Notice of Intent (NOI) To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Use of a More Efficient Shipping Container System for Spent Nuclear Fuel From Naval Aircraft Carriers, 3277-3278 [06-289]
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 13 / Friday, January 20, 2006 / Notices
Act (NEPA) of 1969 and the Council on
Environmental Quality Regulations (40
CFR, Parts 1500–1508) implementing
the procedural provisions of NEPA, the
United States Department of the Navy
(Navy) gives notice that a draft
Supplement to the Programmatic
Environmental Assessment
(Supplemental PEA) has been prepared
to evaluate the environmental impacts
associated with implementation of the
2006 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC)
exercises. RIMPAC 2006 is scheduled to
be conducted from about June 26 to July
28, 2006. The United States National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS),
National Atmospheric and Oceanic
Administration (NOAA), Department of
Commerce, is a cooperating agency in
the preparation of this draft
Supplemental PEA.
DATES: Written comments on the draft
EA are requested not later than February
21, 2006. Comments should be specific
as possible. Comments should be mailed
to: Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet
(N01CE1), 251 Makalapa Drive, Pearl
Harbor, HI 96860. For additional
information, write to the above address
or call Pacific Fleet Environmental
Office at 808-474–7836.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Supplemental
PEA addressing the proposed action are
available by written request to the above
address. Copies of the draft
Supplemental PEA are also available for
public review at the project Web site at
https://www.smdcen.us/rimpac06/. In
addition, the document may be
reviewed at the following locations:
1. Wailuku Public Library, 251 High
Street, Wailuku, HI 96793 (Maui).
2. Hilo Public Library, 300
Waianaenue Avenue, Hilo, HI 96720.
3. Hawaii State Library, Hawaii and
Pacific Section Document Unit, 478
South King Street, Honolulu, HI 96813
(Oahu).
4. Lihue Public Library, 4344 Hardy
Street, Lihue, HI 96766 (Kauai).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Pacific Fleet Environmental Office at
808–474–7836 or write to Commander,
U.S. Pacific Fleet (N01CE1), 251
Makalapa Drive, Pearl Harbor, HI 96860.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: RIMPAC
has been conducted at various locations
throughout the State of Hawaii and
surrounding ocean areas biennially for
the last 36 years. The purpose of
RIMPAC is to implement a selected set
of exercise activities that are combined
into a multinational, sea control/power
projection Fleet training exercise in a
multi-threat environment. RIMPAC
exercises enhance the abilities of a
multinational Fleet force to
communicate and operate in simulated
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16:16 Jan 19, 2006
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hostile scenarios. In 2002, a
Programmatic EA (PEA) was prepared in
support of the RIMPAC exercises. The
PEA identified the Proposed Action as
the set of exercises and locations that
would be used for RIMPAC activities for
the foreseeable future. It identified the
maximum usage of ongoing training
assets and exercises that could be
conducted within a given RIMPAC
event and evaluated the impacts on the
environment within those bounds. The
FONSI for the RIMPAC PEA, signed
June 11, 2002, concluded that as long as
future RIMPAC exercises did not exceed
the evaluated set of activities, the
Proposed Action could be implemented
without supplemental NEPA
documentation. Thus, the scope of each
future RIMPAC exercise has been
evaluated for any emergent science
affecting impact analysis and for
consistency with the 2002 RIMPAC PEA
and its FONSI.
The 2006 Supplement to the 2002
RIMPAC PEA was prepared to evaluate
additional training event locations and
to review all proposed RIMPAC 2006
activities to the analysis in the 2002
RIMPAC PEA and a 2004 Supplement to
ensure all proposed activities are
addressed. The review included an
evaluation of: training levels (personnel
and equipment) and types of equipment;
facilities and procedures for
implementing RIMPAC at each
installation or range; and changes in the
affected environment or environmental
sensitivities. In addition, the 2006
Supplemental PEA also includes a
description of the Antisubmarine
Warfare (ASW) operations, and the
ASW acoustic effects modeling
completed for RIMPAC 2006.
The only change being proposed is
the location for conducting the NonCombatant Evacuation Operation (NEO)
at the Pacific Missile Range Facility
(PMRF) and Niihau. No new training
events are proposed. The NEO training
event locations at PMRF and Niihau,
when added to the Proposed Action
assessed in the RIMPAC PEA and 2004
Supplement, form the Proposed Action
for the purpose of the draft 2006
Supplemental PEA.
Accordingly, the analysis conducted
in the draft Supplemental PEA focused
on the following resources: terrestrial
and marine environments and cultural
resources. Specifically, the 2006
Supplemental PEA includes analysis
related to mid-frequency active sonar
based on application of emergent
science. Long-term studies of the
quantification and effects of exposure of
marine mammal species to acoustic
emissions are progressing, and Navy, in
coordination with the NMFS, is
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
3277
incorporating the results into this
Supplemental PEA. The Antisubmarine
Warfare (ASW) training events being
analyzed are not new and have taken
place with no significant changes over
the previous 19 RIMPAC exercises.
However, new scientific information has
led to the ability to quantitatively
identify harassment levels, as defined in
the Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA), through the use of newly
derived threshold criteria metrics.
Additionally, scientific advances in
effects-analysis modeling of sound on
marine mammals have provided Navy
the ability to predict cumulative effects
on marine species due to a proposed
action. Due to these advances in
scientific information, the 2006
Supplemental PEA provides an effectsanalysis on marine mammals that may
be affected by the RIMPAC training
events that use mid-frequency active
sonar.
Based on the assumptions and
analyses in the draft SPEA, the
proposed action appears to have no
significant impacts on the environment.
However, Navy will consider and
incorporate public comments into the
final SPEA before making a decision on
the environmental significance of the
proposed action. If warranted, a Finding
of No Significant Impact (FONSI) will
be prepared and the final Supplemental
PEA and FONSI will be made available
for public review on or about May 5,
2006.
Dated: January 10, 2006.
Eric McDonald,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate
General’s Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register
Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E6–647 Filed 1–19–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Intent (NOI) To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Use
of a More Efficient Shipping Container
System for Spent Nuclear Fuel From
Naval Aircraft Carriers
Department of the Navy, DoD.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.), the Council on Environmental
Quality Regulations for Implementing
the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (40
CFR parts 1500–1508), and the Chief of
Naval Operations Environmental and
Natural Resources Program Manual
E:\FR\FM\20JAN1.SGM
20JAN1
wwhite on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
3278
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 13 / Friday, January 20, 2006 / Notices
(OPNAV Instruction 5090.1B), the
Department of the Navy, Naval Nuclear
Propulsion Program, announces its
intent to prepare an Environmental
Assessment (EA) on the potential
environmental impacts associated with
using a more efficient shipping
container system for spent nuclear fuel
to support refueling and defueling U.S.
Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carriers
at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry
Dock Company (NNS) in Virginia, and
the associated rail shipment of this
spent nuclear fuel to the Naval Reactors
Facility (NRF) in Idaho for temporary
storage.
DATES: Interested parties are invited to
provide comments on environmental
issues and concerns relative to this NOI
and the scope of the EA, on or before
February 21, 2006, to ensure full
consideration during the completion of
the EA.
ADDRESSES: All comments should
include name, organization, and mailing
address. Written comments should be
addressed to Mr. Alan Denko (08UNaval Reactors), Naval Sea Systems
Command, 1240 Isaac Hull Avenue, SE
Stop 8036, Washington Navy Yard, DC
20376–8036. Comments provided by EMail should use the following address:
snfshippingcontainer@bettis.gov.
Comments provided via phone should
use this number: 1–866–369–4802.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Consistent
with the Record of Decision for the
April 1995 Department of Energy
Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for Spent Nuclear Fuel
Management, Naval spent nuclear fuel
is shipped by rail from refueling
shipyards to NRF in shipping containers
meeting Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) and Department of
Transportation (DOT) requirements.
These requirements provide for public
safety and protect the environment. A
new shipping container system is being
proposed to provide improved support
for the refueling schedules and
operational needs of the U.S. Navy fleet,
while continuing to provide for public
safety and environmental protection.
The new shipping containers would be
longer than existing containers and
could be used for any type of Naval
spent nuclear fuel; however, their
primary function would be to transport
aircraft carrier spent nuclear fuel
assemblies without disassembly of the
spent nuclear fuel from its non-fuel
structural components. Elimination of
this disassembly operation at the
shipyard would result in more efficient
defueling/refueling operations, which
are necessary to meet the current
refueling schedules for the fleet in
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:16 Jan 19, 2006
Jkt 208001
support of national defense. The aircraft
carrier spent nuclear fuel assemblies
would be loaded directly into the new
containers and shipped to NRF in Idaho
for temporary storage and processing,
which includes examination, removal of
non-fuel structural components, and
placement into canisters that are ready
for shipment to the geologic repository.
This method of direct loading of Naval
spent nuclear fuel into shipping
containers and removing non-fuel
structural components at NRF is the
same processing approach used for
submarines.
The Naval Nuclear Propulsion
Program’s conservative design practices
and stringent operating procedures have
resulted in a demonstrated safety record
for Naval nuclear propulsion plants
with respect to operations,
transportation, and handling of spent
nuclear fuel. There has never been an
accident resulting in personnel injury or
release of radioactivity to the
environment in over 1.5 million miles
traveled by the Naval spent fuel
shipping containers. The new longer
shipping container would be designed
to the same robust criteria and Federal
regulations as current Naval spent
nuclear fuel shipping containers. These
regulations require that the shipping
container meet specific criteria for
protection of the public and the
environment under normal transport as
well as accident conditions. The new
container will meet the same high
standards as existing shipping
containers with respect to minimizing
radiation exposure to the public and
workers.
The increased length of the containers
would require new railcars capable of
carrying containers in a horizontal
position, versus the vertical position
used for current container designs. The
new railcars and containers would meet
NRC and DOT regulations and provide
equivalent safety to existing design
railcars and containers used for
transporting Naval spent nuclear fuel.
Construction of a new facility at NNS
to support loading the longer shipping
containers would be needed. Equipment
used to remove and transfer the spent
nuclear fuel assemblies from the ship to
the new shipping container would be
the same as that currently used for
aircraft carrier defueling/refueling
operations.
No new facilities would be needed at
NRF, but minor facility modifications
would be required to support unloading
of the new containers and to allow for
scheduled return of the containers to
NNS. The return of the emptied
shipping containers to NNS is needed to
support defueling/refueling schedules
PO 00000
Frm 00023
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
and to minimize the number of
containers that must be procured and
maintained. To support container
turnaround, the Navy is evaluating the
option of increasing spent fuel receiving
capability at NRF to include temporary
dry storage of spent nuclear fuel prior to
processing. The fuel would be stored in
concrete shielded overpacks in the
temporary dry storage building.
Operations for temporary dry storage of
spent nuclear fuel prior to processing
would be similar to current NRF
operations for temporary dry storage
after processing.
The EA will evaluate the
environmental impacts associated with
the new container, construction of a
new shipping container loading facility
at NNS, loading the shipping containers
with Naval spent nuclear fuel at NNS,
and transport from the shipyard to NRF.
The EA will evaluate the modification
of facilities at NRF, unloading the spent
nuclear fuel assemblies, temporary dry
storage, disassembly of the spent
nuclear fuel from its non-fuel structural
components, and disposal of the nonfuel structural components. The
environmental impacts associated with
these operations are expected to be
similar to those associated with the use
of existing shipping container systems.
Use of the proposed new container
system will not impact continued
compliance with the 1995 Settlement
Agreement between the U.S. Navy and
the State of Idaho concerning the
management of Naval spent nuclear
fuel.
The EA will also address the viability
of alternative actions to the proposed
action to use the new longer shipping
container system. These alternatives
include (1) Changing the aircraft carrier
defueling/refueling schedules, (2)
increasing the facilities at the refueling
shipyard, (3) procurement of additional
shipping containers of the existing
design, (4) performing some activities at
other facilities, and (5) the no action
alternative, continuing to use the
existing shipping containers.
Dated: January 6, 2006.
Eric McDonald,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate
General’s Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register
Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 06–289 Filed 1–19–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P
ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION
Sunshine Act Notice; Meeting
United States Election
Assistance Commission.
AGENCY:
E:\FR\FM\20JAN1.SGM
20JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 13 (Friday, January 20, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3277-3278]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-289]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Intent (NOI) To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for
the Use of a More Efficient Shipping Container System for Spent Nuclear
Fuel From Naval Aircraft Carriers
AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental
Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA
(40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and the Chief of Naval Operations
Environmental and Natural Resources Program Manual
[[Page 3278]]
(OPNAV Instruction 5090.1B), the Department of the Navy, Naval Nuclear
Propulsion Program, announces its intent to prepare an Environmental
Assessment (EA) on the potential environmental impacts associated with
using a more efficient shipping container system for spent nuclear fuel
to support refueling and defueling U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft
carriers at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company (NNS) in
Virginia, and the associated rail shipment of this spent nuclear fuel
to the Naval Reactors Facility (NRF) in Idaho for temporary storage.
DATES: Interested parties are invited to provide comments on
environmental issues and concerns relative to this NOI and the scope of
the EA, on or before February 21, 2006, to ensure full consideration
during the completion of the EA.
ADDRESSES: All comments should include name, organization, and mailing
address. Written comments should be addressed to Mr. Alan Denko (08U-
Naval Reactors), Naval Sea Systems Command, 1240 Isaac Hull Avenue, SE
Stop 8036, Washington Navy Yard, DC 20376-8036. Comments provided by E-
Mail should use the following address: snfshippingcontainer@bettis.gov.
Comments provided via phone should use this number: 1-866-369-4802.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Consistent with the Record of Decision for
the April 1995 Department of Energy Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for Spent Nuclear Fuel Management, Naval spent nuclear
fuel is shipped by rail from refueling shipyards to NRF in shipping
containers meeting Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Department
of Transportation (DOT) requirements. These requirements provide for
public safety and protect the environment. A new shipping container
system is being proposed to provide improved support for the refueling
schedules and operational needs of the U.S. Navy fleet, while
continuing to provide for public safety and environmental protection.
The new shipping containers would be longer than existing containers
and could be used for any type of Naval spent nuclear fuel; however,
their primary function would be to transport aircraft carrier spent
nuclear fuel assemblies without disassembly of the spent nuclear fuel
from its non-fuel structural components. Elimination of this
disassembly operation at the shipyard would result in more efficient
defueling/refueling operations, which are necessary to meet the current
refueling schedules for the fleet in support of national defense. The
aircraft carrier spent nuclear fuel assemblies would be loaded directly
into the new containers and shipped to NRF in Idaho for temporary
storage and processing, which includes examination, removal of non-fuel
structural components, and placement into canisters that are ready for
shipment to the geologic repository. This method of direct loading of
Naval spent nuclear fuel into shipping containers and removing non-fuel
structural components at NRF is the same processing approach used for
submarines.
The Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program's conservative design
practices and stringent operating procedures have resulted in a
demonstrated safety record for Naval nuclear propulsion plants with
respect to operations, transportation, and handling of spent nuclear
fuel. There has never been an accident resulting in personnel injury or
release of radioactivity to the environment in over 1.5 million miles
traveled by the Naval spent fuel shipping containers. The new longer
shipping container would be designed to the same robust criteria and
Federal regulations as current Naval spent nuclear fuel shipping
containers. These regulations require that the shipping container meet
specific criteria for protection of the public and the environment
under normal transport as well as accident conditions. The new
container will meet the same high standards as existing shipping
containers with respect to minimizing radiation exposure to the public
and workers.
The increased length of the containers would require new railcars
capable of carrying containers in a horizontal position, versus the
vertical position used for current container designs. The new railcars
and containers would meet NRC and DOT regulations and provide
equivalent safety to existing design railcars and containers used for
transporting Naval spent nuclear fuel.
Construction of a new facility at NNS to support loading the longer
shipping containers would be needed. Equipment used to remove and
transfer the spent nuclear fuel assemblies from the ship to the new
shipping container would be the same as that currently used for
aircraft carrier defueling/refueling operations.
No new facilities would be needed at NRF, but minor facility
modifications would be required to support unloading of the new
containers and to allow for scheduled return of the containers to NNS.
The return of the emptied shipping containers to NNS is needed to
support defueling/refueling schedules and to minimize the number of
containers that must be procured and maintained. To support container
turnaround, the Navy is evaluating the option of increasing spent fuel
receiving capability at NRF to include temporary dry storage of spent
nuclear fuel prior to processing. The fuel would be stored in concrete
shielded overpacks in the temporary dry storage building. Operations
for temporary dry storage of spent nuclear fuel prior to processing
would be similar to current NRF operations for temporary dry storage
after processing.
The EA will evaluate the environmental impacts associated with the
new container, construction of a new shipping container loading
facility at NNS, loading the shipping containers with Naval spent
nuclear fuel at NNS, and transport from the shipyard to NRF. The EA
will evaluate the modification of facilities at NRF, unloading the
spent nuclear fuel assemblies, temporary dry storage, disassembly of
the spent nuclear fuel from its non-fuel structural components, and
disposal of the non-fuel structural components. The environmental
impacts associated with these operations are expected to be similar to
those associated with the use of existing shipping container systems.
Use of the proposed new container system will not impact continued
compliance with the 1995 Settlement Agreement between the U.S. Navy and
the State of Idaho concerning the management of Naval spent nuclear
fuel.
The EA will also address the viability of alternative actions to
the proposed action to use the new longer shipping container system.
These alternatives include (1) Changing the aircraft carrier defueling/
refueling schedules, (2) increasing the facilities at the refueling
shipyard, (3) procurement of additional shipping containers of the
existing design, (4) performing some activities at other facilities,
and (5) the no action alternative, continuing to use the existing
shipping containers.
Dated: January 6, 2006.
Eric McDonald,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 06-289 Filed 1-19-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P
