[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 207 (Friday, October 25, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65539-65542]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-27207]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Final Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository 
for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste 
at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, NV

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of Distribution.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) announces the distribution and 
availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic 
Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level 
Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada (DOE/EIS-0250F) 
in paper and CD ROM format. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as 
amended (NWPA) (42 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.) requires that any 
recommendation from the Secretary of Energy to the President that the 
President approve the Yucca Mountain site for the development of a 
repository must include a final environmental impact statement (EIS). 
Accordingly, the Department prepared this Final EIS consistent with the 
NWPA, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 
4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations 
that implement the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-
1508), and the DOE procedures implementing NEPA (10 CFR part 1021). The 
Final EIS has been filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 
The Final EIS provides information on potential environmental impacts 
that could result from a Proposed Action to construct, operate and 
monitor, and eventually close a repository for the disposal of spent 
nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain in 
Nevada, including potential impacts from transporting spent nuclear 
fuel and high-level radioactive waste to the repository. The Final EIS 
also considers the potential environmental impacts from an alternative 
referred to as the No-Action Alternative, under which a repository 
would not be developed at Yucca Mountain.

DATES: The Final EIS accompanied the Secretary of Energy's 
recommendation to the President regarding the suitability of the Yucca 
Mountain site for the development of a geologic repository on February 
14, 2002, and was made available to the public electronically on the 
Internet and in public reading rooms at that time, pursuant to the 
NWPA. On February 15, 2002, the President transmitted his 
recommendation of the site to Congress. After the State of Nevada 
submitted a notice of disapproval on April 8, 2002, the U.S. House of 
Representatives and the Senate passed a resolution to approve the site 
on May 8 and July 9, 2002 respectively. The President signed the 
resolution approving the site on July 23, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Written requests for further information on the Final EIS, 
and requests for paper copies of the document (or a CD-ROM version) 
should be directed to: Dr. Jane Summerson, EIS Document Manager, M/S 
010, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste 
Management, Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Office, P.O. Box 
364629, North Las Vegas, Nevada 89036-8629, Telephone 1-800-225-6972, 
Facsimile 1-800-967-0739.
    The Final EIS is available electronically on the Internet at 
www.ymp.gov and will also be available on the DOE NEPA Web site at 
http://tis.eh.doe.gov/nepa/. Addresses of the locations where paper 
copies of the Final EIS are available for public review are listed in 
this Notice in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section under 
``Distribution and Availability of the Final EIS.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Jane Summerson, EIS Document 
Manager, M/S 010, U.S. Department of

[[Page 65540]]

Energy, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Yucca Mountain 
Site Characterization Office, P.O. Box 364629, North Las Vegas, Nevada 
89036-8629, Telephone 1-800-225-6972, Facsimile 1-800-967-0739.
    General information on the DOE NEPA process may be requested from: 
Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance 
(EH-42), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave., SW., 
Washington, DC 20585, Telephone 1-202-586-4600, or leave a message at 
1-800-472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On August 7, 1995, the Department published a Notice of Intent (60 
FR 40164) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic 
Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level 
Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada. The purpose of 
the Notice of Intent was to inform the public of the proposed scope of 
the Repository EIS, to solicit public input, and to announce that 
scoping meetings would be held from August through October 1995. During 
that period 15 public scoping meetings were held throughout the United 
States to obtain public comments regarding the scope, alternatives, and 
issues that should be addressed in the EIS. The scoping period closed 
on December 5, 1995. In May 1997, DOE published the Summary of Public 
Scoping Comments Related to the Environmental Impact Statement for a 
Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-
level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada, which 
summarized the comments received by DOE during the scoping process and 
described how DOE planned at that time to address issues raised during 
scoping. A Notice of Availability for the Summary of Public Scoping 
Comments document was published on July 9, 1997 (62 FR 36789).
    On August 13, 1999, DOE published a notice in the Federal Register 
announcing the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(64 FR 44200). The comment period for the Draft EIS was 199 days, with 
21 public hearings conducted nationally and in the State of Nevada. On 
May 4, 2001, DOE published a notice in the Federal Register announcing 
the availability of a Supplement to the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (66 FR 22540). The comment period for the Supplement to the 
Draft EIS was 57 days, with 3 public hearings conducted in the State of 
Nevada.

Alternatives Considered

    The Final EIS evaluates a Proposed Action and a No-Action 
Alternative. Under the Proposed Action, DOE would construct, operate 
and monitor, and eventually close a geologic repository at Yucca 
Mountain for the disposal of as much as 70,000 metric tons of spent 
nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The Proposed Action 
includes the transportation of spent nuclear fuel and high-level 
radioactive waste to Yucca Mountain from commercial and DOE sites. 
Under the No-Action Alternative, DOE would end activities at Yucca 
Mountain, and commercial and DOE sites would continue to store spent 
nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, packaged as necessary 
for their safe on-site management.
    Two national transportation scenarios are evaluated in the Final 
EIS. The mostly legal-weight truck \1\ scenario assumes that, with a 
few exceptions, spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste 
would be shipped to the repository by legal-weight truck over existing 
highways. The mostly rail scenario assumes that spent nuclear fuel and 
high-level radioactive waste would be shipped to Nevada by rail, with 
some exceptions (based largely on the on-site loading limitations at 
some commercial sites).
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    \1\ Truck with a gross vehicle weight (both truck and cargo) of 
less than 80,000 pounds.
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    The Nevada transportation implementing alternatives parallel the 
national transportation scenarios. However, because no rail access 
currently exists to the repository site, the EIS considers different 
implementing alternatives for the construction of either a new branch 
rail line to the proposed repository, or an intermodal transfer station 
\2\ with associated highway routes for heavy-haul trucks.\3\
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    \2\ An intermodal transfer station is a facility at the juncture 
of rail and road transportation used to transfer shipping casks 
containing spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste from 
rail to truck and empty casks from truck to rail.
    \3\ Shipment of a rail cask (weighing up to 300,000 pounds) on a 
special truck and trailer combination that would have a total weight 
of approximately 500,000 pounds.
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    Under the No-Action Alternative, DOE would end activities at Yucca 
Mountain and undertake site reclamation to mitigate adverse 
environmental impacts from those activities. The commercial nuclear 
power utilities and DOE would continue to store spent nuclear fuel and 
high-level radioactive waste. Because it would be highly speculative to 
attempt to predict future events, DOE decided to illustrate that set of 
possibilities by focusing its analysis of the No-Action Alternative on 
the potential impacts of two scenarios. Scenario 1 assumes that spent 
nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste would remain at the 72 
commercial and 5 DOE sites under institutional control for at least 
10,000 years. Scenario 2 also assumes that spent nuclear fuel and high-
level radioactive waste would remain at the 77 sites in perpetuity, but 
under institutional control for only about 100 years.

Final EIS

    The Final EIS differs from the Draft EIS and Supplement in several 
respects. Changes were made in the Final EIS in response to comments on 
the Draft EIS and Supplement, to correct errors in the Draft EIS and 
Supplement, and to provide new information or improved analyses 
relevant to the Final EIS. The Final EIS includes the Readers Guide and 
Summary; Volume I--Impact Analyses (Chapters 1-15); Volume II--
Appendices A-O; and Volume III--Comment Response Document (Parts 1-4). 
In addition, Volume IV contains information regarding transportation 
and repository accident scenarios, and is only available as discussed 
below. Included with the Final EIS is an errata sheet, which describes 
errors in the Final EIS identified by DOE after the EIS was approved in 
February 2002. These errors have been considered both individually and 
collectively, and DOE has determined that no errors identified would 
cause a significant change to the environmental impacts, nor would they 
change the conclusions reached in the Final EIS.
    The Final EIS evaluates (1) the potential impacts of the 
construction, operation and monitoring, and eventual closure of a 
repository; (2) the potential long-term impacts of repository disposal 
of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste; (3) the 
potential impacts of transporting these materials to the repository; 
and (4) the potential impacts of not proceeding with a repository. The 
Final EIS identifies the Department's preferred alternative, which is 
to proceed with the proposed action to construct, operate and monitor, 
and eventually close a repository at Yucca Mountain, and to use mostly 
rail, both nationally and in Nevada, to transport spent nuclear fuel 
and high-level radioactive waste to the repository.

Distribution and Availability of the Final EIS

    Paper copies of the Readers Guide and Summary and the errata sheet, 
and a CD-ROM of the Final EIS (Volumes I, II,

[[Page 65541]]

and III), were distributed to Members of Congress, Federal, State, and 
Indian tribal governments, local officials, persons, agencies, and 
organizations who commented on the Draft EIS and Supplement to the 
Draft EIS, and others who have indicated an interest in the EIS 
process. Paper copies of the 5,000-page Final EIS may also be requested 
as indicated previously in the ADDRESSES and FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT sections of this notice. However, in light of the events of 
September 11, 2001, Volume IV is available only upon written request to 
the DOE EIS Document Manager at the address provided in the ADDRESSES 
section. The Final EIS is available electronically on the Internet at 
www.ymp.gov, and will also be available on the DOE NEPA Web site at 
http://tis.eh.doe.gov/nepa/. Addresses of Public Reading Rooms and 
libraries where the Final EIS is available for public review are listed 
below. Copies of references considered in preparation of the Final EIS 
are available at the following Public Reading Rooms: University of 
Nevada-Las Vegas, Nevada; University of Nevada-Reno, Nevada; Beatty 
Yucca Mountain Science Center, Nevada; and the DOE Headquarters Office 
in Washington, DC.
    The Environmental Protection Agency has published a separate Notice 
of Availability of the Final EIS.

Public Reading Rooms

California

    Inyo County--Contact: Andrew Remus; (760) 878-0447; Inyo County 
Yucca Mountain Repository Assessment Office; 168 North Edwards Street; 
Post Office Drawer L; Independence, CA 93526.
    Oakland Operations Office--Contact: Judy Weiss; (510) 637-1762; U. 
S. Department of Energy Public Reading Room; EIC; 1301 Clay Street, 
Room 700N; Oakland, CA 94612-5208.

Colorado

    National Renewable Energy Laboratory--Contact: John Horst; (303) 
275-4709; Public Reading Room; 1617 Cole Boulevard; Building 17-4; 
Golden, CO 80401.
    Rocky Flats Public Reading Room--Contact: Gary Morell; (303) 469-
4435; College Hill Library; 3705 112th Avenue; Westminster, CO 80030.

DOE Headquarters

    Headquarters Office--Contact: Carolyn Lawson; (202) 586-3142; U.S. 
Department of Energy; Room 1E-190, Forrestal Building; 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20585.

Georgia

    Atlanta Support Office--Contact: Ron Henderson; (404) 562-0555; 
Department of Energy; Public Reading Room; 75 Spring Street, Suite 200; 
Atlanta, GA 30303.
    Southeastern Power Administration--Contact: Joel W. Seymour; (706) 
213-3810; U.S. Department of Energy; Reading Room; 1166 Athens Tech 
Road; Elberton, GA 30635-6711.

Idaho

    Boise State University Library--Contact: Elaine Watson; (208) 426-
1737; Government Documents; 1910 University Drive; Boise, ID 83725-
1430.
    Idaho Operations Office--Contact: Brent Jacobson; (208) 526-1144; 
U.S. DOE Public Reading Room; 1776 Science Center Drive M/S 2300; Idaho 
Falls, ID 83415.

Illinois

    Chicago Operations Office--Contact: Tiffany Fotno; (312) 996-2738; 
Document Department; University of Illinois at Chicago; 801 South 
Morgan Street M/C 234; Chicago, IL 60680.

Louisiana

    Strategic Petroleum Reserve Project Management Office--Contact: 
Deanna Harvey (FE 445); (504) 734-4316; U.S. Department of Energy; 
SPRPMO Reading Room; 900 Commerce Road, East; New Orleans, LA 70123.

Nevada

    Lander County--Contact: Mickey Yarbro; (775) 635-2885; 315 S. 
Humboldt Street, Battle Mountain, NV 89820.
    Beatty Yucca Mountain Science Center--Contact: Marina Anderson; 
(775) 553-2130; 100 North E Avenue; Beatty, NV 89003.
    Lincoln County--Contact: Lola Stark; (775) 726-3511; Box 1068 100 
Depot Avenue, Suite 15; Caliente, NV 89008.
    Nevada State Clearinghouse--Contact: Heather Elliot; (775) 684-
0209; Department of Administration; 209 Musser Street, Room 200; Carson 
City, NV 89701.
    White Pine County--Contact: Josie Larson; (775) 289-2033; Nuclear 
Waste Project Office; 959 Campton Street; Ely, NV 89301.
    Eureka County--Contact: Leonard Fiorenzi; (775) 237-5372; Eureka 
County Public Works; 701 South Main St.; Eureka, NV 89301.
    Churchill County--Contact: Alan Kalt; (775) 428-0212; 155 North 
Taylor Street, Suite 182; Fallon, NV 89046-2478.
    Esmeralda County--Contact: George McCorkell; (775) 485-3419; Yucca 
Mountain Public Information Center; 105 S. Main Street; Goldfield, NV 
89013.
    Mineral County--Contact: Linda Mathius; (775) 945-2484; First & A 
Streets; Hawthorne, NV 89415.
    Clark County--Contact: Irene Navis; (702) 455-5129; 500 South Grand 
Central Parkway 3012; Las Vegas, NV 89106.
    Las Vegas, Nevada--Contact: Susie Skarl; (702) 895-2200; University 
of Nevada Las Vegas; Lied Library; 4505 Maryland Parkway; Las Vegas, NV 
89154-7039.
    Las Vegas Yucca Mountain Science Center--Contact: Claire Whetsel; 
(702) 295-1312; 4101-B Meadows Lane; Las Vegas, NV 89107.
    Nye County--Contact: Les Bradshaw; (775) 727-7727; Department of 
Natural Resources and Federal Facilities; 1210 E. Basin Avenue, Suite 
6; Pahrump, NV 89060.
    Pahrump Yucca Mountain Science Center--Contact: John Pawlak; (775) 
727-0896; 1141 South Highway 160, Suite 3; Pahrump, NV, 89041.
    Reno, Nevada--Contact: Patrick Ragains; (775) 784-6500, Ext. 309; 
University of Nevada, Reno; The University of Nevada Libraries; 
Business and Government Information Center M/S 322; 1664 N. Virginia 
Street; Reno, NV 89557-0044.

New Mexico

    University of New Mexico--Contact: Dave Baldwin; (505) 277-5441; 
U.S. DOE Contract Reading Room; Zimmerman Library; Albuquerque, NM 
87131-1466.

Ohio

    Fernald Area Office--Contact: Diana Rayer; (513) 648-7480; U.S. 
Department of Energy; Public Information Room; 10995 Hamilton Cleves 
Highway, M/S 78; Harrison, OH 45030.

Oklahoma

    National Energy Technology Lab, National Petroleum Technology 
Office--Contact: Bernadette Ward; (918) 699-2033; U.S. Department of 
Energy; 1 Williams Tower I, West 3rd Street, Suite 1400; Tulsa, OK 
74103.
    Southwestern Power Administration--Contact: Marti Ayres; (918) 595-
6609; U.S. Department of Energy; Public Reading Room; 1 West 3rd, Suite 
1600; Tulsa, OK 74103-3519.

Oregon

    Bonneville Power Administration--Contact: Bill Zimmerman; (503) 
230-7334; U.S. Department of Energy; BPA-C-ILL-1; 905 NE 11th Street; 
Portland, OR 97232.

[[Page 65542]]

Pennsylvania

    Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center--Contact: Ann C. Dunlap; (412) 
386-6167; U.S. Department of Energy; Building 922/M210; Cochrans Mill 
Road; Pittsburgh, PA 15236-0940.

South Carolina

    Savannah River Operations Office--Contact: Pauline Conner; (803) 
725-1408; Gregg-Graniteville Library; University of South Carolina-
Aiken; 171 University Parkway; Aiken, SC 29801.
    University of South Carolina--Contact: William Suddeth; (803) 777-
4841; Thomas Cooper Library; Documents/Microforms Department; Green and 
Sumter Streets; Columbia, SC 29208.

Tennessee

    Oak Ridge Operations Office--Contact: Walter Perry; (865) 241-4780; 
U.S. Department of Energy; 475 Oakridge Turnpike; Oak Ridge, TN 37830.

Texas

    Southern Methodist University--Contact: Joseph Milazzo; (214) 768-
2561; Fondren Library East; Government Information; 6414 Hilltop Lane, 
Room 102; Dallas, TX 75275.

Utah

    University of Utah--Contact: Walter Jones; (801) 581-8863; Marriott 
Library Special Collections; 295 South 15th East; Salt Lake City, UT 
84112-0860.

Washington

    Richland Operations Center--Contact: Terri Traub; (509) 372-7443; 
U.S. Department of Energy; Public Reading Room; 2770 University Drive; 
Room 101L; Mailstop H2-53; Richland, WA 99352.

    Issued in Washington, DC, October 11, 2002.
Margaret S. Y. Chu,
Director, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management.
[FR Doc. 02-27207 Filed 10-24-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P