[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 231 (Friday, November 29, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60690-60693]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-30460]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Disposal Phase, Draft Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement; Notice of Availability and Public 
Hearings

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability and public hearings.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE or Department) announces the 
availability for public review and comment of the draft supplemental 
environmental impact statement (SEIS-II) for the proposed disposal of 
transuranic (TRU) radioactive waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant 
(WIPP) near Carlsbad, NM, and the schedule for public hearings on that 
document.

DATES: DOE invites all interested parties to submit comments on the 
draft SEIS-II during a comment period ending on January 28, 1997. 
Written comments must be postmarked by January 28, 1997 to ensure 
consideration. Comments postmarked after that date will be considered 
to the extent practicable.
    DOE will also hold several public hearings to receive public 
comments and suggestions on the draft SEIS-II. Public hearings will be 
held on the dates and at the locations given below.

[[Page 60691]]



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------------------------------------------------------------------------
Albuquerque, NM.............  January 6, 1997.....  Albuquerque         
                                                     Convention Center, 
                                                     401 2nd Street     
                                                     N.W., Albuquerque, 
                                                     NM 87103, (505) 768-
                                                     4575.              
                              January 7, 1997.....                      
Santa Fe, NM................  January 8, 1997.....  Sweeney Convention  
                                                     Center, 201 West   
                                                     Marcy, Santa Fe, NM
                                                     87501, (505) 986-  
                                                     6901.              
                              January 9, 1997.....                      
                              January 10, 1997....                      
Richland, WA................  January 15, 1997....  Red Lion Inn        
                                                     Richland, 802      
                                                     George Washington  
                                                     Way, Richland, WA  
                                                     99352, (509) 946-  
                                                     7611.              
Carlsbad, NM................  January 13, 1997....  Pecos River Village,
                                                     711 N. Muscatel,   
                                                     Carlsbad, NM 88220,
                                                     (505) 887-6516.    
Denver, CO..................  January, 13 1997....  Arvada Center for   
                                                     Arts and           
                                                     Humanities, 6901   
                                                     Wadsworth          
                                                     Boulevard, Denver, 
                                                     CO 80003, (303) 431-
                                                     3080.              
Boise, ID...................  January 15, 1997....  Red Lion Inn        
                                                     Riverside, 2900    
                                                     Chinden Boulevard, 
                                                     Boise, ID 83714,   
                                                     (208) 946-7611.    
Oak Ridge, TN...............  January 21, 1997....  American Museum of  
                                                     Science and Energy,
                                                     300 South Tulane   
                                                     Avenue, Oak Ridge, 
                                                     TN 37830, (423) 576-
                                                     3200.              
N. Augusta, SC..............  January 23, 1997....  North Augusta       
                                                     Community Center,  
                                                     495 Brookside      
                                                     Drive, North       
                                                     Augusta, SC 29841, 
                                                     (803) 441-4290.    
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Public hearings are planned for morning (only in Albuquerque and on 
January 9th and 10th in Santa Fe), afternoon, and evening sessions. The 
length of sessions held at each location may be adjusted as 
preregistration demand warrants. The planned hours for hearings are: 
9:00 AM to 12 noon for the morning sessions, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM for the 
afternoon sessions, and 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM for the evening sessions. 
Call the WIPP Information line at 1-800-336-9477 at least a week before 
the hearing to register in advance to speak at a particular public 
hearing. Persons who have not registered in advance may register to 
comment when they arrive at the hearing to the extent time is 
available. For additional information about the format for the hearings 
and speaker registration see the Public Hearing subheading under 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the draft SEIS II should be directed to: 
Harold Johnson, NEPA Compliance Officer, Attn: SEIS Comments, P.O. Box 
9800, Albuquerque, NM 87119.
    Comments submitted by electronic mail should be sent to 
[email protected]. Faxed comments should be directed to Harold 
Johnson at 1-505-224-8030. Oral comments will be accepted only at the 
public hearings.
    Copies of the draft SEIS II are also available for reference at the 
public reading rooms set forth below. The reading rooms also contain 
reference documents.

New Mexico State Library 325 Don Gaspar Santa Fe, NM 87503
Carlsbad Public Library 101 S. Halagueno St. Carlsbad, NM 88220
Zimmerman Library Government Publications Department University of 
New Mexico Albuquerque, NM 87131
Pannell Library New Mexico Junior College 5317 Lovington Highway 
Hobbs, NM 88240
WIPP Public Reading Room National Atomic Museum U.S. Department of 
Energy Albuquerque Operations Office P.O. Box 5400 Albuquerque, NM 
87115
Martin Speare Memorial Library New Mexico Institute of Mining and 
Technology Campus Station Soccorro, NM 87801
Raton Public Library Public Reading Room 244 Cook Ave. Raton, NM 
87740
New Mexico State University Library P.O. Box 30001 Las Cruces, NM 
88003
Los Alamos National Laboratory Community Reading Room P.O. Box 1663, 
MS A-117 Los Alamos, NM 87545
DOE Public Reading Room--Oakland 1301 Clay St., Room 700N Oakland, 
CA 94612
DOE Public Reading Room--Nevada 2621 Losee Rd. North Las Vegas, NV 
89030
Flagstaff--Coconino County Public Library 300 West Aspen Flagstaff, 
AZ 86001
The Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency
c/o Levon Benally Jr.
P.O. Box 339
Window Rock, AZ

DOE Public Reading Room--Richland
Washington State University Tri-Cities
100 Sprout Rd., Room 130 West
Richland, WA 99352

Oregon State Library
250 Winter St.
Salem, OR 97310

Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) Reading Room
1776 Science Center Dr.
Idaho Falls, ID 83402

Idaho National Engineering Laboratory--Boise Office
816 West Bannock Suite 306
Boise, ID 83702

Idaho National Engineering Laboratory--Pocatello Office
1651 AT Ricken Dr.
Pocatello, ID 83201

Idaho National Engineering Laboratory--Twin Falls Office
233 2nd St. North, Suite B
Twin Falls, ID 83301

University of Idaho Library
Government Document Department (University of Idaho Campus)
Rayburn Street
Moscow, ID 83843

Shoshone-Bannock Library
Human Resources Center
Bannock and Pima
Fort Hall, ID 83203

Moscow Environmental Restoration Information Office
530 South Ashbury, Suite 2
Moscow, ID 83843

Pocatello Public Library
113 South Garfield
Pocatello, ID 83201

Idaho State University Library
741 South 7th Ave., Box 8089
Pocatello, ID 83209

Twin Falls Public Library
434 2nd St. East
Twin Falls, ID 83301

Wyoming State Library
Supreme Court Building
2301 Capitol Ave.
Cheyenne, WY 82002

DOE Rocky Flats Public Reading Room
Front Range Community College Library
3645 West 112th Ave.
Westminster, CO 80030

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Records Center
999 18th St., 5th Floor
Denver, CO 80220

Information Center
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

[[Page 60692]]

4300 Cherry Creek Dr. South, Building A
Denver, CO 80222-1530

Citizens Advisory Board
9035 N. Wadsworth Pkwy., Suite 2250
Westminster, CO 80021

Standley Lake Library
8485 Kipling St.
Arvada, CO 80005

Texas State Library
Information Services Division
1201 Brazos St.
Austin, TX 78701

Oklahoma Dept. of Libraries
200 N.E. 18th St.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105

Arkansas State Library
One Capitol Mall
Little Rock, AR 72201

Kansas State Library
State Capitol Building
Topeka, KS 66612

Missouri State Library
600 West Main
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Indiana State Library
140 North Senate Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46204

DOE Public Reading Room--Chicago
9800 South Cass Ave.
Building 201
Argonne, IL 60439

DOE CERCLA Public Reading Room
Miamisburg Senior Adult Center
305 Central Ave.
Miamisburg, OH 45342

Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Technical Information Center
P.O. Box 62
Oak Ridge, TN 37831
DOE Public Reading Room--Oak Ridge
55 Jefferson Cir.
Oak Ridge, TN 37830
DOE Public Reading Room--Savannah River
USC--Aiken Library
171 University Pkwy.
Aiken, SC 29801
Mobile Public Library
701 Government St.
Mobile, AL 36602
Atlanta--Fulton Public Library
One Margaret Mitchell Square N.W.
Atlanta, GA 30303
Mississippi State Law Library
450 High St.
Jackson, MS 39215
Louisiana State Library
760 North Third St.
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
DOE/Forrestal Building
Freedom of Information Reading Room
1000 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20585
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
625 Indiana Ave., N.W., Suite 700
Washington, DC 20004

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, to register 
to speak at the public hearings, or to obtain a copy of the 
environmental impact statement, call the WIPP Information line at 1-
800-336-9477 (staffed 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM mountain time; answering 
machine at other times).
    For further information on the DOE NEPA process, contact: Carol M. 
Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-42), U.S. 
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 
20585, Telephone: 202-586-4600 or leave a message at 1-800-472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background, Purpose and Need for Agency Action

    TRU waste is waste that contains alpha particle-emitting 
radionuclides with an atomic number greater than that of uranium (92), 
and half lives greater than 20 years, in concentrations greater than 
100 nanocuries per gram of waste. Since the mid 1940s, DOE and its 
predecessor agencies have conducted research and development, nuclear 
weapons production and fuel reprocessing activities that have produced 
TRU waste. Continued operation of Departmental facilities, 
decontamination and decommissioning of defense production facilities, 
and environmental restoration activities are expected to generate 
additional TRU waste in the future.
    The Department needs to safely dispose of the accumulated TRU waste 
and provide for disposal of the additional TRU waste to be generated. 
Since TRU waste emits alpha radiation for a long period of time and 
some TRU waste contains hazardous constituents that could be harmful if 
taken into the body, the waste must be isolated from means of 
environmental transport (primarily air and water) for a long time 
period for safe disposal. To this end, the Department has constructed 
the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, New Mexico.
    The draft SEIS II examines the environmental impacts of the 
proposed action: disposal at WIPP of the volume of defense TRU waste 
allowed by the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (i.e., by burying it 2,100 feet 
deep in a salt deposit), after treatment to meet planning basis WIPP 
waste acceptance criteria. Three action alternatives examine the 
impacts of disposal of DOE TRU waste at WIPP, with three alternative 
treatments (planning basis WIPP waste acceptance criteria, shred and 
grout treatment to reduce gas generation, and thermal treatment to meet 
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Land Disposal Restrictions). The 
non-thermal treatment alternatives do not include disposal of TRU waste 
commingled with polychlorinated biphenyls. If the Department were to 
decide that shred and grout or thermal treatment would be the minimal 
treatment required for disposal at WIPP, the planning basis waste 
acceptance criteria would be revised appropriately. Two no-action 
alternatives examine the impacts of leaving the waste at generator 
sites. One no-action alternative assumes continued management of TRU 
waste in existing and planned storage facilities, while the other 
assumes construction of new monitored retrievable storage facilities 
for TRU waste that has been thermally treated to meet Resource 
Conservation and Recovery Act Land Disposal Restrictions. The proposed 
action is identified as the Department's preferred alternative.

Public Hearing and Procedures

    The public hearings will be conducted in an informal ``round 
table'' setting. Comments will be recorded and a transcript of the 
comments will be prepared. A sound system at the comment table will 
enable other participants to hear commenters. For participants who want 
to ask questions about the content, methodology, and results of the 
draft SEIS II analysis before commenting, DOE will provide that 
information in a separate room. Clarifying questions regarding the 
content of the draft SEIS II may be asked as part of comments at the 
public hearing, but the time needed to answer the questions will be 
counted as part of the questioner's allotted speaking time. A quiet 
area will be set aside where commenters can handwrite their comments or 
record their comments on audiotape.
    The hearing will not be an adjudicatory or evidentiary hearing and 
speakers will not be cross-examined, although DOE's hearing panel 
members may ask clarifying questions or respond to questions raised by 
the commenter. The hearing transcripts will be available in the public 
reading rooms as soon as possible after the hearings have concluded.
    Participants can register in advance to present oral comments at a 
particular hearing location by calling 1-800-336-9477 at least a week 
before the hearing. To ensure that as many persons as possible have the 
opportunity to present comments, Government representatives and 
representatives of organizations (one per organization) will be allowed 
10 minutes to comment and individuals will be allowed 5 minutes. 
Reservations for commenting times will be accepted from any 
representative of a Government or organization. Individual commenters 
must make reservations on

[[Page 60693]]

their own behalf. An individual may register a group of commenters, but 
such groups will be scheduled to speak last, and only to the extent 
time is available after individuals have commented. Persons who have 
not registered in advance may register to comment when they arrive at 
the hearing to the extent time is available.
    Speakers should confirm their scheduled time at the registration 
desk the day of the hearing. Persons presenting oral comments at the 
hearing are requested to provide DOE with written copies of their 
comments at the hearing, if possible.
    More details are available in the public involvement plan. To 
obtain a copy of that plan call 1-800-336-9477.

    Issued in Washington, D.C., this 25th day of November, 1996.
Alvin L. Alm,
Assistant Secretary, Environmental Management.
[FR Doc. 96-30460 Filed 11-27-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P