Notice of Availability of a Supplement Analysis for Transportation, Storage, Characterization, and Disposal of Transuranic Waste Currently Stored at the Battelle West Jefferson Site Near Columbus, OH, 53353-53355 [05-17791]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 173 / Thursday, September 8, 2005 / Notices meeting, NIST scientists presented preliminary reports on technical work tasks defined by resolutions adopted at the January plenary meeting and one additional resolution was adopted by the Development Committee. The Development Committee approved with edits initial recommendations for voluntary voting system guidelines at the April 20 and 21, 2005 meeting. The document, Voluntary Voting System Guidelines Version 1: Initial Report was submitted by the Development Committee to the EAC as required by HAVA on May 9, 2005. The EAC is currently accepting public comment on proposed voluntary voting system guidelines through September 30, 2005. Proposed guidelines and public comment procedures are available at https://www.eac.gov. CONTACT INFORMATION: Allan Eustis, 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 8900, Gaithersburg, MD 20899–8900, phone 301–975–5099. Written comments concerning the Development Committee’s operations should be addressed to the contact person indicated above, or to voting@nist.gov. Thomas R. Wilkey, Executive Director, U.S. Election Assistance Commission. [FR Doc. 05–17944 Filed 9–6–05; 2:50 pm] BILLING CODE 6820–KF–M DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Notice of Availability of a Supplement Analysis for Transportation, Storage, Characterization, and Disposal of Transuranic Waste Currently Stored at the Battelle West Jefferson Site Near Columbus, OH Department of Energy. Notice of availability of a Supplement Analysis. AGENCY: ACTION: SUMMARY: DOE has prepared a Supplement Analysis (SA) pursuant to DOE regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) at 10 CFR 1021.314. The SA addresses DOE’s proposal to ship approximately 37 cubic meters (1,307 cubic feet [ft3]) of transuranic (TRU) waste from the Battelle Columbus Laboratory West Jefferson site near Columbus, Ohio, to the Savannah River Site (SRS), a DOE site near Aiken, South Carolina, or to Waste Control Specialists, LLC (WCS), a commercial facility in Andrews, Texas. The waste was generated as part of the cleanup of the West Jefferson site and consists of approximately 12 cubic meters of Contact Handled (CH) TRU waste and VerDate Aug<18>2005 15:25 Sep 07, 2005 Jkt 205001 approximately 25 cubic meters of Remote Handled (RH) TRU waste. For purposes of analysis, DOE assumed that at SRS, the CH–TRU waste would be characterized and transported to WIPP for disposal, and the RH–TRU waste would be stored for up to 5 years; at WCS, the CH–TRU and RH–TRU waste would be stored for up to 5 years. The waste would be maintained in a safe, secure manner until it can be processed and disposed of at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, NM. The Battelle West Jefferson facility is privately owned; however, as part of the closeout of its nuclear materials research contract, DOE is assisting in the remediation of the site. Contract terms specify that all radioactive waste generated during the facility cleanup is ‘‘DOE-owned’’ for the purposes of disposal. The TRU waste must be shipped off-site by December 31, 2005, as Battelle’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license will expire at that time. In the final Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (WM PEIS, DOE/EIS–0200, May 1997), DOE analyzed the potential environmental impacts of the management (treatment and storage) of TRU waste at DOE sites. The Record of Decision for the Department of Energy’s Waste Management Program: Treatment and Storage of Transuranic Waste (63 FR 3629 (1998)) (TRU Waste ROD) documented DOE’s decision that, except for the Sandia National Laboratory, which would ship its waste to Los Alamos National Laboratory, each DOE site that generated or will generate TRU waste will prepare and store its TRU waste on the site until it can be disposed of at WIPP. DOE noted that in the future, it may decide to ship TRU waste from sites where it may be impractical to prepare the waste for disposal to sites where DOE has or will have the necessary capability. The sites that could receive such shipments of TRU waste are the Idaho National Laboratory near Idaho Falls, Idaho; the Oak Ridge Reservation, near Oak Ridge, Tennessee; SRS; and the Hanford site, near Richland, Washington. Based on the SA, DOE has determined that a supplement to the WM PEIS or a new EIS is not needed. DOE plans to issue an amended Record of Decision (ROD) under the Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (WM PEIS) for this waste no sooner than 30 days from the publication of this Notice. DATES: DOE will consider all public comments on this matter submitted by October 11, 2005 before issuing a ROD. PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 53353 Comments should be directed to: Mr. Harold Johnson, Carlsbad Field Office, U.S. Department of Energy, 4021 National Parks Highway, Carlsbad, NM 88220, Telephone: 505–234–7349, E-mail: harold.johnson@wipp.ws. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Copies of the Supplement Analysis for Transportation, Storage, Characterization, and Disposal of Transuranic Waste Currently Stored at the Battelle West Jefferson Site near Columbus, Ohio (DOE/EIS–0200–SA– 02) will be available on DOE’s Office of Environmental Management Web site at: https://www.em.doe.gov and on DOE’s NEPA Web site at https:// www.eh.doe.gov/nepa/whatsnew/html. To request printed copies of this document, 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 regarding the storage characterization, and disposal of Battelle West Jefferson TRU waste, contact: Mr. Harold Johnson, Carlsbad Field Office, U.S. Department of Energy, 4021 National Parks Highway, Carlsbad, NM 88220, Telephone: 505–234–7349. For further information on the DOE program for the management of TRU waste, contact: Ms. Lynne Smith, WIPP Office EM–13, Office of Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy, 19001 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874, Telephone: 301–903–6828. For information on DOE’s NEPA process, contact: Ms. Carol Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance, 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: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for the disposal of approximately 37 cubic meters (m3) (1,307 cubic feet [ft3]) of transuranic (TRU) waste generated as part of the cleanup of the Battelle Columbus Laboratory West Jefferson site near Columbus, Ohio, and currently stored on-site. TRU waste is waste that contains alpha particle-emitting radionuclides with atomic numbers greater than uranium (92) and half-lives greater than 20 years in concentrations greater than 100 nanocuries per gram of waste. TRU waste is categorized as either contact handled (CH) or remote handled (RH), based on the radiation level at the ADDRESSES: E:\FR\FM\08SEN1.SGM 08SEN1 53354 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 173 / Thursday, September 8, 2005 / Notices surface of the waste container. Some TRU waste is also mixed waste, having both radioactive and hazardous components. The Battelle West Jefferson facility is privately owned; however, as part of the closeout of its nuclear materials research contract, DOE is assisting in the remediation of the site. Contract terms specify that all radioactive waste generated during the facility cleanup is ‘‘DOE-owned’’ for the purposes of disposal. DOE needs to ship the TRU waste off-site by December 31, 2005, to comply with Battelle’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license, which will expire at that time. Removal of the TRU waste from the Battelle West Jefferson site is also required to allow site closure in fiscal year (FY) 2006. In the Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (WM PEIS), DOE analyzed the potential environmental impacts of the management (treatment and storage) of TRU waste at DOE sites. The Record of Decision for the Department of Energy’s Waste Management Program: Treatment and Storage of Transuranic Waste (63 FR 3629 (1998)) (TRU Waste ROD) documented DOE’s decision that, with the exception of the Sandia National Laboratory, which would send its waste to Los Alamos National Laboratory, each DOE site that has generated or will generate TRU waste will prepare and store its TRU waste on the site, pending disposal at WIPP. In an amended WM PEIS TRU Waste ROD issued in 2002, DOE decided to ship the Battelle West Jefferson TRU waste to the Hanford Site for storage and characterization prior to disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), located near Carlsbad, New Mexico [67 FR 56989 (2002)]. After issuing that decision, DOE completed three shipments of the Battelle West Jefferson TRU waste to Hanford (approximately 5 m3 [177 ft3]). In March 2003, DOE suspended further shipments of this TRU waste to Hanford, and subsequently a preliminary injunction stopping further shipments of TRU waste to Hanford was issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington in response to actions filed by the State of Washington and Columbia Riverkeeper. Shipments of TRU waste to Hanford for storage and characterization prior to disposal at WIPP remained suspended pending completion of the Hanford Solid (Radioactive and Hazardous) Waste Program Environmental Impact Statement (Hanford Solid Waste EIS) (DOE 2004a) and lifting of the preliminary injunction. The Hanford Solid Waste EIS was completed in VerDate Aug<18>2005 15:25 Sep 07, 2005 Jkt 205001 January 2004, and a Record of Decision (ROD) was issued in June 2004.1 On May 13, 2005, the district court issued a decision allowing the shipment of non-mixed TRU waste from the Battelle West Jefferson site to Hanford. However, the court has retained a preliminary injunction against off site shipments of mixed TRU to Hanford. Although shipment of non-mixed TRU waste to Hanford is no longer enjoined, DOE has discovered information that calls into question the accuracy of some of the analyses contained in the Hanford Solid Waste EIS. Until these questions can be addressed, DOE has decided not to ship additional waste from Battelle West Jefferson to Hanford. Nevertheless, by the end of 2005, DOE needs to ship all Battelle West Jefferson TRU waste to offsite storage so that Battelle can comply with its NRC license and site closure can occur in FY 2006. DOE is now proposing to ship the Battelle West Jefferson TRU waste to the Savannah River Site (SRS), a DOE site near Aiken, South Carolina, or to Waste Control Specialists, LLC (WCS), a commercial facility in Andrews, Texas. For purposes of analysis, at SRS, the CH-TRU waste would be characterized and transported to WIPP for disposal, and the RH-TRU waste would be stored for up to 5 years pending ultimate disposal at WIPP. At WCS, the CH- and RH-TRU waste would be stored for up to 5 years pending ultimate disposal at WIPP. DOE has a Hazardous Waste Facility Permit modification request pending before the New Mexico Environment Department that seeks to modify the characterization requirements for CHTRU waste, apply those modified requirements to RH-TRU waste, and allow DOE to dispose of RH-TRU waste at WIPP. If DOE’s request is granted without substantial modification, it may be possible to characterize the Battelle West Jefferson waste based on knowledge of the contents of the waste, without performing sampling and analysis currently required for CH-TRU waste under the WIPP Hazardous Waste Facility Permit. If characterization can be performed without additional sampling and analysis, DOE would ship the stored waste directly from SRS or WCS to WIPP. 1 Record of Decision for the Solid Waste Program, Hanford Site, Richland, Washington: Storage and Treatment of Low-Level Waste and Mixed LowLevel Waste; Disposal of Low-Level Waste and Mixed Low-Level Waste; and Storage, Processing, and Certification of Transuranic Waste for Shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, 69 FR 39449 (2004) (Hanford Solid Waste ROD). PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 If the WIPP TRU waste characterization requirements that are established by the hazardous waste facility permit modification cannot be met at SRS or WCS, then DOE would ship the waste from SRS or WCS to Hanford, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) (formerly known as the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory), or Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for characterization prior to shipment to WIPP for disposal. If SRS can meet the characterization requirements, but WCS cannot, the waste might also be shipped from WCS to SRS for characterization prior to shipment to WIPP for disposal. Future decisions regarding where to characterize the Battelle West Jefferson TRU waste would be made based on (1) consideration of the characterization requirements that are eventually established for that waste, and (2) the characterization capabilities existing or to be established at the different DOE sites to meet those requirements. After TRU waste characterization requirements have been established, if additional characterization were needed, DOE would conduct appropriate further National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review, for any additional characterization activities if necessary, including the associated transportation and shipment of the TRU waste to WIPP for disposal. DOE has prepared the SA in accordance with DOE NEPA regulations (10 CFR 1021.314) to determine whether the proposed shipment of the Battelle West Jefferson TRU waste for storage at SRS or WCS prior to disposal at WIPP is a substantial change to the proposal or whether there are significant new circumstances or information, relevant to environmental concerns, such that a supplement to the WM PEIS or a new EIS would be needed. DOE has concluded, based on the analysis in the SA that the impacts of shipping the waste to WCS or SRS would be very small and would not add significantly to impacts reported in prior NEPA analyses. Accordingly, DOE has determined that a supplement to the WM–PEIS or a new EIS is not needed. DOE plans to issue an amended ROD under the WM PEIS for this waste no sooner than 30 days from the publication of this Notice. DOE will consider all public comments on this matter submitted by October 11, 2005 before issuing a ROD. E:\FR\FM\08SEN1.SGM 08SEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 173 / Thursday, September 8, 2005 / Notices Issued in Washington, DC, September 1, 2005. James A. Rispoli, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management. [FR Doc. 05–17791 Filed 9–7–05; 8:45 am] (866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY, call (202) 502–8659. Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time on September 16, 2005. Linda Mitry, Deputy Secretary. [FR Doc. E5–4872 Filed 9–7–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450–01–P BILLING CODE 6717–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket Nos. RT04–1–015, ER04–48–015] Southwest Power Pool, Inc.; Notice of Filing Combined Notice of Filings #1 August 31, 2005. Take notice that the Commission received the following electric rate filings: Docket Numbers: ER96–719–007. Applicants: MidAmerican Energy Company. Description: MidAmerican Energy Company submits Second Substitute Sheet No. 5 to FERC Gas Tariff, Original Volume No. 9, amending its compliance filing submitted on 7/1/05 in Docket No. ER96–719–005. Filed Date: 08/24/2005. Accession Number: 20050826–0187. Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, September 14, 2005. Docket Numbers: ER01–642–003. Applicants: Cottonwood Energy Company LP. Description: Cottonwood Energy Company, LP submits a notice of change in status and a revised market-based rate tariff and a revised market-based rate tariff. Filed Date: 08/24/2005. Accession Number: 20050826–0188. Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, September 14, 2005. Docket Numbers: ER04–810–001. Applicants: TransAlta Centralia Generating L.L.C. Description: TransAlta Centralia Generation, L.L.C. submitted a compliance filing to inform the Commission that the Parties to the settlement agreement approved by the Commission in the order issued 4/19/ 05, 111 FERC ¶ 61,087 (2005), have recalculated and agreed to a revised service factor beginning 10/1/05 in accordance with the computation set forth in TransAlta’s Rate Schedule FERC No. 1. Filed Date: 08/26/2005. Accession Number: 20050829–0208. Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, September 16, 2005. Docket Numbers: ER05–1395–000. Applicants: Covanta Delaware Valley, L.P. Take notice that on August 26, 2005, Southwest Power Pool, Inc., (SPP) submitted an Independent Market Monitoring Service Agreement with Boston Pacific Company, Inc., as part of SPP’s Open Access Transmission Tariff pursuant to the request of the Commission Staff. SPP requests an effective date of July 1, 2005. Any person desiring to intervene or to protest this filing must file in accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211, 385.214). Protests will be considered by the Commission in determining the appropriate action to be taken, but will not serve to make protestants parties to the proceeding. Any person wishing to become a party must file a notice of intervention or motion to intervene, as appropriate. Such notices, motions, or protests must be filed on or before the comment date. Anyone filing a motion to intervene or protest must serve a copy of that document on the Applicant and all the parties in this proceeding. The Commission encourages electronic submission of protests and interventions in lieu of paper using the ‘‘eFiling’’ link at https://www.ferc.gov. Persons unable to file electronically should submit an original and 14 copies of the protest or intervention to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426. This filing is accessible on-line at https://www.ferc.gov, using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link and is available for review in the Commission’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. There is an ‘‘eSubscription’’ link on the Web site that enables subscribers to receive email notification when a document is added to a subscribed docket(s). For assistance with any FERC Online service, please email FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, or call VerDate Aug<18>2005 15:25 Sep 07, 2005 Jkt 205001 August 31, 2005. PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 53355 Description: Covanta Delaware Valley, L.P. submits a notice of succession notifying the Commission that, as the result of name change, it adopts American Ref-Fuel Company of Delaware Valley, L.P.’s Supplement No. 3 to FERC Electric Rate Schedule Original Volume No. 1 and FERC Electric Tariff Original Volume No. 3 and submits amendments to the rate schedules and tariffs to reflect the name change. Filed Date: 08/26/2005. Accession Number: 20050829–0207. Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, September 16, 2005. Docket Numbers: ER05–1396–000. Applicants: Covanta Essex Company. Description: Covanta Essex Company submits a notice of succession notifying the Commission that, as a result of a name change, it adopts American RefFuel Company of Essex County’s Supplement No. 3 to Rate Schedule FERC No. 1 and FERC Electric Tariff, Original Volume No. 2 and submits amendments to the rate schedules and tariffs to reflect the name change. Filed Date: 08/26/2005. Accession Number: 20050829–0206. Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, September 16, 2005. Docket Numbers: ER05–1397–000. Applicants: Covanta Hempstead Company. Description: Covanta Hempstead Company submits a notice of succession to notifying the Commission that as the result of a name change, it adopts American Ref-Fuel Company of Hempstead’s FERC Electric Tariff, Original Volume No. 1 as its own and submits amendments to the rate schedule to reflect the name change. Filed Date: 08/26/2005. Accession Number: 20050829–0205. Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, September 16, 2005. Docket Numbers: ER05–1398–000. Applicants: Covanta Niagara, L.P. Description: Covanta Niagara, L.P. submits a notice of succession notifying the Commission that as a result of a name change, it adopts American RefFuel Company of Niagara, L.P.’s FERC Electric Tariff, Original Volume No. 1 as its own and submits amendments to the Rate Schedule to reflect the name change. Filed Date: 08/26/2005. Accession Number: 20050829–0204. Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, September 16, 2005. Docket Numbers: ER05–1399–000. Applicants: Mississippi Power Company. Description: Mississippi Power Company submits a request for E:\FR\FM\08SEN1.SGM 08SEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 173 (Thursday, September 8, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53353-53355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-17791]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Availability of a Supplement Analysis for 
Transportation, Storage, Characterization, and Disposal of Transuranic 
Waste Currently Stored at the Battelle West Jefferson Site Near 
Columbus, OH

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability of a Supplement Analysis.

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SUMMARY: DOE has prepared a Supplement Analysis (SA) pursuant to DOE 
regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
at 10 CFR 1021.314. The SA addresses DOE's proposal to ship 
approximately 37 cubic meters (1,307 cubic feet [ft\3\]) of transuranic 
(TRU) waste from the Battelle Columbus Laboratory West Jefferson site 
near Columbus, Ohio, to the Savannah River Site (SRS), a DOE site near 
Aiken, South Carolina, or to Waste Control Specialists, LLC (WCS), a 
commercial facility in Andrews, Texas. The waste was generated as part 
of the cleanup of the West Jefferson site and consists of approximately 
12 cubic meters of Contact Handled (CH) TRU waste and approximately 25 
cubic meters of Remote Handled (RH) TRU waste. For purposes of 
analysis, DOE assumed that at SRS, the CH-TRU waste would be 
characterized and transported to WIPP for disposal, and the RH-TRU 
waste would be stored for up to 5 years; at WCS, the CH-TRU and RH-TRU 
waste would be stored for up to 5 years. The waste would be maintained 
in a safe, secure manner until it can be processed and disposed of at 
the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, NM.
    The Battelle West Jefferson facility is privately owned; however, 
as part of the closeout of its nuclear materials research contract, DOE 
is assisting in the remediation of the site. Contract terms specify 
that all radioactive waste generated during the facility cleanup is 
``DOE-owned'' for the purposes of disposal. The TRU waste must be 
shipped off-site by December 31, 2005, as Battelle's Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission (NRC) license will expire at that time.
    In the final Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement (WM PEIS, DOE/EIS-0200, May 1997), DOE analyzed the potential 
environmental impacts of the management (treatment and storage) of TRU 
waste at DOE sites. The Record of Decision for the Department of 
Energy's Waste Management Program: Treatment and Storage of Transuranic 
Waste (63 FR 3629 (1998)) (TRU Waste ROD) documented DOE's decision 
that, except for the Sandia National Laboratory, which would ship its 
waste to Los Alamos National Laboratory, each DOE site that generated 
or will generate TRU waste will prepare and store its TRU waste on the 
site until it can be disposed of at WIPP. DOE noted that in the future, 
it may decide to ship TRU waste from sites where it may be impractical 
to prepare the waste for disposal to sites where DOE has or will have 
the necessary capability. The sites that could receive such shipments 
of TRU waste are the Idaho National Laboratory near Idaho Falls, Idaho; 
the Oak Ridge Reservation, near Oak Ridge, Tennessee; SRS; and the 
Hanford site, near Richland, Washington.
    Based on the SA, DOE has determined that a supplement to the WM 
PEIS or a new EIS is not needed. DOE plans to issue an amended Record 
of Decision (ROD) under the Waste Management Programmatic Environmental 
Impact Statement (WM PEIS) for this waste no sooner than 30 days from 
the publication of this Notice.

DATES: DOE will consider all public comments on this matter submitted 
by October 11, 2005 before issuing a ROD.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be directed to: Mr. Harold Johnson, Carlsbad 
Field Office, U.S. Department of Energy, 4021 National Parks Highway, 
Carlsbad, NM 88220, Telephone: 505-234-7349, E-mail: 
harold.johnson@wipp.ws.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Copies of the Supplement Analysis for 
Transportation, Storage, Characterization, and Disposal of Transuranic 
Waste Currently Stored at the Battelle West Jefferson Site near 
Columbus, Ohio (DOE/EIS-0200-SA-02) will be available on DOE's Office 
of Environmental Management Web site at: https://www.em.doe.gov and on 
DOE's NEPA Web site at https://www.eh.doe.gov/nepa/whatsnew/html. To 
request printed copies of this document, 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 regarding the storage characterization, and 
disposal of Battelle West Jefferson TRU waste, contact: Mr. Harold 
Johnson, Carlsbad Field Office, U.S. Department of Energy, 4021 
National Parks Highway, Carlsbad, NM 88220, Telephone: 505-234-7349.
    For further information on the DOE program for the management of 
TRU waste, contact: Ms. Lynne Smith, WIPP Office EM-13, Office of 
Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy, 19001 Germantown 
Road, Germantown, MD 20874, Telephone: 301-903-6828.
    For information on DOE's NEPA process, contact: Ms. Carol 
Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance, 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: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is 
responsible for the disposal of approximately 37 cubic meters (m3) 
(1,307 cubic feet [ft\3\]) of transuranic (TRU) waste generated as part 
of the cleanup of the Battelle Columbus Laboratory West Jefferson site 
near Columbus, Ohio, and currently stored on-site. TRU waste is waste 
that contains alpha particle-emitting radionuclides with atomic numbers 
greater than uranium (92) and half-lives greater than 20 years in 
concentrations greater than 100 nanocuries per gram of waste.
    TRU waste is categorized as either contact handled (CH) or remote 
handled (RH), based on the radiation level at the

[[Page 53354]]

surface of the waste container. Some TRU waste is also mixed waste, 
having both radioactive and hazardous components.
    The Battelle West Jefferson facility is privately owned; however, 
as part of the closeout of its nuclear materials research contract, DOE 
is assisting in the remediation of the site. Contract terms specify 
that all radioactive waste generated during the facility cleanup is 
``DOE-owned'' for the purposes of disposal. DOE needs to ship the TRU 
waste off-site by December 31, 2005, to comply with Battelle's Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission (NRC) license, which will expire at that time. 
Removal of the TRU waste from the Battelle West Jefferson site is also 
required to allow site closure in fiscal year (FY) 2006.
    In the Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement 
(WM PEIS), DOE analyzed the potential environmental impacts of the 
management (treatment and storage) of TRU waste at DOE sites. The 
Record of Decision for the Department of Energy's Waste Management 
Program: Treatment and Storage of Transuranic Waste (63 FR 3629 (1998)) 
(TRU Waste ROD) documented DOE's decision that, with the exception of 
the Sandia National Laboratory, which would send its waste to Los 
Alamos National Laboratory, each DOE site that has generated or will 
generate TRU waste will prepare and store its TRU waste on the site, 
pending disposal at WIPP.
    In an amended WM PEIS TRU Waste ROD issued in 2002, DOE decided to 
ship the Battelle West Jefferson TRU waste to the Hanford Site for 
storage and characterization prior to disposal at the Waste Isolation 
Pilot Plant (WIPP), located near Carlsbad, New Mexico [67 FR 56989 
(2002)]. After issuing that decision, DOE completed three shipments of 
the Battelle West Jefferson TRU waste to Hanford (approximately 5 m\3\ 
[177 ft\3\]). In March 2003, DOE suspended further shipments of this 
TRU waste to Hanford, and subsequently a preliminary injunction 
stopping further shipments of TRU waste to Hanford was issued by the 
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington in response 
to actions filed by the State of Washington and Columbia Riverkeeper.
    Shipments of TRU waste to Hanford for storage and characterization 
prior to disposal at WIPP remained suspended pending completion of the 
Hanford Solid (Radioactive and Hazardous) Waste Program Environmental 
Impact Statement (Hanford Solid Waste EIS) (DOE 2004a) and lifting of 
the preliminary injunction. The Hanford Solid Waste EIS was completed 
in January 2004, and a Record of Decision (ROD) was issued in June 
2004.\1\ On May 13, 2005, the district court issued a decision allowing 
the shipment of non-mixed TRU waste from the Battelle West Jefferson 
site to Hanford. However, the court has retained a preliminary 
injunction against off site shipments of mixed TRU to Hanford.
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    \1\ Record of Decision for the Solid Waste Program, Hanford 
Site, Richland, Washington: Storage and Treatment of Low-Level Waste 
and Mixed Low-Level Waste; Disposal of Low-Level Waste and Mixed 
Low-Level Waste; and Storage, Processing, and Certification of 
Transuranic Waste for Shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, 
69 FR 39449 (2004) (Hanford Solid Waste ROD).
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    Although shipment of non-mixed TRU waste to Hanford is no longer 
enjoined, DOE has discovered information that calls into question the 
accuracy of some of the analyses contained in the Hanford Solid Waste 
EIS. Until these questions can be addressed, DOE has decided not to 
ship additional waste from Battelle West Jefferson to Hanford. 
Nevertheless, by the end of 2005, DOE needs to ship all Battelle West 
Jefferson TRU waste to off-site storage so that Battelle can comply 
with its NRC license and site closure can occur in FY 2006.
    DOE is now proposing to ship the Battelle West Jefferson TRU waste 
to the Savannah River Site (SRS), a DOE site near Aiken, South 
Carolina, or to Waste Control Specialists, LLC (WCS), a commercial 
facility in Andrews, Texas. For purposes of analysis, at SRS, the CH-
TRU waste would be characterized and transported to WIPP for disposal, 
and the RH-TRU waste would be stored for up to 5 years pending ultimate 
disposal at WIPP. At WCS, the CH- and RH-TRU waste would be stored for 
up to 5 years pending ultimate disposal at WIPP.
    DOE has a Hazardous Waste Facility Permit modification request 
pending before the New Mexico Environment Department that seeks to 
modify the characterization requirements for CH-TRU waste, apply those 
modified requirements to RH-TRU waste, and allow DOE to dispose of RH-
TRU waste at WIPP. If DOE's request is granted without substantial 
modification, it may be possible to characterize the Battelle West 
Jefferson waste based on knowledge of the contents of the waste, 
without performing sampling and analysis currently required for CH-TRU 
waste under the WIPP Hazardous Waste Facility Permit. If 
characterization can be performed without additional sampling and 
analysis, DOE would ship the stored waste directly from SRS or WCS to 
WIPP.
    If the WIPP TRU waste characterization requirements that are 
established by the hazardous waste facility permit modification cannot 
be met at SRS or WCS, then DOE would ship the waste from SRS or WCS to 
Hanford, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) (formerly known as the Idaho 
National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory), or Oak Ridge 
National Laboratory (ORNL) for characterization prior to shipment to 
WIPP for disposal. If SRS can meet the characterization requirements, 
but WCS cannot, the waste might also be shipped from WCS to SRS for 
characterization prior to shipment to WIPP for disposal.
    Future decisions regarding where to characterize the Battelle West 
Jefferson TRU waste would be made based on (1) consideration of the 
characterization requirements that are eventually established for that 
waste, and (2) the characterization capabilities existing or to be 
established at the different DOE sites to meet those requirements. 
After TRU waste characterization requirements have been established, if 
additional characterization were needed, DOE would conduct appropriate 
further National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review, for any 
additional characterization activities if necessary, including the 
associated transportation and shipment of the TRU waste to WIPP for 
disposal.
    DOE has prepared the SA in accordance with DOE NEPA regulations (10 
CFR 1021.314) to determine whether the proposed shipment of the 
Battelle West Jefferson TRU waste for storage at SRS or WCS prior to 
disposal at WIPP is a substantial change to the proposal or whether 
there are significant new circumstances or information, relevant to 
environmental concerns, such that a supplement to the WM PEIS or a new 
EIS would be needed. DOE has concluded, based on the analysis in the SA 
that the impacts of shipping the waste to WCS or SRS would be very 
small and would not add significantly to impacts reported in prior NEPA 
analyses. Accordingly, DOE has determined that a supplement to the WM-
PEIS or a new EIS is not needed.
    DOE plans to issue an amended ROD under the WM PEIS for this waste 
no sooner than 30 days from the publication of this Notice. DOE will 
consider all public comments on this matter submitted by October 11, 
2005 before issuing a ROD.


[[Page 53355]]


    Issued in Washington, DC, September 1, 2005.
James A. Rispoli,
Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management.
[FR Doc. 05-17791 Filed 9-7-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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