[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 19, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5175-5177]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01052]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Draft Environmental Assessment for the Commercial Disposal of 
Savannah River Site Contaminated Process Equipment

AGENCY: Office of Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces its intent to 
prepare a draft environmental assessment (EA) pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to dispose of contaminated 
process equipment from the Savannah River Site (SRS) at a commercial 
low-level radioactive waste (LLW) disposal facility located outside of 
South Carolina licensed by either the Nuclear Regulatory Commission 
(NRC) or an Agreement State. This effort will analyze capabilities for 
alternative disposal options through the use of existing, licensed, 
off-site commercial disposal facilities. The SRS contaminated process 
equipment would be characterized, stabilized as appropriate, and 
packaged, and if the waste acceptance criteria and performance 
objectives of a specific disposal facility are met, DOE could consider 
whether to dispose of the waste as LLW under the Department's 
interpretation of the statutory term ``high-level radioactive waste'' 
(HLW) as defined in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (AEA), 
and Nuclear

[[Page 5176]]

Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended (NWPA). As a result of this NEPA 
process, DOE may consider what actions, if any, are needed and 
appropriate to implement any decision to dispose of the SRS 
contaminated process equipment as LLW.

ADDRESSES: This Federal Register Notice is available on https://www.energy.gov/em/high-level-radioactive-waste-hlw-interpretation. The 
Draft Environmental Assessment for the Commercial Disposal of Savannah 
River Site Contaminated Process Equipment (Draft EA) will also be made 
available at this website.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Theresa Kliczewski and/or James Joyce, 
U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management, Office 
of Waste and Materials Management (EM-4.2), 1000 Independence Avenue 
SW, Washington, DC 20585. Emails: [email protected] and 
[email protected]. Phone number: (202) 586-5000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    SRS occupies approximately 300 square miles primarily in Aiken and 
Barnwell Counties, South Carolina. Until the early 1990s, the primary 
SRS mission was the production of special radioactive isotopes to 
support national defense programs. More recently, the SRS mission has 
emphasized waste management, environmental restoration, and the 
decontamination and decommissioning of facilities that are no longer 
needed for SRS's traditional defense activities.
    The SRS contaminated process equipment is generated during the on-
site treatment of the reprocessing waste. The Draft EA will analyze 
commercial disposal options for three specific types of process 
equipment contaminated with reprocessing waste: Tank 28F salt sampling 
drill string, glass bubblers, and glass pumps. These waste streams do 
not meet the criteria for disposal at existing SRS disposal facilities 
given the waste form, radionuclide inventory, dose rates, and internal 
lead shielding.
    The Tank 28F salt sampling drill string was used to collect 
reprocessing waste samples from the waste storage tank. The drill 
string consists of steel piping measuring 2.25 inches outer diameter by 
41 feet long, contaminated with reprocessing waste (supernatant) from 
Tank 28F. Contaminants include a mixture of beta, gamma, and alpha 
emitting radionuclides (e.g., cesium 137 and plutonium 238). The drill 
string is currently stored in a large container on-site until a 
disposal path can be established.
    The glass bubblers are used to increase efficiency of Defense Waste 
Processing Facility (DWPF) melter operations, where high-activity tank 
waste is vitrified into glass under high-temperature. Each bubbler is 
comprised of a \3/4\ inch Schedule 160 Inconel pipe, which is inserted 
into the DWPF melter and through which an inert gas is introduced to 
increase melter efficiency. Approximately three feet of the lower 
portion of the bubbler was in the melt pool and contains contaminated 
glass, including transuranic radionuclides (e.g., plutonium 238) and 
short-lived radionuclides (e.g., cesium 137). SRS currently has 
approximately 60 contaminated bubblers in storage and will generate 
four contaminated glass bubblers every six months until DWPF operations 
are completed in the 2034 timeframe.
    The glass pumps were used to support melter efficiency and are no 
longer in use at SRS having been replaced by the glass bubblers. Each 
pump is comprised of an Inconel pipe, measuring approximately 3 \5/8\ 
inches in outer diameter. The lower two feet was in the melt pool and 
contains contaminated glass similar to the glass bubblers. There are 
approximately 10 glass pumps in storage at SRS requiring final 
disposal.
    In August 2020, DOE completed its first NEPA analysis and waste 
determination for a waste stream (SRS DWPF recycle wastewater) under 
the HLW interpretation.\1\ This was implemented in accordance with the 
June 10, 2019 Supplemental Notice Concerning U.S. Department of Energy 
Interpretation of High-Level Radioactive Waste \2\ (Supplemental 
Notice) in which DOE provided its interpretation of the statutory term 
HLW as defined in the AEA \3\ and NWPA.\4\
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    \1\ NEPA documents and technical documents for the commercial 
disposal of DWPF recycle wastewater from SRS under the HLW 
interpretation can be found at: https://www.energy.gov/em/program-scope/high-level-radioactive-waste-hlw-interpretation.
    \2\ 84 FR 26835.
    \3\ 42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.
    \4\ 42 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.
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Purpose and Need for Action

    Currently there is no disposal pathway for the SRS process 
equipment contaminated with reprocessing waste (Tank 28F salt sampling 
drill string, glass bubblers, and glass pumps). DOE's purpose and need 
for this action is to dispose of SRS contaminated process equipment at 
a commercial LLW facility outside of South Carolina and licensed by 
either the NRC or an Agreement State under 10 CFR part 61. Therefore, 
no NEPA analyses on disposal at Federal facilities will be conducted. 
Any proposal to dispose of additional SRS process equipment 
contaminated with reprocessing waste, other than those identified and 
analyzed in the Draft EA, would be evaluated in separate NEPA 
documentation. Disposal of the SRS contaminated process equipment at a 
licensed off-site commercial LLW facility would help to mitigate on-
site storage constraints, improve worker safety, and support 
accelerated completion of the environmental cleanup mission at SRS.

Proposed Action and Alternatives

    Under the proposed action, DOE would dispose of the SRS 
contaminated process equipment (Tank 28F salt sampling drill string, 
glass bubblers, and glass pumps) at a commercial LLW facility outside 
of South Carolina and licensed by either the NRC or an Agreement State 
under 10 CFR part 61. The Draft EA will analyze the potential 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed commercial disposal 
of the contaminated process equipment. Prior to a disposal decision, 
DOE would characterize the contaminated process equipment to verify 
with the licensed off-site commercial LLW disposal facility whether the 
waste meets DOE's HLW interpretation for disposal as non-HLW, in 
accordance with DOE Order 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management, DOE 
Manual 435.1-1, Radioactive Waste Management Manual, and consistent 
with the Supplemental Notice. DOE would also demonstrate compliance 
with the waste acceptance criteria and all other requirements of the 
disposal facility, including any applicable regulatory requirements 
(e.g., Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) for treatment of the 
waste prior to disposal and applicable Department of Transportation 
requirements for packaging and transportation from SRS to the 
commercial disposal facility. DOE has identified two action 
alternatives for the proposed action:
     Alternative 1--If determined to be Class A LLW,\5\ 
stabilize and package the waste at SRS and ship to either 
EnergySolutions \6\ in Clive, Utah or Waste Control Specialists, LLC 
(WCS) in Andrews County, Texas for disposal.

[[Page 5177]]

This is dependent upon waste content and compliance with facility waste 
acceptance criteria.
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    \5\ In its 10 CFR part 61 regulations, NRC has identified 
classes of LLW--Class A, B, or C--for which near-surface disposal is 
safe for public health and the environment. This waste 
classification regime is based on the concentration levels of a 
combination of specified short-lived and long-lived radionuclides in 
a waste stream, with Class C LLW having the highest concentration 
levels.
    \6\ EnergySolutions is currently licensed to only dispose of 
Class A LLW and mixed LLW.
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     Alternative 2--If determined to be Class B or C LLW, 
stabilize and package the waste at SRS and ship to WCS. This is 
dependent upon waste content and compliance with facility waste 
acceptance criteria.
    The EA will also analyze a no action alternative under which the 
contaminated process equipment would remain in storage at SRS until 
disposition occurs.

Potential Areas of Environmental Analysis

    DOE has tentatively identified the following areas for detailed 
analysis in the EA: Human health and safety; land use; air quality; 
water, cultural, and ecological resources; waste management; 
socioeconomics; and transportation. This list is not intended to be 
comprehensive or to predetermine the potential impacts to be analyzed. 
The level of analysis for different impacts will be in proportion to 
their significance.

NEPA Process and Public Participation

    DOE will prepare the Draft EA in accordance with the Council on 
Environmental Quality regulations at 40 CFR parts 1500-1508 and DOE 
NEPA implementing procedures at 10 CFR part 1021. DOE plans to issue a 
Federal Register notice in 2021 on the availability of the Draft EA. 
Based on the EA analysis, DOE will either issue a Finding of No 
Significant Impact or announce its intention to prepare an 
environmental impact statement.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on January 12, 
2021 by Mark A. Gilbertson, Associate Principal Deputy Assistant 
Secretary for Regulatory and Policy Affairs, Office of Environmental 
Management, pursuant to delegated authority from the Secretary of 
Energy. That document with the original signature and date is 
maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes only, and in compliance 
with requirements of the Office of the Federal Register, the 
undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to 
sign and submit the document in electronic format for publication, as 
an official document of the Department of Energy. This administrative 
process in no way alters the legal effect of this document upon 
publication in the Federal Register.

    Signed at Washington, DC, on January 13, 2021.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2021-01052 Filed 1-15-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P