[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 163 (Wednesday, August 21, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43233-43234]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-21271]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
Disposal of the S3G and D1G Prototype Reactor Plants

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Naval Reactors (Naval 
Reactors) announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 42 
U.S.C. 4321 et seq., in accordance with the Council on Environmental 
Quality regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508) and 
the DOE NEPA regulations (10 CFR Part 1021), and to conduct a public 
scoping meeting. This Environmental Impact Statement will address final 
disposal of the S3G and D1G Prototype reactor plants, located in West 
Milton, New York. Naval Reactors is preparing this Environmental Impact 
Statement to focus on the potential for significant environmental 
impacts and to consider reasonable alternatives.
    Naval Reactors invites interested agencies, organizations, and the 
general public to submit written comments or suggestions concerning the 
scope of the issues to be addressed, alternatives to be analyzed, and 
the environmental impacts to be addressed in the Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement. The public also is invited to attend a scoping 
meeting in which oral comments and suggestions will be received. Oral 
and written comments will be considered equally in preparation of the 
Environmental Impact Statement. Those not desiring to submit comments 
or suggestions at this time, but who would like to receive a copy of 
the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for review when it is issued, 
should write to Mr. A. S. Baitinger at the address below. When the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement is complete, its availability will 
be announced in the Federal Register and in the local news media. A 
public hearing will be held, and comments will be solicited on this 
document.

DATES: Written comments postmarked by September 23, 1996 will be 
considered in preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. 
Comments postmarked after that date will be considered to the extent 
practicable. Oral and written comments will be received at a public 
scoping meeting to be held September 10, 1996 at the Town of Milton 
Community Center at the address listed below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments, suggestions on the scope of the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement, or requests to speak at the public 
scoping meeting should be submitted to Mr. A. S. Baitinger, Chief, West 
Milton Field Office, Office of Naval Reactors, U.S. Department of 
Energy, P.O. Box 1069, Schenectaday, New York 12301; telephone (518) 
884-1234. The public scoping meeting will be held at 7 pm on September 
10, 1996 at the Town of Milton Community Center, 310 Northline Road, 
Balston Spa, New York.

[[Page 43234]]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The S3G and D1G Prototype reactor plants are located on the 
Kesselring Site in West Milton, New York, approximately 17 miles north 
of Schenectady. The S3G and D1G Prototype reactor plants first started 
operation in 1958 and 1962 respectively, and served for more than 30 
years as facilities for testing reactor plant components and equipment 
and for training Naval personnel. As a result of the end of the Cold 
War and the downsizing of the Navy, the S3G Prototype reactor plant was 
shut down in 1991 and has been defueled, drained, and placed in a 
stable protective storage condition. The D1G Prototype reactor plant 
was shut down in March 1996 and is currently undergoing defueling.

Preliminary Description of Alternatives

1. Prompt Dismantlement

    This alternative would involve the prompt dismantlement of the 
reactor plants. All S3G and D1G reactor plant systems, components and 
prototype structures would be removed from the Kesselring Site. To the 
extent practicable, the resulting low-level radioactive metals would be 
recycled at existing commercial facilities that recycle radioactive 
metals. The remaining low-level radioactive waste would be disposed of 
at the DOE Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The Savannah River 
Site currently receives low-level radioactive waste from Naval Reactors 
sites in the eastern United States. Both the volume and radioactive 
content of the S3G and D1G Prototype reactor plant low-level waste fall 
within the projections of Naval Reactors waste provided to the Savannah 
River Site, which in turn are included in the Savannah River Site Waste 
Management Final Environmental Impact Statement dated July 1995. 
Transportation of low-level radioactive waste to the DOE Hanford Site 
in Washington State will also be evaluated.

2. Deferred Dismantlement

    This alternative would involve keeping the defueled S3G and D1G 
Prototype reactor plants in protective storage for 30 years before 
dismantlement. Deferring dismantlement for 30 years would allow nearly 
all of the cobalt-60 radioactivity to decay away. Nearly all of the 
gamma radiation within the reactor plant comes from cobalt-60.

3. No Action

    This alternative would involve keeping the defueled S3G and D1G 
Prototype reactor plants in a protective storage indefinitely. Since 
there is some residual radioactivity with very long half lives such as 
nickel-59 in the defueled reactor plants, this alternative would leave 
this radioactivity at the Kesselring Site indefinitely.

4. Other Alternatives

    Other alternatives include permanent on-site disposal. Such onsite 
disposal could involve building an entombment structure over the S3G 
and D1G Prototype reactor plants or developing a below ground disposal 
area at the Kesselring Site. Another alternative would be to remove the 
S3G and D1G Prototype reactor plants as two large reactor compartment 
packages for offsite disposal.

Preliminary Identification of Environmental Issues

    The following issues, subject to consideration of comments received 
in response to public scoping, have been tentatively identified for 
analysis in the Environmental Impact Statement. This list is presented 
to facilitate public comment on the scope of the Environmental Impact 
Statement. It is not intended to be all inclusive nor is it intended to 
be a predetermination of impacts.
    1. Potential impacts to the public and on-site workers from 
radiological and non radiological releases caused by activities to be 
conducted within the context of the proposed action and alternatives.
    2. Potential environmental impacts, including air and water quality 
impacts, caused by the proposed action and alternatives.
    3. Potential transportation impacts as a result of the proposed 
action and alternatives.
    4. Potential effect on endangered species, floodplain/wetlands, and 
archeological/historical sites as a result of the proposed action and 
alternatives.
    5. Potential impacts from postulated accidents as a result of the 
proposed action and alternatives.
    6. Potential socioeconomic impacts to the surrounding communities 
as a result of implementing the proposed actions and alternatives.
    7. Potential cumulative impacts from the proposed action and other 
past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions.
    8. Potential irreversible and irretrievable commitment of 
resources.

Public Scoping Meeting

    The public scoping meeting will be chaired by a presiding officer 
but will not be conducted as an evidentiary hearing; speakers will not 
be cross examined although the presiding officer and Naval Reactors 
representatives present may ask clarifying questions. To ensure that 
everyone has an adequate opportunity to speak, five minutes will be 
allotted for each speaker. Depending on the number of persons 
requesting to speak, the presiding officer may allow more time for 
elected officials, or speakers representing multiple parties, or 
organizations. Persons wishing to speak on behalf of organizations 
should identify the organization. Persons wishing to speak may either 
notify Mr. Baitinger in writing at the address provided above or 
register at the meeting. As time permits, individuals who have spoken 
subject to the five minute rule will be afforded additional speaking 
time. Written comments also will be accepted at the meeting.

    Issued at Arlington, VA this 13th day of August 1996.
B. DeMars,
Admiral, U.S. Navy, Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.
[FR Doc. 96-21271 Filed 8-20-96; 8:45 am]
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