[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 174 (Monday, September 9, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 57189-57190]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-22802]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 194

[FRL 7373-1]
RIN 2060-AJ07


Opportunity to Present Oral Testimony on the Agency's Proposed 
Alternative Provisions to the Compliance Criteria for the Waste 
Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP); Notice of Public Hearings

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of Public Hearings.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (``EPA,'' or ``the 
Agency'' or ``we'') is proposing to revise the ``Criteria for the 
Certification and Recertification of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant's 
Compliance with the Disposal Regulations,'' which are used to determine 
whether the Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant 
(``WIPP'') will comply with EPA's ``Environmental Radiation Protection 
Standards for Management and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level 
and Transuranic Radioactive Wastes.'' The proposed revisions are as 
follows: addition of a mechanism to address minor changes to the 
provisions of the Compliance Criteria; changes to the approval process 
for waste characterization programs at Department of Energy transuranic 
sites; changes to allow for the submission of copies of compliance 
applications and reference materials in alternative format; and 
replacement of the term ``process knowledge'' with ``acceptable 
knowledge.'' The proposed changes do not lessen the requirements for 
complying with the Compliance Criteria. Moreover, these changes will 
have no effect on the technical approach that EPA employs when 
conducting independent inspections of the waste characterization 
capabilities at DOE waste generator sites. EPA is conducting this 
proposed action in accordance with the procedures for substituting 
alternative provisions of the Compliance Criteria.
    The official proposed rule, entitled ``40 CFR Part 194--Criteria 
for the Certification and Recertification of the Waste Isolation Pilot 
Plant's Compliance with the Disposal Regulations; Alternative 
Provisions,'' was published in the Federal Register (67 FR 51930-51946) 
on August 9, 2002. The 120-day comment period for this action will 
conclude on December 9, 2002.

DATES: EPA will conduct public hearings to receive comments on the 
proposed revisions to the WIPP Compliance Criteria in Albuquerque, NM 
on September 24, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; and 
in Santa Fe, NM from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. For 
further information on registration and hearing procedures, please 
refer to SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: EPA's public hearings to accept comments on proposed 
revisions to the WIPP Compliance Criteria will be held on September 24, 
at the Albuquerque Convention Center, Picuris Room, 401 Second Street, 
NW., Albuquerque, NM; and on September 25, at the Hilton Hotel, Mesa A 
Room, 100 Sandoval Street, Santa Fe, NM.
    Information on EPA's radioactive waste compliance criteria (40 CFR 
part 194), and other WIPP-related activities (including the proposed 
revisions and recertification) is listed under Dockets No. A-92-56, and 
A-98-49, respectively, and is available for review at the following 
three EPA WIPP docket locations in New Mexico: in Carlsbad at the 
Municipal Library, Hours: Mon-Thu, 10-9, Fri-Sat, 10-6, and Sun 1-5; in 
Albuquerque at the Government Publications Department, Zimmerman 
Library, University of New Mexico, Hours: Mon-Thu, 8-9, Fri, 8-5, Sat-
Sun, 1-5; in Santa Fe at the New Mexico State Library (A-98-49 only), 
Hours: Mon-Fri, 9-5; and in Santa Fe at the Fogelson Library, College 
of Santa Fe (A-93-02 only), Hours: Mon-Thu, 8-Midnight, Fri, 8-5, Sat, 
9-5, and Sun, 1-9. For purposes of judicial review, EPA's official 
docket for all rulemaking activities under the Waste Isolation Pilot 
Plant Land Withdrawal Act, as amended, is located in Washington, DC in 
the Air Docket, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Mail Code 6102T, 
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460.
    In addition, the proposed rule and related documents may also be 
obtained online through EPA's new electronic docketing system, EDOCKET, 
which is available on the world wide web (http://www.epa.gov/edocket). 
The EDOCKET No. for this action is OAR-2002-0005. Interested parties 
can also view and obtain these documents through EPA's WIPP Web site 
(http://www.epa.gov/radiation/wipp) or call EPA's 24-hour toll-free 
WIPP Information Line, 1-800-331-WIPP for general information about the 
proposed revisions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rafaela Ferguson, Office of Radiation 
and Indoor Air, (202) 564-9362 or call EPA's EPA's contractor-operated, 
toll-free number 1-800-275-2209, Monday thru Friday between 9 a.m. and 
5:30 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (``WIPP'') 
is a disposal system for transuranic radioactive waste. Developed by 
the Department of Energy (``DOE'' or ``the Department''), the WIPP is 
located near Carlsbad in southeastern New Mexico. Transuranic (TRU) 
wastes are emplaced 2,150 feet underground in an ancient layer of salt 
which will eventually ``creep'' and encapsulate waste containers. The 
WIPP has a total capacity of 6.2 million cubic feet of TRU waste. 
Congress authorized the development and construction of the WIPP in 
1980.
    The WIPP is the nation's first deep geological repository for the 
disposal of TRU waste generated by defense activities associated with 
nuclear weapons; no high level waste or spent nuclear fuel from the 
commercial power plants may be disposed at the WIPP. TRU waste is 
defined as material containing alpha-emitting radioisotopes, with half 
lives greater than twenty years and atomic numbers above 92, in 
concentrations greater than 100 nano-curies per gram of wastes.
    Most TRU waste proposed for disposal at WIPP consists of items that 
have become contaminated as a result of activities associated with the 
production of nuclear weapons (or with the clean-up of weapons 
production facilities), e.g., rags, equipment, tools, protective gear, 
and organic and inorganic sludges. The waste proposed for disposal at 
WIPP is currently stored at Federal facilities across the United 
States,

[[Page 57190]]

including locations in Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, South 
Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington.
    On February 9, 1996, EPA announced its final compliance criteria 
(40 CFR part 194) for determining whether the WIPP will comply with 
EPA's environmental radiation protection standards for the disposal of 
radioactive waste in 40 CFR part 191. The compliance criteria 
implemented the radiation protection standards by applying them to the 
proposed disposal of transuranic waste in the WIPP. The EPA was 
required by the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-579) 
to evaluate whether the WIPP will comply with Subparts B and C of the 
40 CFR part 191 (known as the ``disposal regulations'') and issue or 
deny a certification of compliance.
    On May 13, 1998, EPA announced its final compliance certification 
decision (published in the Federal Register on May 18, 1998, at 63 FR 
27354). This decision states that the WIPP complies with the EPA's 
radioactive waste disposal regulations at 40 CFR part 191, subparts B 
and C.
    As mandated by Congress in the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act, EPA has 
regulatory authority over many of DOE's WIPP-related activities for the 
operational lifetime of the facility, approximately 35 years. EPA must 
also recertify WIPP's compliance every five years; the first 
recertification decision will occur in 2004. DOE must report changes in 
activities or conditions at the WIPP that differ significantly from the 
information contained in the most recent compliance application. The 
Agency reviews such information as it is received to determine whether 
the ``certification'' must be modified, suspended, or revoked. In 
addition to review changes, EPA monitors the continued compliance of 
the WIPP facility and related waste characterization activities at the 
waste generator sites by conducting audits and inspections.
    EPA is proposing to revise certain provisions of the Compliance 
Criteria at 40 CFR part 194. As outlined in the official Federal 
Register notice (67 FR 51930-51946), EPA is proposing to (1) Revise the 
process for establishing ``alternative provisions'' in Sec.  194.6; (2) 
revise the approval process in Sec.  194.8 for waste characterization 
processes at TRU waste generator sites for disposal at WIPP; (3) revise 
the requirements in Sec. Sec.  194.12 and 194.13 for submission of 
compliance applications and reference materials; and (4) change the 
term ``process knowledge'' to ``acceptable knowledge'' in Sec.  
194.24(c)(3). The proposed revisions are intended to ensure that 40 CFR 
part 194 remains comprehensive, appropriate, and based upon current 
knowledge and information. The Agency is soliciting comments on this 
proposal.

Hearing Procedures

    Testifiers are requested to pre-register by calling EPA's 
contractor-operated, toll-free number 1-800-275-2209, Monday thru 
Friday between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST). Please 
provide the following information when registering: Name, organization 
(if any), address, hearing date and location, time(s) available to 
testify, and daytime telephone number. Registrations must be received 
by 12 p.m. CST, September 20, 2002, in order to guarantee an 
opportunity to testify. Speakers not registered in advance may register 
at the door and will be scheduled to testify, if openings are still 
available and time permits.
    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 organization and will be allocated 
10 minutes for an oral presentation. Time allowed is exclusive of any 
time consumed by questions from the government panel and answers to 
these questions. 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 hearing. All written comments which are submitted outside of the 
public hearings must be received by the HQ EPA Air Docket (through 
EDOCKET, e-mail, regular mail, or fax) by December 9, 2002. These 
comments will also be given EPA's full consideration. Thus, all 
comments received by EPA, whether written or oral, will be given equal 
consideration in development of the final rule. [Note: The dockets in 
New Mexico only contain major items from the official docket (WDC) plus 
all those documents added to the official docket since October 1992 
when the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act was enacted.] As provided in 40 CFR 
part 2, a reasonable fee may be charged for photocopying docket 
materials.

    Dated: August 30, 2002.
Robert Brenner,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 02-22802 Filed 9-6-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P