[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 22, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14505-14507]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-4162]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Advance Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership Technology 
Demonstration Program

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Advance notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is providing this Advance 
Notice of Intent (ANOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the 
Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) Technology Demonstration 
Program. The GNEP Technology Demonstration Program would demonstrate 
certain technologies that could change the way spent nuclear fuel from 
commercial light-water nuclear power reactors is managed. This EIS will 
inform DOE officials and the public of the potential environmental 
impacts associated with the proposed action, which is to demonstrate 
U.S. capability to safely recycle spent nuclear fuel using 
proliferation-resistant separation processes and the conversion of 
transuranics into shorter-lived radioisotopes.
    The proposed action includes three key elements that would comprise 
a proliferation-resistant closed fuel cycle: (1) The demonstration of 
separation processes in which usable and waste materials that are found 
in spent nuclear fuel are separated; (2) the demonstration of the 
conversion of transuranics; and (3) the demonstration of an advanced 
fuel fabrication process.
    The EIS will evaluate all reasonable alternative technologies and 
locations for the key elements of the proposed GNEP Technology 
Demonstration Program. New facilities and

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modifications to existing facilities might be required for the 
Technology Demonstration Program. The EIS will address siting, 
construction or modification, and operation of these facilities. DOE is 
issuing this ANOI, pursuant to its NEPA regulations at 10 CFR 
1021.311(b), to inform and request early comments from Federal 
agencies, state and local governments, Native American tribes, 
industry, other organizations, and members of the public regarding the 
proposed action, the reasonable alternatives, and the potential 
environmental impacts.

DATES: DOE invites comments on this ANOI through May 8, 2006. DOE will 
consider comments received after May 8, 2006 to the extent practicable. 
DOE intends to issue a Notice of Intent (NOI) for the EIS later this 
year. After the NOI is issued, DOE will conduct public scoping meetings 
to assist in further defining the scope of the EIS and to identify 
significant issues to be addressed. The dates and locations of scoping 
meetings will be announced in the NOI, subsequent Federal Register 
notices (as needed), and in local media.

ADDRESSES: Please direct comments, suggestions, or relevant information 
on the planned EIS and questions concerning the proposed action to: 
Timothy A. Frazier, NEPA Document Manager, Office of Nuclear Energy, 
Science and Technology, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0119, Telephone: 866-645-7803, Fax: 
866-645-7807, E-mail to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request further information about 
the EIS or to be placed on the EIS distribution list, use any of the 
methods listed under ADDRESSES above. Supplementary information on GNEP 
and the proposed GNEP Technology Demonstration Program may be found at 
http://www.gnep.energy.gov.
    For general information concerning the DOE NEPA process, contact: 
Carol Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance (EH-
42), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20585-0119; telephone: 202-586-4600, or leave a message 
at 1-800-472-2756; fax: 202-586-7031; or send an e-mail to 
[email protected].
    This ANOI will be available on the Internet at http://www.eh.doe.gov/nepa and http://www.gnep.energy.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    As part of President Bush's Advanced Energy Initiative, DOE has 
launched a new initiative, the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership 
(GNEP). The broad goals of GNEP are to: (1) Reduce the United States' 
dependence on foreign sources of fossil fuels and encourage economic 
growth, while meeting increasing demand for electricity without 
emitting air pollution and greenhouse gases; (2) recycle nuclear fuel 
using new proliferation-resistant technologies to recover more energy 
and reduce the volume of waste; (3) encourage prosperity growth and 
clean development around the world; and (4) utilize the latest 
technologies to reduce the risk of nuclear proliferation worldwide.
    The proposed GNEP Technology Demonstration Program would involve 
the development of technologies to promote GNEP's goals. The GNEP 
Technology Demonstration Program would demonstrate technologies needed 
to implement a closed fuel cycle that enables recycling and consumption 
of spent nuclear fuel in a proliferation-resistant manner. While DOE 
has had some success at bench-scale testing of these technologies, it 
has not yet proven that these technologies will be feasible in 
demonstration-scale facilities.
    The proposed GNEP Technology Demonstration Program includes three 
major projects that would be conducted in new or existing facilities. 
These projects would demonstrate: (1) Proliferation-resistant processes 
that would separate the usable elements in commercial spent nuclear 
fuel from its waste elements; (2) the conversion of transuranics into 
shorter-lived radioisotopes; and (3) operation of an advanced fuel 
fabrication facility. The GNEP Technology Demonstration Program EIS 
will address siting, construction or modification, and operation of 
these demonstration-scale facilities. (Decontamination and 
decommissioning of these facilities will be addressed in one or more 
future NEPA analyses.)
    In addition, DOE anticipates preparing a separate NEPA analysis at 
a later date that would address the environmental impacts of potential 
future actions to encourage the commercial-scale adoption of these 
technologies for the management of spent nuclear fuel from commercial 
nuclear power reactors, as well as alternatives. At that time, DOE 
anticipates preparing a programmatic EIS that would address the 
potential environmental consequences of the widespread deployment of 
proliferation-resistant spent nuclear fuel separation technologies, 
technologies that consume transuranics while extracting their energy, 
and fuel fabrication technologies, including those technologies that 
are the subject of the Technology Demonstration Program.
    As discussed above, the GNEP Technology Demonstration Program 
includes three major projects.

1. Demonstration of an Advanced Separation Process

    Under the GNEP Technology Demonstration Program, DOE would 
demonstrate the capability to safely recycle spent nuclear fuel from 
commercial light-water nuclear power reactors using proliferation-
resistant separation processes. In support of this effort, DOE would 
conduct demonstration-scale testing of a process that would separate 
the usable elements in spent commercial nuclear fuel from its waste 
elements.
    Spent nuclear fuel contains uranium, transuranics (plutonium and 
other long-lived radioactive material), and fission products. The 
fission products are waste and make up less than five percent of the 
used fuel. The buildup of the fission products inhibits the nuclear 
fission reaction, so used fuel must be removed from a nuclear power 
plant. In order to consume transuranics and uranium, while recovering 
their energy content, the transuranics and uranium would be separated 
from the fission products and then fabricated into new fuel.
    The GNEP Technology Demonstration Program would use advanced 
separation processes (such as, but not necessarily limited to, Uranium 
Extraction Plus, or UREX+). As discussed below, the products of these 
advanced separation processes can be used in a facility such as a fast 
reactor that would consume transuranics to produce energy.

2. Demonstration of the Conversion of Transuranics

    DOE would demonstrate the destruction of transuranics separated 
from spent nuclear fuel from commercial nuclear power plants. To 
destroy the transuranics, DOE would take advantage of high-energy 
neutrons to fission, or split apart, long-lived transuranics and 
transmute, or convert, them into shorter-lived radioisotopes. DOE will 
consider a facility such as, but not necessarily limited to, a fast 
reactor as a source of high-energy neutrons. As transuranics are 
consumed, significant energy is released and can be converted into 
electricity, thereby producing useful energy from material that would 
otherwise be waste.

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3. Demonstration of a Proliferation-Resistant Fuel Cycle and Advanced 
Fuel Fabrication

    DOE would demonstrate the fabrication, testing, and qualification 
of advanced fuel forms in a multi-hot cell, multi-purpose research, 
development, and demonstration laboratory that can serve fuel cycle 
testing needs. The facility would use modular, flexible construction 
technologies with the near-term objective to fabricate and qualify 
fuels to be used in the facility for the conversion of transuranics.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose of the GNEP Technology Demonstration Program is to 
demonstrate U.S. capability to safely recycle spent nuclear fuel using 
proliferation-resistant separation processes and the conversion of 
transuranics into shorter-lived radioisotopes. DOE needs to identify 
and demonstrate technologies and identify the locations where those 
technologies would be demonstrated.

Potential Range of Alternatives

    As part of the NEPA process, DOE will consider and evaluate all 
reasonable alternatives, including those identified in response to the 
ANOI, NOI, and during the public scoping process. DOE will also 
evaluate a No Action alternative.

Invitation To Comment

    DOE invites Federal agencies, state and local governments, Native 
American tribes, industry, other organizations, and members of the 
public to provide comments on the proposed scope, alternatives (both 
technology and siting), and environmental issues to be analyzed in the 
forthcoming EIS for the GNEP Technology Demonstration Program. DOE will 
consider all such comments and other relevant information in developing 
an NOI. Comments on this ANOI should be submitted as described under 
DATES and ADDRESSES above.

Potential Environmental Issues for Analysis

    DOE has tentatively identified the following environmental issues 
for analysis in the GNEP Technology Demonstration Program EIS. The list 
is presented to facilitate early comment on the scope of the EIS; it is 
not intended to be comprehensive nor to predetermine the alternatives 
to be analyzed or their potential impacts.
     Potential impacts to the general population and workers 
from radiological and nonradiological releases.
     Potential impacts of emissions on air and water quality.
     Potential impacts on flora and fauna of a region.
     Potential transportation impacts from the shipment of 
radioactive materials and waste.
     Potential impacts from postulated accidents.
     Potential disproportionately high and adverse effects on 
low-income and minority populations (environmental justice).
     Potential Native American concerns.
     Short-term and long-term land use impacts.
     Compliance with applicable Federal and state regulations.
     Long-term health and environmental impacts.
     Long-term site suitability.

NEPA Process

    DOE plans to publish the NOI for the proposed GNEP Technology 
Demonstration Program EIS in the Federal Register later this year. The 
NOI will identify the technologies and sites that DOE proposes to 
evaluate as reasonable alternatives in the EIS. Following the 
publication of the NOI, there will be a 60-day public scoping period. 
Subsequently, DOE will announce the availability of the Draft EIS in 
the Federal Register and other media outlets. Federal agencies, state 
and local governments, Native American tribes, industry, other 
organizations, and members of the public will have an opportunity to 
submit comments. These comments will be considered and addressed in the 
Final EIS. DOE will issue a Record of Decision(s) no sooner than 30 
days after publication of the Environmental Protection Agency's Notice 
of Availability of the Final EIS. DOE might announce its decision to 
implement all three projects in a single Record of Decision or in 
separate Records of Decision.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on March 16, 2006.
C. Russell H. Shearer,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. E6-4162 Filed 3-21-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P