[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 248 (Friday, December 28, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67250-67251]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-28249]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice of Availability of Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement for Disposition of Depleted Uranium Oxide Conversion Product
Generated From DOE's Inventory of Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride
AGENCY: Office of Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of availability and public hearings.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Environmental
Management, announces the availability of the Draft Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement for Disposition of Depleted Uranium
Oxide Conversion Product Generated from DOE's Inventory of Depleted
Uranium Hexafluoride (Draft SEIS) (DOE/EIS-0359-S1; DOE/EIS-0360-S1).
DOE also announces three web-based public hearings to receive comments
on the Draft SEIS. The Draft SEIS evaluates the potential environmental
impacts associated with the transportation to final disposition of
depleted uranium (DU) oxide conversion product from its depleted
uranium hexafluoride (DUF6) conversion facilities at the
Paducah, Kentucky, and Portsmouth, Ohio, sites at three alternative
offsite low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities: The DOE-owned
low-level radioactive waste disposal facility at the Nevada National
Security Site (NNSS) in Nye County, Nevada; the EnergySolutions low-
level radioactive waste disposal facility in Clive, Utah; and the Waste
Control Specialists LLC (WCS) low-level radioactive waste disposal
facility in Andrews, Texas.
DATES: DOE is inviting public comments on the Draft SEIS starting with
the date of publication of this Notice and ending on Monday, February
11, 2019. DOE will host three web-based public hearings to receive
comments on the Draft SEIS. Comments submitted during this public
comment period will be considered in preparation of the Final SEIS. DOE
will consider late comments to the extent practicable. DOE will conduct
web-based public comment hearings on the dates indicated below:
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 from 2:00-4:00 p.m., Web-based
Wednesday, January 23, 2019 from 4:00-6:00 p.m., Web-based
Thursday, January 24, 2019, from 7:00-9:00 p.m., Web-based
ADDRESSES: Comments on the Draft SEIS maybe be submitted by any of the
following methods:
Mail: Ms. Jaffet Ferrer-Torres, Document Manager, Office
of Environmental Management, Department of Energy, EM-4.22, 1000
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585. Note: Comments submitted
by U.S. Postal Service may be delayed by mail screening.
Email: [email protected].
WebEx Meeting Room (during scheduled dates see Web-based
Public Hearing Information Section):
[cir] https://doe.webex.com/join/duf6_nepa (Copy and Paste into web
browser).
DU Oxide SEIS Website: http://www.energy.gov/em/disposition-uranium-oxide-conversion-depleted-uranium-hexafluoride.
This NOA, the Environmental Protection Agency NOA, and the Draft
SEIS will be posted on the DOE NEPA website at http://energy.gov/nepa.
These documents, and additional materials relating to this Draft SEIS,
will be also available on the DU Oxide SEIS website at: http://www.energy.gov/em/disposition-uranium-oxide-conversion-depleted-uranium-hexafluoride.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about this
Draft SEIS, please contact Ms. Jaffet Ferrer-Torres, U.S. Department of
Energy at the mailing addresses listed in ADDRESSES. For information on
DOE's NEPA process, please contact Mr. William Ostrum, Acting NEPA
Compliance Officer, Office of Regulatory Compliance, U.S. Department of
Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585; or email at
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Draft SEIS has been prepared in accordance with Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ) and DOE NEPA implementing regulations at 40
CFR parts 1500-1508 and 10 CFR part 1021, respectively. The Draft SEIS
evaluates 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 DU oxide conversion product would remain in
storage at DOE's Paducah and Portsmouth sites.
[[Page 67251]]
Preferred Alternative
DOE does not have a preferred alternative for the disposal of
depleted uranium, but does identify factors that DOE plans to consider
in developing a preferred alternative or alternatives for inclusion in
the Final SEIS. These factors are discussed in the SUMMARY and chapter
four of the Draft SEIS. The preferred alternative could be a
combination of two or more alternatives. DOE invites public comments on
these factors and any additional factors that should be considered in
the selection of a preferred alternative and why.
Next Steps
Following the end of the public comment period, DOE will consider
public comments on the Draft SEIS in preparing the Final SEIS. After
issuing the Final SEIS, DOE will consider the environmental impacts
presented in the Final SEIS, along with other appropriate information
in proposing its decision(s) related to the disposal of depleted
uranium for an Amended Record of Decision.
Web-based Public Hearing Information
Registration details are included below and are also available on
the DOE EM SEIS project website (See ADDRESSES section). If you are
joining the web-based public hearing via internet, copy and paste the
link below to login to the WebEx Meeting Room, then follow prompts
after entering the access code. If you are joining the web-based public
hearing via phone, dial the US Toll number below and follow prompts to
enter access code. For Global Call in numbers, visit the DU Oxide SEIS
website. Documents and the presentation for the public hearing will be
made available at http://www.energy.gov/em/disposition-uranium-oxide-conversion-depleted-uranium-hexafluoride, as well as shared during live
web-based public hearings. Comments will be accepted during the web-
based public hearing, by mail, by email, and through submittal of
comment forms on the DU Oxide SEIS website. Persons who wish to speak
may sign up to speak before each meeting by submitting a request to
[email protected].
Join web-based public hearing via WebEx Meeting Room:
[cir] https://doe.webex.com/join/duf6_nepa_(Copy and Paste into web
browser).
Join web-based public hearing by phone:
[cir] US Toll: 1-415-527-5035 (For Global Call-In Numbers visit DU
Oxide SEIS website).
[cir] Access code: 988 230 782 #.
Public Reading Rooms and Libraries
Copies of the Draft SEIS are available at http://www.energy.gov/em/disposition-uranium-oxide-conversion-depleted-uranium-hexafluoride.
Copies may also be found for public review at the locations listed
below:
District of Columbia
U.S. Department of Energy
Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room:
https://www.energy.gov/management/office-management/operational-management/freedom-information-act/reading-room
Nevada
Nevada Site Office, U.S. Department of Energy
Public Reading Room
755 East Flamingo Road, Room 103
Las Vegas, NV 89119, (702) 794-5106.
Amargosa Valley Library
829 E Farm Road
HCR 69 Box 401-T
Amargosa, NV 89020, (775) 372-5340.
Clark County Library
1401 E Flamingo Road
Las Vegas, NV 89119, (702) 507-3400.
Indian Springs Library
715 Gretta Lane
P.O. Box 629
Indian Springs, NV 89018, (702) 879-3845.
Las Vegas Library
833 N Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89101, (702) 507-3500.
Pahrump Community Library,
701 S. East Street
Pahrump, NV 89048, (775) 727-5930.
Tonopah Public Library,
167 S Central Street
Tonopah, NV 89049, (775) 482-3374.
Utah
Tooele City Public Library
128 W Vine Street
Tooele, UT 84074, (435) 882-2182.
Texas
Andrews County Library
109 NW 1st Street
Andrews, TX 79714, (432)-523-9819.
Kentucky
U.S. DOE Environmental Information Center
Emerging Technology Center (Room 221)
5100 Alben Barkley Drive
Paducah, KY 42001, (270) 554-3004.
McCracken County Public Library
555 Washington Street
Paducah, KY 42003, (270) 442-2510.
Ohio
U.S. DOE Environmental Information Center
Ohio State Endeavor Center
1862 Shyville Road (Room 207)
Piketon, OH 45661, (740) 289-8898.
Portsmouth Public Library
1220 Gallia Street
Portsmouth, OH 45662, (740) 354-5688.
Scioto County Law Library
602 Seventh Street (Room 306)
Portsmouth, OH 45662, (740) 355-8259.
Individual commentators' names and addresses (including email
addresses) received as part of oral statements at the public hearings
or comment documents on this Draft SEIS normally are part of the public
record. DOE plans to reproduce comment documents in their entirety in
the Final SEIS, as appropriate, and to post all comment documents
received in their entirety on the DU oxide SEIS website at the close of
the public comment period. Any person wishing to have his/her name,
address, or other identifying information withheld from the public
record of comment documents must state this request prominently at the
beginning of any comment document. DOE will honor the request to the
extent allowable by law. All submissions from organizations or
businesses will be included in the public record and open to public
inspection in their entirety.
Issued at Washington, DC on December 20, 2018.
Elizabeth A. Connell,
Acting Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regulatory
and Policy Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2018-28249 Filed 12-27-18; 8:45 am]
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