[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 91 (Thursday, May 10, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27448-27449]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-11292]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Amended Notice of Intent To Revise the Scope of an Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Recapitalization of Infrastructure Supporting 
Naval Spent Nuclear Fuel at the Idaho National Laboratory

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Amended Notice of Intent to Revise the Scope of an 
Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on 
Environmental Quality regulations for implementing the procedural 
provisions of NEPA (40 CFR part 1500-1508), and the Department of 
Energy (DOE) implementing procedures (10 CFR part 1021), the DOE Naval 
Nuclear Propulsion Program (NNPP) announces its intent to revise the 
scope to the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 
Recapitalization of Naval Spent Nuclear Fuel Handling and Examination 
Facilities at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The NNPP issued its 
Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare the EIS for the Recapitalization of 
Naval Spent Nuclear Fuel Handling and Examination on July 20, 2010 (75 
FR 42082).

DATES: The NNPP invites interested parties to comment on the revised 
scope of the EIS. NNPP will consider all comments received by June 11, 
2012, and to the extent practical comments received after that date, in 
the preparation of the EIS.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the revised scope of the EIS may be 
submitted by mailing to: Ms. Samantha O'Hara (08U-Naval Reactors), 
Naval Sea Systems Command, 1240 Isaac Hull Avenue SE., Stop 8036, 
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20376-8036.
    Comments provided by email should be submitted to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about this 
project, contact Ms. Samantha O'Hara, as described above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NNPP is responsible for all aspects of 
U.S. Navy nuclear power and propulsion. These responsibilities include 
design, maintenance, and safe operation of nuclear propulsion systems 
throughout their operational life cycles. A crucial component of this 
mission, naval spent nuclear fuel handling, occurs at the end of a 
nuclear propulsion system's useful life. Once a naval nuclear core is 
depleted, the NNPP is responsible for removal of the spent nuclear fuel 
through a defueling or refueling operation. Both operations remove the 
spent nuclear fuel from a reactor core, but a refueling operation also 
involves installing new fuel into the reactor core, allowing the 
nuclear-powered ship to be redeployed into the U.S. Navy fleet. After 
the naval spent nuclear fuel has been removed from an aircraft carrier 
or submarine, NNPP spent fuel handling includes the subsequent 
transfer, preparation, and packaging required for dry storage pending 
transportation of the fuel to a national geologic repository or interim 
storage site.
    The NNPP ensures that naval spent nuclear fuel handling is 
performed in a safe and environmentally responsible manner in 
accordance with 50 U.S.C. 2406, 2511 (codifying Executive Order 12344). 
Nuclear fuel handling is an intricate and intensive process requiring a 
complex infrastructure. Naval spent nuclear fuel handling includes the 
transfer of spent nuclear fuel removed from a reactor to the Expended 
Core Facility (ECF) at the Naval Reactors Facility (NRF) at the INL, 
where it is received, unloaded, prepared, and packaged for disposal.
    The NNPP is proposing to recapitalize the existing ECF 
infrastructure at the INL. The purpose of the proposed action is to 
ensure the continued availability of the infrastructure needed to 
support the transfer, handling, examination, and packaging of naval 
spent nuclear fuel removed from nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and 
submarines, as well as from land-based prototype reactors for at least 
the next 40 years. This action is needed because, although the ECF at 
the NRF, where this work is currently supported, continues to be 
maintained and operated in a safe and environmentally responsible 
manner, a significant portion of the ECF infrastructure has been in 
service for over 50 years. Deterioration of the ECF infrastructure 
could immediately and profoundly impact the NNPP mission, including the 
NNPP's ability to support refueling and defueling of nuclear powered 
submarines and aircraft carriers. The ECF capabilities to transfer, 
prepare, examine, and package naval spent nuclear fuel, and other 
irradiated materials are vital to the NNPP's mission of maintaining the 
reliable operation of the naval nuclear-powered fleet and developing 
militarily effective nuclear propulsion plants.
    Consistent with the Record of Decision for the April 1995 DOE 
Programmatic EIS for Spent Nuclear Fuel Management (DOE/EIS-0203-F), 
naval spent nuclear fuel is shipped by rail from shipyards and 
prototype facilities to NRF for examination and processing. After 
processing, naval spent nuclear fuel is transferred into dry storage 
containers and placed into temporary storage at NRF, prior to off-site 
transfer consistent with the Record of Decision for the November 1996 
Navy EIS for a Container System for Management of Naval Spent Nuclear 
Fuel (DOE/EIS-0251). Ongoing efforts to sustain the infrastructure 
needed to transfer, prepare, examine, and package naval spent nuclear 
fuel will preserve these essential capabilities and ensure that the 
NNPP high standards for protecting the public and the environment 
continue to be met. Facility age, however, is expected to cause a 
growing maintenance burden and increase the likelihood of

[[Page 27449]]

unacceptable workflow interruptions that could adversely impact the 
fleet.
    The NNPP proposes to recapitalize the infrastructure for 
transferring, preparing, examining, and packaging naval spent nuclear 
fuel and other irradiated materials, to ensure these capabilities are 
maintained for the vital NNPP mission of supporting the naval nuclear-
powered fleet. The recapitalization will be carried out as two 
projects. The first project will be the Spent Fuel Handling 
Recapitalization Project; the second project will be the Examination 
Recapitalization Project. The NNPP was initially pursuing two 
recapitalization projects in the same time frame; however, since the 
initiation of the NEPA process, the project schedules have changed such 
that the Spent Fuel Handling Recapitalization Project has progressed 
further than the Examination Recapitalization Project. Preparing one 
EIS that includes both projects would require decisions about the 
Examination Recapitalization Project too early in the design process 
prior to having sufficient information to fully analyze the 
environmental impacts of the project. Additionally, funding 
uncertainties have made the timing of the Examination Recapitalization 
Project speculative in nature. To ensure an EIS is completed in support 
of the Navy's need for the Spent Fuel Handling Recapitalization 
Project, it is necessary to reduce the scope of the EIS to cover only 
the Spent Fuel Handling Recapitalization Project. The proposed 
Examination Recapitalization Project will be considered in the 
cumulative impacts section of the EIS along with other reasonably 
foreseeable projects on the INL. A separate document will be prepared 
in accordance with NEPA for the Examination Recapitalization Project 
once this project has been more clearly defined.
    The EIS will consider the environmental effects related to the 
Spent Fuel Handling Recapitalization Project. The alternatives being 
evaluated have been revised to remove aspects related to an Examination 
Recapitalization Project and to address public comments received during 
initial EIS scoping. The NNPP will evaluate building a new facility at 
two potential sites on the NRF, an ECF Overhaul Alternative, and a No 
Action Alternative:
     Alternative 1--Construct and operate a new facility for 
spent fuel handling capabilities at one of two potential locations at 
the NRF on the INL.
     Alternative 2--Overhaul the spent fuel handling 
capabilities of the ECF at NRF by implementing major infrastructure and 
water pool refurbishment projects while performing corrective 
maintenance and repair actions as necessary.
     Alternative 3 (No Action)--Maintain the spent fuel 
handling capabilities of the ECF by continuing to use the current ECF 
infrastructure while performing corrective maintenance and repairs 
necessary to keep the infrastructure in good working order (i.e., 
actions sufficient to sustain the proper functioning of structures, 
systems, and components).
    The NNPP proposes to address the issues listed below when 
considering the potential impacts of the proposed alternatives in the 
EIS. This list is presented to facilitate public comment during the 
scoping period and is not intended to be comprehensive, or to imply any 
predetermination of impacts. Issues include:
     Potential impacts of emissions on air and water quality.
     Potential impacts on plants, animals, and their habitats, 
including species that are listed by either State or Federal government 
as threatened, endangered, or of special concern.
     Potential impacts from postulated accidents, as well as 
potential impacts from acts of terrorism or sabotage.
     Potential effects on the public health from exposure to 
hazardous materials or radiological releases under routine operations.
     Potential safety and health impacts to workers.
     Impacts on cultural resources, such as historic, 
archeological, and Native American culturally important sites.
     Socioeconomic impacts to the potentially affected 
communities.
     Compliance with applicable Federal and state regulations.
     Potential disproportionately high and adverse effects on 
low-income and minority populations (environmental justice).
     Cumulative impacts.
    NEPA implementing regulations require an early and open process for 
determining the scope of an EIS and for identifying the significant 
issues related to the proposed action. Accordingly, NNPP invites 
Federal agencies; Tribal, State, and local governments; and the general 
public to comment on the revised scope of the EIS including 
identification of reasonable alternatives and specific issues that 
should be addressed. All public comments received as described above 
will be considered during the development of the EIS.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 4, 2012.
John M. McKenzie,
Director, Regulatory Affairs, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.
[FR Doc. 2012-11292 Filed 5-9-12; 8:45 am]
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