[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 11, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18823-18824]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-8891]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Notice of Additional Scoping Meeting for the Mixed Oxide Fuel 
Fabrication Facility

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of additional scoping meeting.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announces its 
intent to conduct an additional scoping meeting associated with the 
preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for 
construction, operation and deactivation of a proposed Mixed Oxide 
(MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility (Facility) to be constructed at the 
Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) in South 
Carolina. The NRC published a Notice of Intent to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement for the mixed oxide fuel fabrication 
facility (NOI) in the Federal Register on March 7, 2001 (66 FR 13794). 
The NOI announced two meetings on April 17 and 18, 2001, in North 
Augusta, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, respectively. In 
addition to these meetings, we will hold a scoping meeting on May 8, 
2001, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

DATES: The public scoping process required by the National 
Environmental Policy Act began with publication of the NOI in the 
Federal Register and continues until May 21, 2001. Written comments 
submitted by mail should be postmarked by that date to ensure 
consideration. Comments mailed after that date will be considered to 
the extent practical.
    The public scoping meetings are to assist the NRC in defining the 
appropriate scope of the EIS, including the significant environmental 
issues to be addressed. The meeting dates, times and locations are 
listed below. Prior to the Scoping Meetings, NRC staff will be 
available to informally discuss the MOX project and answer questions in 
an ``open house'' format.
April 17, 2001
North Augusta Community Center, 496 Brookside Drive, North Augusta, SC, 
Scoping Meeting Time: 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Open House Time: 5:30 
p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
April 18, 2001
Coastal Georgia Center, 305 Martin Luther King Boulevard, Savannah, GA, 
Scoping Meeting Time: 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Open House Time: 5:30 
p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
May 8, 2001
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 E. Fourth Street, 
Charlotte, NC, Scoping Meeting Time: 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Open 
House Time: 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: To register for a meeting, to provide comments or 
suggestions on the scope of the EIS, or to make requests for special 
arrangements to enable participation at scoping meetings (e.g., an 
interpreter for the hearing impaired), please contact: Tim Harris at 
(301) 415-6613 or Betty Garrett at (301) 415-5808.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general or technical information 
pertaining to the proposed MOX Facility, please contact: Tim Johnson at 
(301) 415-7299 or Andrew Persinko at (301) 415-6522. For general 
information on the NRC environmental review process, please contact: 
Jennifer Davis at (301) 415-5874 or Tim Harris at (301) 415-6613.

Availability of Documents for Review

    Information and documents associated with the MOX project, 
including the Duke Cogema Stone & Webster Environmental Report 
submitted in December 2000, and the Construction Authorization Request, 
may be obtained from the internet on NRC's MOX web page: http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/NMSS/MOX/index.html (case sensitive). In addition, 
documents are available for public review through our electronic 
reading room: http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/ADAMS/index.html. Documents may 
also be obtained from NRC's Public Document Room at U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Public Document Room, Washington, DC 20555.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Scoping Meetings

    One purpose of the NOI and this notice is to encourage public 
involvement in the EIS process and to solicit public comments on the 
proposed scope and content of the EIS.
    Scoping is an early and open process designed to determine the 
range of actions, alternatives, and potential impacts to be considered 
in the EIS, and to identify the significant issues related to the 
proposed action. It is intended to solicit input from the public and 
other agencies so that the analysis can be more clearly focused on 
issues of genuine concern. The principal goals of the scoping process 
are to:

 Ensure that concerns are identified early and are properly 
studied;
 Identify alternatives that will be examined;
 Identify significant issues that need to be analyzed;
 Eliminate unimportant issues; and
 Identify public concerns.

Scoping Comments

    Written comments may be mailed to Mike Lesar, Chief, Rules and 
Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of 
Administration, Mail Stop T6D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington DC 20555. Interested parties may e-mail comments to 
[email protected]. Comments also will be accepted by fax at 301-415-5398, 
Attention: Tim Harris.
    Following the scoping meetings, NRC will make the scoping summaries 
available for public review through our electronic reading room: http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/ADAMS/index.html. The scoping meeting summaries will 
also be available on the NRC's MOX web page: http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/NMSS/MOX/index.html (case sensitive).

The NEPA Process

    The EIS for the MOX Facility will be prepared according to the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Council on Environmental 
Quality's Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of 
NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and NRC's NEPA Implementing Regulations 
(10 CFR part 51).
    The draft EIS is scheduled to be published in February 2002. A 45-
day comment period on the draft EIS is planned, and public meetings to 
receive comments will be held approximately three weeks after 
distribution of the draft EIS. Availability of the draft EIS, the dates 
of the public comment period, and information about the public meetings 
will be announced in the Federal Register, on NRC's MOX web page, and 
in the local news media when the draft EIS is distributed. The final 
EIS, which will incorporate public comments received on the draft EIS, 
is expected in September 2002.

    Signed in Rockville, MD, this 5th day of April 2001.


[[Page 18824]]


    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Sandra Wastler,
Acting Chief, Environmental and Performance Assessment Branch, Division 
of Waste Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 01-8891 Filed 4-10-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P