[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 150 (Wednesday, August 5, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41810-41813]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-20895]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Record of Decision for the Department of Energy's Waste
Management Program: Treatment of Non-wastewater Hazardous Waste
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Record of decision.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy's (DOE) Final Waste Management
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (WM PEIS) (May 1997)
analyzed alternatives for the annual treatment of approximately 3,440
metric tons of non-wastewater hazardous waste that is currently being
transported to commercial facilities for treatment. DOE has decided to
continue to use off-site facilities for the treatment of major portions
of the non-wastewater hazardous waste generated at DOE sites, based in
part on analyses in the WM PEIS. The Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) in
Tennessee and the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina will
treat some of their own non-wastewater hazardous waste on-site, where
capacity is available in existing facilities and where this is
economically favorable. This decision does not involve any transfers of
non-wastewater hazardous waste among DOE sites.
This decision differs slightly in two respects from the Preferred
Alternative (the No Action Alternative) identified in the WM PEIS.
First, in the Preferred Alternative (and all other alternatives
analyzed), DOE's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental
Laboratory (INEEL) was assumed to treat some of its own non-wastewater
hazardous waste on site. However, all non-wastewater hazardous waste at
INEEL is currently treated at off-site facilities, and DOE's decision
is to continue this practice for the site. Second, the Preferred
Alternative did not assume any on-site treatment at SRS. However,
treatment of non-wastewater hazardous waste at SRS was analyzed in the
Decentralized Alternative (as was on-site treatment of non-wastewater
hazardous waste at ORR). Since publication of the WM PEIS, the
Consolidated Incineration Facility has become available at SRS for the
treatment of some of the site's non-wastewater hazardous wastes. Use of
[[Page 41811]]
this facility is economically favorable for treating some of the site's
non-wastewater hazardous waste. The potential health and environmental
impacts of the No Action and Decentralized Alternatives are small, with
negligible differences between these two alternatives.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Copies of the WM PEIS and this Record
of Decision are available in DOE public reading rooms and selected
libraries located across the United States. A list of the public
reading rooms at which the WM PEIS and this Record of Decision are
available can also be accessed on the DOE Office of Environmental
Management's World Wide Web site at http://www.em.doe.gov/em30/.
To request copies of the WM PEIS, this Record of Decision, or a
list of the reading rooms and public libraries, please write or call:
The Center for Environmental Management Information, P.O. Box 23769,
Washington, DC 20026-3769. Telephone: 1-800-736-3282 (in Washington,
DC: 202-863-5084)
For further information on DOE's national Waste Management Program,
the WM PEIS, or this Record of Decision, please write or call: Mr. Jay
Rhoderick, Acting Director, Office of Planning and Analysis (EM-35),
United States Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management,
20400 Century Boulevard, Germantown, MD 20874. Telephone: (301) 903-
7211.
For general information on the U.S. Department of Energy National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, please write or call: Ms.
Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-
42), United States Department of Energy, Office of Environment, Safety,
and Health, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20585-0119.
Telephone: (202) 586-4600, or leave a message at (800) 472-2756
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The WM PEIS analyzed alternatives for the annual treatment of
approximately 3,440 metric tons of non-wastewater hazardous waste that
is currently being transported to commercial facilities for treatment.
DOE prepared this Record of Decision pursuant to the Council on
Environmental Quality's regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR Parts
1500-1508) and DOE's NEPA Implementing Procedures (10 CFR Part 1021).
This Record of Decision is based in part on analyses contained in the
WM PEIS, DOE/EIS-0200-F. DOE published a notice of its intent to
prepare the WM PEIS in the Federal Register on October 25, 1990. DOE
issued a Draft WM PEIS on September 22, 1995, and hearings were held
during the public comment period, which closed on February 19, 1996.
All public comments were addressed in the Final WM PEIS, which DOE
issued on May 30, 1997.
Purpose and Need for Agency Action
DOE needs to manage (i.e., treat, store, and dispose of) its wastes
in ways that will maintain safe, efficient, and cost-effective control
of these wastes; comply with applicable Federal and state laws; and
protect public health and the environment. The WM PEIS evaluates the
potential environmental impacts of managing five types of waste
generated by defense and research activities at DOE sites around the
United States. The five waste types are: mixed low-level radioactive
waste, low-level radioactive waste, transuranic waste, high-level
radioactive waste, and non-wastewater hazardous waste. The WM PEIS
examines, from a nation-wide perspective, the potential impacts of
managing these waste types and the cumulative impacts of waste
management, transportation and other ongoing and reasonably foreseeable
activities.
This Record of Decision applies only to the treatment of non-
wastewater hazardous waste as analyzed in the WM PEIS, and addresses
the extent to which the Department will continue to rely on off-site
treatment of non-wastewater hazardous waste. More specifically, the WM
PEIS analyzed alternatives for whether to thermally 1 treat
non-wastewater hazardous waste on DOE sites or to continue to use off-
site treatment. The Appendix to this Record of Decision identifies the
DOE sites evaluated in the WM PEIS as potential locations for waste
management operations, and the sites analyzed that have hazardous
waste.
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\1\ For purposes of this discussion, ``thermal treatment'' means
incineration.
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On January 23, 1998, the Department published (63 FR 3629) a Record
of Decision for the treatment and storage of its transuranic waste
based in part on analyses in the WM PEIS. Records of Decision for the
three other waste types analyzed in the WM PEIS will be issued in due
course.
Hazardous Waste Treatment
Hazardous waste, regulated under the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA), is non-radioactive waste exhibiting the
characteristics of ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity
as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) regulations
implementing RCRA, or waste that EPA has listed under RCRA as hazardous
waste. In addition, DOE manages some state-regulated hazardous wastes
and hazardous wastes regulated under the Toxic Substances Control Act,
which, for the purposes of this decision, are considered hazardous
wastes. The hazardous waste covered by this decision is generated as a
result of research and development activities and nuclear weapons
production.
According to the WM PEIS analyses, most of DOE's hazardous waste is
wastewater containing less than a 1% concentration of organic hazardous
waste. The Department currently treats its wastewater hazardous waste
on-site, and will continue to do so in the future. This waste is not
difficult to treat and is not cost-effective to transport off-site for
treatment.
DOE's non-wastewater hazardous waste consists primarily of sludges,
solids and organic liquids (water containing higher concentrations of
organic hazardous waste than wastewater). DOE currently ships a large
portion of its non-wastewater hazardous waste to off-site commercial
facilities for treatment as well as disposal (commercial facilities
take title to the waste and, after treatment, dispose of it in a manner
consistent with applicable state and federal laws and regulations). In
addition, some DOE sites use on-site non-thermal treatment capability
for non-wastewater hazardous waste to meet applicable regulatory
requirements.
Alternatives Considered for Treatment of Non-wastewater Hazardous
Waste
In the WM PEIS, the term ``alternative'' refers to a nationwide
configuration of sites for treating, storing, or disposing of a waste
type. The WM PEIS analyzed a No Action alternative, a Decentralized and
two Regionalized alternatives under which DOE would, to varying
extents, seek permits for, construct, and use facilities at DOE sites
for treating non-wastewater hazardous wastes generated at DOE sites.
The potential environmental impacts associated with the use of off-site
commercial facilities were also analyzed in the WM PEIS. The
alternatives analyzed were as follows.
No Action Alternative--treatment of 3% of non-wastewater hazardous
waste at 2 DOE sites (INEEL and ORR); 97% at commercial facilities. The
analysis of a ``no action'' alternative, required by Council on
Environmental Quality regulations implementing NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-
1508) and DOE NEPA
[[Page 41812]]
implementing procedures (10 CFR Part 1021), provides an environmental
baseline against which the impacts of other alternatives can be
compared. Under this alternative, all non-wastewater hazardous waste
would continue to be treated off-site at commercial facilities, except
at INEEL and ORR, where a small proportion of those sites non-
wastewater hazardous waste would be treated in existing on-site
facilities.
Decentralized Alternative--treatment of 9% of non-wastewater
hazardous waste at 3 DOE sites (INEEL, ORR and SRS); 91% at commercial
facilities. Under this alternative, DOE would utilize thermal treatment
technology at the INEEL, ORR, and SRS, to treat organic non-wastewater
hazardous wastes from these 3 sites and continue the use of commercial
treatment facilities to treat all other non-wastewater hazardous waste.
Regionalized Alternative 1--treatment of 50% of non-wastewater
hazardous waste at 5 DOE sites (INEEL, ORR, SRS, Hanford, and the Los
Alamos National Laboratory); 50% at commercial facilities. Under this
alternative, 5 DOE sites would use thermal treatment and organic
removal/recovery technologies to treat 50% of the non-wastewater
hazardous waste from all sites analyzed in the WM PEIS. These 5 sites
are: the Hanford Site, INEEL, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, ORR,
and SRS. DOE would use commercial facilities for the remaining 50% of
its non-wastewater hazardous treatment needs.
Regionalized Alternative 2--treatment of 90% of non-wastewater
hazardous waste at 2 DOE sites (INEEL and ORR); 10% at commercial
facilities. Under this alternative, facilities at INEEL and ORR would
use organic treatment and deactivation/neutralization for the treatment
of 90% of the non-wastewater hazardous waste from all sites analyzed in
the WM PEIS. DOE would continue to use commercial facilities for metal
recovery and recycling, battery recycling, and stabilization of the
remaining 10% of DOE's non-wastewater hazardous waste.
Environmentally Preferable Alternative
The WM PEIS analyzed a number of potential impacts, including those
on human health, air and water resources, ecological resources, land
use, and site infrastructures for each of the major sites at which
waste management facilities might be located. All potential impacts
identified in the WM PEIS were considered in DOE's selection of the
preferred alternative and its decision regarding treatment of non-
wastewater hazardous waste.
Potential health and environmental impacts for all alternatives are
generally low. The No Action and Decentralized Alternatives have
slightly lower transportation and air quality impacts than the
regionalized alternatives and are therefore considered to be
environmentally preferable.
Decision: Treatment of Non-wastewater Hazardous Waste
The Department has decided to continue to use off-site facilities
for the treatment of major portions of the non-wastewater hazardous
waste generated at DOE sites. ORR and SRS will treat some of their own
non-wastewater hazardous waste on-site, where capacity is available in
existing facilities and where this is economically favorable. This
decision does not involve any transfers of non-wastewater hazardous
waste among DOE sites. The potential health and environmental impacts
of this decision are identified in the Decentralized Alternative
analyzed in the WM PEIS.
Basis for the Decision
The potential health, environmental, and cost impacts of continued
use of off-site commercial facilities for treating DOE's non-wastewater
hazardous waste are low, and this decision fully meets DOE's regulatory
responsibilities for the safe management of its non-wastewater
hazardous wastes. The additional potential costs of expanding existing
or constructing new on-site capabilities are not justified in view of
the current availability of DOE and commercial facilities to treat this
waste. Commercial facilities used for treating non-wastewater hazardous
waste from DOE sites are required to meet all applicable regulatory
requirements.
Differences From the Preferred Alternative in the WM PEIS
This decision differs slightly in two respects from the Preferred
Alternative (the No Action Alternative) identified in the WM PEIS.
First, in the Preferred Alternative (and all other alternatives
analyzed), INEEL was assumed to treat some of its own non-wastewater
hazardous waste on site. In the Preferred Alternative, the amount of
waste assumed for on-site treatment at INEEL was less than 3% of the
total annual volume of non-wastewater hazardous waste from the 11 DOE
sites that generated over 90% of the annual total volume analyzed in
the WM PEIS. However, all non-wastewater hazardous waste at INEEL is
currently treated at off-site facilities, and DOE's decision is to
continue this practice for the site. Second, the No Action alternative
did not assume any on-site treatment at SRS. However, treatment of non-
wastewater hazardous waste at SRS was analyzed in the Decentralized
Alternative. Since publication of the WM PEIS, the Consolidated
Incineration Facility has become available at SRS for the thermal
treatment of some of the site's non-wastewater hazardous wastes. Use of
this facility is economically favorable for treating some of the site's
non-wastewater hazardous waste.
Mitigation
Chapter 12 of the WM PEIS describes measures that DOE takes in
order to minimize the impacts of its waste management activities.
Mitigation measures are an integral part of the Department's
operations, so as to avoid, reduce, or eliminate potentially adverse
environmental impacts. Some of the more important mitigation measures
that DOE will continue to utilize in its management of hazardous waste
are:
Pollution prevention plans;
Reuse of existing facilities wherever feasible rather than
construction of new facilities;
Occupational safety and health training to ensure that
workers understand operational safety procedures.
Site-specific, non-routine mitigation measures may also be
identified and implemented in the course of further decision making
under site-specific NEPA reviews.
As provided by 10 CFR Sec. 1021.315, the Department may revise this
Record of Decision in the future as long as the potential environmental
impacts associated with the revised decision have been adequately
analyzed by existing NEPA documents. Revision of this Record of
Decision could occur, for example, as new technologies or additional
cost information becomes available.
This Record of Decision will be implemented in compliance with all
applicable Federal, State, and local requirements.
Issued in Washington, DC this 30th day of July, 1998.
James M. Owendoff,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management.
[[Page 41813]]
Appendix.--Sites Evaluated in the WM PEIS
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Hazardous waste
Abbreviation Full name State Major site \1\ site \2\
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ANL-E........................... Argonne National IL Yes............. Yes.
Laboratory--East.
BNL............................. Brookhaven National NY Yes............. No.
Laboratory.
FEMP............................ Fernald Environmental OH Yes............. No.
Management Project.
Fermi........................... Fermi National IL No.............. Yes.
Accelerator Laboratory.
Hanford......................... Hanford Site............ WA Yes............. Yes.
INEEL........................... Idaho National ID Yes............. Yes.
Engineering and
Environmental
Laboratory.
KCP............................. Kansas City Plant....... KS No.............. Yes.
LLNL............................ Lawrence Livermore CA Yes............. Yes.
National Laboratory.
LANL............................ Los Alamos National NM Yes............. Yes.
Laboratory.
NTS............................. Nevada Test Site........ NV Yes............. No.
ORR............................. Oak Ridge Reservation... TN Yes............. Yes.
PGDP............................ Paducah Gaseous KY Yes............. No.
Diffusion Plant.
Pantex.......................... Pantex Plant............ TX Yes............. Yes.
PORTS........................... Portsmouth Gaseous OH Yes............. No.
Diffusion Plant.
RFETS........................... Rocky Flats CO Yes............. No.
Environmental
Technology Site.
SNL/NM.......................... Sandia National NM Yes............. Yes.
Laboratories--New
Mexico.
SRS............................. Savannah River Site..... SC Yes............. Yes.
WIPP............................ Waste Isolation Pilot NM Yes............. No.
Plant.
WVDP............................ West Valley NY Yes............. No.
Demonstration Project.
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\1\ Sites analyzed in the WM PEIS as potential locations for waste management facilities for one or more types
of waste.
\2\ Sites analyzed in the WM PEIS alternatives for the treatment of non-wastewater hazardous waste. These sites
generated over 90% of the annual total volume analyzed in the WM PEIS.
[FR Doc. 98-20895 Filed 8-4-98; 8:45 am]
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