[Federal Register: December 13, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 240)]
[Notices]
[Page 64406-64407]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13de01-31]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for
Transportation of Low-Level Radioactive Waste From the Oak Ridge
Reservation to Off-Site Treatment or Disposal Facilities
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE), announces the availability of
the Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact
(FONSI) for Transportation of Low-Level Radioactive Waste from the Oak
Ridge Reservation to Off-Site Treatment or Disposal Facilities (DOE/EA-
1315) for public review and comment. The EA has been prepared in
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 as amended (NEPA); Council on Environmental Quality
regulations implementing NEPA, 40 CFR parts 1500-1508; and DOE NEPA
Implementing Procedures.
DATES: The review period for the EA/FONSI begins with publication of
this notice and extends for 30 days. Comments postmarked after that
date will be considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the EA/FONSI may be submitted by mail: Mr.
William G. McMillan, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Operations
Office, PO Box 2001, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, or by telephone (1-
865-241-6426), or by fax (1-865-576-6074), or electronically at
McMillanWG@oro.doe.gov, or by submitting comments to the NEPA e-mail
box at NEPA@oro.doe.gov.
Copies of the Draft EA may also be obtained by contacting Mr.
William McMillan by any of the means described
[[Page 64407]]
above. The Draft EA is also available for review at the U.S. Department
of Energy Public Reading Room at 230 Warehouse Road, Oak Ridge, TN
37830. Phone: (865) 241-4780 or 1-800-382-6938, option 6).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the DOE
NEPA process, please contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office
of NEPA Policy and Compliance (EH-42), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585, telephone 202-586-4600,
or leave a message at 1-800-472-2756.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EA evaluates the potential environmental
impacts associated with transportation of legacy and operational low-
level (radioactive) waste (LLW) from the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) in
Tennessee for treatment or disposal at various locations in the United
States. DOE has determined that the proposed action is not a major
Federal action that would significantly affect the quality of the human
environment within the context of NEPA. Therefore, preparation of an
environmental impact statement is not necessary, and DOE is issuing a
FONSI. The EA also evaluates the potential environmental impacts
associated with the no action alternative.
The draft Environmental Assessment was distributed in June 2000 to
the NEPA coordinators in each state through which proposed rail or
highway routes pass, as well as to local stakeholders in the Oak Ridge,
Tennessee, area. Their comments were received and incorporated into the
document. Because this document involves transportation across the
continental United States, however, DOE has concluded that it should
provide opportunity for further comment to a broader distribution.
Therefore, these documents are available for a 30-day public comment
period. If significant issues are documented as a result of this
comment period, the document will be revised as appropriate.
The DOE-Oak Ridge Operations (ORO) Office has LLW that must be
transported from Oak Ridge to treatment and disposal facilities because
on-site disposal is not available for the expected large life-cycle
volumes, nor for the technical constituents, of many ORR LLW streams.
The reservation encompasses three major DOE facilities: Oak Ridge
National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant, and East Tennessee
Technology Park (ETTP). Large quantities of LLW have been generated as
a result of normal operations associated with research or manufacturing
conducted at these facilities. DOE legacy and operational LLW on ORR
(approximately 40,000 m\3\) is managed in compliant storage. It is
estimated that 7700 m\3\ of waste could be generated annually from
operations over the next 20 years. While a large portion of ORR LLW
will eventually be shipped to other federally owned, DOE-operated
disposal facilities, DOE also intends to use commercial disposal
facilities when cost-effective, compliant, and in the best interest of
the government.
The planned action is to package as needed, load, and ship existing
and forecasted ORR LLW to existing or future facilities at other DOE
sites such as the Nevada Test Site (NTS), the Hanford Reservation, the
Savannah River Site, and licensed commercial nuclear waste treatment or
disposal facilities. These include Envirocare of Utah Inc.
(Envirocare), Clive, Utah; Waste Control Specialists (WCS), Andrews,
Texas; commercial facilities near the Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken,
South Carolina; commercial facilities near ORR; and commercial
facilities near the Hanford Site, Richland, Washington. LLW will either
be shipped directly from ORR to a DOE or licensed commercial disposal
facility or to a licensed commercial treatment facility and then to a
DOE or licensed commercial disposal facility. ORR LLW will generally be
transported by truck but may also be transported by rail or intermodal
carrier (i.e., truck and rail combination) when advantageous.
The impact analysis in the EA addressed the potential effects of
loading and transporting accumulated legacy and ongoing operations LLW
from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to destinations representative of other DOE
sites and licensed commercial nuclear waste treatment or disposal
facilities. The potential effects of transport over both highway and
rail routes were evaluated. Evaluation of LLW being generated by
ongoing operations at the ORR was based on volumes anticipated over a
20-year life cycle. The potential effects were evaluated on per
shipment, annual, and 20-year bases. The EA did not address waste for
which treatment and disposal are addressed pursuant to the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
of 1980 (CERCLA), on-site activities that are already being conducted
as a part of routine waste management at the ORR, or activities
conducted prior to loading or at the destination facilities.
Issued in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on October 29, 2001.
David Allen,
Oak Ridge Operations Office, NEPA Compliance Officer.
[FR Doc. 01-30807 Filed 12-12-01; 8:45 am]
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