[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 169 (Wednesday, September 1, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47780-47782]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-22671]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Management of Certain Plutonium Residues and Scrub Alloy Stored
at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site
AGENCY: U. S. Department of Energy.
ACTION: Amendment to a record of decision.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) has decided to revise the
approach to be used to dispose of approximately 3,360 kg of sand, slag
and crucible plutonium residues (containing approximately 130 kg of
plutonium) that is currently stored at the Rocky Flats Environmental
Technology Site. In an earlier Record of Decision on Management of
Certain Plutonium Residues and Scrub Alloy Stored at the Rocky Flats
Environmental Technology Site (63 FR 66136, December 1, 1998), DOE
decided that the sand, slag and crucible residues would be shipped to
the Savannah River Site for processing and storage pending disposition.
With the opening of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New
Mexico on March 26, 1999, DOE has now decided instead to prepare the
sand, slag and crucible residues for direct shipment to the repository
for disposal. This will result in final disposition of this material
several years earlier than the previous approach and would be more cost
effective. The environmental impacts of alternative approaches for
management of these residues are presented in the Final Environmental
Impact Statement on Management of Certain Plutonium Residues and Scrub
Alloy Stored at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (the EIS,
DOE/EIS-0277F, August 1998).
ADDRESSES: Copies of the EIS, the first and second Records of Decision
published by DOE on this subject, and this Amended Record of Decision
are available in the public reading rooms and libraries identified in
the Federal Register notice that announced the availability of the EIS
(63 FR 46006, August 28, 1998), or please write or call: Center for
Environmental Management Information, P.O. Box 23769, Washington, DC
20026-3769, telephone 1-800-736-3282 (in Washington, DC: 202-863-5084).
These documents may also be accessed on the DOE Office of Environmental
Management's World Wide Web site at http://www.em.doe.gov/em60/
documents.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on management
of plutonium residues and scrub alloy currently stored at the Rocky
Flats Environmental Technology Site, contact: Ms. Patrice M. Bubar,
Acting Director, Rocky Flats Office (EM-64), Office of Nuclear Material
and Facility Stabilization, Environmental Management, U.S. Department
of Energy 1000 Independence Avenue, SW,
[[Page 47781]]
Washington, DC 20585, Telephone: 301-903-7130.
For information concerning the EIS, the first or second Records of
Decision, or this Amended Record of Decision, contact: Mr. Charles R.
Head, Senior Technical Advisor, Office of Nuclear Material and Facility
Stabilization, Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy,
1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585, Telephone: 202-586-
5151.
For further information on DOE's National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) process, contact: Ms. Carol Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA
Policy and Assistance (EH-42), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585, Telephone (202) 586-
4600, or leave a message at 1-800-472-2756.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued the Final Environmental
Impact Statement on Management of Certain Plutonium Residues and Scrub
Alloy Stored at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (EIS,
DOE/EIS-0277F) in August 1998. In this EIS, DOE assessed the potential
environmental impacts of processing certain plutonium residues and
scrub alloy currently stored at the Rocky Flats Environmental
Technology Site (Rocky Flats) near Golden, Colorado in preparation for
disposal or other disposition. These materials were produced during
nuclear weapons production activities conducted by DOE during the Cold
War, and are no longer needed. DOE is currently conducting activities
to safely manage, clean up, and dispose (where appropriate) such
intermediate products of its prior nuclear weapons production
activities. The plutonium residues analyzed in the EIS include
approximately 3,360 kg of sand, slag and crucible residues (containing
approximately 130 kg of plutonium).
The EIS evaluated four alternatives for management of the sand,
slag and crucible residues, as shown in Table 1.
Table 1.--Alternatives for Management of Sand, Slag and Crucible
Plutonium Residues
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alternative 1--No Action:
Calcination/Cementation at Rocky Flats, followed by storage
at Rocky Flats.
Alternative 2--Processing without Plutonium Separation:
Vitrification at Rocky Flats, in preparation for disposal
in WIPP 1, or
Calcination & Blend Down at Rocky Flats, in preparation for
disposal in WIPP
Alternative 3--Process with Plutonium Separation:
Purex Process at the Savannah River Site, in preparation
for disposition of the plutonium as either mixed oxide nuclear fuel
or immobilized in highly radioactive waste in a mined geologic
repository.
Alternative 4--Combination of Processing Technologies:
Calcination/Cementation at Rocky Flats, in preparation for
disposal in WIPP, or
Repackaging at Rocky Flats, in preparation for disposal in
WIPP.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The ``Waste Isolation Pilot Plant'' is DOE's mined geologic
repository for disposal of transuranic radioactive wastes. WIPP is
located near Carlsbad, New Mexico. Transuranic is a term for any
element whose atomic number is higher than that of uranium (i.e.,
atomic number 92). All transuranic elements are produced artificially.
II. Original Decision
DOE issued a first Record of Decision (63 FR 66136, December 1,
1998) that covered eight categories of Rocky Flats plutonium residues
(including sand, slag and crucible residues) and the scrub
alloy.2 The first Record of Decision stated in Section
VII.A.1. that ``DOE has decided to preprocess the sand, slag and
crucible residues at the Rocky Flats site and then transport them to
the Savannah River Site for stabilization in the F-Canyon. The Purex
process will be used to chemically separate the plutonium from the
other residue constituents (i.e., Alternative 3). The separated
plutonium will then be placed in storage at the Savannah River Site
until it is dispositioned as determined by DOE after completion of the
Surplus Plutonium Disposition Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS-
0283, under preparation, draft issued in July 1998).''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The ``Waste Isolation Pilot Plant'' is DOE's mined geologic
repository for disposal of transuranic radioactive wastes. WIPP is
located near Carlsbad, New Mexico. Transuranic is a term for any
element whose atomic number is higher than that of uranium (i.e.,
atomic number 92). All transuranic elements are produced
artificially.
\2\ DOE issued a second Record of Decision (64 FR 8068, February
18, 1999) for the remaining seven categories of residues.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section VII.A.2. of the first Record of Decision explained that
Alternative 3 (processing at the Savannah River Site) was selected
because it would provide the most expeditious approach for
stabilization of the sand, slag and crucible residues. Because
repackaging at Rocky Flats under Alternative 4 (preparation of the
sand, slag and crucible residues for disposal in WIPP) also appeared to
be a desirable alternative, Section VII.A.2 went on to explain the
following:
``Consideration of alternative processing technologies that would
result in sending the Rocky Flats sand, slag and crucible residues
directly to WIPP for disposal as transuranic waste revealed that
significant further characterization of the material would be required
to verify its suitability for disposal in WIPP, due to the presence of
reactive calcium in the residues. Resolution of the issues raised by
the reactive calcium would require (1) further testing to demonstrate
that no more than 5 percent of the residues contain enough reactive
calcium to be pyrophoric, (2) approval by the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission of a change to the WIPP TRUCON Shipping Code to change the
allowable passivated calcium metal content from a trace (i.e., less
than 1 percent) to a minor (i.e., 1 to 10 percent) constituent, and (3)
obtaining WIPP certification of the material. This strategy, if
successful, would take about one year longer to implement than
processing at the Savannah River Site.''
III. Events Since Issuance of the First Record of Decision
Since issuance of the first Record of Decision, sand, slag and
crucible residues have been packaged in preparation for shipment to the
Savannah River Site. A small quantity of these residues (approximately
112 kg containing about 2.7 kg of plutonium) has been shipped to the
Savannah River Site as test samples to determine how best to process
the bulk of the sand, slag and crucible residues yet to be shipped. The
shipping schedule for the remainder of the materials has been delayed,
however, by approximately one year, while issues associated with
certifying a new transportation package continue to be addressed.
Meanwhile, the following activities regarding
[[Page 47782]]
sending the sand, slag and crucible residues to WIPP have been
completed:
A. In July 1999, DOE completed sampling and analysis of the sand,
slag and crucible residues to a greater than 95 percent confidence
level and has concluded that there would be no pyrophoric hazards with
this material. The analysis also showed that the sand, slag and
crucible residues are sufficiently passivated (i.e. made less
chemically reactive) to be shipped to WIPP.
B. DOE obtained Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval of Revision
11 of the TRUCON Codes in June 1999. This revision allows shipment to
WIPP of residues with a passivated calcium constituent greater than
that present in the sand, slag and crucible residues.
C. WIPP began disposal operations on March 26, 1999. In the process
of preparing other transuranic wastes for shipment to WIPP, the Rocky
Flats Site has developed a record keeping and management system that
meets stringent WIPP certification requirements. This new record
keeping and management system has passed several audits by both the DOE
Carlsbad Area Office (the DOE organization that operates WIPP) and the
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. The system provides the
technical information needed to certify transuranic wastes for disposal
in WIPP. Rocky Flats has obtained WIPP certification for several waste
streams and is currently shipping these waste streams to WIPP for
disposal. This proven system could be used to obtain WIPP certification
for the sand, slag and crucible residues. These residues are not
hazardous waste, subject to Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
regulations.
Completion of the activities discussed above resolves the three
issues identified in the first Record of Decision as requiring
resolution before disposal of the sand, slag and crucible residues at
WIPP would be possible. Their resolution prompted DOE to reconsider its
decision.
IV. Need to Change the Initial Decision
Shipment of the sand, slag and crucible residues to the Savannah
River Site for processing would result in separation of approximately
130 kg of nuclear weapons usable plutonium from the other constituents
of the sand, slag and crucible residues. While plutonium can be safely
stored at the Savannah River Site, DOE prefers not to separate weapons
usable plutonium unless such separation is required by health and
safety concerns. With the resolution of the issues that led to DOE's
original decision not to dispose of the sand, slag and crucible
residues at WIPP, and the delay in shipping material to Savannah River
Site, there is no longer any advantage in shipping the sand, slag and
crucible residues to the Savannah River Site for processing.
In addition, if the plutonium were separated from the sand, slag
and crucible residues at the Savannah River Site, the separated
plutonium would then have to be stored at the Savannah River Site for
several years before it would be further dispositioned, e.g., by
immobilization. If the plutonium were to be immobilized, it would
likely be several additional years before the immobilized plutonium
could be shipped to a geologic repository for disposal. Direct disposal
at WIPP would require further repackaging at Rocky Flats, and shipment
to WIPP for disposal would occur somewhat later than shipments to the
Savannah River Site. Nevertheless, DOE has confirmed that this delay
would not adversely affect DOE's plan to close Rocky Flats by 2006.
V. Environmental Impacts Analysis
As indicated in the Records of Decision issued under the Final EIS,
because of the small risks that potentially could result from
implementation of any of the action alternatives and the absence of any
clear basis for discerning an environmental preference, no one action
alternative is clearly environmentally preferable over any other action
alternative. On the other hand, because the residues would be left in
storage at Rocky Flats with no defined disposal path under the No
Action Alternative, all of the action alternatives are environmentally
preferable to the No Action Alternative. Since the estimates of the
impacts that could potentially occur under the various alternatives for
management of the sand, slag and crucible residues have not changed
since issuance of the Records of Decision, DOE believes that the
conclusions it previously reached regarding the environmentally
preferable alternative are still valid.
VI. Amended Decision
After review of the potential impacts considered in the EIS and the
new information discussed above, DOE has decided to dispose of the
sand, slag and crucible residues at WIPP (i.e., DOE will implement the
repackaging option of Alternative 4). Termination of safeguards (as
discussed in Section III.D. of the first Record of Decision) will be
accomplished through the continued use of an approved variance to the
safeguards requirements, as is already being done for several other
categories of Rocky Flats plutonium residues.
Basis for the Decision
As discussed above, disposal at WIPP of the sand, slag and crucible
residues will avoid separation of up to 130 kg of plutonium and result
in permanent disposal of the plutonium several years sooner than it
could be disposed of under the Savannah River Site plutonium separation
alternative. DOE estimates that packaging the material for direct
disposal is a more cost effective approach than processing at the
Savannah River Site. Additionally, this would allow other materials
from Rocky Flats, which would have been processed after the sand, slag
and crucible residues, to be processed earlier in the F Canyon and F-B
line facilities.
VII. Conclusion
The decision specified in this Amended Record of Decision is
effective upon being made public, in accordance with DOE's NEPA
implementation regulations (10 CFR 1021.315). The goals of this
decision remain as stated in the first Record of Decision, namely to
prepare the sand, slag and crucible residues for disposal in a manner
that addresses health and safety concerns associated with storage of
the sand, slag and crucible residues and to support closure of the
Rocky Flats Site.
Issued in Washington, DC this 25th day of August, 1999.
Carolyn L. Huntoon,
Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management.
[FR Doc. 99-22671 Filed 8-31-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
