
Paul F.X. Dunigan, Jr.,
NEPA Compliance Officer, Richland Operations Office.
[FR Doc. 95-27821 Filed 11-8-95; 8:45 am]
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