97-17891. Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain

[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 131 (Wednesday, July 9, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36789-36791]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-17891]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-level Radioactive Waste 
at Yucca Mountain

AGENCY: Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) is announcing the availability 
of

[[Page 36790]]

the ``Summary of Public Scoping Comments Related to the Environmental 
Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent 
Nuclear Fuel and High-level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye 
County, Nevada'' (hereafter referred to as the comment summary 
document).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Wendy R. Dixon, Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) Project Manager, Yucca Mountain Site 
Characterization Office, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste 
Management, U.S. Department of Energy, 1180 Town Center Drive, MS/010, 
Las Vegas, Nevada 89134, 1-800-967-3477.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOE is preparing an EIS pursuant to the 
Nuclear Waste Policy Act, as amended (NWPA), for a geologic repository 
for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive 
waste (HLW) at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada. On August 7, 1995 
DOE published a notice of intent (60 FR 40164) encouraging the general 
public, Federal agencies, state and local government agencies, Native 
American tribal organizations, public interest groups, transportation 
interests, and industry and utility organizations to participate in the 
scoping process for the EIS. DOE held fifteen public scoping meetings 
across the country between August 29 and October 24, 1995 to allow 
interested parties the opportunity to present oral and written 
comments. As mentioned in the notice of intent, although the 120-day 
scoping period closed on December 5, 1995, DOE will consider comments 
received after that date to the extent practicable. DOE welcomes such 
comments, which may be submitted in writing to Ms. Dixon at the address 
above. Alternatively, comments may also be submitted through the 
internet and e-mail addresses identified in the ``Availability'' 
discussion below.
    Shortly after the scoping period closed, funding to continue the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process was discontinued in 
accordance with Fiscal Year 1996 budgetary reductions, until October 1, 
1996 (the beginning of Fiscal Year 1997). During the interim, on July 
9, 1996, to simplify the DOE NEPA process, reduce cost, and save time, 
DOE published a final rule (61 FR 36222) eliminating the requirement in 
its new regulations to prepare implementation plans. The elimination of 
this requirement, however, did not affect the requirement to consider 
public scoping comments and factor them into the preparation of the 
EIS.
    Although not required to do so, DOE has prepared a comment summary 
document to inform the public of the results of the scoping process. 
The comment summary document summarizes and categorizes comments 
received during the public scoping process into issue areas, and 
discusses how these issue areas will be addressed in the EIS.
    As discussed in the Notice of Intent to prepare the EIS (60 FR 
40164), the NWPA directs DOE to evaluate the suitability of the Yucca 
Mountain site as a potential site for a geologic repository for the 
disposal of SNF and HLW. If the Secretary of Energy determines that the 
Yucca Mountain site is suitable, the Secretary may then recommend that 
the President approve the site for development of a repository. Under 
the NWPA, any such recommendation is considered a major Federal action 
and must be accompanied by a final EIS. The NWPA states that the EIS 
need not consider the need for a repository, alternatives to geologic 
disposal, or alternative sites to the Yucca Mountain site. Therefore, 
as described in the Notice of Intent, the proposed action would be to 
construct, operate, and eventually close a repository at Yucca Mountain 
for the geologic disposal of commercial and DOE-owned SNF and HLW.
    SNF and HLW generate heat as a result of radioactive decay. The 
amount of heat generated is important because of its potential for 
changing the long-term performance characteristics of a repository. The 
amount of heat in a repository, or ``thermal load'', can be controlled 
by varying how densely SNF or HLW is placed in a repository, as well as 
by selective placement of fuels that have different ages. Packing SNF 
and HLW packages closely together would generate an upper range of 
repository temperatures. In contrast, packing SNF and HLW farther apart 
would generate a lower range of repository temperatures. DOE has 
identified three implementation alternatives, based on thermal load 
objectives, that would implement the proposed action. The EIS will 
therefore evaluate three thermal load ranges: High Thermal Load 
(emplacement of greater than 80 Metric Tons of Heavy Metal (MTHM) SNF 
and HLW per acre); Low Thermal Load (less than 40 MTHM per acre); and 
Intermediate Thermal Load (between 40 and 80 MTHM per acre). For each 
of these implementation alternatives, DOE will include an evaluation of 
different SNF and HLW packaging and transportation options.
    Under the NWPA DOE is prohibited from emplacing more than 70,000 
MTHM of SNF and HLW in the first repository until such time as a second 
repository is in operation. Many comments received during the scoping 
process requested that the EIS evaluate not only the disposal of 70,000 
MTHM of SNF and HLW, but also the disposal of all existing and 
projected SNF and HLW. In addition, commentors noted that in recent 
planning and NEPA documents, DOE has indicated that other waste types, 
such as commercial Greater-than-Class C low-level waste, may require 
permanent isolation in a geologic repository, and therefore should also 
be considered as candidates for disposal in this EIS.
    As discussed in the comment summary document, the EIS will continue 
to evaluate the proposed action and three thermal load implementation 
alternatives, as well as a no action alternative. The no action 
alternative will include the termination of site characterization 
activities at Yucca Mountain and the continued accumulation of SNF and 
HLW at commercial storage sites and DOE facilities. In addition, based 
on the scoping comments received, DOE is also considering including an 
analysis of the incremental environmental impacts from the disposal of 
all existing and projected SNF and HLW, and other highly radioactive 
waste types that may require permanent isolation, even though disposal 
at Yucca Mountain of some of these materials is not explicitly 
authorized.

Availability

    The comment summary document will be distributed for information 
purposes to those individuals, agencies, Native American tribal 
organizations, and public interest groups who have requested that they 
receive copies of EIS-related information. Copies of the comment 
summary document may be obtained by phone [phone], 9:00 a.m.--
8:00 p.m., Monday--Friday, Eastern Time), by faxed request (1-800-967-
0739), from the internet at Uniform Resource Locator address http://
www.ymp.gov under the listing entitled ``Environmental Impact 
Statement,'' and by e-mail by sending a request to 
[e-mail].
    Copies of the comment summary document also are available for 
inspection during normal business hours at the following public reading 
rooms.

Inyo County, 139 North Edwards, P.O. Drawer L, Independence, CA 93526. 
Attn: Brad Mettam [phone]
Oakland Operations Office, U.S. Department of Energy, Public Reading 
Room--EIC, 1301 Clay Street, Room

[[Page 36791]]

700N, Oakland, CA 94612-5208. Attn: Lauren Noble [phone]
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Public Reading Room, 1617 Cole 
Blvd., Golden, CO 80401. Attn: Nancy Greer [phone]
Rocky Flats Field Office, U.S. Department of Energy, Public Reading 
Room, Front Range Community College Library, Room B1103, 3645 West 
112th Avenue, Westminster, CO 80030. Attn: Susan Barron [phone]
Atlanta Support Office, U.S. Department of Energy, Public Reading Room, 
730 Peachtree Street, Suite 876, Atlanta, GA 30308-1212. Attn: Nancy 
Mays or Laura Nicholas [phone]
Southeastern Power Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, Legal 
Library, Samuel Elbert Building, 2 South Public Square, Elberton, GA 
30635-2496. Attn: Joel W. Seymour or Carol M. Franklin [phone]
Boise State University Library, Government Documents, 1910 University 
Ave., P.O. Box 46, Boise, ID 83707-0046. Attn: Adrien Taylor (208) 385-
1621
Idaho Operations Office, U.S. Department of Energy, Public Reading 
Room, 1776 Science Center Drive, Idaho Falls, ID 83401. Attn: Brent 
Jacobson [phone]
Chicago Operations Office, Document Department, University of Illinois, 
Chicago, 801 South Morgan Street, Chicago, IL 60607. Attn: John Shuler 
[phone]
Strategic Petroleum Reserve Project Management Office, U.S. Department 
of Energy, SPRMO/SEB Reading Room, 900 Commerce Road, East, New 
Orleans, LA 70123. Attn: Ulysses Washington [phone]
Churchill County, 190 West 1st Street, Fallon, NV 89406. Attn: Alan 
Kalt [phone]
Clark County, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, #3012, P.O. Box 551751, Las 
Vegas, NV 89155-1751. Attn: Dennis Bechtel [phone]
Esmeralda County, Public Reading Room, Commissioner's Office, P.O. Box 
517, Goldfield, NV 89013. Attn: Susan Dudley [phone]
Eureka County, 1012 Monroe Street, P.O. Box 714, Eureka, NV 89316. 
Attn: Sandy Green [phone]
Lander County, 500 Main Street, P.O. Box 10, Austin, NV 89310. Attn: 
Tammy Manzini [phone]
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, James Dickinson Library--Government 
Publications, 4505 Maryland Pkwy., Las Vegas, NV 89154-7013. Attn: 
Reference Desk [phone]
Lincoln County, #1 Main Street, P.O. Box 90, Pioche, NV 89043. Attn: 
Jason Pitts [phone]
Mineral County, 1st and A Streets, P.O. Box 1600, Hawthorne, 
NV 89415. Attn: Vernon Poe [phone].
Nevada State Clearinghouse, Department of Administration, Capitol 
Complex, Carson City, NV 89710. Attn: Julie Butler [phone]
Nye County, 475 St. Patrick Street, P.O. Box 1767, Tonopah, NV 89049. 
Attn: Les Bradshaw [phone]
University of Nevada Library, Business and Government Information 
Center, Reno, NV 89557-0044. Attn: Duncan Eldrich [phone]
White Pine County, 957 Campton Street, Ely, NV 89301. Attn: Ferd 
Mariani [phone]
Albuquerque Operations Office, U.S. Department of Energy, Technical 
Vocational Institute, 525 Buena Vista, SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106. Attn: 
Russ Gladstone [phone]
Fernald Area Office, U.S. Department of Energy, Public Information 
Office, 7400 Willey Road, Cincinnati, OH 45239. Attn: Gary Stegner 
[phone]
Bartlesville Project Office, U.S. Department of Energy, National 
Institute for Petroleum and Energy Research, BPO/NIPER Library, 220 
Virginia Ave., P.O. Box 2565, Bartlesville, OK 74005. Attn: Josh 
Stroman [phone]
Southwestern Power Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, Public 
Reading Room, 1 West 3rd, Suite 1600, P.O. Box 1619, Tulsa, 
OK 74101. Attn: Pam Bland [phone]
Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Department of Energy--BPA-C-ACS-
1, 905 NE 11th Street, Portland, OR 97208. Attn: Sue Ludeman 
[phone]
Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center, U.S. Department of Energy, 
Building 922/M210, Cochrans Mill Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236-0940. Attn: 
Anne C. Dunlap [phone]
Savannah River Operations Office, Gregg-Graniteville Library, 
University of South Carolina, Aiken, 171 University Pkwy., Aiken, SC 
29801. Attn: David Darugh [phone]
University of South Carolina, Thomas Cooper Library, Documents/
Microfilms Department, Green and Sumpter Streets, Columbia, SC 29208. 
Attn: Lester Duncan [phone]
Oak Ridge Operations Office, U.S. Department of Energy, Public Reading 
Room, 55 S. Jefferson Circle, Room 112 Oak Ridge, TN 37831-8510. Attn: 
Amy Rothrock [phone]
Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, Fondren 
Library--Documents Department, P.O. Box 135, Dallas, TX 75257-0135. 
Attn: Robin Gruner [phone]
University of Utah, Marriott Library--Special Collections, Salt Lake 
City, UT 84112. Attn: Walter Jones [phone]
U.S. Department of Energy, Room 1E-190, Forrestal Building, 1000 
Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. 20585. Attn: Carolyn Lawson 
[phone]
OCRWM National Information Center, 600 Maryland Ave., SW, Suite 760, 
Washington, D.C. 20024. Attn: Elizabeth Smeda [phone]
Richland Operations Office, U.S. Department of Energy Public Reading 
Room, 100 Sprout Road, Room 130 West, P.O. Box 999, MS:H2-53, Richland, 
WA 99352. Attn: Terri Traub [phone]
Yucca Mountain Science Center, U.S. 95--Star Route 374, Beatty, NV 
89003. Attn: Marina Anderson [phone]
Yucca Mountain Science Center, 4101B Meadows Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89107. 
Attn: Melinda d'Ouville [phone]
Yucca Mountain Science Center, 1141 South Highway 160, Pahrump, NV 
89041. Attn: Lee Krumm [phone]

    Issued in Washington, D.C. on June 27, 1997.
Wendy R. Dixon,
Assistant Manager, Environment, Safety & Health, and Repository EIS 
Project Manager, Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project Office, 
Las Vegas, Nevada.
[FR Doc. 97-17891 Filed 7-8-97; 8:45 am]
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