[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 17, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7771-7773]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-3845]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Alternative
Strategies for the Long-Term Management and Use of Depleted Uranium
Hexafluoride
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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[[Page 7772]]
SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability of
the draft ``Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Alternative
Strategies for the Long-Term Management and Use of Depleted Uranium
Hexafluoride'' for public review and comment. This draft programmatic
environmental impact statement (PEIS), prepared pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), assesses the potential
environmental impacts of alternative strategies for long-term storage,
use, and disposal of DOE's 560,000 metric tons of depleted uranium
hexafluoride (UF6) currently stored in steel cylinders at
sites in Paducah, Kentucky; Portsmouth, Ohio; and Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Alternative management strategies evaluated in the draft PEIS include a
no action alternative. DOE's preferred alternative for the long-term
management of depleted UF6 is to use its entire inventory as
either uranium oxide, uranium metal, or a combination of both. DOE
invites the general public, other government agencies, and all other
interested parties to comment on this draft PEIS. The information
obtained during the comment period will assist DOE in preparing the
final PEIS.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments should be transmitted or
postmarked by April 23, 1998. Comments submitted after that date will
be considered to the extent practicable.
DOE will hold public hearings near Paducah, Kentucky; Portsmouth,
Ohio; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Washington, D.C., to discuss issues and
to receive oral and written comments on the draft PEIS. The dates,
times, and locations for these public hearings are listed below and
will be announced in local media prior to the hearing dates.
February 19, 1998
5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Executive Inn and Conference Center, One
Executive Boulevard, Paducah, Kentucky 42001
February 24, 1998
5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Ramada Inn and Suites, 420 South Illinois
Avenue, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831
February 26, 1998
5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Vern Riffe Pike County Vocational School, 23365
State Route 124, Piketon, Ohio 45661
March 10, 1998
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal Building,
Room 1E-245, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20585
ADDRESSES: Comments and requests for copies of this draft PEIS can be
submitted by calling the toll-free number 1-800-517-3191, by faxing
them to 301-428-0145, or by mailing them to: Charles E. Bradley, Jr.,
Program Manager, Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride Management Program,
Office of Facilities (NE-40), Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and
Technology, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road,
Germantown, MD 20874-1290.
Comments and requests for copies of this draft PEIS may also be
submitted electronically via the Depleted UF6 World Wide Web
site at http://www.ead.anl.gov/uranium.html or via electronic mail at
depleted__uf6@ccmail.gmt.saic.com.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the DOE
NEPA process, please contact: Carol Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA
Policy and Assistance, Office of Environment, Safety and Health, U.S.
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.
20585-0119, 202-586-4600 or 1-800-472-2756.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On January 25, 1996, DOE issued a Notice of Intent (61 FR 2239) to
prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement on alternative
strategies for the long-term management and use of depleted
UF6. The unique properties and value of depleted
UF6, such as its high purity and density, as well as the
large volume (about 560,000 metric tons) in storage, make it
appropriate to evaluate, analyze, and decide the long-term management
of this material separately from other DOE materials in storage or
awaiting disposition.
The purpose of the PEIS is to assess and consider the potential
environmental impacts of a range of reasonable alternative strategies
for the long-term management of depleted UF6 currently
stored at DOE sites near Paducah, Kentucky; Portsmouth, Ohio; and Oak
Ridge, Tennessee. A management strategy is a series of activities
needed to achieve the safe long-term storage, use, or disposal of the
depleted UF6 inventory. The PEIS addresses the potential
environmental impacts of the activities that make up each strategy.
Following the issuance of the final PEIS and a Record of Decision, DOE
will prepare additional project-specific NEPA documents as appropriate.
During February 1996, public scoping meetings were held in Paducah,
Kentucky; Piketon, Ohio; and Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The draft PEIS
incorporates the public comments received during scoping.
Copies of this PEIS and related documents prepared by DOE are
available at the following locations:
Kentucky
U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Information Center, 175
Freedom Boulevard, Kevil, Kentucky 42053, 502-462-2550
Ohio
U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Information Center, 105 West
Emmitt Avenue, Suite 3, Waverly, Ohio 45690, 614-947-5093
Tennessee
U.S. Department of Energy, Information Resource Center, 105 Broadway,
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, 423-241-4582
Tennessee
U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Operations Office, Public Reading
Room, American Museum of Science and Energy, 300 South Tulane Avenue,
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, 423-241-4780
Washington, DC
U.S. Department of Energy, Freedom of Information Reading Room, Room
1E-190, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20585-0117,
202-586-3142.
Alternatives Considered
The draft PEIS evaluates alternative management strategies for the
depleted UF6 inventory, including a no action alternative.
These alternative management strategies are described briefly below:
No Action Alternative:
--Continued storage as depleted UF6 at the existing sites
Long-Term Storage Alternatives:
1--Storage at a consolidated site as depleted UF6
2--Storage at a consolidated site after conversion to uranium oxide
Use Alternatives:
1--Use as radiation shielding after conversion to uranium metal
2--Use as radiation shielding after conversion to uranium oxide
Disposal Alternative:
--Disposal after conversion to uranium oxide
Preferred Alternative:
--Use the entire inventory as either uranium oxide, uranium metal, or a
combination of both
[[Page 7773]]
Preferred Alternative
DOE has identified a preferred alternative in the draft PEIS. This
preferred alternative does not represent a decision by DOE. The Record
of Decision, when issued after completion of the final PEIS, will
present DOE's decision for the long-term management of depleted
UF6.
DOE's preferred alternative for the long-term management of
depleted UF6 is to use its entire inventory of material.
Some (potentially all) of the depleted UF6 would be used as
an oxide, some (potentially all) of it would be used as metal, and some
of it might be used in other DOE programs pursuant to other NEPA
reviews and decisions. This alternative would include continued storage
and safe, effective management of the cylinders prior to conversion,
conversion of the depleted UF6 into depleted uranium oxide
and/or depleted uranium metal, and fabrication of depleted uranium
products for uses by government and/or industry. The fluorine in the
UF6 would also be used. Potential uses for the depleted
uranium include radiation shielding in both the oxide and metal forms
and as metal in specialty markets, including industrial counterweights.
Current possibilities for use of fluorine include use in the nuclear
fuel cycle. The schedule and rate of conversion of the depleted
UF6 inventory into the oxide and/or metal forms would be
determined by market demand for the conversion products.
Subsequent Document Preparation
DOE intends to prepare a response to comments received during the
review of the draft PEIS and to complete the final PEIS in 1998. The
availability of the final PEIS will be announced in the Federal
Register. Additional NEPA analyses, as appropriate, will be prepared
once a long-term depleted UF6 management strategy has been
selected and announced in a Record of Decision.
Issued in Washington, D.C., February 6, 1998.
Terry R. Lash,
Director, Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. 98-3845 Filed 2-13-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
