[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 249 (Tuesday, December 29, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71628-71630]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-34458]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
Closure of High-Level Waste Tanks at the Savannah River Site, Aiken, 
South Carolina

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) intends to prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) on the proposed closing of high-
level waste tanks at the Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, South 
Carolina. DOE proposes to close the tanks to protect human health and 
the environment and to promote safety. DOE's preferred alternative is 
to remove the residual waste from the tanks to the extent technically 
and economically feasible, and then to fill them with a reducing grout 
to bind up residual waste and a structural material to prevent collapse 
of the tanks. DOE proposes to close these tanks and their associated 
waste handling equipment in accordance with the Industrial Wastewater 
Closure Plan for F- and H-Area High-Level Waste Tank Systems, prepared 
by DOE and approved by the South Carolina Department of Health and 
Environmental Control (SCDHEC). In closing the tanks, DOE will comply 
not only with the Closure Plan, which is required by Industrial 
Wastewater Permits that SCDHEC issued to DOE, but also with the 
applicable requirements of DOE Orders, including DOE 5820.2A 
(Radioactive Waste Management). DOE invites comments on the scope of 
the EIS.

DATES: The public scoping period begins with the publication of this 
Notice and concludes February 12, 1998. DOE invites Federal agencies, 
Native American tribes, State and local governments, and the public to 
comment on the scope of this EIS. DOE will consider fully all comments 
received by the close of the scoping period, and will consider comments 
received after that date to the extent practicable.
    Two public scoping workshops will be held during the scoping 
period:

January 14, 1999
    2:00-4:00 pm and 6:00-8:00 pm, North Augusta Community Center, 101 
Brookside Drive, North Augusta, South Carolina, and,
January 19, 1999
    2:00-4:00 pm and 6:00-8:00 pm, Holiday Inn Coliseum, 630 Assembly 
Street, Columbia, South Carolina.

    These scoping workshops will provide information about the high-
level waste tank closure process and alternatives for closure of high-
level waste tanks at SRS. The workshops will provide opportunities to 
comment orally or in writing on the EIS scope, including the 
alternatives and issues that the Department should consider in the EIS.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the scope of the EIS may also be mailed to the 
address below or sent by fax, voice mail, or electronic mail. Written 
comments on the scope of this EIS should be sent to: Andrew Grainger, 
NEPA Compliance Officer, Savannah River Operations Office, U. S. 
Department of Energy, Building 742A, Room 183, Aiken, South Carolina 
29802, Attention: Tank Closure EIS.
    Toll-free 24-hour fax and voice mail (local and nationwide): 800-
881-7292; E-mail: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request information about this EIS 
and the public scoping workshops, or to be placed on the EIS 
distribution list, use any of the methods listed in ADDRESSES above. 
For general information about the DOE NEPA process, contact: Carol 
Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-42), U. 
S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 
20585-0119, Phone: 202-586-4600, Voice mail: 800-472-2756, Fax: 202-
586-7031.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background and Purpose and Need for Agency Action

    At its inception in the 1950s, the primary mission of the SRS was 
to produce special nuclear materials to support the defense, research, 
and medical programs of the United States. This mission largely ended 
and production of nuclear materials ceased following the dissolution of 
the Soviet Union. Before the cessation of production, however, chemical 
separation of irradiated fuel at SRS had resulted in product streams 
(that is, special nuclear materials) and waste streams consisting of 
acidic liquids bearing radioactive fission products and small amounts 
of transuranic elements. This waste was chemically converted to an 
alkaline solution and stored as insoluble sludges, salts, and liquid 
supernate in 51 large underground tanks constructed between 1952 and 
1981 at the SRS F-and H-Area Tank Farms. Two tanks, both in the F-Area 
Tank Farm, were closed in 1997 and no longer store high-level waste. 
Approximately 129 million liters (34 million gallons) of high-level 
radioactive waste are now stored in 49 tanks. SRS still operates 
facilities to stabilize nuclear materials that were in various stages 
of processing when strategic nuclear materials production ceased; this 
activity generates additional small amounts of high-level radioactive 
waste.
    DOE proposes to close the tanks and their associated waste handling 
equipment to protect human health and the environment and to promote 
safety, in accordance with (1) the Industrial Wastewater Closure Plan 
for F- and H-Area High-Level Waste Tank Systems, prepared by DOE and 
approved by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental 
Control (SCDHEC), (2) South Carolina Regulation R.61-82, ``Proper 
Closeout of Wastewater Treatment Facilities,'' and (3) applicable 
requirements of DOE Orders, including DOE 5820.2A (Radioactive Waste 
Management).
    Removal, treatment, storage, and disposal of bulk waste from the 
tanks will be in accordance with previous decisions, and are not within 
the scope of this environmental impact statement. High-level waste will 
be removed and treated to separate the high-activity fraction from the 
low-activity fraction. The high-activity fraction will be transferred 
to the Defense Waste Processing Facility and mixed into borosilicate 
glass to immobilize the radioactive constituents. Stainless steel 
canisters containing the borosilicate glass will be stored in Glass 
Waste Storage Buildings at the SRS pending a decision on disposal in a 
geologic repository. The low-activity fraction will be transferred to 
the Saltstone Facility and mixed with grout to make saltstone, a 
concrete-like material disposed of onsite in concrete vaults. The 
environmental impacts of these processes and facilities were evaluated

[[Page 71629]]

in environmental impact statements for the Defense Waste Processing 
Facility (DOE/EIS-0082-S, Record of Decision: 60 FR 18589, April 12, 
1995), and Savannah River Site Waste Management (DOE/EIS-0217, Record 
of Decision: 60 FR 552499, October 30, 1995). DOE is currently 
evaluating processes and facilities required to replace one component 
of the high-level waste processing system, the In-Tank Precipitation 
process, and will conduct separate NEPA review of its environmental 
impacts.
    Closure of the high-level tanks after bulk waste removal is the 
subject of this environmental impact statement. The primary concerns in 
the closure process are how to deal with the waste that cannot be 
technically or economically removed from the bottom of a tank and what 
to do with the tank itself. The potential environmental impacts of tank 
closure could vary, depending upon how DOE resolves these issues.
    Upon completing closure activities for proximate groups of tanks, 
environmental restoration actions to remediate groundwater would be 
considered under the SRS Environmental Restoration Program, which is 
not within the scope of this EIS.

The EIS Schedule

    DOE plans to publish the draft EIS in August 1999 and the final EIS 
in March 2000. A record of decision would be issued no sooner than 30 
days from the Environmental Protection Agency's Federal Register 
publication of the notice of availability of the final EIS.
    DOE will not close additional high-level waste tanks before 
completing the EIS process, but will continue to remove waste from the 
tanks. The EIS schedule will fully support compliance with existing 
schedules for additional tank closures. DOE is committed under the SRS 
Federal Facilities Agreement between DOE, EPA, and SCDHEC to close 
another high-level waste tank by fiscal year 2003 and to complete 
closure of 24 additional tanks by 2022. Under the Savannah River High 
Level Waste System Plan, DOE will close the remaining high-level waste 
tanks by 2028.

Phased Action

    Under each alternative except no action, DOE would close 49 high-
level waste tanks at SRS by implementing the Industrial Wastewater 
Closure Plan for F- and H-Area High-Level Waste Tank Systems in 
accordance with DOE Orders. Associated with each tank is additional 
waste handling equipment, such as evaporators, pumps, and transfer 
lines; a tank and its associated equipment are referred to as a ``tank 
system.'' Each tank system would be closed in three phases:
     The Evaluation and Cleaning Phase consists of determining 
closure performance objectives and identifying cleaning and 
stabilization methods required to meet those performance objectives.
     The Approval Phase consists of DOE obtaining SCDHEC and 
EPA approval of a DOE tank-systems-specific closure plan module that 
describes the end state of the tank, the performance modeling results, 
and closure details. Depending upon the tank-specific performance 
objectives and the amount and type of waste left in the tank after bulk 
waste removal, several alternative cleaning methods and stabilization 
methods could be employed.
     The Stabilization Phase would involve execution of the 
tank closure in accordance with the approved closure plan module.

Alternatives

    Preferred Alternative: DOE's preferred alternative is first to 
clean the tank, to the extent technically and economically feasible, 
with spray washing or, if needed to meet performance objectives, oxalic 
acid cleaning. DOE then would fill the tank with a pumpable material 
(for example, grout, sand, or saltstone) to immobilize any remaining 
waste and stabilize the tanks themselves to prevent future collapse.
    Clean to Allow Removal of the Tank Alternative: This alternative 
consists of cleaning the tank only sufficiently to allow safe removal 
and transferring it to the SRS Radioactive Waste Burial Grounds or a 
high-level waste repository for disposal. This alternative would 
eliminate potential migration of contaminants from closed tanks left in 
place at the SRS tank farms.
    No Action Alternative: This alternative consists of bulk waste 
removal (that is, without further cleaning) and abandonment of the 
tank. No fill material would be used to immobilize the remaining waste 
or to stabilize the tank.

Related NEPA Decisions and Reviews

    This EIS will use the information and analyses found in several 
final DOE NEPA reviews that address high-level waste management systems 
at SRS. These documents are available in these DOE public reading 
rooms:

DOE Freedom of Information Reading Room, Forrestal Building, Room 1E-
190, 1000 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 200585, Phone: 202-
586-6020

    and

DOE Public Document Room, University of South Carolina, Aiken Campus, 
University Library, 2nd Floor, 171 University Parkway, Aiken, S.C. 
29801, Phone: 803-648-6851

     Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, Defense 
Waste Processing Facility, DOE/EIS-0082-S, 1994.
     Final Environmental Impact Statement, Savannah River Site 
Waste Management, DOE/EIS-0217, 1995.
     Environmental Assessment for the Closure of the High-Level 
Waste Tanks in F- and H-Areas at the Savannah River Site, DOE/EA-1164, 
1996.
    DOE also will use additional information and analyses, including 
the Industrial Wastewater Closure Plan for F- and H-Area High-Level 
Waste Tank Systems, the Closure Modules for Tanks 17 and 20, 
information from DOE tank closure workshops, and information developed 
in consultation with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission regarding 
whether waste left in the high-level waste tanks can be managed as 
waste incidental to reprocessing plant operations.

Preliminary Identification of EIS Issues

    DOE intends to address the following issues when assessing the 
potential environmental impacts of the alternatives in this EIS. DOE 
invites comment from Federal agencies, Native American tribes, State 
and local governments, and the public on these and any other issues 
that should be addressed in the EIS.
     Potential impacts of the proposed action and alternatives 
on release of contaminants to groundwater.
     Relationship to land use plans for the SRS.
     Compliance with applicable Federal, State and local 
requirements and agreements.
     Potential effects on the public, including minority and 
low-income populations, and SRS workers from exposure to radiological 
and hazardous materials.
     Potential effects on air, soil, and water quality from 
normal operations and reasonably foreseeable accidents.
     Potential effects on SRS waste management operations and 
facilities.
     Pollution prevention, waste minimization, and energy and 
water use reduction technologies to eliminate or reduce use of energy, 
water, and hazardous substances and to minimize environmental impacts 
during closure activities.
     Potential socioeconomic impacts, including potential 
impacts associated

[[Page 71630]]

with the workforce needed for operations during closure activities.
     Potential impacts on cultural and historic resources.
     Potential cumulative environmental impacts of past, 
present, and reasonably foreseeable future operations at the SRS.
     Potential irreversible and irretrievable commitment of 
resources.

    Issued in Washington, D.C. on December 22, 1998.
David Michaels,
Assistant Secretary, Environment, Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 98-34458 Filed 12-28-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P