[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 170 (Friday, August 30, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45949-45951]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-22186]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Hanford Site 
Tank Waste Remediation System, Richland, WA

AGENCY: Department of Energy and Washington State Department of 
Ecology.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Washington State 
Department of Ecology (Ecology) announce the availability of a Final 
EIS entitled ``Tank Waste Remediation System at the Hanford Site, 
Richland, Washington'' (DOE/EIS-0189). DOE and Ecology co-prepared the 
EIS. DOE and Ecology revised the information in the Draft EIS in 
response to public comments and to reflect new environmental 
information that became available after the Draft EIS was issued in 
April 1996.
    The EIS evaluates the potential environmental impacts of DOE's 
proposed action as well as reasonable alternatives for management and 
disposal of mixed, radioactive, and hazardous waste currently or 
projected to be stored in 177 underground storage tanks and in 
approximately 60 active and inactive miscellaneous underground storage 
tanks that were associated with Hanford's tank farm operations. In 
addition, the EIS evaluates the management and potential disposal of 
approximately 1,930 cesium and strontium capsules currently on loan or 
stored at the Hanford Site.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the Final EIS and for further 
information on the Final EIS should be directed to Ms. Carolyn Haass, 
DOE TWRS EIS NEPA Document Manager, U.S. Department of Energy, Richland 
Operations Office, P.O. Box 1249, Richland, WA 99352. Requests for 
copies of the Draft EIS also can be made via the Internet at 
[email protected] or by calling Ecology's Hanford Information 
Line at 1-800-321-2008. Addresses of locations where the Final EIS will 
be available for public review are listed in this notice under ``DOE 
Reading Rooms and Information Repositories.'' The Final EIS is also 
available for review on the Internet at www.hanford.gov.
    General information on the DOE National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) process may be requested from Ms. Carol Borgstrom, Director, 
Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-42), U.S. Department of 
Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585. Ms. 
Borgstrom may be contacted by telephone at (202) 586-4600 or by leaving 
a message at 1-800-472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    DOE and Ecology issued a Draft EIS for public comment and published 
a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register on April 15, 1996 (61 
FR 16471). EPA published a Notice of Availability in the Federal 
Register on April 12, 1996 (61 FR 16248). Public hearings on the Draft 
EIS were held in Pasco, Washington on May 2, 1996; Portland, Oregon on 
May 9, 1996; Arlington, Virginia on May 7, 1996; Spokane, Washington on 
May 15, 1996; and Seattle, Washington on May 22, 1996. All written and 
oral comments on the Draft EIS received during the 45 day public 
comment period were assessed and considered by DOE and Ecology both 
individually and collectively. Comment letters, transcripts of oral 
comments, and transcripts of public hearings and meetings are available 
for review at locations listed in this notice under ``DOE Reading Rooms 
and Information Repositories.''
    DOE requested the National Academy of Science to review and comment 
on the TWRS Draft EIS. DOE will carefully consider all comments 
provided by the National Academy of Science and the public in the 
Record of Decision.
    DOE and Ecology revised the information in the Draft EIS in 
response to public comments and to reflect new environmental 
information that became available after the Draft EIS was issued. 
Appendix L contains oral and written comments and DOE and Ecology's 
responses to the comments. Responses to comments included appropriate 
revisions of the EIS, answers to questions, explanations of technical 
issues, references to information in other DOE environmental impact 
statements, references to information provided in the Draft EIS, 
explanations of the relationship of this EIS to other related DOE NEPA 
documents, statements of government policy, or indications that the 
comment was outside the scope of this EIS.
    The Final EIS has been filed with the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) and has also been distributed to Federal, State, and local 
officials, Tribal Nations, as well as agencies, organizations, and 
individuals who may be interested or affected. The Final EIS and 
supporting technical reports also are available for public review in 
DOE reading rooms and designated information repository locations 
identified in this notice. DOE plans to issue a Record of Decision on 
the EIS no sooner than 30 days after publication of EPA's notice of 
availability of the Final EIS in the Federal Register (i.e., no sooner 
than September 30, 1996).

Alternatives Considered

    The Final EIS evaluates ten tank waste alternatives in detail:
     No Action--perform minimum activities required for safe 
and secure management of Hanford's tank wastes with the current tank 
farm configuration;
     Long-Term Management--perform minimum activities required 
for safe and secure management of Hanford's tank waste including 
upgrades to tank farms with the current single-shell tank farm 
configuration and the replacement of the double-shell tanks twice 
during a 100-year period;
     In Situ Fill and Cap--retrieve and evaporate liquid waste 
from the double-shell tanks, then fill all tanks with gravel and cover 
the tank farms with an earthen surface barrier, disposing of all tank 
waste onsite;
     In Situ Vitrification--retrieve and evaporate liquid waste 
from the double-shell tanks, then vitrify all of the tank

[[Page 45950]]

farms and cover the tank farms with an earthen surface barrier, 
disposing of all tank waste onsite;
     Ex Situ No Separations--retrieve all tank farm waste 
practicable (assumed to be 99 percent), then either vitrify or calcine 
the waste and package the treated waste form for onsite storage and 
eventual offsite disposal at a geologic repository;
     Ex Situ Intermediate Separations--retrieve all tank farm 
waste (99 percent) and separate the high-level and low-activity waste 
streams using sludge washing and ion exchange, then vitrify the waste 
streams in separate facilities and package the treated waste form for 
onsite disposal of immobilized low-activity waste and offsite disposal 
of the immobilized high-level waste at a geologic repository;
     Ex Situ Extensive Separations--retrieve all tank farm 
waste (99 percent) and separate into high-level and low-activity waste 
streams using sludge wash, ion exchange, caustic leach and acid 
dissolution, then vitrify the waste streams in separate facilities and 
package the treated waste form for onsite disposal of the immobilized 
low-activity waste and onsite storage and eventual offsite disposal of 
the immobilized high-level waste at a geologic repository;
     Ex Situ/In Situ Combination 1--retrieve waste from 70 
tanks based on the potential long-term risks to human health or the 
environment, separate the retrieved waste into high-level and low-
activity waste streams using sludge washing and ion exchange, then 
vitrify the waste streams in separate facilities and package the 
treated waste form for onsite disposal of the immobilized low-activity 
waste and onsite storage and eventual offsite disposal of the 
immobilized high-level waste at a geologic repository. Fill all tanks, 
including those with waste that had not been retrieved, with gravel, 
and cover the tanks with a barrier, permanently disposing of the waste 
in-place;
     Ex Situ/In Situ Combination 2--retrieve waste from 25 
tanks based on the potential long-term risks to human health or the 
environment, separate the retrieved waste into high-level and low-
activity waste streams using sludge washing and ion exchange, then 
vitrify the waste streams in separate facilities and package the 
treated waste form for onsite disposal of the immobilized low-activity 
waste and onsite storage and eventual offsite disposal of the 
immobilized high-level waste at a geologic repository. Fill all tanks, 
including those with waste that had not been retrieved, with gravel, 
and cover the tanks with a barrier, permanently disposing of the waste 
in-place; and
     Phased Implementation--for Phase 1, construct commercial 
demonstration-scale facilities that would include one low-activity 
waste separations and vitrification demonstration plant and one low-
activity and high-level waste vitrification demonstration plant to 
operate for up to 10 years. These facilities could treat up to 30 
percent of the tank waste by volume during the 10-year operating 
period. For Phase 2, construct larger capacity separations and 
vitrification plants, retrieve the remaining waste, separate the waste 
into low-activity and high-level waste streams, vitrify the waste in 
separate facilities, package the waste, and dispose of the low-activity 
waste onsite in near-surface vaults and the high-level waste offsite at 
a geologic repository.
    The cesium and strontium capsules are currently classified as waste 
by-product and are therefore available for beneficial uses. If 
beneficial uses cannot be found, the capsules would be subject to 
management and disposal actions as high-level waste. As in the Draft 
EIS, cesium and strontium capsule alternatives analyzed in the Final 
EIS are:
     No Action--Continue existing operations and maintenance in 
the Hanford Site Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility for 10 years;
     Onsite Disposal--overpack the cesium and strontium in 
canisters and store onsite indefinitely in a newly constructed dry-well 
storage facility;
     Overpack and Ship--overpack the cesium and strontium into 
canisters, which would then be overpacked into Multi-Purpose Canisters, 
and dispose of offsite at the proposed national high-level waste 
repository; and
     Vitrify with Tank Waste--remove capsule contents and 
vitrify with the high-level tank waste, place in Multi-Purpose 
Canisters, and dispose of offsite at a geologic repository.

Preferred Alternatives

    DOE and Ecology's preferred tank waste alternative in the EIS is 
the Phased Implementation alternative. DOE and Ecology's preferred 
alternative for the Hanford Site's cesium and strontium capsules is the 
No Action alternative.

Availability of Copies of the Final EIS

    Copies of the Final EIS are being distributed to Federal, State, 
and local officials and agencies; to organizations and individuals 
known to be interested in the EIS; and to persons and agencies that 
commented on the Draft EIS. Additional copies may be obtained by 
contacting Ms. Carolyn Haass, DOE TWRS EIS NEPA Document Manager, U.S. 
Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, P.O. Box 1249, 
Richland, Washington 99352. Requests for copies also can be made via 
the Internet at:
    [email protected] or by calling Ecology's Hanford 
Information Line at 1-800- 321-2008. Addresses of DOE Public Reading 
Rooms and Information Repositories where the EIS and reference 
documents will be available for public review are listed below:

Summary of the EIS

Summary:
    Summary of the alternatives and analysis presented in the EIS
Volume One:
    Main Text of the Tank Waste Remediation System EIS
Volume Two:
    Appendices Supporting Volume One
    Appendix A. Waste Inventory
    Appendix B. Description of Alternatives
    Appendix C. Alternatives Rejected from Analysis
Volume Three:
    Appendix Supporting Volume One
    Appendix D. Anticipated Health and Ecological Risks
Volume Four:
    Appendices Supporting Volume One
    Appendix E. Accident Risks
    Appendix F. Groundwater Modeling
Volume Five:
    Appendices Supporting Volume One
    Appendix G. Air Quality Modeling
    Appendix H. Socioeconomic Impact Modeling
    Appendix I. Affected Environment
    Appendix J. Consultation Letters
    Appendix K. Uncertainties Analysis
Volume Six:
    Appendix Containing Comments and DOE and Ecology Responses and 
Supporting Changes to the Summary and Volumes One through Six made in 
Response to Comments
    Appendix L. Comments and Agency Responses

    The Summary of the EIS is available for those who do not wish to 
receive the entire Final EIS. When requesting copies of the Final EIS, 
please indicate whether you wish to receive only the Summary (50 
pages), the Summary and Volume One (620 pages), or the entire EIS, 
including the appendices (3,100 pages).

DOE Public Reading Rooms and Information Repositories

University of Washington, Suzzallo Library, Government Publications

[[Page 45951]]

Room, Seattle, WA 98185. (206) 685-9855, Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 
8:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Gonzaga University, Foley Center, E. 502 Boone, Spokane, WA 99258. 
(509) 328-4220 ext. 3829, Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m. to midnight, Friday 
8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Sunday 11:00 
a.m. to midnight.
U.S. Department of Energy Reading Room, Washington State University, 
Tri-Cities Campus, 100 Sprout Road, Room 130W, Richland, WA 99352, 
(509) 376-8583, Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Portland State University, Bradford Price Millar Library, Science and 
Engineering Floor, S.W. Harrison and Park, Portland, OR 97207, (503) 
725-3690, Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 
10:00 p.m., Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
U.S. Department of Energy, Headquarters, Freedom of Information Public 
Reading Room, 1E-190 Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, 
Washington, D.C. 20585, (202) 586-6020, Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 
p.m.

    Issued in Washington, D.C., this day August 26, 1996.
Stephen P. Cowan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Waste Management.
[FR Doc. 96-22186 Filed 8-29-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P