[Federal Register: August 22, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 163)]
[Notices]
[Page 54501-54502]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22au02-103]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Notice of Receipt of Supplemental Environmental Report for the
Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility and Notice of Public Meetings
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of receipt and notice of public meetings.
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SUMMARY: On July 11, 2002, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
received a supplemental Environmental Report (ER) from Duke COGEMA
Stone & Webster (DCS), for the proposed Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel
Fabrication Facility. The need for the supplemental ER arose, in
January 2002, when the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced its
decision to alter its planned hybrid approach for surplus weapons
plutonium disposition [65 FR 1608]. The Plutonium Immobilization Plant
(PIP) that DOE had planned to build and operate as part of its hybrid
approach will not be built. Instead, DOE decided that 34 metric tons of
surplus weapons plutonium would be converted into MOX fuel at the
proposed MOX facility. DOE's decision not to build the Plutonium
Immobilization Plant (PIP) and convert all of the plutonium into MOX
fuel requires design changes to the proposed MOX facility. The NRC
staff found that due to these changes, DCS would be required to submit
a supplemental ER. A notice of delay in issuance of the Draft and Final
Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) for the proposed MOX facility was
published in the Federal Register on April 24, 2002 (67 FR 20183). This
Federal Register notice also discussed changes to the proposed MOX
facility and DOE surplus disposition program.
The NRC will host three public meetings. The meetings are part of
the continuing process to keep affected stakeholders and the public
informed of plans, schedules and important issues related to the
preparation of the EIS, and to answer questions. The purpose of the
meetings will be to inform the public of changes in the supplemental ER
and the DOE surplus disposition program. NRC staff will also discuss
how these changes have affected the scope of the Draft EIS summarized
in the Scoping Summary Report dated August 2001. In the April 24, 2002
Federal Register notice, public comment was solicited on two issues.
(1) How the immobilization of surplus plutonium as a No Action
Alternative should be discussed in the DEIS, since DOE has canceled
plans to build the Plutonium Immobilization Plant.
(2) Whether there are additional reasonable alternatives not
identified during scoping that should be considered in the DEIS, in
light of the changes described above. As discussed in the Scoping
Summary Report, NRC is considering the environmental impacts of the
proposed action (construction and operation of the proposed MOX fuel
fabrication facility), continued storage of surplus plutonium at
existing DOE sites, and immobilization of surplus plutonium. If the
immobilization alternative is not considered, then the DEIS would
only evaluate the proposed action and one No Action Alternative.
NRC staff will summarize the responses received and solicit views
of people at the meetings. Information will be provided on the EIS
review process and stakeholders will be updated on the revised EIS
schedule. The meeting dates, times and locations are listed below:
Tuesday, September 17, 2002, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., North Augusta Community
Center, 495 Brookside Avenue, North Augusta, South Carolina.
Wednesday, September 18, 2002, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Coastal Georgia
Center, 305 Fahm Street, Savannah, Georgia.
Thursday, September 19, 2002, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Government Center, 600 E. Fourth Street, Charlotte, North Carolina.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the NRC
NEPA process, please contact: Tim Harris at (301) 415-6613. For general
or technical information associated with the proposed MOX facility,
please contact: Tim Johnson at (301) 415-7299, or Drew Persinko at
(301) 415-6522.
Availability of Documents for Review
Information on the supplemental ER and other documents associated
with the proposed MOX project are available for public review through
our electronic reading room: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm.html or the
MOX web page: http://www.nrc.gov/materials/fuel-cycle-fac/MOX/
licensing.html. Documents may also be obtained from NRC's Public
Document Room at U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Public Document
Room, Washington, DC 20555.
Signed in Rockville, MD, this 15th day of August, 2002.
[[Page 54502]]
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Cheryl Trottier,
Chief, Environmental and Performance Assessment Branch, Division of
Waste Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 02-21416 Filed 8-21-02; 8:45 am]
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