[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 246 (Friday, December 20, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67325-67326]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-32329]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Uranium 
Mill Tailings Remedial Action Ground Water Project

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability of 
the final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the 
Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Ground Water Project. The 
proposed action is to conduct the UMTRA Ground Water Project using 
appropriate Ground Water compliance strategies at 24 uranium processing 
sites based on a health and environmental risk-based framework designed 
to provide a consistent and flexible approach. The three other 
alternatives analyzed in the PEIS are: no action, active remediation to 
background levels, and passive remediation. Separate site-specific 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation will be prepared 
to address site-specific ground water conditions, human and 
environmental risks, participation of the Tribes, States, and local 
communities, and costs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for copies of the final PEIS 
or further information concerning this document should be directed to 
Mr. Donald R. Metzler, Grand Junction Office, Department of Energy, 
2597 B 3/4 Road, Grand Junction, Colorado 81503, telephone 970-248-7612 
(formerly the Grand Junction Projects Office). Addresses of Department 
of Energy Public Reading Rooms and public libraries where the final 
document will be available for review are listed below under 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. For general information on the procedures 
followed by DOE in complying with the requirements of the NEPA, contact 
Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance 
(EH-42), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, 
Washington, D.C. 20585, telephone 202-586-4600 or leave a message at 
800-472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The final PEIS was prepared in accordance with the requirements of 
the NEPA of 1969; the Council on Environmental Quality regulations 
implementing NEPA in 40 CFR Parts 1500-1508; and DOE's NEPA 
implementing procedures in 10 CFR Part 1021. The final PEIS consists of 
Volume 1, the main text of the EIS, and Volume 2, public comments on 
the draft PEIS and DOE's responses to the comments.
    The final PEIS has been filed with the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) and has also been distributed to interested members of the 
public, Federal, and State agencies. The final PEIS will also be 
available for viewing by the public in the DOE reading rooms and at the 
public libraries identified below. DOE plans to issue a Record of 
Decision based on the final PEIS no earlier than 30 days after the EPA 
publishes a notice of availability of the final PEIS in the Federal 
Register, which DOE expects will occur at about the same time that this 
notice is published.
    Public concern regarding the potential human health and 
environmental effects from uranium mill tailings led to passage of the 
Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (Public Law 95-604, 42 
U.S.C. Sec. 7901 et seq.) in 1978, wherein Congress acknowledged the 
potentially harmful health effects associated with uranium mill 
tailings at 22 abandoned uranium mill processing sites. Pursuant to the 
Act, the EPA developed standards (40 CFR Part 192) which include 
radiation limits for surface contamination and concentration limits for 
ground water, to protect the public and the environment from potential 
radiological and nonradiological hazards from the abandoned mill 
processing sites. Final Ground Water protection standards were 
published in the Federal Register [60 FR 2854 (Jan. 11, 1995)]. The 
standards apply to residual radioactive material at the 22 processing 
sites designated, as provided in the Act, by DOE. DOE is responsible 
for performing remedial action to bring the surface and ground water 
contaminant levels at the abandoned mill processing sites into 
compliance with these standards. DOE is accomplishing this function 
through the UMTRA Project. Remedial action regarding ground water 
contamination will be conducted with the concurrence of the U.S. 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the full participation of affected 
States and Indian Tribes. Remedial sites in accordance with applicable 
standards for surface contamination, 40 CFR Part 192, has already been 
taken or is in process.
    The Ground Water Project PEIS provides a consistent risk-based 
framework for determining the site-specific ground water compliance 
strategies, and supplies data and information that can be used in site-
specific environmental impact analysis documents. The proposed action 
and the alternatives in the document are considered programmatic in 
that they broadly address the overall plans for conducting the Ground 
Water Project with an assessment of the potential impacts associated 
with the various potential ground water compliance strategies.

Availability of Copies of the Final PEIS

    Copies of the final PEIS may be obtained by contacting the Ground 
Junction Office at the address or telephone numbers listed above. The 
final PEIS and documents referenced in the PEIS are available for 
inspection at DOE reading rooms and at the public libraries in the 
vicinity of the former uranium processing sites as listed below.

DOE Reading Rooms

Freedom of Information Reading Room, Room 1E-190, Department of Energy, 
Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 
20585
National Atomic Museum Library, Public Document Room, Department of 
Energy, Albuquerque Operations Office, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87115
Grand Junction Office, Department of Energy, 2597 B 3/4 Road, Grand 
Junction, Colorado 81302 Public Libraries

Public Libraries

Arizona

Tuba City Public Library, Tuba City, Arizona 86045
Navajo Nation Library System, Window Rock, Arizona 86515
Kykotsmovi Public Library, Community Development Director, Kykotsmovi, 
Arizona 86039

Colorado

Cortez Public Library, 802 E. Montezuma, Cortez, Colorado 81321
Denver Public Library, 1357 Broadway, Denver, Colorado 80203
Rifle Branch Library, Second Street, Rifle, Colorado 81650

[[Page 67326]]

Mesa State College Library, Grand Junction, Colorado 81502
Dove Creek School Library, Dove Creek, Colorado 81324
Durango Public Library, Reference Department, Durango, Colorado 81301
Glenwood Springs Library, 413 9th Street, Glenwood Springs, Colorado 
81601
Gunnison Public Library, 307 N. Wisconsin, Gunnison, Colorado 81230
Naturita Public Library, 312 W. Second Street, Naturita, Colorado 81422
Montrose Public Library, 4349 First Street, Montrose, Colorado 81424

Idaho

Boise Public Library, 715 S. Capitol Building, Boise, Idaho 83805

New Mexico

Navajo Community College Library, Shiprock Branch, Shiprock, New Mexico 
87420
Mother Whiteside Memorial Library, 525 W. High Street, Grants, New 
Mexico 87020
New Mexico State University Library, 1500 3rd Street, Grants, New 
Mexico 87020
University of New Mexico Gallup Library, 200 College Road, Gallup, New 
Mexico 87301
University of New Mexico Zimmerman Library, Albuquerque, New Mexico 
87131-1466
New Mexico Environmental Department Library, 1190 St. Francis Drive, 
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87502

North Dakota

Bowman Public Library, 104 Main Street, Bowman, North Dakota 58623
Dickinson Public Library, 139 West 3rd Street, Dickinson, North Dakota 
58601

Oregon

Lake County Library, 513 Center Street, Lakeview, Oregon 97630

Pennsylvania

Canonsburg Public Library, East Pike Street, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania 
15317
People's Library, 2889 Leechburg Road, Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania 
15068

Texas

Falls City Public Library, P.O. Box 325, Falls City, Texas 78113

Utah

Bluff Public Library, Bluff, Utah 84512
Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
San Juan County Library, 25 West 300 Street, Blanding, Utah 84511
Grand County Library, 25 South 1st East, Moab, Utah 84532
Green River Library, 85 South Lang Street, Green River, Utah 84525

Wyoming

Riverton Branch Library, 1330 West Park, Riverton, Wyoming 82501
Wyoming State Library, Supreme Court Building, 24th & Capitol Street, 
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002
University of Wyoming Library, University Station, Laramie, Wyoming 
82071

    Issued in Washington, D.C., on December 16, 1996.
James M. Owendoff,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Restoration.
[FR Doc. 96-32329 Filed 12-19-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P