[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 166 (Friday, August 26, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58921-58923]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-20501]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement for Disposition of Depleted Uranium Oxide Conversion Product 
Generated From DOE's Inventory of Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces its intention to 
prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for its 
proposal to disposition depleted uranium oxide (DUOX) 
conversion product from its depleted uranium hexafluoride 
(DUF6) conversion facilities at the Paducah, Kentucky, and 
Portsmouth, Ohio, sites at up to three offsite low-level waste disposal 
facilities. The Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for 
Disposition of Depleted Uranium Oxide Conversion Product Generated from 
DOE's Inventory of Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride (DOE/EIS-0359-S1; DOE/
EIS-0360-S1) will analyze potential environmental impacts from the 
proposed action to identify a final disposition location or locations 
for the DUOX conversion product from both operating 
DUF6 conversion facilities.
    The proposed scope of the draft SEIS includes an analysis of 
potential environmental impacts from activities associated with the 
transportation to and disposition of depleted uranium oxide at three 
proposed disposition location alternatives: the DOE-owned low-level 
radioactive waste disposal facility at the Nevada National Security 
Site (NNSS) in Nye County, Nevada; the EnergySolutions, LLC (formerly 
known as Envirocare of Utah, Inc.) low-level waste disposal facility in 
Clive, Utah; and the newly identified location at the Waste Control 
Specialists, LLC (WCS) low-level waste disposal facility in Andrews, 
Texas.

ADDRESSES: Questions concerning the project or requests to be placed on 
the document distribution list can be sent to: Ms. Jaffet Ferrer-
Torres, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Document Manager, 
Office of Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy, EM-4.22, 
1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585; or to 
[email protected]. Additional information regarding the SEIS is 
available at: http://www.energy.gov/em/disposition-uranium-oxide-conversion-depleted-uranium-hexafluoride.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on DOE's 
DUF6 long-term management and disposal program, please 
contact Ms. Jaffet Ferrer-Torres, U.S. Department of Energy at the 
above ADDRESSES.
    For information on DOE's NEPA process, please contact Ms. Carol M. 
Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance, U.S. 
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 
20585-0103; Telephone: (202) 586-4600, or leave a message at (800) 472-
2756; or email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The use of uranium as fuel for nuclear power plants or for military 
applications requires increasing the proportion of the uranium-235 
isotope found in natural uranium. Industrial uranium enrichment in the 
United States began as part of atomic bomb development during World War 
II. Uranium enrichment for both civilian and military uses was 
continued by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and its successor 
agencies, including DOE. Uranium enrichment by gaseous diffusion was 
carried out at three locations: the Paducah Site in Kentucky, the 
Portsmouth Site in Ohio, and the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak 
Ridge, Tennessee.

[[Page 58922]]

    DUF6 results from the uranium enrichment process. The 
DUF6 that remains after enrichment typically contains 0.2 
percent to 0.4 percent uranium-235 and has been stored as a solid in 
large metal cylinders at the gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment 
facilities. The DUF6 must be converted into a more stable 
form for disposal. The conversion process results in DUOX 
and aqueous hydrogen fluoride \1\ (HF). DOE's existing inventory has 
over 760,000 metric tons (MT) (1 MT = 1,000 kilograms, approximately 
2,205 pounds) of DUF6. Approximately 54,000 MT, or 7% of 
this total, has already been converted at the end of calendar year 
2015. DUF6 is stored as a solid in steel cylinders that each 
hold approximately 10 to 14 MT of material. These cylinders are stacked 
two layers high in outdoor areas known as ``yards.'' The Paducah Site 
has approximately 44,000 DUF6 cylinders, and the Portsmouth 
Site has approximately 19,000 DUF6 cylinders, for a total of 
about 63,000 cylinders. All DUF6 cylinders produced at 
facilities in Tennessee were previously transported to the Portsmouth 
Site. Operating at planned capacity, the conversion plants would 
produce approximately 10,800 MT (11,900 tons) of DUOX 
annually at Portsmouth and 14,300 MT (15,800 tons) of DUOX 
annually at Paducah. The duration to convert the inventory of 
DUF6 to DUOX is expected to be 18 years for the 
Portsmouth DUF6 inventory and 25 years for Paducah's larger 
DUF6 inventory.
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    \1\ The HF produced during conversion will be recycled into 
commercial product.
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Relationship to Existing NEPA Analyses

    This SEIS represents the third phase of an environmental review 
process being used to evaluate and implement the DUF6 long-
term management program. As a first step and pursuant to Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) and DOE NEPA implementing regulations at 40 
CFR parts 1500-1508 and 10 CFR part 1021, respectively, DOE evaluated 
potential broad management options for its DUF6 inventory in 
the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Alternative 
Strategies for the Long-Term Management and Use of Depleted Uranium 
Hexafluoride (DUF6 PEIS) (DOE/EIS-0269) issued in April 1999 
(64 FR 19999; April 23, 1999). In the DUF6 PEIS Record of 
Decision (ROD) (64 FR 43358; August 10, 1999), DOE decided to promptly 
convert the DUF6 inventory to a more stable uranium oxide 
form and stated that it would use the depleted uranium oxide as much as 
possible and store the remaining depleted uranium oxide for potential 
future uses or disposal, as necessary. DOE did not select specific 
sites for the conversion facilities or disposal at that time, but 
reserved that decision for subsequent NEPA review.
    In June 2004, DOE issued two EISs for construction and operation of 
DUF6 conversion facilities and other actions at its Paducah, 
Kentucky and Portsmouth, Ohio sites (69 FR 34161; June 18, 2004). Both 
the Final Environmental Impact Statement for Construction and Operation 
of a Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride Conversion Facility at the Paducah, 
Kentucky Site (DOE/EIS-0359) and the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for Construction and Operation of a Depleted Uranium 
Hexafluoride Conversion Facility at the Portsmouth, Ohio Site (DOE/EIS-
0360) were prepared as a second phase of the environmental review 
process to evaluate and implement DOE's DUF6 long-term 
management program. These EISs evaluated the potential environmental 
impacts of transportation and disposition of depleted uranium oxide at 
two potential off-site locations: at the DOE-owned low-level 
radioactive waste disposal facility at the Nevada Test Site (now known 
as NNSS), and at Envirocare of Utah, Inc. (now known as 
EnergySolutions, LLC), a commercial low-level waste disposal facility 
in Clive, Utah. RODs were published for both of these EISs on July 27, 
2004 (69 FR 44649, 69 FR 44654). However, DOE deferred a decision on 
the transportation and disposition of the conversion product and 
committed to addressing that action at a later date.
    In 2007, DOE prepared a draft Supplement Analysis (SA), in 
accordance with DOE NEPA implementing regulations at 10 CFR 1021.314, 
in order to determine whether there were substantial changes to the 
proposal or significant new circumstances or information relevant to 
environmental concerns that require preparation of a Supplemental EIS 
to decide disposition locations committed to in the 2004 RODs. DOE made 
the Draft Supplement Analysis for Location(s) to Dispose of Depleted 
Uranium Oxide Conversion Product Generated from DOE's Inventory of 
Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride (DOE/EIS-0359-SA-1 and DOE/EIS-0360-SA-1) 
publicly available on April 3, 2007 (72 FR 15869). The comments 
received associated with the scope of the draft SA suggested 
consideration of WCS's Andrews, Texas, site as a reasonable 
alternative, which will be considered in this SEIS. DOE determined that 
more time was needed to allow for resolution of regulatory questions at 
the disposal sites and did not issue a final SA.
    In August 2014, the WCS facility near Andrews, Texas, was granted a 
license amendment by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that would allow 
disposal of bulk uranium. As a result, DOE assumes, for purposes of 
planning, that WCS may be a new reasonable alternative as a disposal 
site for depleted uranium oxide conversion product. After due 
consideration of the existing DOE NEPA analyses summarized above, and 
any changes in the disposition activities currently being considered, 
DOE determined in March 2016 that a Supplemental EIS is warranted given 
that there are substantial changes to the proposal (in this case, a new 
alternative disposal site is under consideration), or potentially 
significant new circumstances or information relevant to environmental 
concerns given the time lapse since the 2004 EISs.

Purpose and Need for Agency Action

    The purpose and need for this action is to dispose of 
DUOx that results from converting DOE's DUF6 
inventory to a more stable chemical form. This need follows directly 
from the decisions presented in the 2004 RODs for construction and 
operation of DUF6 conversion facilities and other NEPA 
actions at its Paducah, Kentucky and Portsmouth, Ohio sites, that 
deferred DOE's decision related to the transportation to and disposal 
of depleted uranium oxide at potential off-site facilities.

Alternatives Considered

    The proposed scope of the draft SEIS includes an analysis of the 
potential impacts from three action alternatives and the No Action 
alternative (in accordance with 40 CFR 1502.14). Under the No Action 
alternative, transportation to and disposal of the conversion product 
at an offsite low-level waste disposal facility would not occur and 
refilled cylinders of DUOx conversion product would remain 
at the DUF6 conversion facility sites at DOE's Paducah and 
Portsmouth sites. The SEIS will also analyze and compare the potential 
impacts from three action alternatives that include transportation to 
and disposal of DUOx at three proposed alternative 
locations, including government-owned and privately-owned facilities: 
(1) The DOE-owned Area 5 waste disposal facility at the NNSS; (2) the 
EnergySolutions LLC, low-level waste disposal facility in Clive, Utah; 
and (3) the newly identified location at the WCS federal low-level

[[Page 58923]]

waste disposal facility in Andrews, Texas.
    The SEIS analysis will include a review of available environmental 
data and information; comparative analyses of potential environmental 
and human health and safety impacts of DUOx disposal at the 
three alternative locations (including updated information for the two 
offsite disposal locations previously identified and studied in the 
2004 EISs); analyses of the potential environmental impacts of 
transporting DUOx by rail or truck to each alternative site; 
and an evaluation of the No Action alternative.

Identification of Environmental Issues

    The SEIS will examine potential public health and safety effects 
and environmental impacts from the proposed action. This notice is 
intended to inform agencies and the public of DOE's proposal. Although 
the following is not intended to be all inclusive or to imply any 
predetermination of impacts, these general categories of impacts will 
be considered in the SEIS: Land use; geology, soils, and geologic 
hazards, including seismicity; water resources (surface water and 
groundwater); biological resources; protected, threatened and 
endangered species, including species of special concern; human health 
and safety (both routine operations and potential accidents); air 
quality; noise; cultural and historic resources; waste management; 
environmental justice; and socioeconomics.

Public Participation in the SEIS Process

    A public scoping process is optional for DOE Supplemental EISs (10 
CFR 1021.311(f)), and there will be none for this project. However, DOE 
will provide opportunities for public review and comment, including 
public hearings, on the draft SEIS.

SEIS Preparation and Schedule

    DOE expects to issue the draft SEIS in 2016.

    Issued at Washington, DC, on August 19, 2016.
Frank Marcinowski,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management.
[FR Doc. 2016-20501 Filed 8-25-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P