Environmental Assessment for the Acceptance and Disposition of Used Nuclear Fuel Containing U.S.-Origin Highly Enriched Uranium From the Federal Republic of Germany, 32256-32258 [2014-12933]
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 107 / Wednesday, June 4, 2014 / Notices
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Dated: May 30, 2014.
Lynn B. Mahaffie,
Senior Director, Policy Coordination,
Development, and Accreditation Service,
delegated the authority to perform the
functions and duties of the Assistant
Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
[FR Doc. 2014–12980 Filed 6–3–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Proposed Agency Information
U.S. Department of Energy.
Notice and request for OMB
review and comment.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Department of Energy
(DOE) has submitted to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
clearance, a proposal for collection of
information under the provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The
proposed collection will ‘‘support the
administration and enforcement of the
Department of Energy’s regulation at 10
CFR part 217, issued pursuant to section
705 of the Defense Production Act of
1950 as amended (50 U.S.C. App.2061,
et seq.) (EPAS regulation). The
collection assures the availability of
records for at least 3 years of
transactions that are directly related to
the placement of contracts or purchase
orders under the EPAS regulation by
contractors with suppliers to acquire
items (materials, products, and services)
needed to fill defense orders. Such
records would include administrative,
accounting, purchasing, scheduling,
production, and shipping records, the
receipt and acceptance or rejection of
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SUMMARY:
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contractors’ orders by suppliers, and
any other relevant and material record
to evidence the timely production and
delivery of items.
DATES: Comments regarding this
collection must be received on or before
July 7, 2014. If you anticipate that you
will be submitting comments, but find
it difficult to do so within the period of
time allowed by this notice, please
advise the DOE Desk Officer at OMB of
your intention to make a submission as
soon as possible. The Desk Officer may
be telephoned at 202–395–4650.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should
be sent to the DOE Desk Officer, Office
of Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget, New
Executive Office Building, Room 10102,
735 17th Street NW., Washington, DC
20503 and to Dr. Kenneth Friedman,
U.S. Department of Energy, OE–30, 1000
Independence Avenue SW., Washington
DC 20585 or by fax at 202–586–2623, or
by email at
Kenneth.friedman@hq.doe.gov.
Written comments may be sent to Dr.
Kenneth Friedman, U.S. Department of
Energy, OE–30, 1000 Independence
Avenue SW., Washington DC 20585 or
by fax at 202–586–2623, or by email at
Kenneth.friedman@hq.doe.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
information collection request contains:
(1) OMB No.: 1910–5159; (2)
Information Collection Request Title:
Energy Priorities and Allocations
System (3) Type of Request: Extension;
(4) Purpose: To meet requirements of
the Defense Production Act (DPA)
priorities and allocations authority with
respect to all forms of energy necessary
or appropriate to promote the national
defense. Data supplied will be used to
evaluate applicants requesting special
priorities assistance to fill a rate order
issued pursuant to the DPA and DOE’s
implementing regulations. This data
will also be used to conduct audits and
for enforcement purposes. This
collection will only be used if the
Secretary of Energy determines that his
authority under the DPA is necessary to
maximize domestic energy supplies or
to address an energy shortage. The last
collection by DOE under this authority
was in 2001; (5) Annual Estimated
Number of Respondents: 10 or more as
this collection is addressed to a
substantial majority of the energy
industry; (6) Annual Estimated Number
of Total Responses: 10 or more as this
collection is addressed to a substantial
majority of the energy industry; (7)
Annual Estimated Number of Burden
Hours: 32 minutes per response; (8)
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Annual Estimated Reporting and
Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $120.25.
Statutory Authority: Defense Production
Act of 1950 as amended (50 U.S.C. App.2061,
et seq.); Executive Order 13603.
Issued in Washington, DC, on May 29,
2014.
William Bryan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of
Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.
[FR Doc. 2014–12913 Filed 6–3–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Environmental Assessment for the
Acceptance and Disposition of Used
Nuclear Fuel Containing U.S.-Origin
Highly Enriched Uranium From the
Federal Republic of Germany
Department of Energy.
Notice of intent; public meeting.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE) announces its intent to
prepare an environmental assessment
(EA), (DOE/EA–1977) pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) to analyze the potential
environmental impacts from a proposed
project to accept used nuclear fuel from
the Federal Republic of Germany at
DOE’s Savannah River Site (SRS) for
processing and disposition. This used
nuclear fuel is composed of kernels
containing thorium and U.S.-origin
highly enriched uranium (HEU)
embedded in small graphite spheres that
were irradiated in nuclear reactors used
for research and development purposes.
DOE invites public comments on the
scope of the EA and will conduct a
public meeting.
DATES: DOE invites Federal agencies,
state and local governments, Native
American tribes, industry, other
organizations, and members of the
general public to submit comments on
DOE’s proposed scope of the EA. The
public scoping period extends from the
date of publication of this notice in the
Federal Register through July 21, 2014.
DOE will consider all comments
received or postmarked by that date.
Comments submitted after that date will
be considered to the extent practicable.
DOE will hold a public meeting to
discuss the proposed German HEU fuel
project and receive comments on the
scope of the EA. The meeting will be
held on:
• Tuesday, June 24, 2014, (6:30 p.m.
to 9:00 p.m.) at the North Augusta
Community Center, 495 Brookside
Drive, North Augusta, South Carolina
29841.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\04JNN1.SGM
04JNN1
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 107 / Wednesday, June 4, 2014 / Notices
Please direct written
comments on the scope of the German
HEU Fuel EA to Mr. Andrew Grainger,
NEPA Compliance Officer, U.S.
Department of Energy, P.O. Box B,
Aiken, South Carolina 29802.
Comments on the scope of the German
HEU Fuel EA may also be submitted by
email to drew.grainger@srs.gov. DOE
will give equal weight to written
comments and oral comments received
at the public scoping meeting. Requests
to be placed on the German HEU Fuel
EA mailing list should be directed to
Mr. Grainger at the postal or email
addresses above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To
request further information on SRS used
nuclear fuel disposition activities or
background information on the
proposed project, please contact Mr.
Grainger as listed above.
For general information concerning
DOE’s NEPA process, contact: Ms. Carol
Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA
Policy and Compliance (GC–54), U.S.
Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20585; (202) 586–4600,
or leave a message toll-free, at (800)
472–2756; fax (202) 586–7031; or send
an email to askNEPA@hq.doe.gov. This
Notice of Intent (NOI) and other
information related to DOE’s NEPA
program are available on the DOE NEPA
Web site at https://nepa.energy.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ADDRESSES:
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Background
DOE intends to prepare an EA in
accordance with Council on
Environmental Quality and DOE NEPA
implementing regulations at 40 CFR
Parts 1500–1508 and 10 CFR Part 1021,
respectively. The EA will to analyze the
potential environmental impacts of a
proposal to accept, process, and
disposition used nuclear fuel from
Germany containing approximately 900
kilograms (kg) of HEU from the United
States. The used nuclear fuel is
composed of kernels containing thorium
and U.S.-origin HEU embedded in
thousands of small graphite spheres.
The United States provided the HEU to
Germany between 1965 and 1988. The
fuel was irradiated at the
Arbeitsgemeinschaft Versuchsreaktor
(AVR) reactor, which operated from
1967 to 1988, and the Thorium High
Temperature Reactor (THTR)-300,
which operated from 1983 to 1989.
These reactors operated as part of
Germany’s program to research and
develop pebble bed reactor technology.
¨
AVR reactor fuel is stored at Julich,
Germany, and the THTR–300 reactor
fuel is stored at Ahaus, Germany.
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16:05 Jun 03, 2014
Jkt 232001
In a February 2012 letter, the State
Secretary of the Federal Ministry of
Education and Research of the Federal
Republic of Germany requested DOE’s
Under Secretary for Nuclear Security to
DOE consider accepting the fuel. The
Office of Environmental Management
responded on behalf of the Under
Secretary that DOE would consider the
request. Collaboration on the request
was initiated in May 2012.
German officials and the Office of
Environmental Management
subsequently began work on a feasibility
study regarding the potential for
acceptance, processing, and disposition
of the fuel, and related research and
development, using facilities at SRS,
located near Aiken, South Carolina.
Those efforts are ongoing. In April 2014,
DOE, the Federal Ministry of Education
and Research of the Federal Republic of
Germany, and the Ministry for
Innovation, Science and Research of the
State of North Rhine-Westphalia on
behalf of the North Rhine-Westphalian
State Government, Germany, signed a
Statement of Intent 1 to cooperate in
conducting the preparatory work
necessary to support DOE’s
consideration of the request that it
accept the used fuel from Germany and
to use SRS facilities for processing and
disposition of the fuel. The preparatory
work includes the EA announced today
and additional technical and
engineering work needed to address
uncertainties regarding potential
disposition pathways for uranium and
waste streams generated during
processing. The environmental analysis
and the engineering work will allow
DOE to reach an informed decision on
the proposed acceptance and
disposition of the fuel. Germany will
bear the costs of the preparatory phase
work and, if DOE decides to proceed
with the proposed project, Germany will
also bear the costs associated with the
acceptance, processing, and disposition
of the fuel.
Purpose and Need for Action
DOE’s purpose and need for this
action is to support the U.S. policy
objective to reduce, and eventually to
eliminate, HEU from civil commerce.
This action would help achieve the U.S.
HEU minimization objective by
removing up to approximately 900 kg of
U.S.-origin HEU from Germany and
returning it to the United States for safe
storage and disposition in a form no
longer usable for an improvised nuclear
1 To request a copy of this Statement of Intent,
contact Mr. Grainger as indicated in the ADDRESSES
section above.
PO 00000
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32257
device, a radiological dispersal device,
or other radiological exposure device.
Proposed Action and Alternatives
Under the proposed action, the
German government would work with
DOE to transport the used fuel by oceangoing vessel to the United States in
DOE/U.S. Department of
Transportation-certified Type B casks.
The used fuel would be received at Joint
Base Charleston in Charleston, South
Carolina, and then the casks would be
transported by rail to SRS. DOE
estimates that this could involve
approximately 455 casks received over a
period of approximately 3 years.
DOE will analyze alternatives for
unloading and storage of the transport
casks at SRS. DOE will analyze any
necessary improvements to the rail spur
and roads at SRS needed to safely
unload the casks and transport them onsite. Storage alternatives for the
transport casks containing the used fuel
may include construction of a new
covered concrete storage pad and use of
existing concrete pads (that may require
modification).
DOE would install a capability in HCanyon at SRS to chemically remove the
graphite from the fuel kernels via a
molten salt technique (‘‘chemical
digestion’’) being developed by the
Savannah River National Laboratory.
DOE currently estimates that it would
take approximately 3 years to complete
removal of the graphite from all the
used fuel. The fuel kernels would be
stored in H-Canyon. After all the fuel
kernels have been extracted, they would
be processed through the H-Canyon.
This would separate the uranium from
thorium and fission products.
DOE has identified three alternatives
for disposition of the HEU that would be
separated from the fuel kernels.
• Dissolution, purification, and down
blending the HEU to low-enriched
uranium (LEU) for reuse as reactor fuel
(if the LEU can meet applicable
specifications);
• Separating the uranium, down
blending, and disposing of the uranium
in an appropriate radioactive waste
disposal facility; and
• Disposal of the uranium as waste
without down blending via vitrification
in the Defense Waste Processing Facility
at SRS.
The EA also will evaluate alternatives
for disposition of the empty transport
casks and containers used to package
the used fuel. Currently identified
alternatives include on-site disposal in
the E-Area at SRS and, potentially,
pursuing reuse of the transport casks. In
addition, the EA will analyze a no
action alternative under which DOE
E:\FR\FM\04JNN1.SGM
04JNN1
32258
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 107 / Wednesday, June 4, 2014 / Notices
would not accept or process the used
fuel.
Potential Areas of Environmental
Analysis
DOE has tentatively identified the
following areas for analysis in the
German HEU Fuel EA. The list is
presented to facilitate comment on the
scope of the EA and is not intended to
be comprehensive or to predetermine
the potential impacts to be analyzed.
• Impacts to the general population
and workers from radiological and
nonradiological releases, and other
worker health and safety impacts.
• Impacts of emissions on air and
water quality, including impacts of
greenhouse gas emissions on climate
change.
• Impacts on ecological systems and
threatened and endangered species.
• Impacts of waste management
activities.
• Impacts of the transportation of
radioactive materials, including
transport across the ocean.
• Impacts that could occur as a result
of postulated accidents and intentional
destructive acts (terrorist actions and
sabotage).
• Potential disproportionately high
and adverse effects on low-income and
minority populations (environmental
justice).
• Short-term and long-term land use
impacts, including potential impacts of
disposal.
• Cumulative impacts.
NEPA Process
Following the public scoping period
and after consideration of all comments
received during scoping, DOE will
prepare a Draft German HEU Fuel EA.
DOE will announce its availability to
the public for comment, provide a
public comment period, and conduct a
public hearing to receive comments on
the Draft EA. All comments submitted
on the Draft EA during the public
comment period will be considered and
addressed in the Final German HEU
Fuel EA. DOE will address comments
submitted after the close of the public
comment period on the Draft EA to the
extent practicable. Based on the EA
analysis, DOE will either issue a
Finding of No Significant Impact or
announce its intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS).
If DOE determines that an EIS is
needed, either during preparation of the
EA or after completing the EA, DOE
would issue in the Federal Register an
NOI to prepare an EIS. In that case, the
current scoping process would serve as
the scoping process that normally
would follow an NOI to prepare an EIS.
DOE would not solicit additional
scoping comments but would consider
any comments on the scope of the EA
received during this scoping process in
preparing the EIS.
Issued in Washington, DC, on May 29,
2014.
David Huizenga,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Environmental
Management.
[FR Doc. 2014–12933 Filed 6–3–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[DOE/EIS–0487; DOE/EIS–0488; DOE/EIS–
0489; et. al.]
Draft Addendum to Environmental
Review Documents Concerning
Exports of Natural Gas From the
United States
Office of Fossil Energy,
Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Draft
Addendum to Environmental Review
Documents Concerning Exports of
Natural Gas from the United States.
AGENCY:
Freeport LNG Expansion, L.P. and FLNG Liquefaction, LLCD ..................................................................................................
Cameron LNG, LLC ........................................................................................................................................................................
Jordan Cove Energy Project, L.P ...................................................................................................................................................
Lake Charles Exports, LLC and Trunkline LNG Export, LLC .....................................................................................................
LNG Development Company, LLC (d/b/a Oregon LNG) .............................................................................................................
Cheniere Marketing, LLC ..............................................................................................................................................................
Excelerate Liquefaction Solutions I, LLC .....................................................................................................................................
CE FLNG, LLC ................................................................................................................................................................................
Magnolia LNG, LLC .......................................................................................................................................................................
Dominion Cove Point LNG, LP .....................................................................................................................................................
Southern LNG Company, L.L.C ....................................................................................................................................................
Golden Pass Products LLC ............................................................................................................................................................
Sabine Pass Liquefaction, LLC ......................................................................................................................................................
The Office of Fossil Energy
(FE) of the Department of Energy (DOE)
announces the availability of the Draft
Addendum to Environmental Review
Documents Concerning Exports of
Natural Gas From The United States
(Addendum) for public review and
comment. The purpose of this
Addendum is to provide additional
information to the public regarding the
potential environmental impacts of
unconventional natural gas exploration
and production activities. DOE has
received many comments in related
proceedings expressing concerns about
the potential impacts from increased
development of unconventional natural
gas resources in the United States,
particularly production that involves
hydraulic fracturing. While not required
by the National Environmental Policy
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:17 Jun 03, 2014
Jkt 232001
Act (NEPA), DOE has prepared this
Addendum in an effort to be responsive
to the public and provide the best
information available. DOE is making
this draft Addendum available for
public review and comment, and will
consider comments prior to finalizing
this Addendum.
DATES: Comments are to be filed using
procedures detailed in the Public
Comment section no later than 4:30
p.m., Eastern Time, July 21, 2014.
ADDRESSES:
Electronic Filing Using Online Form:
https://energy.gov/fe/Draft-UpstreamAddendum.
Regular Mail: U.S. Department of
Energy (FE–34), Attn: Addendum
Comments, Office of Oil & Gas Global
Security & Supply, Office of Fossil
PO 00000
Frm 00046
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
[DOE/EIS–0487].
DOE/EIS–0488].
DOE/EIS–0489].
DOE/EIS–0491].
DOE/EIS–0492].
DOE/EIS–0493].
DOE/EIS–0494].
DOE/EIS–0497].
DOE/EIS–0498].
DOE/EA–1942].
DOE/EA–1963].
DOE/EA–1971].
DOE/EA–1983].
Energy, P.O. Box 44375, Washington,
DC 20026–4375
Hand Delivery or Private Delivery
Services (e.g., FedEx, UPS, etc.): U.S.
Department of Energy (FE–34), Attn:
Addendum Comments, Office of Oil &
Gas Global Security & Supply, Office of
Fossil Energy, Forrestal Building, Room
3E–042, 1000 Independence Avenue
SW., Washington, DC 20585
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
John Anderson, U.S. Department of
Energy (FE–34), Office of Natural Gas
Regulatory Activities, Office of Fossil
Energy, Forrestal Building, Room 3E–
042, 1000 Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586–
0521.
Edward LeDuc, U.S. Department of
Energy (GC–51), Office of the
E:\FR\FM\04JNN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 107 (Wednesday, June 4, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32256-32258]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-12933]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Environmental Assessment for the Acceptance and Disposition of
Used Nuclear Fuel Containing U.S.-Origin Highly Enriched Uranium From
the Federal Republic of Germany
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of intent; public meeting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces its intent to
prepare an environmental assessment (EA), (DOE/EA-1977) pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to analyze the potential
environmental impacts from a proposed project to accept used nuclear
fuel from the Federal Republic of Germany at DOE's Savannah River Site
(SRS) for processing and disposition. This used nuclear fuel is
composed of kernels containing thorium and U.S.-origin highly enriched
uranium (HEU) embedded in small graphite spheres that were irradiated
in nuclear reactors used for research and development purposes. DOE
invites public comments on the scope of the EA and will conduct a
public meeting.
DATES: DOE invites Federal agencies, state and local governments,
Native American tribes, industry, other organizations, and members of
the general public to submit comments on DOE's proposed scope of the
EA. The public scoping period extends from the date of publication of
this notice in the Federal Register through July 21, 2014. DOE will
consider all comments received or postmarked by that date. Comments
submitted after that date will be considered to the extent practicable.
DOE will hold a public meeting to discuss the proposed German HEU
fuel project and receive comments on the scope of the EA. The meeting
will be held on:
Tuesday, June 24, 2014, (6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.) at the
North Augusta Community Center, 495 Brookside Drive, North Augusta,
South Carolina 29841.
[[Page 32257]]
ADDRESSES: Please direct written comments on the scope of the German
HEU Fuel EA to Mr. Andrew Grainger, NEPA Compliance Officer, U.S.
Department of Energy, P.O. Box B, Aiken, South Carolina 29802. Comments
on the scope of the German HEU Fuel EA may also be submitted by email
to drew.grainger@srs.gov. DOE will give equal weight to written
comments and oral comments received at the public scoping meeting.
Requests to be placed on the German HEU Fuel EA mailing list should be
directed to Mr. Grainger at the postal or email addresses above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request further information on SRS
used nuclear fuel disposition activities or background information on
the proposed project, please contact Mr. Grainger as listed above.
For general information concerning DOE's NEPA process, contact: Ms.
Carol Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance (GC-
54), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20585; (202) 586-4600, or leave a message toll-free, at
(800) 472-2756; fax (202) 586-7031; or send an email to
askNEPA@hq.doe.gov. This Notice of Intent (NOI) and other information
related to DOE's NEPA program are available on the DOE NEPA Web site at
https://nepa.energy.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
DOE intends to prepare an EA in accordance with Council on
Environmental Quality and DOE NEPA implementing regulations at 40 CFR
Parts 1500-1508 and 10 CFR Part 1021, respectively. The EA will to
analyze the potential environmental impacts of a proposal to accept,
process, and disposition used nuclear fuel from Germany containing
approximately 900 kilograms (kg) of HEU from the United States. The
used nuclear fuel is composed of kernels containing thorium and U.S.-
origin HEU embedded in thousands of small graphite spheres. The United
States provided the HEU to Germany between 1965 and 1988. The fuel was
irradiated at the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Versuchsreaktor (AVR) reactor,
which operated from 1967 to 1988, and the Thorium High Temperature
Reactor (THTR)-300, which operated from 1983 to 1989. These reactors
operated as part of Germany's program to research and develop pebble
bed reactor technology. AVR reactor fuel is stored at J[uuml]lich,
Germany, and the THTR-300 reactor fuel is stored at Ahaus, Germany.
In a February 2012 letter, the State Secretary of the Federal
Ministry of Education and Research of the Federal Republic of Germany
requested DOE's Under Secretary for Nuclear Security to DOE consider
accepting the fuel. The Office of Environmental Management responded on
behalf of the Under Secretary that DOE would consider the request.
Collaboration on the request was initiated in May 2012.
German officials and the Office of Environmental Management
subsequently began work on a feasibility study regarding the potential
for acceptance, processing, and disposition of the fuel, and related
research and development, using facilities at SRS, located near Aiken,
South Carolina. Those efforts are ongoing. In April 2014, DOE, the
Federal Ministry of Education and Research of the Federal Republic of
Germany, and the Ministry for Innovation, Science and Research of the
State of North Rhine-Westphalia on behalf of the North Rhine-
Westphalian State Government, Germany, signed a Statement of Intent \1\
to cooperate in conducting the preparatory work necessary to support
DOE's consideration of the request that it accept the used fuel from
Germany and to use SRS facilities for processing and disposition of the
fuel. The preparatory work includes the EA announced today and
additional technical and engineering work needed to address
uncertainties regarding potential disposition pathways for uranium and
waste streams generated during processing. The environmental analysis
and the engineering work will allow DOE to reach an informed decision
on the proposed acceptance and disposition of the fuel. Germany will
bear the costs of the preparatory phase work and, if DOE decides to
proceed with the proposed project, Germany will also bear the costs
associated with the acceptance, processing, and disposition of the
fuel.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ To request a copy of this Statement of Intent, contact Mr.
Grainger as indicated in the ADDRESSES section above.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Purpose and Need for Action
DOE's purpose and need for this action is to support the U.S.
policy objective to reduce, and eventually to eliminate, HEU from civil
commerce. This action would help achieve the U.S. HEU minimization
objective by removing up to approximately 900 kg of U.S.-origin HEU
from Germany and returning it to the United States for safe storage and
disposition in a form no longer usable for an improvised nuclear
device, a radiological dispersal device, or other radiological exposure
device.
Proposed Action and Alternatives
Under the proposed action, the German government would work with
DOE to transport the used fuel by ocean-going vessel to the United
States in DOE/U.S. Department of Transportation-certified Type B casks.
The used fuel would be received at Joint Base Charleston in Charleston,
South Carolina, and then the casks would be transported by rail to SRS.
DOE estimates that this could involve approximately 455 casks received
over a period of approximately 3 years.
DOE will analyze alternatives for unloading and storage of the
transport casks at SRS. DOE will analyze any necessary improvements to
the rail spur and roads at SRS needed to safely unload the casks and
transport them on-site. Storage alternatives for the transport casks
containing the used fuel may include construction of a new covered
concrete storage pad and use of existing concrete pads (that may
require modification).
DOE would install a capability in H-Canyon at SRS to chemically
remove the graphite from the fuel kernels via a molten salt technique
(``chemical digestion'') being developed by the Savannah River National
Laboratory. DOE currently estimates that it would take approximately 3
years to complete removal of the graphite from all the used fuel. The
fuel kernels would be stored in H-Canyon. After all the fuel kernels
have been extracted, they would be processed through the H-Canyon. This
would separate the uranium from thorium and fission products.
DOE has identified three alternatives for disposition of the HEU
that would be separated from the fuel kernels.
Dissolution, purification, and down blending the HEU to
low-enriched uranium (LEU) for reuse as reactor fuel (if the LEU can
meet applicable specifications);
Separating the uranium, down blending, and disposing of
the uranium in an appropriate radioactive waste disposal facility; and
Disposal of the uranium as waste without down blending via
vitrification in the Defense Waste Processing Facility at SRS.
The EA also will evaluate alternatives for disposition of the empty
transport casks and containers used to package the used fuel. Currently
identified alternatives include on-site disposal in the E-Area at SRS
and, potentially, pursuing reuse of the transport casks. In addition,
the EA will analyze a no action alternative under which DOE
[[Page 32258]]
would not accept or process the used fuel.
Potential Areas of Environmental Analysis
DOE has tentatively identified the following areas for analysis in
the German HEU Fuel EA. The list is presented to facilitate comment on
the scope of the EA and is not intended to be comprehensive or to
predetermine the potential impacts to be analyzed.
Impacts to the general population and workers from
radiological and nonradiological releases, and other worker health and
safety impacts.
Impacts of emissions on air and water quality, including
impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on climate change.
Impacts on ecological systems and threatened and
endangered species.
Impacts of waste management activities.
Impacts of the transportation of radioactive materials,
including transport across the ocean.
Impacts that could occur as a result of postulated
accidents and intentional destructive acts (terrorist actions and
sabotage).
Potential disproportionately high and adverse effects on
low-income and minority populations (environmental justice).
Short-term and long-term land use impacts, including
potential impacts of disposal.
Cumulative impacts.
NEPA Process
Following the public scoping period and after consideration of all
comments received during scoping, DOE will prepare a Draft German HEU
Fuel EA. DOE will announce its availability to the public for comment,
provide a public comment period, and conduct a public hearing to
receive comments on the Draft EA. All comments submitted on the Draft
EA during the public comment period will be considered and addressed in
the Final German HEU Fuel EA. DOE will address comments submitted after
the close of the public comment period on the Draft EA to the extent
practicable. Based on the EA analysis, DOE will either issue a Finding
of No Significant Impact or announce its intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS).
If DOE determines that an EIS is needed, either during preparation
of the EA or after completing the EA, DOE would issue in the Federal
Register an NOI to prepare an EIS. In that case, the current scoping
process would serve as the scoping process that normally would follow
an NOI to prepare an EIS. DOE would not solicit additional scoping
comments but would consider any comments on the scope of the EA
received during this scoping process in preparing the EIS.
Issued in Washington, DC, on May 29, 2014.
David Huizenga,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management.
[FR Doc. 2014-12933 Filed 6-3-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
