[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 168 (Wednesday, August 29, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45679-45680]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-21812]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7046-6]


Waste Characterization Program Documents Applicable to 
Transuranic Radioactive Waste From the Savannah River Site Proposed for 
Disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of availability; opening of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, or ``we'') is 
announcing the availability of, and soliciting public comments for 30 
days on, Department of Energy (DOE) documents on waste characterization 
programs applicable to certain transuranic (TRU) radioactive waste at 
the Savannah River Site (SRS) proposed for disposal at the Waste 
Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The documents are procedures and other 
materials related to the Central Characterization Project (CCP), 
established by DOE to augment the ability of TRU waste sites to 
characterize and certify the waste in accordance with EPA's WIPP 
Compliance Criteria. The documents are available for review in the 
public dockets listed in ADDRESSES. We will use these documents to 
evaluate the CCP activities at SRS to characterize SRS-generated 
contact-handled (CH) TRU debris waste during an inspection conducted 
the week of September 24, 2001. The purpose of the inspection is to 
verify that the CCP can properly characterize SRS-generated contact-
handled (CH) TRU solid debris waste, consistent with the WIPP 
Compliance Criteria and Condition 3 of EPA's final certification 
decision for the WIPP.

DATES: The EPA is requesting public comment on these documents. 
Comments must be received by EPA's official Air Docket on or before 
September 28, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be submitted to: Docket No. A-98-49, Air 
Docket, Room M-1500 (LE-131), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 
M Street, SW, Washington, DC, 20460.
    DOE documents related to the CCP are available for review in the 
official EPA Air Docket in Washington, D.C., Docket No. A-98-49, 
Category II-B2, and at the following three EPA WIPP informational 
docket locations in New Mexico: in Carlsbad at the Municipal Library, 
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 10am-9pm, Friday-Saturday, 10am-6pm, and 
Sunday, 1pm-5pm; in Albuquerque at the Government Publications 
Department, General Library, University of New Mexico, Hours: vary by 
semester; and in Santa Fe at the New Mexico State Library, Hours: 
Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm.
    Copies of items in the docket may be requested by writing to Docket 
A-98-49 at the address provided above, or by calling (202) 260-7548. As 
provided in EPA's regulations at 40 CFR Part 2, and in accordance with 
normal EPA docket procedures, a reasonable fee may be charged for 
photocopying. Air Docket A-98-49 in Washington, DC, accepts comments 
sent electronically or by fax (fax no.: 202-260-4400; E-mail: [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Rajani D. Joglekar, Office of 
Radiation and Indoor Air, (202) 564-9310, or call EPA's 24-hour, toll-
free WIPP Information Line, 1-800-331-WIPP, or visit our website at 
http://www.epa.gov/radiation/wipp/announce.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DOE owns and operates the Waste 
Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP) facility near Carlsbad in southeastern 
New Mexico as a deep geologic repository for disposal of TRU 
radioactive waste. As defined by the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (LWA) of 
1992 (Pub. L. No. 102-579), as amended (Pub. L. No. 104-201), TRU waste 
consists of materials containing elements having atomic numbers greater 
than 92 (with half-lives greater than twenty years), in concentrations 
greater

[[Page 45680]]

than 100 nanocuries of alpha-emitting TRU isotopes per gram of waste. 
Most TRU waste consists of items contaminated during the production of 
nuclear weapons, such as rags, equipment, tools, and organic and 
inorganic sludges.
    On May 13, 1998, EPA announced its final compliance certification 
decision to the Secretary of Energy (published May 18, 1998, 63 FR 
27354). This decision states that the WIPP will comply with the EPA's 
radioactive waste disposal regulations at 40 CFR part 191, subparts B 
and C.
    The final WIPP certification decision includes a condition that 
prohibits shipment of TRU waste for disposal at WIPP from any site 
other than LANL until EPA has approved the procedures developed to 
comply with the waste characterization requirements of 
Sec. 194.24(c)(4) (Condition 3 of Appendix A to 40 CFR part 194). The 
EPA's approval process for waste generator sites is described in 
Sec. 194.8. As part of EPA's decision making process, DOE is required 
to submit to EPA relevant documentation of waste characterization 
programs at each DOE waste generator site seeking approval for shipment 
of TRU radioactive waste to the WIPP. In accordance with Sec. 194.8, 
EPA will place such documentation in the official Air Docket in 
Washington, D.C., and in informational dockets in the State of New 
Mexico, for public review and comment.
    At the direction of DOE's Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO), 
Westinghouse TRU Solutions (WTS) has been developing the CCP mainly to 
assist DOE facilities that have generated small quantities of TRU waste 
with meeting applicable waste characterization requirements. At the 
present stage of development of the CCP, all required waste 
characterization will be managed by WTS at TRU waste sites prior to 
shipment to the WIPP. For the inspection announced today, the CCP will 
demonstrate their capabilities in characterizing TRU debris waste 
generated at SRS in accordance with the DOE/CBFO-implemented waste 
characterization (WC) and quality assurance (QA) plans.
    DOE/CBFO conducted an initial audit of the CCP at SRS on June 18-
20, 2001, which EPA observed. DOE/CBFO has scheduled a final audit for 
the week of September 24, 2001, to evaluate the adequacy, 
implementation, and effectiveness of technical and quality assurance 
activities related to the CCP TRU waste characterization of contact-
handled, retrievably-stored debris waste at SRS. The evaluation would 
lead DOE/CBFO to certify that the CCP-characterized CH TRU debris waste 
meets all applicable requirements at 40 CFR part 194. We will conduct 
an independent inspection under Sec. 194.8 at the same time as DOE/
CBFO's audit to verify that the CCP has characterized SRS-generated CH 
TRU debris waste appropriately in accordance with Condition 3 of our 
WIPP Certification Decision (Appendix A to 40 CFR part 194) and 
Sec. 194.24(c)(4). The CCP may not ship transuranic waste from SRS to 
the WIPP until EPA has approved the CCP's waste characterization 
processes and quality assurance in accordance with Sec. 194.8.
    The following documents related to the CCP have been placed in Air 
Docket A-98-49, particularly: (1) ``CCP-PO-001--Revision 2, 7/23/01--
CCP Transuranic Waste Quality Assurance Characterization Project Plan'' 
(2) ``CCP-PO-002--Revision 2, 7/23/01--CCP Transuranic Waste 
Certification Plan'' and (3) IWR NO. AC27750W--Revision 0, 7/23/01--
Savannah River Site Statement of Work IE 8863 for Clarification of SRS 
TRU Waste.'' These documents describe the top-tier programmatic 
requirements for the CCP. In accordance with Sec. 194.8 of the WIPP 
compliance criteria, we are providing the public 30 days to comment on 
the documents in the docket. EPA will review other potentially relevant 
documentation and will interview CCP personnel during the inspection. 
Our inspection activities and findings will be summarized in our 
inspection report, which will be placed in Docket A-98-49.
    If EPA determines that the provisions in the documents available in 
the EPA Docket are adequately implemented, we will notify DOE by letter 
and place the letter in the official Air Docket in Washington, D.C., 
and in the informational docket locations in New Mexico. We will not 
make a determination of compliance prior to the inspection or before 
the 30-day comment period has closed.
    Information on EPA's radioactive waste disposal standards (40 CFR 
part 191), the compliance criteria (40 CFR part 194), and EPA's 
certification decision is filed in the official EPA Air Docket, Dockets 
No. R-89-01, A-92-56, and A-93-02, respectively, and is available for 
review in Washington, D.C., and at the three EPA WIPP informational 
docket locations in New Mexico. The dockets in New Mexico contain only 
major items from the official Air Docket in Washington, D.C., plus 
those documents added to the official Air Docket after the October 1992 
enactment of the WIPP LWA.

    Dated: August 23, 2001.
Jeffrey R. Holmstead,
Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 01-21812 Filed 8-28-01; 8:45 am]
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