[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 155 (Friday, August 9, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41596-41597]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-20237]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


National Environmental Policy Act Record of Decision for the 
Disposal of Decommissioned, Defueled Cruiser, Ohio Class, and Los 
Angeles Class Naval Reactor Plants

SUMMARY: This Record of Decision has been prepared on the proposed 
disposal of defueled reactor plants from U.S. Navy nuclear-powered 
cruisers, OHIO Class submarines and LOS ANGELES Class submarines, 
pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 [42 U.S.C. 
4321 et seq.] and in accordance with the Council on Environmental 
Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508). The Navy, 
with the concurrence of the Department of Energy, has decided to 
dispose of these reactor plants by land burial of the entire reactor 
compartment at the Department of Energy Low-Level Waste Burial Grounds 
at Hanford, Washington. The Department of Energy participated as a 
cooperating agency in the development of the Environmental Impact 
Statement on this federal action and has adopted the Environmental 
Impact Statement.

ADDRESSES: Requests for further information should be directed to 
either

[[Page 41597]]

Mr. John Gordon (Code 1160), Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, 1400 Farragut 
Avenue, Bremerton, Washington 98314-5001, telephone (360) 476-7111, or, 
Mr. Paul Dunigan, National Environmental Policy Act Compliance Officer, 
Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, P.O. Box 550, 
Richland, Washington 99352, telephone (509) 376-6667.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Final Environmental Impact Statement 
analyzes the alternative ways for disposing of decommissioned, 
defueled, reactor compartments from U.S. Navy nuclear-powered cruisers 
(BAINBRIDGE, TRUXTUN, LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA Class and VIRGINIA Class) 
and submarines (LOS ANGELES and OHIO Class). A disposal method for the 
defueled reactor compartments is needed when the cost of continued 
operation is not justified by the ship's military capability, or when 
the ships are no longer needed. Navy reactor plants constructed prior 
to the USS LOS ANGELES (SSN 688) (referred to as pre-LOS ANGELES Class 
submarines) share many common design characteristics with reactor 
plants from nuclear-powered cruisers, OHIO Class submarines and LOS 
ANGELES Class submarines. Defueled reactor plants from pre-LOS ANGELES 
Class submarines are currently being disposed of at the Department of 
Energy Hanford Site in Eastern Washington by the Navy, consistent with 
its 1984 Record of Decision.
    The alternatives examined in detail in the Final Environmental 
Impact Statement were the preferred alternative--shipment of the 
prepared compartments from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, 
Washington for land burial of the entire reactor compartment at the 
Department of Energy Low-Level Waste Burial Grounds at Hanford, 
Washington; the no action alternative--protective waterborne storage 
for an indefinite period; disposal and reuse of subdivided portions of 
the reactor compartments; and indefinite storage above ground at 
Hanford.
    Among these four alternatives, the subdivision alternative had the 
highest impacts, primarily due to the high occupational radiation 
exposure that would be received by workers dismantling the reactor 
compartments. The other three alternatives had very small environment 
impacts. Of these three, only the reactor compartment land burial 
alternative provided for permanent disposal of the defueled reactor 
plants. Thus, the alternative of land burial of the defueled reactor 
compartments at Hanford is the environmentally preferable alternative.
    Under this alternative, the Department of the Navy will prepare the 
defueled reactor compartments for shipment at the Puget Sound Naval 
Shipyard. These preparations involve draining the piping systems, 
tanks, vessels and other components to the maximum extent practical, 
sealing the radioactive systems, removing the reactor compartment and 
enclosing it in a high integrity all-welded steel package. The reactor 
compartment packages will meet the type B requirements of the 
Department of Transportation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and 
the Department of Energy. Non-radioactive metal, such as submarine 
hulls, could be recycled. The reactor compartment packages will be 
transported by barge out of Puget Sound through the Strait of Juan de 
Fuca, down the Washington coast, and up the Columbia River to the Port 
of Benton where they will be loaded onto an overland transporter and 
hauled to the Department of Energy's Hanford Site near Richland, 
Washington.
    The Department of Energy will accept the approximately 100 cruiser, 
OHIO Class and LOS ANGELES Class submarine reactor compartments for 
disposal at the 218-E-12B Low-Level Burial Ground, a 173-acre waste 
disposal facility in the 200 East area of the Hanford Site. To date, 55 
pre-LOS ANGELES Class submarine reactor compartments have been 
transported safely and disposed of in one area of this facility. The 
Department of Energy will oversee the future placement of reactor 
compartments into this area of the disposal facility and manage 
subsequent disposal operations in accordance with all applicable 
requirements. The Washington State Department of Ecology will regulate 
the reactor compartment disposal packages as a dangerous waste under 
Washington Administrative Code 173-303, Dangerous Waste Regulations, 
due to the over 100 tons of permanent lead shielding in each reactor 
compartment. Treatment before disposal is not required because the 
solid elemental lead shielding is encapsulated by thick metal sheathing 
plates that meet Resource Conservation and Recovery Act treatment 
standards for disposal of radioactive lead solids.
    The Draft Environmental Impact Statement was made available for 
public review, and little public input was received. Review comments 
from state regulatory agencies in Washington and Oregon were positive. 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) assigned a rating of LO-
1 to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which indicates that EPA 
review did not identify any potential environmental impacts requiring 
substantive changes to the preferred alternative. The Final 
Environmental Impact Statement, which includes responses to public 
comments, has been issued and distributed to interested parties.
    The Navy, with the concurrence of the Department of Energy, has 
decided to proceed with the preferred alternative of land burial of the 
defueled reactor compartments at Hanford because this alternative is 
the environmentally preferable alternative, it supports the Navy's 
mission by providing for responsible, permanent disposal of the 
defueled reactor plants from the Navy's nuclear-powered ships, and it 
can be accomplished safely and at reasonable cost.
    As discussed in the Environmental Impact Statement, the Navy's 
current method of disposing of pre-LOS ANGELES Class submarine reactor 
plants consists of conservative engineering practices, which serve to 
assure that environmental impacts will be very small. These 
conservative engineering practices have been incorporated in the Navy's 
preferred alternative for nuclear-powered cruisers, OHIO Class 
submarines and LOS ANGELES Class submarines. No additional mitigative 
measures have been identified which are needed to further reduce the 
small impacts which were described in the Environmental Impact 
Statement. Accordingly, all practicable means to avoid or minimize 
environmental harm from the preferred alternative have been adopted.

    Dated: July 3, 1996.
Robert B. Pirie, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Environment).
Alvin Alm,
Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management, Departmet of Energy.
[FR Doc. 96-20237 Filed 8-8-96; 8:45 am]
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