Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, NV and Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada-Nevada Rail Transportation Corridor and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a Rail Alignment for the Construction and Operation of a Railroad in Nevada to a Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, NV, 58071-58074 [E7-20135]
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 197 / Friday, October 12, 2007 / Notices
84.326Q), 7100 Old Landover Road,
Landover, MD 20785–1506.
Regardless of which address you use,
you must show proof of mailing
consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service
postmark.
(2) A legible mail receipt with the
date of mailing stamped by the U.S.
Postal Service.
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or
receipt from a commercial carrier.
(4) Any other proof of mailing
acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S.
Department of Education.
If you mail your application through
the U.S. Postal Service, we do not
accept either of the following as proof
of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark.
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by
the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after
the application deadline date, we will
not consider your application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not
uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before
relying on this method, you should check
with your local post office.
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
c. Submission of Paper Applications
by Hand Delivery.
If you submit your application in
paper format by hand delivery, you (or
a courier service) must deliver the
original and two copies of your
application by hand, on or before the
application deadline date, to the
Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.326Q), 550 12th
Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260.
The Application Control Center
accepts hand deliveries daily between 8
a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC
time, except Saturdays, Sundays, and
Federal holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper
Applications: If you mail or hand deliver
your application to the Department—
(1) You must indicate on the envelope
and—if not provided by the Department—in
Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number,
including suffix letter, if any, of the
competition under which you are submitting
your application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will
mail to you a notification of receipt of your
application. If you do not receive this
notification within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call
the U.S. Department of Education
Application Control Center at (202) 245–
6288.
notice of final additional requirements
and selection criteria for this program,
published in the Federal Register (72
FR 36970) on July 6, 2007, and are listed
in the application package.
III. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Patricia Gonzalez, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
room 4082, Potomac Center Plaza (PCP),
Washington, DC. 20202–2600.
Telephone: (202) 245–7355.
If you use a TDD, call the Federal
Relay Service (FRS), toll-free, at 1–800–
877–8339.
IV. Other Information
Alternative Format: Individuals with
disabilities can obtain this document
and a copy of the application package in
an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large
print, audiotape, or computer diskette)
by contacting the Grants and Contracts
Services Team, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
room 5075, PCP, Washington, DC
20202–2550. Telephone: (202) 245–
7363. If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll
free, at 1–800–877–8339.
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fedregister.
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is the document published in the Federal
Register. Free Internet access to the official
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of Federal Regulations is available on GPO
Access at: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/
index.html.
Dated: October 9, 2007.
William W. Knudsen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special
Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. E7–20157 Filed 10–11–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
II. Application Review Information
Selection Criteria: The selection
criteria for this competition are from the
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58071
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Draft Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement for a Geologic
Repository for the Disposal of Spent
Nuclear Fuel and High-Level
Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain,
Nye County, NV and Draft
Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement for a Geologic Repository
for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel
and High-Level Radioactive Waste at
Yucca Mountain, Nye County,
Nevada—Nevada Rail Transportation
Corridor and Draft Environmental
Impact Statement for a Rail Alignment
for the Construction and Operation of
a Railroad in Nevada to a Geologic
Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nye
County, NV
U.S. Department of Energy.
Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Department of Energy
(DOE or the Department) announces the
availability of two draft National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
documents related to its Yucca
Mountain Project: Draft Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement for a
Geologic Repository for the Disposal of
Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level
Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain,
Nye County, Nevada (DOE/EIS–0250F–
S1D) (Draft Repository SEIS), and the
Draft Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement for a Geologic
Repository for the Disposal of Spent
Nuclear Fuel and High-Level
Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain,
Nye County, Nevada—Nevada Rail
Transportation Corridor (Draft Nevada
Rail Corridor SEIS) (DOE/EIS–0250F–
S2D) and Draft Environmental Impact
Statement for a Rail Alignment for the
Construction and Operation of a
Railroad in Nevada to a Geologic
Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nye
County, Nevada (DOE/EIS–0369D)
(Draft Rail Alignment EIS). The
Department has prepared these
documents consistent with NEPA, the
Council on Environmental Quality
(CEQ) regulations that implement the
procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR
parts 1500–1508), and DOE procedures
implementing NEPA (10 CFR part 1021).
Nye County, Nevada, the location of
the proposed Yucca Mountain
repository, participated as a cooperating
agency in the preparation of the Draft
Repository SEIS. The U.S. Air Force,
U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and
the Surface Transportation Board
participated as cooperating agencies in
the preparation of the Draft Nevada Rail
Corridor SEIS and Draft Rail Alignment
EIS.
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DOE invites interested parties to
comment on the two documents during
a 90-day public comment period. During
the public comment period, DOE will
hold eight public hearings at six
locations in Nevada, one location in
California, and one location in
Washington, DC, the locations and times
of which are described below.
DATES: The Department invites
comments on the Draft Repository SEIS,
and the Draft Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS
and Draft Rail Alignment EIS during the
90-day public comment period, which
ends January 10, 2008. Comments
received after this date will be
considered to the extent practicable.
Public hearings are described below in
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.
ADDRESSES: Requests for additional
information on the Draft Repository
SEIS, or the Draft Nevada Rail Corridor
SEIS and Draft Rail Alignment EIS
should be directed to either: Dr. Jane
Summerson or Mr. Lee Bishop, EIS
Office, Office of Civilian Radioactive
Waste Management, U.S. Department of
Energy, 1551 Hillshire Drive, Las Vegas,
NV 89134, or by calling 1–800–967–
3477 or faxing a request to 1–800–967–
0739.
Written comments on the Draft
Repository SEIS, and/or the Draft
Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS and Draft
Rail Alignment EIS may be submitted to
the EIS Office at the above address, by
facsimile to 1–800–967–0739, or via the
Internet at https://www.ocrwm.doe.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
general information regarding the DOE
NEPA process contact: Ms. Carol M.
Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA
Policy and Compliance, U.S.
Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Ave., SW., Washington,
DC 20585, Telephone 202–586–4600, or
leave a message at 1–800–472–2756.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 111(a)(4) of the Nuclear Waste
Policy Act of 1982, as amended
(NWPA), 42 U.S.C. 10131, states that the
Federal Government has the:
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
* * * responsibility to provide for the
permanent disposal of high-level radioactive
waste and such spent nuclear fuel as may be
disposed of in order to protect the public
health and safety and the environment.
The NWPA directs the Secretary of
Energy, if the Secretary decides to
recommend approval of the Yucca
Mountain site for development of a
repository, to submit a final
environmental impact statement with
any recommendation to the President.
The Department prepared the Final
Environmental Impact Statement for a
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Geologic Repository for the Disposal of
Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level
Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain,
Nye County, Nevada (DOE/EIS–0250F)
(Yucca Mountain Final EIS) to fulfill
that requirement.
On February 14, 2002, the Secretary
transmitted his recommendation
(including the Yucca Mountain Final
EIS) to the President for approval of the
Yucca Mountain site for development of
the Nation’s first permanent geologic
repository for the disposal of spent
nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive
waste. The President considered the site
qualified for application to the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
for construction authorization and
recommended the site to the U.S.
Congress. Subsequently, on July 23,
2002, the President signed into law
(Pub. L. 107–200) a joint resolution of
the U.S. House of Representatives and
the U.S. Senate designating the Yucca
Mountain site for development as a
geologic repository for the disposal of
spent nuclear fuel and high-level
radioactive waste. The Department is
preparing an application for submittal to
the NRC seeking authorization to
construct the repository, as required by
the NWPA (Section 114(b)).
In the Yucca Mountain Final EIS,
DOE considered the potential
environmental impacts of a repository
design for surface and subsurface
facilities; a range of canister packaging
scenarios and repository thermal
operating modes; and plans for the
construction, operation, monitoring, and
eventual closure of the repository. The
Yucca Mountain Final EIS also
described and evaluated the
transportation of spent nuclear fuel and
high-level radioactive waste from
commercial and DOE sites to the
repository by two principal modes—
mostly truck and mostly rail. DOE
recognized at that time that these
repository design concepts and
operational plans would continue to
develop during the design and
engineering process.
Since completion of the Yucca
Mountain Final EIS in 2002, DOE has
continued to develop the repository
design and associated construction and
operational plans. For example, as now
proposed, the newly designed surface
and subsurface facilities would allow
DOE to operate the repository following
a primarily canistered approach in
which most commercial spent nuclear
fuel would be packaged at the reactor
sites in transportation, aging, and
disposal (TAD) canisters. Any
commercial spent nuclear fuel arriving
at the repository in packages other than
TAD canisters would be repackaged by
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DOE into TAD canisters in these surface
facilities at the repository. DOE would
construct these facilities over a period of
several years (referred to as phased
construction) to accommodate the
increase in spent nuclear fuel and highlevel radioactive waste receipt rates as
repository operational capability
reaches its design capacity.
On October 13, 2006 (71 FR 60490),
the Department issued a Notice of Intent
to prepare a supplement to the Yucca
Mountain Final EIS, to inform the
public of the proposed scope of the
Repository SEIS, to solicit public input
regarding the document’s scope, and to
announce the schedule of scoping
meetings that would be held. During the
public scoping period, which closed on
December 12, 2006, DOE held four
public scoping meetings.
The Draft Repository SEIS evaluates a
Proposed Action and a No Action
Alternative. Under the Proposed Action,
DOE would construct, operate, monitor,
and eventually close a geologic
repository at Yucca Mountain for the
disposal of up to 70,000 metric tons of
heavy metal (MTHM) of commercial and
DOE-owned spent nuclear fuel and
high-level radioactive waste. Under the
Proposed Action, most spent nuclear
fuel and high-level radioactive waste
would be shipped from 72 commercial
and 4 DOE sites to the repository in
NRC-certified transportation casks
placed on trains dedicated only to these
shipments. Some shipments would
arrive at the repository by truck.
Under the No Action Alternative,
DOE would terminate activities at Yucca
Mountain and undertake site
reclamation to mitigate any significant
adverse environmental impacts.
Commercial nuclear power utilities
and DOE would continue to manage
spent nuclear fuel and high-level
radioactive waste at sites throughout the
United States.
Since issuance of the Yucca Mountain
Final EIS, DOE issued a Record of
Decision on April 8, 2004 (69 FR 18557)
announcing its selection, both
nationally and in the State of Nevada, of
the mostly rail scenario analyzed in the
Yucca Mountain Final EIS as the mode
of transportation for shipments of spent
nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive
waste to the repository. Implementation
of the mostly rail scenario ultimately
will require construction of a rail line to
connect the repository site at Yucca
Mountain to an existing rail line in the
State of Nevada. To that end, in the
same Record of Decision, the
Department also selected the Caliente
rail corridor to study possible
alignments for this proposed rail line
within Nevada.
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Also on April 8, 2004 (69 FR 18565),
DOE published a Notice of Intent to
prepare an EIS under NEPA for the
alignment, construction, and operation
of a rail line for shipments of spent
nuclear fuel, high-level radioactive
waste, and other materials related to the
construction and operation of a
repository from a site near Caliente,
Nevada, to a geologic repository at
Yucca Mountain, Nevada (Rail
Alignment EIS; DOE/EIS–0369). The
subsequent public scoping period
closed on June 1, 2004, during which
time the Department held five public
scoping meetings.
During this public scoping period,
DOE received comments suggesting that
other rail corridors should be
considered, in particular, the Mina
route, which crosses the Walker River
Paiute Tribe Reservation. In the Yucca
Mountain Final EIS, DOE had
considered but eliminated the Mina
route from detailed study. The
Department did not study the Mina
route in detail in the Yucca Mountain
Final EIS because a rail line within the
Mina route could only connect to an
existing rail line by crossing the Walker
River Paiute Reservation, and the Tribe
had informed DOE that it objected to the
transportation of nuclear waste across
its Reservation. However, following
review of the scoping comments, DOE
held discussions with the Tribe
regarding the availability of the Mina
route for evaluation. In May 2006, the
Tribal Council for the Walker River
Paiute Tribe informed DOE that it
withdrew its objection to the
completion of an EIS for the
transportation of nuclear waste across
the Walker River Paiute Reservation.
On October 13, 2006 (71 FR 60484),
after a preliminary evaluation of the
feasibility of the Mina rail corridor, DOE
amended its 2004 Notice of Intent and
announced the Department’s intent to
expand the scope of the Rail Alignment
EIS to consider the potential
environmental impacts of constructing
and operating a rail line within the
Mina corridor (corridor-level analysis)
and, if warranted, to consider in detail
alignments for the construction and
operation of a railroad within the Mina
corridor (in addition to alignments
within the Caliente corridor). The
subsequent public scoping period
closed on December 12, 2006, during
which time the Department held eight
public scoping meetings.
The expanded EIS (now the Draft
Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS and Draft
Rail Alignment EIS) is comprised of two
parts. The Draft Nevada Rail Corridor
SEIS (DOE/EIS–0250F–S2D)
supplements the Nevada rail corridor
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analysis in the Yucca Mountain Final
EIS by analyzing the potential
environmental impacts associated with
constructing and operating a railroad to
connect the Yucca Mountain repository
to an existing rail line near Wabuska,
Nevada (the Mina corridor). In it, DOE
analyzes the Mina corridor at a level of
detail commensurate with that of the
rail corridor analysis in the Yucca
Mountain Final EIS. DOE also analyzes
a No Action Alternative under which
DOE would not construct and operate a
railroad within the Mina corridor. The
Draft Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS also
updates, as appropriate, the rail corridor
analysis of the Yucca Mountain Final
EIS to identify any significant new
circumstances or information relevant to
environmental concerns associated with
rail corridors analyzed previously
(Carlin, Valley Modified, and Jean rail
corridors).
The Draft Rail Alignment EIS (DOE/
EIS–0369D) analyzes the potential
environmental impacts associated with
potential rail alignments within the
Caliente and Mina corridors, and
analyzes constructing and operating a
railroad in Nevada to transport spent
nuclear fuel, high-level radioactive
waste, and other Yucca Mountain
project materials to a repository at
Yucca Mountain. As such, it tiers from
the broader corridor analysis in both the
Yucca Mountain Final EIS and the Draft
Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS, consistent
with CEQ regulations (see 40 CFR
1508.28). The Draft Rail Alignment EIS
also analyzes a No Action Alternative
under which DOE would not determine
an alignment nor construct and operate
a railroad within either the Caliente or
Mina corridors.
On April 17, 2007, the Tribal Council
for the Walker River Paiute Tribe passed
a resolution withdrawing support for
the Tribe’s participation in the
preparation of the Draft Rail Corridor
SEIS and Draft Rail Alignment EIS. The
Tribal Council’s decision was based on
a review of information gathered to date
and input from tribal members.
The Tribal Council’s resolution also
renewed the Tribe’s past objection to the
transportation of nuclear waste through
their Reservation. Accordingly, DOE has
identified the Mina Implementing
Alternative as ‘‘nonpreferred’’ in the
Draft Rail Alignment EIS.
In the Draft Rail Alignment EIS, the
Department identifies the Caliente
Implementing Alternative as its
preferred alternative, and identifies its
preferred rail alignment as comprising
the following segments (starting in
Caliente and ending at Yucca
Mountain): Caliente Alternative
Segment, Common Segment 1, Garden
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58073
Valley 1, Common Segment 2, South
Reveille 3, Common Segment 3,
Goldfield 3, Common Segment 4,
Bonnie Claire 3, Common Segment 5,
Oasis Valley 1, and Common Segment 6.
The location of these segments and the
basis for DOE’s preferences are provided
in the document. The Department also
indicates in the Draft Rail Alignment
EIS that it prefers the Shared Use
option, that is, DOE would make its rail
line available to commercial shippers
for shipments of general freight. The
Department invites comments on its
preferred implementing alternative and
associated preferred rail alignment and
on its preference to enable use of the rail
line by commercial shippers.
DOE, in the Draft Rail Alignment EIS,
also evaluates three potential locations
along the Caliente Implementing
Alternative for a Staging Yard: Two
along the Caliente alternative segment
(referred to as Indian Cove and Upland)
and one along the Eccles alternative
segment (referred to as Eccles-North).
The Staging Yard would be used to hold
railcars with spent nuclear fuel and
high-level radioactive waste, and to
hold and sort railcars with construction
and other materials. The Department
has not identified a preferred location
for the Staging Yard and invites
comments that would help DOE identify
a preferred location.
Other Agency Involvement
Nye County, Nevada, the location of
the proposed Yucca Mountain
repository, participated as a cooperating
agency in the preparation of the Draft
Repository SEIS. The U.S. Air Force, the
U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and
the Surface Transportation Board are
cooperating agencies in the preparation
of the Draft Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS
and Rail Alignment EIS.
Public Hearings and Invitation To
Comment
The public is invited to provide oral
and written comments on the Draft
Repository SEIS, and/or Draft Nevada
Rail Corridor SEIS and Draft Rail
Alignment EIS during a 90-day public
comment period. The comment period
begins with publication of this Notice of
Availability in the Federal Register and
closes on January 10, 2008. Comments
received after this date will be
considered to the extent practicable in
the preparation of both final NEPA
documents.
DOE will hold eight public hearings
on the Draft Repository SEIS, and Draft
Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS and Draft
Rail Alignment EIS. The hearings will
be held at the following locations and
times:
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• Hawthorne, Nevada. Hawthorne
Convention Center, 932 E. Street,
November 13, 2007, from 4 to 7 p.m.
• Caliente, Nevada. Caliente Youth
Center, U.S. Highway 93, November 15,
2007, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
• Reno/Sparks, Nevada. Reno-Sparks
Convention Center, 4590 S. Virginia
Street, November 19, 2007, from 4 to 7
p.m.
• Town of Amargosa Valley, Nevada.
Longstreet Inn & Casino, Highway 373,
November 26, 2007, from 4 to 7 p.m.
• Goldfield, Nevada. Goldfield School
Gymnasium, Hall & Euclid, November
27, 2007, from 4 to 7 p.m.
• Lone Pine, California. Statham Hall,
138 N. Jackson Street, November 29,
2007, from 4 to 7 p.m.
• Las Vegas, Nevada. Cashman
Center, 850 Las Vegas Blvd., December
3, 2007, from 4 to 7 p.m.
• Washington, DC Marriott at Metro
Center, 775 12th Street, NW., December
5, 2007, from 2 to 5 p.m.
The public hearings will provide
members of the public the opportunity
to provide oral comments on the record.
Members of the public who plan to
present oral comments are asked to
register in advance by calling 1–800–
225–6972; speakers also may register
upon arrival at the hearing location. The
Department intends to allot five minutes
to each individual wishing to provide
oral comments so as to ensure that each
registered individual has the
opportunity to speak. If time permits,
more than five minutes will be allotted
by the hearing officer.
Prior to, and coincident with, the
public hearings, members of the public
are invited to engage DOE
representatives in one-on-one
discussions in an open-house format.
Members of the public also may offer
comments in writing or in person
(orally) to a DOE representative in the
presence of a court reporter during these
discussions.
Comments on the Draft Repository
SEIS, and/or Draft Nevada Rail Corridor
SEIS and Draft Rail Alignment EIS may
be provided in writing, by facsimile, or
via the Internet to the EIS Office (see
ADDRESSES above).
Public Reading Rooms
Documents referenced in this Notice
of Availability and related information
are available at the following locations:
Esmeralda County Yucca Mountain
Oversight Office, 274 E. Crook Avenue,
Goldfield, NV 89013, (775) 485–3419;
Lincoln County Nuclear Waste Project
Office, 100 Depot Avenue, Caliente, NV
89008, (775) 726–3511; Nye County
Nuclear Waste Repository Project Office,
1210 E. Basin Road, Suite #6, Pahrump,
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NV 89060 (775) 727–7727; Pahrump
Yucca Mountain Information Center,
2341 Postal Drive, Pahrump, NV 89048,
(775) 751–7480; University of Nevada,
Reno, The University of Nevada
Libraries, Business and Government
Information Center, M/S 322, 1664 N.
Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, (775)
813–6496; and the U.S. Department of
Energy Headquarters Office Public
Reading Room, 1000 Independence
Avenue, SW., Room 1E–190 (ME–74)
FORS, Washington, DC 20585, 202–
586–3142.
Issued in Washington, DC, on October 9,
2007.
Edward F. Sproat, III,
Director, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste
Management.
[FR Doc. E7–20135 Filed 10–11–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Western Area Power Administration
San Luis Rio Colorado Project (DOE/
EIS–0395)
Western Area Power
Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of Record of Decision
and Floodplain Statement of Findings.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Department of Energy
(DOE) received applications from North
Branch Resources, LLC (NBR) and
Generadora del Desierto, S.A. de C.V.
(GDD) to construct the proposed San
Luis Rio Colorado Project in Yuma
County, Arizona. NBR and GDD
(collectively termed the Applicants) are
each wholly owned subsidiaries of
North Branch Holding, LLC. GDD
applied to Office of Electricity Delivery
and Energy Reliability (OE), an
organizational unit within DOE, for a
Presidential permit to construct,
connect, operate, and maintain a
double-circuit 500,000-volt (500-kilovolt
[kV]) electric transmission line across
the United States-Mexico international
border. NBR submitted a request to
Western Area Power Administration
(Western), another organizational unit
within DOE, to interconnect the doublecircuit 500-kV electric transmission line
to Western’s existing Gila Substation.
The Applicants proposed that Western
construct, own, operate, and maintain
the transmission components within the
United States at the Applicants’
expense. Western’s decision is to allow
the Applicants to interconnect with its
transmission system at Gila Substation,
and to construct the Agency Preferred
Alternative upon completion of
Western’s Large Generator
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Interconnection Procedures (LGIP)
process. Accordingly, Western intends
to enter into interconnection and
construction agreements with NBR, and
to construct, own, operate, and maintain
the transmission system additions in the
United States that would allow the
interconnection.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
John Holt, Environmental Manager,
Desert Southwest Customer Service
Region, Western Area Power
Administration, P.O. Box 6457,
Phoenix, AZ 85005, telephone (602)
605–2592; e-mail holt@wapa.gov.
Copies of the EIS are available from Mr.
Holt. For information about the DOE
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) process, contact Ms. Carol M.
Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA
Policy and Compliance, GC–20, U.S.
Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20585, telephone (800)
472–2756. For information on the
Presidential permit process, contact Dr.
Jerry Pell, Office of Electricity Delivery
and Energy Reliability, OE–20, U.S.
Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20585, telephone (202)
586–3362; e-mail jerry.pell@hq.doe.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOE
received applications from NBR and
GDD to construct the portions of the San
Luis Rio Colorado Project located in
Yuma County, Arizona. GDD applied to
OE, an organizational unit within DOE,
for a Presidential permit to construct,
connect, operate, and maintain a
double-circuit, 500-kV electric
transmission line across the United
States-Mexico international border. NBR
submitted a request to Western, another
organizational unit within DOE, to
interconnect the double-circuit 500-kV
electric transmission line to Western’s
existing Gila Substation. The Applicants
propose that Western construct, own,
operate, and maintain the transmission
components within the United States at
the Applicants’ expense.
Western and OE are the lead agencies
for the San Luis Rio Colorado
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
The U.S. Department of the Navy
(Navy), acting through the U.S. Marine
Corps Air Station Yuma; U.S. Bureau of
Land Management, (BLM); U.S. Bureau
of Reclamation (Reclamation); and the
City of Yuma are cooperating agencies.
DOE’s OE has authority over the
connection of the electric transmission
line at the United States-Mexico
international border and will issue a
separate Record of Decision (ROD) for
that decision. Reclamation and the Navy
will also make decisions regarding the
E:\FR\FM\12OCN1.SGM
12OCN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 197 (Friday, October 12, 2007)]
[NO]
[Pages 58071-58074]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-20135]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic
Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level
Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, NV and Draft
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository
for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste
at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada--Nevada Rail Transportation
Corridor and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a Rail Alignment
for the Construction and Operation of a Railroad in Nevada to a
Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, NV
AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) announces the
availability of two draft National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
documents related to its Yucca Mountain Project: Draft Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for the
Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at
Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada (DOE/EIS-0250F-S1D) (Draft
Repository SEIS), and the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear
Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County,
Nevada--Nevada Rail Transportation Corridor (Draft Nevada Rail Corridor
SEIS) (DOE/EIS-0250F-S2D) and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for
a Rail Alignment for the Construction and Operation of a Railroad in
Nevada to a Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada
(DOE/EIS-0369D) (Draft Rail Alignment EIS). The Department has prepared
these documents consistent with NEPA, the Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ) regulations that implement the procedural provisions of
NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and DOE procedures implementing NEPA (10
CFR part 1021).
Nye County, Nevada, the location of the proposed Yucca Mountain
repository, participated as a cooperating agency in the preparation of
the Draft Repository SEIS. The U.S. Air Force, U.S. Bureau of Land
Management, and the Surface Transportation Board participated as
cooperating agencies in the preparation of the Draft Nevada Rail
Corridor SEIS and Draft Rail Alignment EIS.
[[Page 58072]]
DOE invites interested parties to comment on the two documents
during a 90-day public comment period. During the public comment
period, DOE will hold eight public hearings at six locations in Nevada,
one location in California, and one location in Washington, DC, the
locations and times of which are described below.
DATES: The Department invites comments on the Draft Repository SEIS,
and the Draft Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS and Draft Rail Alignment EIS
during the 90-day public comment period, which ends January 10, 2008.
Comments received after this date will be considered to the extent
practicable. Public hearings are described below in the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section.
ADDRESSES: Requests for additional information on the Draft Repository
SEIS, or the Draft Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS and Draft Rail Alignment
EIS should be directed to either: Dr. Jane Summerson or Mr. Lee Bishop,
EIS Office, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, U.S.
Department of Energy, 1551 Hillshire Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89134, or by
calling 1-800-967-3477 or faxing a request to 1-800-967-0739.
Written comments on the Draft Repository SEIS, and/or the Draft
Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS and Draft Rail Alignment EIS may be submitted
to the EIS Office at the above address, by facsimile to 1-800-967-0739,
or via the Internet at https://www.ocrwm.doe.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information regarding the
DOE NEPA process contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of
NEPA Policy and Compliance, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20585, Telephone 202-586-4600,
or leave a message at 1-800-472-2756.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 111(a)(4) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as
amended (NWPA), 42 U.S.C. 10131, states that the Federal Government has
the:
* * * responsibility to provide for the permanent disposal of
high-level radioactive waste and such spent nuclear fuel as may be
disposed of in order to protect the public health and safety and the
environment.
The NWPA directs the Secretary of Energy, if the Secretary decides
to recommend approval of the Yucca Mountain site for development of a
repository, to submit a final environmental impact statement with any
recommendation to the President. The Department prepared the Final
Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for the
Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at
Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada (DOE/EIS-0250F) (Yucca Mountain
Final EIS) to fulfill that requirement.
On February 14, 2002, the Secretary transmitted his recommendation
(including the Yucca Mountain Final EIS) to the President for approval
of the Yucca Mountain site for development of the Nation's first
permanent geologic repository for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel
and high-level radioactive waste. The President considered the site
qualified for application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) for construction authorization and recommended the site to the
U.S. Congress. Subsequently, on July 23, 2002, the President signed
into law (Pub. L. 107-200) a joint resolution of the U.S. House of
Representatives and the U.S. Senate designating the Yucca Mountain site
for development as a geologic repository for the disposal of spent
nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The Department is
preparing an application for submittal to the NRC seeking authorization
to construct the repository, as required by the NWPA (Section 114(b)).
In the Yucca Mountain Final EIS, DOE considered the potential
environmental impacts of a repository design for surface and subsurface
facilities; a range of canister packaging scenarios and repository
thermal operating modes; and plans for the construction, operation,
monitoring, and eventual closure of the repository. The Yucca Mountain
Final EIS also described and evaluated the transportation of spent
nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste from commercial and DOE
sites to the repository by two principal modes--mostly truck and mostly
rail. DOE recognized at that time that these repository design concepts
and operational plans would continue to develop during the design and
engineering process.
Since completion of the Yucca Mountain Final EIS in 2002, DOE has
continued to develop the repository design and associated construction
and operational plans. For example, as now proposed, the newly designed
surface and subsurface facilities would allow DOE to operate the
repository following a primarily canistered approach in which most
commercial spent nuclear fuel would be packaged at the reactor sites in
transportation, aging, and disposal (TAD) canisters. Any commercial
spent nuclear fuel arriving at the repository in packages other than
TAD canisters would be repackaged by DOE into TAD canisters in these
surface facilities at the repository. DOE would construct these
facilities over a period of several years (referred to as phased
construction) to accommodate the increase in spent nuclear fuel and
high-level radioactive waste receipt rates as repository operational
capability reaches its design capacity.
On October 13, 2006 (71 FR 60490), the Department issued a Notice
of Intent to prepare a supplement to the Yucca Mountain Final EIS, to
inform the public of the proposed scope of the Repository SEIS, to
solicit public input regarding the document's scope, and to announce
the schedule of scoping meetings that would be held. During the public
scoping period, which closed on December 12, 2006, DOE held four public
scoping meetings.
The Draft Repository SEIS evaluates a Proposed Action and a No
Action Alternative. Under the Proposed Action, DOE would construct,
operate, monitor, and eventually close a geologic repository at Yucca
Mountain for the disposal of up to 70,000 metric tons of heavy metal
(MTHM) of commercial and DOE-owned spent nuclear fuel and high-level
radioactive waste. Under the Proposed Action, most spent nuclear fuel
and high-level radioactive waste would be shipped from 72 commercial
and 4 DOE sites to the repository in NRC-certified transportation casks
placed on trains dedicated only to these shipments. Some shipments
would arrive at the repository by truck.
Under the No Action Alternative, DOE would terminate activities at
Yucca Mountain and undertake site reclamation to mitigate any
significant adverse environmental impacts.
Commercial nuclear power utilities and DOE would continue to manage
spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste at sites throughout
the United States.
Since issuance of the Yucca Mountain Final EIS, DOE issued a Record
of Decision on April 8, 2004 (69 FR 18557) announcing its selection,
both nationally and in the State of Nevada, of the mostly rail scenario
analyzed in the Yucca Mountain Final EIS as the mode of transportation
for shipments of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste to
the repository. Implementation of the mostly rail scenario ultimately
will require construction of a rail line to connect the repository site
at Yucca Mountain to an existing rail line in the State of Nevada. To
that end, in the same Record of Decision, the Department also selected
the Caliente rail corridor to study possible alignments for this
proposed rail line within Nevada.
[[Page 58073]]
Also on April 8, 2004 (69 FR 18565), DOE published a Notice of
Intent to prepare an EIS under NEPA for the alignment, construction,
and operation of a rail line for shipments of spent nuclear fuel, high-
level radioactive waste, and other materials related to the
construction and operation of a repository from a site near Caliente,
Nevada, to a geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada (Rail
Alignment EIS; DOE/EIS-0369). The subsequent public scoping period
closed on June 1, 2004, during which time the Department held five
public scoping meetings.
During this public scoping period, DOE received comments suggesting
that other rail corridors should be considered, in particular, the Mina
route, which crosses the Walker River Paiute Tribe Reservation. In the
Yucca Mountain Final EIS, DOE had considered but eliminated the Mina
route from detailed study. The Department did not study the Mina route
in detail in the Yucca Mountain Final EIS because a rail line within
the Mina route could only connect to an existing rail line by crossing
the Walker River Paiute Reservation, and the Tribe had informed DOE
that it objected to the transportation of nuclear waste across its
Reservation. However, following review of the scoping comments, DOE
held discussions with the Tribe regarding the availability of the Mina
route for evaluation. In May 2006, the Tribal Council for the Walker
River Paiute Tribe informed DOE that it withdrew its objection to the
completion of an EIS for the transportation of nuclear waste across the
Walker River Paiute Reservation.
On October 13, 2006 (71 FR 60484), after a preliminary evaluation
of the feasibility of the Mina rail corridor, DOE amended its 2004
Notice of Intent and announced the Department's intent to expand the
scope of the Rail Alignment EIS to consider the potential environmental
impacts of constructing and operating a rail line within the Mina
corridor (corridor-level analysis) and, if warranted, to consider in
detail alignments for the construction and operation of a railroad
within the Mina corridor (in addition to alignments within the Caliente
corridor). The subsequent public scoping period closed on December 12,
2006, during which time the Department held eight public scoping
meetings.
The expanded EIS (now the Draft Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS and Draft
Rail Alignment EIS) is comprised of two parts. The Draft Nevada Rail
Corridor SEIS (DOE/EIS-0250F-S2D) supplements the Nevada rail corridor
analysis in the Yucca Mountain Final EIS by analyzing the potential
environmental impacts associated with constructing and operating a
railroad to connect the Yucca Mountain repository to an existing rail
line near Wabuska, Nevada (the Mina corridor). In it, DOE analyzes the
Mina corridor at a level of detail commensurate with that of the rail
corridor analysis in the Yucca Mountain Final EIS. DOE also analyzes a
No Action Alternative under which DOE would not construct and operate a
railroad within the Mina corridor. The Draft Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS
also updates, as appropriate, the rail corridor analysis of the Yucca
Mountain Final EIS to identify any significant new circumstances or
information relevant to environmental concerns associated with rail
corridors analyzed previously (Carlin, Valley Modified, and Jean rail
corridors).
The Draft Rail Alignment EIS (DOE/EIS-0369D) analyzes the potential
environmental impacts associated with potential rail alignments within
the Caliente and Mina corridors, and analyzes constructing and
operating a railroad in Nevada to transport spent nuclear fuel, high-
level radioactive waste, and other Yucca Mountain project materials to
a repository at Yucca Mountain. As such, it tiers from the broader
corridor analysis in both the Yucca Mountain Final EIS and the Draft
Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS, consistent with CEQ regulations (see 40 CFR
1508.28). The Draft Rail Alignment EIS also analyzes a No Action
Alternative under which DOE would not determine an alignment nor
construct and operate a railroad within either the Caliente or Mina
corridors.
On April 17, 2007, the Tribal Council for the Walker River Paiute
Tribe passed a resolution withdrawing support for the Tribe's
participation in the preparation of the Draft Rail Corridor SEIS and
Draft Rail Alignment EIS. The Tribal Council's decision was based on a
review of information gathered to date and input from tribal members.
The Tribal Council's resolution also renewed the Tribe's past
objection to the transportation of nuclear waste through their
Reservation. Accordingly, DOE has identified the Mina Implementing
Alternative as ``nonpreferred'' in the Draft Rail Alignment EIS.
In the Draft Rail Alignment EIS, the Department identifies the
Caliente Implementing Alternative as its preferred alternative, and
identifies its preferred rail alignment as comprising the following
segments (starting in Caliente and ending at Yucca Mountain): Caliente
Alternative Segment, Common Segment 1, Garden Valley 1, Common Segment
2, South Reveille 3, Common Segment 3, Goldfield 3, Common Segment 4,
Bonnie Claire 3, Common Segment 5, Oasis Valley 1, and Common Segment
6. The location of these segments and the basis for DOE's preferences
are provided in the document. The Department also indicates in the
Draft Rail Alignment EIS that it prefers the Shared Use option, that
is, DOE would make its rail line available to commercial shippers for
shipments of general freight. The Department invites comments on its
preferred implementing alternative and associated preferred rail
alignment and on its preference to enable use of the rail line by
commercial shippers.
DOE, in the Draft Rail Alignment EIS, also evaluates three
potential locations along the Caliente Implementing Alternative for a
Staging Yard: Two along the Caliente alternative segment (referred to
as Indian Cove and Upland) and one along the Eccles alternative segment
(referred to as Eccles-North). The Staging Yard would be used to hold
railcars with spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, and
to hold and sort railcars with construction and other materials. The
Department has not identified a preferred location for the Staging Yard
and invites comments that would help DOE identify a preferred location.
Other Agency Involvement
Nye County, Nevada, the location of the proposed Yucca Mountain
repository, participated as a cooperating agency in the preparation of
the Draft Repository SEIS. The U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Bureau of Land
Management, and the Surface Transportation Board are cooperating
agencies in the preparation of the Draft Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS and
Rail Alignment EIS.
Public Hearings and Invitation To Comment
The public is invited to provide oral and written comments on the
Draft Repository SEIS, and/or Draft Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS and Draft
Rail Alignment EIS during a 90-day public comment period. The comment
period begins with publication of this Notice of Availability in the
Federal Register and closes on January 10, 2008. Comments received
after this date will be considered to the extent practicable in the
preparation of both final NEPA documents.
DOE will hold eight public hearings on the Draft Repository SEIS,
and Draft Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS and Draft Rail Alignment EIS. The
hearings will be held at the following locations and times:
[[Page 58074]]
Hawthorne, Nevada. Hawthorne Convention Center, 932 E.
Street, November 13, 2007, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Caliente, Nevada. Caliente Youth Center, U.S. Highway 93,
November 15, 2007, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Reno/Sparks, Nevada. Reno-Sparks Convention Center, 4590
S. Virginia Street, November 19, 2007, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Town of Amargosa Valley, Nevada. Longstreet Inn & Casino,
Highway 373, November 26, 2007, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Goldfield, Nevada. Goldfield School Gymnasium, Hall &
Euclid, November 27, 2007, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Lone Pine, California. Statham Hall, 138 N. Jackson
Street, November 29, 2007, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Las Vegas, Nevada. Cashman Center, 850 Las Vegas Blvd.,
December 3, 2007, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Washington, DC Marriott at Metro Center, 775 12th Street,
NW., December 5, 2007, from 2 to 5 p.m.
The public hearings will provide members of the public the
opportunity to provide oral comments on the record. Members of the
public who plan to present oral comments are asked to register in
advance by calling 1-800-225-6972; speakers also may register upon
arrival at the hearing location. The Department intends to allot five
minutes to each individual wishing to provide oral comments so as to
ensure that each registered individual has the opportunity to speak. If
time permits, more than five minutes will be allotted by the hearing
officer.
Prior to, and coincident with, the public hearings, members of the
public are invited to engage DOE representatives in one-on-one
discussions in an open-house format. Members of the public also may
offer comments in writing or in person (orally) to a DOE representative
in the presence of a court reporter during these discussions.
Comments on the Draft Repository SEIS, and/or Draft Nevada Rail
Corridor SEIS and Draft Rail Alignment EIS may be provided in writing,
by facsimile, or via the Internet to the EIS Office (see ADDRESSES
above).
Public Reading Rooms
Documents referenced in this Notice of Availability and related
information are available at the following locations: Esmeralda County
Yucca Mountain Oversight Office, 274 E. Crook Avenue, Goldfield, NV
89013, (775) 485-3419; Lincoln County Nuclear Waste Project Office, 100
Depot Avenue, Caliente, NV 89008, (775) 726-3511; Nye County Nuclear
Waste Repository Project Office, 1210 E. Basin Road, Suite 6,
Pahrump, NV 89060 (775) 727-7727; Pahrump Yucca Mountain Information
Center, 2341 Postal Drive, Pahrump, NV 89048, (775) 751-7480;
University of Nevada, Reno, The University of Nevada Libraries,
Business and Government Information Center, M/S 322, 1664 N. Virginia
Street, Reno, NV 89557, (775) 813-6496; and the U.S. Department of
Energy Headquarters Office Public Reading Room, 1000 Independence
Avenue, SW., Room 1E-190 (ME-74) FORS, Washington, DC 20585, 202-586-
3142.
Issued in Washington, DC, on October 9, 2007.
Edward F. Sproat, III,
Director, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management.
[FR Doc. E7-20135 Filed 10-11-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
