95-7607. Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for the Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel From the K-Basins at the Hanford Site, Richland, WA  

  • [Federal Register Volume 60, Number 59 (Tuesday, March 28, 1995)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 15905-15909]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 95-7607]
    
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
    
    Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for the 
    Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel From the K-Basins at the Hanford Site, 
    Richland, WA
    
    AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.
    
    ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
    
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    SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces its intent to 
    prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the 
    National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
    seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality NEPA regulations (40 CFR 
    Parts 1500-1508) and the DOE NEPA regulations (10 CFR Part 1021) to 
    examine alternatives for the management of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) 
    currently stored in the K-East and K-West SNF storage basins (K-Basins) 
    at the Hanford Site. DOE also announces its intent to conduct public 
    meetings on the proposed scope of the EIS and invites public comment on 
    the proposed scope, including the issues and alternatives to be 
    evaluated in the EIS.
        Approximately 2100 metric tons of uranium in the form of irradiated 
    defense production reactor fuels are stored in the Hanford K-Basins, 
    40-year-old facilities located near the Columbia River. The K-East 
    Basin has leaked water in the past and may still be leaking small 
    quantities of water. Much of the SNF stored there is damaged and 
    continues to deteriorate. The K-Basins are not suitable for long-term 
    SNF storage.
        In a November 1993 report entitled, ``Spent Fuel Working Group 
    Report on Inventory and Storage of the Department's Spent Nuclear Fuel 
    and other Reactor Irradiated Nuclear Materials and their Environmental, 
    Safety, and Health Vulnerabilities,'' DOE identified K-Basins storage 
    problems as requiring priority attention. Similar findings have been 
    reached by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, in its 
    recommendation 94-1, and by DOE stakeholders.
        The purpose of DOE's action would be to (1) prevent the potential 
    release of radioactive materials into the air or the soil surrounding 
    the K-Basins storage area and their potential migration through the 
    soil column and into the nearby Columbia River due to a failure of the 
    existing K-Basins, (2) reduce occupational radiation exposure, (3) 
    enhance near-term safety by eliminating the risks posed to the public 
    and workers by the formation of reactive compounds during continued 
    deterioration of SNF in the K-Basins.
        DOE proposes to take expeditious action to reduce risks to public 
    health and the environment by removing SNF from the K-Basins and, 
    subsequently, to take action to manage the SNF in a safe and 
    environmentally sound manner for up to 40 years until ultimate 
    disposition decisions are made and implemented. The EIS would evaluate 
    a range of implementation alternatives for the proposed action, 
    including alternative SNF management locations (relocating the SNF to a 
    new, or modified existing facility at the Hanford Site or other DOE 
    sites), alternative storage methods (wet or dry storage), and 
    alternative stabilization technologies that might be used to prepare 
    the SNF for storage until decisions on ultimate disposition are made 
    and implemented at either a domestic or foreign facility. The EIS would 
    also evaluate a no action alternative involving continued storage of 
    fuel in the K-Basins, including continued maintenance, monitoring and 
    surveillance, and an alternative involving continued storage in the K-
    Basins with safety upgrades that might include overpacking existing 
    fuel containers and performing life extension upgrades for the K-
    Basins.
        Under all of the implementation alternatives for the proposed 
    action, sludge would be removed from the K-East Basin and stored, 
    treated or disposed of using existing waste management systems. Water 
    remaining in the K-Basins after SNF and sludge removal would be treated 
    and disposed of and the K-Basins would be deactivated.
        DOE also proposes to take several interim actions to improve the 
    safety posture of the K-Basins and to support the preparation of this 
    EIS. These include the construction of cofferdams to mitigate the 
    consequences of a basin failure, characterization of the K-Basins SNF 
    and sludge, facility maintenance or upgrades needed for continued safe 
    operations, dose reduction activities, and removal of debris such as 
    unused canisters and discarded tools from the [[Page 15906]] K-Basins. 
    DOE is also preparing an environmental assessment for a proposed 
    interim action to move approximately four metric tons of SNF from the 
    Plutonium Uranium Extraction Plant (PUREX) and the N-Reactor to the K-
    Basins for storage and subsequent management with the SNF already in 
    the K-Basins.
        DOE is considering system-wide management alternatives for all of 
    its SNF (including that currently stored in the K-Basins and elsewhere 
    at Hanford) in the Programmatic SNF Management and Idaho National 
    Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration and Waste Management 
    Programs EIS, DOE/EIS-0203 (SNF PEIS). In the Record of Decision for 
    the SNF PEIS, which DOE expects to issue by June 1995, DOE will make 
    strategic decisions regarding the future management of SNF until 
    ultimate disposition decisions are made and implemented. Site-specific 
    NEPA documents would be prepared, as appropriate, to implement the 
    programmatic decisions made in the SNF PEIS.
        In the K-Basins EIS, DOE plans to address both the expeditious 
    removal and temporary storage of K-Basins SNF, and the subsequent 
    management of that SNF. DOE believes that expeditious removal and 
    storage of K-Basins SNF away from the Columbia River is needed to 
    reduce risks to public health and the environment, and that this part 
    of its proposed action would be compatible with the full range of 
    alternatives for subsequent management of K-Basins SNF being evaluated 
    in the SNF PEIS (i.e., the K-Basins fuels would either be managed at 
    the Hanford Site, or shipped offsite for management at another 
    location).
        Any decision on expeditious removal and subsequent management of K-
    Basins SNF would be made and implemented in a manner consistent with 
    programmatic decisions on management of all of DOE's SNF that will be 
    made in the SNF PEIS Record of Decision.
    
    DATES: DOE invites all interested parties to submit written comments or 
    suggestions concerning the scope of the issues to be addressed, 
    alternatives to be analyzed, and the environmental impacts to be 
    assessed in the K-Basins EIS during a comment period ending May 12, 
    1995.
        The public is also invited to attend scoping meetings at which oral 
    comments may be presented on the scope of the EIS. Oral and written 
    comments will be considered equally in preparation of the EIS.
        Written comments must be postmarked by May 12, 1995 to ensure 
    consideration. Comments postmarked after that date will be considered 
    to the extent practicable. Oral and written comments will be received 
    at public scoping meetings to be held on the dates and at the locations 
    given below:
    
    Hanford-House Red Lion, 802 George Washington Way,  Apr. 18, 1995.      
     Richland, WA 99352, Phone: (509) 946-7611 or                           
     (800) 547-8010.                                                        
    Spokane Shilo Inn, 923 East 3rd Avenue, Spokane,    Apr. 20, 1995.      
     WA 99202, Phone: (509) 535-9000.                                       
    Portland Red Lion Inn, 310 S.W. Lincoln, Portland,  Apr. 25, 1995.      
     OR 97201, Phone: (503) 221-0450.                                       
    Seattle Center, 305 Harrison Street, Seattle, WA    Apr. 27, 1995.      
     98109, Phone: (206) 684-7202.                                          
                                                                            
    
        Each scoping meeting will begin with a short presentation by DOE 
    officials on the EIS process, the overall Hanford Site SNF project, and 
    the proposed action. Individuals and organization spokespersons will 
    then be invited to present comments. The agenda will be repeated twice 
    daily at each location, with afternoon and evening sessions. The hours 
    for the sessions will be: 1 pm to 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm to 10 pm.
        Requests to speak at these meetings may be made at the meeting or 
    by calling the toll-free telephone number, 1-800-321-2008, by 3:00 pm 
    the day before the meeting or by writing to Suzanne Clark (see 
    ADDRESSES, below). Speakers will be heard on a first-come first-served 
    basis as time permits. Written comments will also be accepted at the 
    meetings, and speakers are encouraged to provide written versions of 
    their oral comments for the record.
        The meetings will be conducted by a moderator who may ask speakers 
    clarifying questions. Individuals requesting to speak on behalf of an 
    organization must identify the organization. Time limits for speakers 
    will be determined by the number of speakers and the allotted time. 
    Comments will be recorded by a court reporter and will become part of 
    the scoping meeting record. DOE will also provide opportunities for 
    informal discussions about the scope and content of the EIS, and will 
    make subject matter experts available to answer questions about the 
    proposal.
        DOE will review the comments and will prepare an Implementation 
    Plan that will record the results of the scoping process; provide 
    guidance for preparation of the EIS; and establish its scope, content, 
    and schedule. Copies of the Implementation Plan will be made available 
    for inspection in the public reading rooms listed below.
    
    ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the K-Basins EIS, questions 
    concerning the Hanford Site SNF project, requests to speak at the 
    public meetings, and requests for copies of the Implementation Plan 
    and/or the Draft EIS should be directed to the DOE Document Manager 
    listed below.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne Clark, Document Manager, K-
    Basins EIS Scoping Comments, U.S. Department of Energy, Post Office Box 
    550, Richland, Washington 99352, Telephone: 509-376-9055 or 1-800-321-
    2008.
        For information on the DOE NEPA process, contact: Carol Borgstrom, 
    Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-42), U.S. Department 
    of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20585, 
    Telephone: 202-586-4600, or leave a message at 1-800-472-2756.
        Copies of DOE documents referenced in this notice and related 
    background information are available for inspection during normal 
    business hours at the following locations:
    
    1. U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal Building, Freedom of 
    Information Reading Room 1E-190, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 
    Washington, DC 20585, Phone: (202) 586-6020
    2. Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate, Richland, WA 99352-3539, 
    Phone: (509) 943-7457
    3. Foley Center Library, Gonzaga University, E. 502 Boone, Spokane, WA 
    99258, Phone: (509) 484-2831
    4. Branford Price Millar Library, Government Documents Section, 
    Portland State University, 924 Southwest Harrison, Portland, OR 97201, 
    Phone: (509) 725-4617
    5. Suzzallo Library, Government Publications, University of Washington, 
    Seattle, WA 98195, Phone: (206) 543-9158
    6. U.S. DOE Public Reading Room, Washington State University, 100 
    Sprout Road (Room 130), Richland, WA 99352, Phone: (509) 376-8583
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOE operated nine water-cooled, graphite-
    moderated reactors, from 1944 to 1988 at the Hanford Site to produce 
    plutonium by irradiating uranium. Most of the irradiated nuclear fuel 
    (referred to in this Notice as SNF) from these reactors was reprocessed 
    at Hanford chemical separations facilities to recover plutonium, 
    uranium, and other materials to support the DOE nuclear weapons 
    production mission. In 1992, [[Page 15907]] because additional 
    quantities of these materials were no longer needed, reprocessing was 
    halted at the Hanford Site before all the SNF was reprocessed. As a 
    result, approximately 2100 metric tons of SNF remains in storage at the 
    Hanford Site's K-Basins in the 100-K Area. Additional SNF from a 
    variety of defense and research missions remains at other locations at 
    the Hanford Site.
        The K-East and K-West Basins were constructed in the early 1950s to 
    provide temporary storage of fuel discharged from the K Reactors. The K 
    Reactors were shut down in 1970, and the basins were subsequently used 
    to store SNF from N Reactor. The basins are located approximately 1,000 
    feet from the Columbia River. They are unlined, concrete, 1.3 million-
    gallon water pools with an asphaltic membrane beneath each basin. The 
    K-East Basin presently stores approximately 1,150 metric tons of SNF. 
    The SNF has been stored under water in open-top canisters for periods 
    ranging from 6 to 23 years. The fuel is corroding, and an estimated 50 
    cubic meters of sludge (containing radionuclides, corrosion products 
    and miscellaneous materials) has accumulated in the basin. The K-East 
    basin has leaked to the environment, most likely at the basin discharge 
    chute construction joint. The asphaltic membrane does not extend 
    beneath this area.
        The K-West Basin presently stores approximately 950 metric tons of 
    SNF. Prior to storage in the K-West Basin, the SNF was placed in closed 
    containers, so there is no appreciable sludge buildup in the K-West 
    Basin. The K-West Basin is not believed to be leaking. The discharge 
    chute construction joints between the foundations of the Basins and the 
    K Reactors are not adequately reinforced, and a seismic event could 
    trigger considerable leakage due to displacement.
        In February 1994, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, in 
    its Recommendation 94-1 to DOE, expressed significant concern with 
    continued storage at the K-East Basin, as follows:
    
        ``The K-East Basin at the Hanford Site contains hundreds of tons 
    of deteriorating irradiated nuclear fuel from the N Reactor. This 
    fuel has been heavily corroded during its long period of storage 
    under water, and the bottom of the basin is now covered by a thick 
    deposit of sludge containing actinide compounds and fission 
    products. The basin is near the Columbia River. It has leaked on 
    several occasions, is likely to leak again, and has design and 
    construction defects that make it seismically unsafe.''
    
    Proposed Action
    
        DOE proposes to take expeditious action to reduce risks to public 
    health and the environment by removing SNF from the K-Basins and, 
    subsequently, to take action to manage the SNF in a safe and 
    environmentally sound manner until ultimate disposition decisions are 
    made and implemented.
    
    Preliminary Description of Alternatives
    
        The proposed K-Basins EIS would analyze the potential environmental 
    consequences of reasonable alternatives for reducing risks associated 
    with the management of SNF in the K-Basins. A preliminary list of 
    alternatives includes: (1) Continued storage in the K-Basins with no 
    modifications except for continued maintenance, monitoring, and ongoing 
    safety upgrades (no action); (2) enhanced storage in the K-Basins, 
    which would involve overpacking SNF and performing facility life 
    extension safety upgrades at the K-Basins in addition to the 
    monitoring, maintenance and ongoing safety upgrades; and (3) 
    alternatives for implementing the proposed action that would involve 
    removal of K-Basins SNF, temporary storage of the SNF at a newly 
    constructed facility or modified existing facility, and subsequent 
    management at Hanford or processing at a foreign facility or an offsite 
    location, depending on decisions to be made based on the SNF PEIS. The 
    no-action alternative is included to provide a baseline for comparison 
    among alternatives, and to comply with the Council on Environmental 
    Quality regulation (40 CFR 1502.14 (d)) that requires consideration of 
    a no-action alternative.
        Under all of the removal alternatives, the first step would involve 
    placing the K-Basin SNF canisters and sludge adhering to or within the 
    canisters after sludge removal activities in wet or damp multi-canister 
    overpacks, sealing an inert atmosphere in the overpacks, and 
    transferring the overpacked SNF and canister sludge to a newly-
    constructed or modified existing facility at the Hanford site for 
    temporary storage. One option that DOE is considering involves 
    modifying the existing foundation for the high-level waste canister 
    storage building at Hanford to serve as a storage facility for the K-
    Basin SNF. (Construction of the canister storage building was halted at 
    the foundation stage when the high-level waste vitrification project 
    was suspended.) The canister storage building could also be modified to 
    accommodate subsequent (second step, see below) SNF management actions 
    that may be needed, including SNF treatment and dry storage. As part of 
    the first step, after removing the fuel, DOE would deactivate the K-
    Basins, which would involve removal and, as appropriate, treatment, 
    storage and disposal of the K-East Basin sludge and the water from both 
    basins using existing waste management systems at the Hanford Site. 
    Taking this first step would be compatible with the full range of the 
    reasonable alternatives for subsequent management of K-Basin or other 
    DOE SNF, and would be consistent with the full range of alternatives 
    that DOE is considering in the SNF PEIS.
        The second step would involve subsequent actions to continue to 
    manage the SNF in a safe and environmentally responsible manner until 
    ultimate disposition decisions are made and implemented. DOE will 
    consider a full range of reasonable alternatives, including deferring 
    the second step. Alternatives to be considered would include 
    alternative SNF management locations at the Hanford Site or, depending 
    on decisions to be made based on the SNF PEIS, at other DOE sites. 
    Alternative storage methods include wet storage and dry storage. The K-
    Basin SNF may require stabilization to eliminate potential reactivity 
    or pyrophoricity and ensure its safe management. Alternative 
    stabilization technologies to be considered would include surface 
    passivation (drying, dehydriding and then canning in an inert 
    atmosphere), calcining (dissolving, oxidizing, and solidifying the 
    SNF), and other processing (including dissolving, oxidizing, 
    separating, and solidifying SNF components) at a domestic or foreign 
    facility.
        Any decision to remove and subsequently manage K-Basin SNF would be 
    made and implemented in a manner consistent with the SNF PEIS Record of 
    Decision. The SNF PEIS alternatives include a No Action alternative 
    under which DOE would take only those minimal actions that are required 
    for safe and secure SNF management; a Decentralization Alternative that 
    would require SNF irradiated at Hanford to be managed at Hanford; a 
    1992/1993 Planning Basis Alternative that would ship TRIGA reactor fuel 
    currently stored at Hanford to Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, 
    but otherwise would be the same as the decentralization alternative; a 
    Regionalization Alternative that considers shipping Hanford SNF offsite 
    or naming Hanford as the regional management location for SNF west of 
    the Mississippi River; and a Centralization Alternative where all 
    [[Page 15908]] SNF would be sent to one site (Hanford or another 
    candidate site) for management. Under these alternatives, K-Basins SNF 
    would either be managed at Hanford or shipped to the regional or 
    central storage site (if Hanford is not chosen as the regional or 
    central storage site).
    
    Interim Actions
    
        DOE has prepared an Environmental Assessment for the proposed 
    Characterization of Stored Defense Production Spent Nuclear Fuel and 
    Associated Materials at Hanford Site, Richland, Washington, (DOE/EA-
    1030, March 1995), to obtain information needed to analyze the 
    environmental impacts of alternative methods of removing and managing 
    the fuel and sludge in the K-Basins. The proposed characterization 
    would support the preparation of this EIS. The characterization data 
    are also needed to help DOE develop safety analyses for management of 
    K-Basins and other Hanford SNF, including those for transportation and 
    conditioning. DOE issued a Finding of No Significant Impact for this 
    action on March 13, 1995.
        DOE is also preparing an environmental assessment for the proposal 
    to transfer approximately four metric tons of defense production 
    reactor irradiated fuel to the K-Basins to enable deactivation of the 
    Plutonium/Uranium Extraction (PUREX) Plant and the N-Reactor. This 
    proposed transfer of fuel, which involves a relatively small amount of 
    SNF, is intended to eliminate safety risks associated with continued 
    storage of SNF at the PUREX plant and N-Reactor. The PUREX Plant and N-
    Reactor inventories would not add appreciably to the amount of SNF 
    currently stored in the K-Basins or to the environmental impacts of 
    continued storage in the K-Basins during the time needed for the 
    Department to implement decisions on management of K-Basins SNF.
        DOE also proposes to take other near-term actions to improve the 
    safety posture of the K-Basins. Installation of cofferdams would 
    isolate the discharge chute and prevent leaks in the event of a basin 
    failure. The cofferdams also would prevent the potential release of 
    radioactively contaminated water and possible airborne releases that 
    could result from exposed sludge and SNF after a basin failure. (Sludge 
    could be released to the air as a dry powder, or the potentially 
    pyrophoric SNF could ignite if it is not kept wet until it is 
    stabilized.) Systems needed for safe operations would be upgraded, 
    including the electrical, potable water, fire protection, and certain 
    maintenance systems, and the ion exchange system used to treat the 
    water in the K-Basins. Debris (unused canisters, discarded tools and 
    similar items) would be removed from the K-Basins and managed as solid 
    waste.
    
    Compatibility With Possible Future Decisions
    
        The phase-out of chemical reprocessing in support of the weapons 
    production mission throughout the DOE complex resulted in the need to 
    identify a strategy for the management of all DOE-owned SNF until its 
    ultimate disposition. To that end, DOE is preparing the SNF PEIS. The 
    Draft SNF PEIS was issued for public comment in June 1994, the final 
    SNF PEIS is scheduled to be issued by April 30, 1995, and the Record of 
    Decision by June 1995. The SNF PEIS Record of Decision would establish 
    programmatic direction for DOE SNF management, and would identify which 
    DOE sites would manage DOE SNF until ultimate disposition decisions are 
    made and implemented. Proposals to implement the programmatic decisions 
    regarding Hanford's role in the Department's overall SNF strategy would 
    be covered in Hanford-specific NEPA documents, such as the K-Basins 
    EIS.
        DOE plans to address in the K-Basins EIS both the expeditious 
    removal and temporary storage of K-Basins SNF, and the subsequent 
    management of that SNF. DOE believes that expeditious removal and 
    temporary storage of K-Basins SNF away from the Columbia River is 
    needed to reduce risks to public health and the environment, and that 
    this part of its proposed action would be compatible with the full 
    range of alternatives for subsequent management of K-Basins SNF to be 
    evaluated in the SNF PEIS (i.e., the K-Basins fuels would either be 
    managed at the Hanford Site, or shipped offsite for management at 
    another location). Any decision on expeditious removal and subsequent 
    management of K-Basins SNF would be made and implemented in a manner 
    consistent with decisions on management of other SNF that DOE will make 
    in the SNF PEIS Record of Decision.
    
    Additional Technical Information
    
        Additional technical information on the conditions at the K-Basins 
    is provided in the November 1993 report, ``Spent Fuel Working Group 
    Report on Inventory and Storage of the Department's Spent Nuclear Fuel 
    and other Reactor Irradiated Nuclear Materials and their Environmental, 
    Safety, and Health Vulnerabilities.'' This evaluation was followed by a 
    Plan of Action to Resolve Spent Nuclear Fuel Vulnerabilities in 
    February 1994, which identified three phases to resolve those 
    vulnerabilities. The Phase I Action Plan, which addresses the most 
    urgent activities (including the Hanford K-Basins), was issued 
    immediately. The Phase II Action Plan was released in April 1994 for 
    public comment. The Phase III Action Plan was issued in October 1994. 
    All of these documents are available upon request from the K-Basins EIS 
    Document Manager identified above.
    
    Related NEPA Documentation
    
        Department of Energy NEPA documents have been or are being prepared 
    that are related to, but not within the proposed scope of, the K-Basins 
    EIS. These include:
        1. Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel Management and Idaho National 
    Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration and Waste Management 
    Programs Draft EIS, DOE/EIS-0203-D, June 1994. Hanford is being 
    considered as a candidate site for a full range of SNF management 
    functions. Alternatively, Hanford Site SNF would be transported for 
    management at other DOE site(s). DOE expects to complete the Final EIS 
    in April, 1995 and Issue a Record of Decision by June 1, 1995.
        2. Proposed Nuclear Weapons Nonproliferation Policy Concerning 
    Foreign Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel, Draft EIS in preparation, 
    DOE/EIS-0218D. Hanford is being considered as a candidate site for the 
    management of foreign research reactor fuel. Management alternatives at 
    Hanford include wet or dry storage as well as processing in new or 
    existing facilities. The Draft EIS is scheduled to be issued in April, 
    1995.
        3. Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, 
    Draft EIS in preparation (DOE/EIS-0200). Hanford is being considered as 
    an alternative site for centralized or regionalized management of DOE 
    wastes. Alternatively, Hanford would manage its own wastes or ship its 
    wastes offsite for management at another DOE facility and/or a 
    commercial facility. DOE plans to issue a draft EIS in May 1995, and 
    complete the final EIS in February 1996.
        4. Environmental Impact Statement, Tank Waste Remediation System, 
    Draft EIS under preparation. This EIS will examine the continued 
    management, and eventual treatment, storage and disposal of high-level 
    radioactive wastes stored in the Hanford Tank farms.
        5. Environmental Impact Statement, Disposal of Hanford High-Level, 
    [[Page 15909]] Transuranic, and Tank Wastes, DOE/EIS-0113, December 
    1987.
        6. Environmental Impact Statement, Operation of PUREX and Uranium 
    Oxide Plant Facilities, DOE/EIS-0089, February 1982.
        7. Environmental Impact Statement, Waste Management Operations, 
    Hanford Reservation, Richland, Washington, ERDA-1538, 1975, U.S. Energy 
    and Research Development Administration, Washington, D.C.
        8. Environmental Impact Statement, Decommissioning of Eight Surplus 
    Production Reactors at the Hanford Site, Richland, Washington, DOE/EIS-
    0119, December 1992.
        9. Environmental Assessment of 105-KE and 105-KW Basins Fuel 
    Encapsulation and Repackaging, 100-K Area, Hanford Site, Richland, 
    Washington, DOE/EA-0535, June 1992.
        10. Environmental Assessment for Characterization of Stored Defense 
    Production Spent Nuclear Fuel and Associated Materials at Hanford Site, 
    Richland, Washington, DOE/EA-1030, March 1995.
        11. Environmental Assessment: Transfer of Plutonium Uranium 
    Extraction Plant and 105 N Reactor Irradiated Fuel for Encapsulation 
    and Storage at the 105 KE and 105 KW Reactor Fuel Storage Basins, 100 
    and 200 Areas, Hanford Site, Richland, Washington, DOE/EA-0988, in 
    preparation.
    
    Preliminary Identification of Environmental Issues
    
        The following issues have been tentatively identified for analysis 
    in the EIS. The list is presented to facilitate comment on the scope of 
    the EIS. It is not intended to be all-inclusive or to predetermine the 
    potential impacts of any of the alternatives:
         Effects on the public and on-site workers from releases of 
    radiological and nonradiological materials during normal operations and 
    reasonably foreseeable accidents.
         Effects on air and water quality from normal operations 
    and accidents.
         Cumulative effects, including impacts from other past, 
    present, and reasonably foreseeable actions at the site.
         Effects on endangered species, archaeological/historical 
    sites, floodplains, and wetlands.
         Effects on future decommissioning actions.
         Effects from transportation and from transportation 
    accidents.
         Socioeconomic impacts on surrounding communities.
         Disproportionately high and adverse effects on low-income 
    and minority populations (environmental justice).
         Unavoidable adverse environmental effects.
         Short-term uses of the environment versus long-term 
    productivity.
         Potential irretrievable and irreversible commitment of 
    resources.
    
        Issued in Washington, DC, this 20th day of March, 1995.
    Peter N. Brush,
    Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and 
    Health.
    [FR Doc. 95-7607 Filed 3-27-95; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
    
    

Document Information

Published:
03/28/1995
Department:
Energy Department
Entry Type:
Notice
Action:
Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
Document Number:
95-7607
Dates:
DOE invites all interested parties to submit written comments or
Pages:
15905-15909 (5 pages)
PDF File:
95-7607.pdf