[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 190 (Friday, October 1, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 53304-53305]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-25566]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 197

RIN 2060-AE30
[FRL-6450-2]


Opportunity To Present Oral Testimony on Environmental Radiation 
Protection Standards for Yucca Mountain, Nevada; Notice of Public 
Hearings

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of public hearings.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will conduct public 
hearings to receive comments on its proposed radiation protection 
standards for Yucca Mountain, Nevada, in Washington, DC; Amargosa 
Valley, NV; Las Vegas, NV; and Kansas City, MO in October.
    The proposed standards were published in the Federal Register on 
August 27, 1999. The 90-day public comment period closes November 26.

DATES: The schedule for the hearings is as follows: Washington, DC, 
October 13, 1999, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Amargosa Valley, NV, 
October 19, 1999, beginning at 12:00 Noon; Las Vegas, NV, October 20, 
1999, from 12:00 p.m. to

[[Page 53305]]

9:00 p.m. and October 21, 1999 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon; and Kansas 
City, MO, October 27, 1999, from 12:00 Noon to 9:00 p.m. Specific 
locations for each city are detailed in the next section ADDRESSES. 
Procedures for pre-registering for and testifying at these public 
hearings are detailed in the ``Hearings Procedures'' subsection of the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.

ADDRESSES: EPA's public hearings to receive comments on the Agency's 
proposed radiation protection standards for Yucca Mountain, Nevada will 
be held on October 13, 1999, at the Ronald Reagan Building (Federal 
Triangle Metro Stop), International Trade Center, Hemisphere B Meeting 
Room, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC; on October 19, 
1999, at the Amargosa Valley Community Center, 821 East Farm Road, 
Amargosa Valley, NV; on October 20 and 21, 1999 at the Las Vegas 
Conference Suites and Services, Room 111, 101 Convention Center Drive, 
Las Vegas, NV; and on October 27, 1999, at the Kansas City Convention 
Center, Conference Center--Room 4201, 14th Street between Wyandotte and 
Central, Kansas City, MO.
    EPA's official docket for this rule, including technical support 
documents and other documents and materials relevant to this rule, are 
filed in Docket No. A-95-12 of the Air Docket, located in Room M-1500 
(first floor in Waterside Mall near the Washington Information Center), 
U.S. EPA, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460-0001. EPA has also 
established ``Information Files'' for this rule at two locations in 
Nevada: the Government Publications Section of the Dickinson Library at 
the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, 4504 Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, 
NV, and the Public Library in Amargosa Valley, NV.
    As provided in EPA's regulations at 40 CFR Part 2, and in 
accordance with normal Air docket procedures, if copies of any docket 
materials are requested, a reasonable fee may be charged for 
photocopying.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rafaela Ferguson, Office of Radiation 
and Indoor Air, (202) 564-9362 or call EPA's 24-hour toll-free Yucca 
Mountain Information Line, 1-800-331-9477.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Department of Energy is developing 
a potential geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for disposal 
of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. As mandated by 
the Energy Policy Act of 1992, the Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) has developed site-specific public health and safety standards 
for the potential repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. On August 27, 
1999, EPA published the proposed radiation protection standards for 
Yucca Mountain, Nevada in the Federal Register at 64 FR 46976-47016. 
Simultaneously, a 90-day public comment period on the Agency's proposed 
rule began. The public comment period closes November 26, 1999. Once 
EPA's standards are finalized, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is 
responsible for implementing those standards.

Hearings Procedures

    Persons wishing to testify at the public hearings are requested to 
pre-register by calling EPA's toll-free Yucca Mountain Information Line 
at 1-800-331-9477 between the hours of 12:00 Noon and 7:00 p.m. Eastern 
Standard Time (EST) with the following information: Name/Organizational 
Affiliation (if any)/hearing date, location, time(s) available to 
testify, and a daytime telephone number. In order to obtain a scheduled 
speaking time, requests must be received by EPA no later than 7:00 p.m. 
EST October 12, 1999 for the hearings in Washington, DC; October 18, 
1999 for the hearings in Amargosa Valley and Las Vegas, NV; and October 
22, 1999, for the hearings in Kansas City, MO. Speakers not registered 
in advance may register at the door. Individuals testifying on their 
own behalf will be allowed 5 minutes. One individual may testify as the 
official representative or spokesperson on behalf of groups and 
organizations and will be allocated ten minutes for an oral 
presentation. Time allowed is exclusive of any time consumed by 
questions from the government panel and answers to these questions. 
Testimony from individuals and representatives of organizations is 
limited to one hearing location. Substitutions will not be permitted 
for any pre-registered person. Registrants will not be permitted to 
yield their time to other individuals or groups, nor will hearing time 
be used to ``read into the record'' testimony from individuals not 
present at the hearings. In the event any person wishes to enter 
comments for the record, but either cannot or does not appear 
personally at the hearings, written comments will be accepted by EPA 
during the hearings. These written comments will be considered to the 
same extent as oral testimony and will be included as part of the 
official hearings transcripts. The hearing transcript will constitute 
the official record of the hearings. Written comments submitted outside 
of the public hearings must be received by EPA Docket No. A-95-12 in 
Washington, DC by November 26, 1999. All comments received by EPA, 
whether written or oral, will be given equal consideration in 
development of the final rule.

    Dated: September 27, 1999.
Robert Brenner,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 99-25566 Filed 9-30-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P