Environmental Impact Statement for the Recapitalization of Infrastructure Supporting Naval Spent Nuclear Fuel Handling at the Idaho National Laboratory, 67338-67340 [2016-23663]
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 190 / Friday, September 30, 2016 / Notices
become a party to these proceedings
should file a motion to intervene at the
above address in accordance with FERC
Rule 214 (18 CFR 385.214). Five copies
of such comments, protests, or motions
to intervene should be sent to the
address provided above on or before the
date listed above.
Comments and other filings
concerning CWP Energy’s application to
export electric energy to Mexico should
be clearly marked with OE Docket No.
EA–429. An additional copy is to be
ˇ
provided to both Ruta Kalvaitis Skucas,
Pierce Atwood LLC, 1875 K St. NW.,
Suite 700, Washington, DC 20006 and
Pascal Massey, CWP Energy, 407 McGill
Street, Suite 315, Montreal, PQ, H2Y
2G3.
A final decision will be made on this
application after the environmental
impacts have been evaluated pursuant
to DOE’s National Environmental Policy
Act Implementing Procedures (10 CFR
part 1021) and after a determination is
made by DOE that the proposed action
will not have an adverse impact on the
sufficiency of supply or reliability of the
U.S. electric power supply system.
Copies of this application will be
made available, upon request, for public
inspection and copying at the address
provided above, by accessing the
program Web site at https://energy.gov/
node/11845, or by emailing Angela Troy
at Angela.Troy@hq.doe.gov.
Issued in Washington, DC, on September
27, 2016.
Christopher Lawrence,
Electricity Policy Analyst, Office of Electricity
Delivery and Energy Reliability.
[FR Doc. 2016–23662 Filed 9–29–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Recapitalization of Infrastructure
Supporting Naval Spent Nuclear Fuel
Handling at the Idaho National
Laboratory
Department of Energy.
Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE) Naval Nuclear Propulsion
Program (NNPP) announces the
availability of the Final Environmental
Impact Statement for the
Recapitalization of Infrastructure
Supporting Naval Spent Nuclear Fuel
Handling at the Idaho National
Laboratory (DOE/EIS–0453–F). The
Final EIS evaluates the potential
environmental impacts associated with
recapitalizing the infrastructure needed
to ensure the long-term capability of the
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SUMMARY:
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NNPP to support naval spent nuclear
fuel handling until at least 2060.
DATES: The NNPP will publish a Record
of Decision no sooner than 30 days after
publication of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s (EPA) Notice of
availability in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Final EIS are
available in public reading rooms and
libraries as indicated in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION portion of
this notice. The Final EIS is also
available for review at
www.ecfrecapitalization.us and on the
DOE’s NEPA Web site at https://
energy.gov/nepa.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
further information about this Final EIS,
contact: Erik Anderson, Naval Sea
Systems Command, 1240 Isaac Hull
Avenue SE., Stop 8036, Washington
Navy Yard, DC 20376–8036.
For information regarding the DOE
NEPA process, please contact: Ms. Carol
M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA
Policy and Compliance (GC–54), U.S.
Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20585, Telephone (202)
586–4600, or leave a message at (800)
472–2756.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NNPP
prepared this Final EIS in accordance
with the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ)
regulations for implementing the
procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR
parts 1500–1508), and the DOE NEPA
implementing procedures (10 CFR
1021). This Final EIS addresses all
public comments on the Draft EIS which
was issued on June 19, 2015 (80 FR
35331). The NNPP is committed to
managing naval spent nuclear fuel in a
manner that is consistent with the
Department of Energy (DOE)
Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel
Management and Idaho National
Engineering Laboratory Environmental
Restoration and Waste Management
Programs Final Environmental Impact
Statement (DOE/EIS–0203–F), and to
complying with the Settlement
Agreement, as amended in 2008, among
the State of Idaho, the DOE, and the
Navy concerning the management of
naval spent nuclear fuel. Consistent
with the Record of Decision for DOE/
EIS–0203–F, naval spent nuclear fuel is
shipped by rail from shipyards and
prototype facilities to the Idaho National
Laboratory (INL) for processing. To
allow the NNPP to continue to unload,
transfer, prepare, and package naval
spent nuclear fuel for disposal, three
alternatives are evaluated in the Final
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EIS: No Action Alternative, Overhaul
Alternative, and New Facility
Alternative. The preferred alternative to
recapitalize the infrastructure
supporting naval spent nuclear fuel
handling is to build a new facility (New
Facility Alternative).
Background
The mission of the NNPP, also known
as the Naval Reactors Program, is to
provide the U.S. with safe, effective, and
affordable naval nuclear propulsion
plants and to ensure their continued
safe and reliable operation through
lifetime support, research and
development, design, construction,
specification, certification, testing,
maintenance, and disposal. A crucial
component of this mission, naval spent
nuclear fuel handling, occurs at the end
of a nuclear propulsion system’s useful
life or when naval nuclear fuel has been
depleted. The NNPP is responsible for
removal of the naval spent nuclear fuel
through a defueling or refueling
operation. Both operations remove the
naval spent nuclear fuel from the
reactor, but a refueling operation also
involves installing new fuel, allowing
the nuclear-powered ship to be
redeployed into the U.S. Navy fleet.
Once the naval spent nuclear fuel has
been removed from an aircraft carrier,
submarine, or prototype, it is sent to the
Naval Reactors Facility (NRF) for
examination and further naval spent
nuclear fuel handling including
transferring, preparing, and packaging
for transfer to an interim storage facility
or geologic repository.
The NNPP ensures that naval spent
nuclear fuel handling is performed in a
safe and environmentally responsible
manner in accordance with 50 U.S.C.
2406 and 2511 (codifying Executive
Order 12344). Nuclear fuel handling is
an intricate and intensive process
requiring a complex infrastructure.
Proposed Action
NNPP is proposing to recapitalize the
current naval spent nuclear fuel
handling capabilities provided by the
Expended Core Facility (ECF) located at
the NRF on the INL. The purpose of the
proposed action is to provide the
infrastructure necessary to support the
naval nuclear reactor defueling and
refueling schedules required to meet the
operational needs of the U.S. Navy. The
proposed action is needed because
significant upgrades are necessary to
ECF infrastructure and water pools to
continue safe and environmentally
responsible naval spent nuclear fuel
handling until at least 2060.
The transfer, preparation, and
packaging of naval spent nuclear fuel
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 190 / Friday, September 30, 2016 / Notices
are vital to the NNPP’s mission of
maintaining the reliable operation of the
naval nuclear fleet and developing
effective nuclear propulsion plants.
Although ECF continues to be operated
in a safe and environmentally
responsible manner, the ECF
infrastructure and equipment necessary
to accomplish the work of naval spent
nuclear fuel handling need significant
upgrades to continue safe and
environmentally responsible naval
spent nuclear fuel handling until at least
2060. Efforts are ongoing to sustain this
infrastructure, preserve these essential
capabilities, and ensure that the high
NNPP standards for protecting the
environment continue to be met.
However, major portions of this
infrastructure have been in service for
over 50 years.
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Alternatives
Consistent with the Record of
Decision for DOE/EIS–0203–F, naval
spent nuclear fuel would continue to be
shipped by rail from shipyards and
prototypes to NRF for processing. To
allow the NNPP to continue to unload,
transfer, prepare, and package naval
spent nuclear fuel for disposal, three
alternatives were identified and
analyzed in this Final EIS.
1. No Action Alternative
The No Action Alternative involves
maintaining ECF without a change to
the present course of action or
management of the facility. The current
naval spent nuclear fuel handling
infrastructure would continue to be
used while the NNPP performs only
preventative and corrective
maintenance. The No Action Alternative
does not meet the purpose for the
proposed action because it would not
provide the infrastructure necessary to
support the naval nuclear reactor
defueling and refueling schedules
required to meet the operational needs
of the U.S. Navy. The No Action
Alternative does not meet the NNPP’s
need because significant upgrades are
necessary to the ECF infrastructure to
continue safe and environmentally
responsible naval spent nuclear fuel
handling until at least 2060. As
currently configured, the ECF
infrastructure cannot support use of the
new M–290 shipping containers.
Significant changes in configuration of
the facility and spent fuel handling
processing locations in the water pool
would be required to support unloading
fuel from the new M–290 shipping
containers. In addition, over the next 45
years, preventative and corrective
maintenance without significant
upgrades and refurbishments may not
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be sufficient to sustain the proper
functioning of ECF infrastructure and
equipment. Upgrades and
refurbishments needed to support use of
the new M–290 shipping containers and
continue safe and environmentally
responsible operations would not meet
the definition of the No Action
Alternative; therefore, these actions are
represented by the Overhaul
Alternative.
The implementation of the No Action
Alternative (i.e., failure to perform
upgrades and refurbishments), in
combination with the NNPP
commitment to only operate in a safe
and environmentally responsible
manner, may result in ECF eventually
being unavailable for handling naval
spent nuclear fuel. If the NNPP naval
spent nuclear fuel handling
infrastructure were to become
unavailable, the inability to transfer,
prepare, and package naval spent
nuclear fuel could immediately and
profoundly impact the NNPP’s mission
and national security needs to refuel
and defuel nuclear-powered submarines
and aircraft carriers. In addition, the
U.S. Navy could not ensure its ability to
meet the requirements of the Settlement
Agreement and its 2008 Addendum.
Since the No Action Alternative does
not meet the purpose and need for the
proposed action, it is considered to be
an unreasonable alternative; however,
the No Action Alternative is included in
the Final EIS as required by CEQ
regulations.
2. Overhaul Alternative
The Overhaul Alternative involves
continuing to use the aging
infrastructure at ECF, while incurring
increasing costs to provide the required
refurbishments and work-around
actions necessary to ensure
uninterrupted aircraft carrier and
submarine refuelings and defuelings.
Under the Overhaul Alternative, the
NNPP would operate ECF in a safe and
environmentally responsible manner by
continuing to maintain ECF while
implementing major refurbishment
projects for the ECF infrastructure and
water pools. This would entail:
D Short-term actions necessary to
keep the infrastructure and equipment
in safe working order, including regular
upkeep sufficient to sustain their proper
functioning (e.g., the ongoing work
currently performed in ECF to inspect
and repair deteriorating water pool
concrete coatings).
D Facility, process, and equipment
reconfigurations needed for specific
capabilities required in the future.
These actions involve installation of
new equipment and processes, and
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67339
relocation of existing equipment and
processes, within the current facility to
provide a new capability (e.g.,
modification of ECF and reconfiguration
of the water pool as necessary to handle
M–290 shipping containers).
D Major refurbishment actions
necessary to sustain the life of the
infrastructure (e.g., to the extent
practicable, overhaul the water pools to
bring them up to current design and
construction standards).
Refurbishment activities would take
place in parallel with ECF operations for
the majority of the Overhaul Alternative
time period. The first 33 years of the 45
years (i.e., the refurbishment period)
would include refurbishment and
operations activities being conducted in
parallel. During certain refurbishment
phases, operations could be limited due
to the nature of the refurbishment
activities (e.g., operations would not
continue in water pools that are under
repair). There would then be a 12-year
period where only operational activities
would take place in ECF (i.e., the postrefurbishment operational period).
Failure to implement this overhaul in
advance of infrastructure deterioration
would impact the ability of ECF to
operate for several years. Further,
overhaul actions would necessitate
operational interruptions for extended
periods of time.
3. New Facility Alternative
A New Facility Alternative would
acquire capital assets to recapitalize
naval spent nuclear fuel handling
capabilities. While a new facility
requires new process and infrastructure
assets, the design could leverage use of
the newer, existing ECF support
facilities and would leverage use of
newer equipment designs. The facility
would be designed with the flexibility
to integrate future identified mission
needs.
Under the current budget and funding
levels for the New Facility Alternative,
it is anticipated that construction
activities would occur over
approximately a 5-year period.
Construction of the New Facility
Alternative would occur in parallel with
ECF operations. An approximately 2year period would follow the
construction of the New Facility
Alternative when new equipment would
be installed and tested, and training
would be provided to qualify the
operations workforce.
A new facility would include all
current naval spent nuclear fuel
handling operations conducted at ECF.
In addition, it would include the
capability to unload naval spent nuclear
fuel from M–290 shipping containers in
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67340
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 190 / Friday, September 30, 2016 / Notices
the water pool and handle aircraft
carrier naval spent nuclear fuel
assemblies without prior disassembly
for preparation and packaging for
disposal. Such capability does not
currently exist within the ECF water
pools, mainly due to insufficient
available footprint in areas of the water
pool with the required depth of water.
The NNPP will continue to operate
ECF during new facility construction,
during a transition period, and after the
new facility is operational for
examination work. To keep the ECF
infrastructure in a safe working order
during these time periods, some limited
upgrades and refurbishments may be
necessary. Details are not currently
available regarding which specific
actions will be taken; therefore, they are
not explicitly analyzed as part of the
New Facility Alternative. The
environmental impacts from these
upgrades and refurbishments are
considered to be bounded by the
environmental impacts described in the
Refurbishment Period of the Overhaul
Alternative.
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
Changes From Draft EIS
The Draft EIS was published by the
NNPP in June 2015. The NNPP has
considered all public comments
received in preparing this Final EIS,
which includes the NNPP’s responses to
those comments. The Final EIS
highlights changes that were made to
address these comments as well as
changes that have resulted from
additional design and planning for the
New Facility Alternative. Changes to the
design and planning for the New
Facility Alternative include changes to
the seismic design strategy, water
management strategy, and analysis of
potential air emissions related to
operation of concrete batch plants.
Public Reading Rooms and Libraries
The Final EIS is available for review
at the following reading rooms:
Idaho Operations Office, Department of
Energy, Public Reading Room, 2251
N. Boulevard, Idaho Falls, ID 83402,
Telephone: (208) 526–1185
Idaho Falls Public Library, 457 W.
Broadway, Idaho Falls, ID 83402,
Telephone: (208) 612–8460
Shoshone-Bannock Library, Bannock
and Pima Streets, P.O. Box 306, Fort
Hall, ID 83203, Telephone: (208) 238–
3882
Eli M. Oboler Library, Idaho State
University, 850 South 9th Avenue,
Pocatello, ID 83209, Telephone: (208)
282–2958
Twin Falls Public Library, 201 Fourth
Avenue East, Twin Falls, ID 83301,
Telephone: (208) 733–2964
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20:49 Sep 29, 2016
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Marshall Public Library, 113 South
Garfield, Pocatello, ID 83204,
Telephone: (208) 232–1263
Boise Public Library, 715 S. Capitol,
Boise, ID 83702, Telephone: (208)
972–8200
Idaho Commission for Libraries, 325 W.
State Street, Boise, ID 83702,
Telephone: (208) 334–2150
Latah County, Free Library District, 110
S. Jefferson, Moscow, ID 83843,
Telephone: (208) 882–3925
Issued in Washington, DC, on September
23, 2016.
Jeffrey M. Avery,
Director, Regulatory Affairs, Naval Nuclear
Propulsion Program.
[FR Doc. 2016–23663 Filed 9–29–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Project No. 4093–035]
McMahan Hydroelectric, L.L.C.; Notice
of Application Accepted for Filing and
Soliciting Comments, Motions To
Intervene and Protests
Take notice that the following
hydroelectric application has been filed
with the Commission and is available
for public inspection:
a. Type of Application: Original
license.
b. Project No.: P–4093–035.
c. Date filed: March 30, 2015.
d. Applicant: McMahan
Hydroelectric, L.L.C.
e. Name of Project: Bynum
Hydroelectric Project.
f. Location: On the Haw River, near
the Town of Pittsboro and the Town of
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in Chatham
County, North Carolina. The project
does not occupy federal lands.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power
Act 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)–825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Andrew J.
McMahan, President, McMahan
Hydroelectric, L.L.C., 105 Durham
Eubanks Road, Pittsboro, NC 273121;
(336) 509–2148; email—
mcmahanhydro@gmail.com.
i. FERC Contact: Sean Murphy at
(202) 502–6145; or email at
sean.murphy@ferc.gov, or Dustin
Wilson at (202) 502–6528; or email at
dustin.wilson@ferc.gov.
j. Deadline for filing comments,
motions to intervene and protests: 60
days from the issuance date of this
notice.
The Commission strongly encourages
electronic filing. Please file motions to
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
intervene and protests using the
Commission’s eFiling system at https://
www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp.
Commenters can submit brief comments
up to 6,000 characters, without prior
registration, using the eComment system
at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
ecomment.asp. You must include your
name and contact information at the end
of your comments. For assistance,
please contact FERC Online Support at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866)
208–3676 (toll free), or (202) 502–8659
(TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please
send a paper copy to: Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426.
The first page of any filing should
include docket number P–4093–035.
The Commission’s Rules of Practice
and Procedures require all intervenors
filing documents with the Commission
to serve a copy of that document on
each person on the official service list
for the project. Further, if an intervenor
files comments or documents with the
Commission relating to the merits of an
issue that may affect the responsibilities
of a particular resource agency, they
must also serve a copy of the document
on that resource agency.
k. This application has been accepted
for filing, but is not ready for
environmental analysis at this time.
When the application is ready for
environmental analysis, the
Commission will issue a public notice
requesting comments,
recommendations, terms and
conditions, or prescriptions.
l. The existing Bynum Project
includes: (1) A 20-acre reservoir
(referred to as Odell Lake) at elevation
315.0 feet mean sea level, with 100 acrefeet of gross storage and no net storage;
(2) a 900-foot-long, 10-foot-high stone
masonry dam (Bynum Dam, or Odell
Lake Dam), consisting of a 750-foot-long
uncontrolled spillway section and a
150-foot-long non-overflow section that
contains canal intake facilities; (3) two
hydraulically controlled 6-foot-wide
Tainter gates that allow water to flow
into an intake canal; (4) a 2,000-footlong power canal varying in width from
25 to 40 feet that (a) extends from
Bynum Dam to the powerhouse, and (b)
includes a drainage gate located
immediately upstream of the
powerhouse; (5) a powerhouse with (a)
an intake protected by a trashrack
having a bar spacing of 2.75 inches, and
(b) a single turbine/generator unit; (6) a
500-foot-long tailrace varying in width
from 40 to 50 feet; (7) a 2,500-foot-long
bypassed reach; (8) an interconnection
with the transmission system at a
nearby substation; and (9) appurtenant
facilities.
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 190 (Friday, September 30, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67338-67340]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-23663]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Environmental Impact Statement for the Recapitalization of
Infrastructure Supporting Naval Spent Nuclear Fuel Handling at the
Idaho National Laboratory
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Naval Nuclear Propulsion
Program (NNPP) announces the availability of the Final Environmental
Impact Statement for the Recapitalization of Infrastructure Supporting
Naval Spent Nuclear Fuel Handling at the Idaho National Laboratory
(DOE/EIS-0453-F). The Final EIS evaluates the potential environmental
impacts associated with recapitalizing the infrastructure needed to
ensure the long-term capability of the NNPP to support naval spent
nuclear fuel handling until at least 2060.
DATES: The NNPP will publish a Record of Decision no sooner than 30
days after publication of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA) Notice of availability in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Final EIS are available in public reading
rooms and libraries as indicated in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
portion of this notice. The Final EIS is also available for review at
www.ecfrecapitalization.us and on the DOE's NEPA Web site at https://energy.gov/nepa.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about this
Final EIS, contact: Erik Anderson, Naval Sea Systems Command, 1240
Isaac Hull Avenue SE., Stop 8036, Washington Navy Yard, DC 20376-8036.
For information regarding the DOE NEPA process, please contact: Ms.
Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance (GC-
54), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20585, Telephone (202) 586-4600, or leave a message at
(800) 472-2756.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NNPP prepared this Final EIS in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA),
as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of
NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and the DOE NEPA implementing procedures
(10 CFR 1021). This Final EIS addresses all public comments on the
Draft EIS which was issued on June 19, 2015 (80 FR 35331). The NNPP is
committed to managing naval spent nuclear fuel in a manner that is
consistent with the Department of Energy (DOE) Programmatic Spent
Nuclear Fuel Management and Idaho National Engineering Laboratory
Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Programs Final
Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS-0203-F), and to complying with
the Settlement Agreement, as amended in 2008, among the State of Idaho,
the DOE, and the Navy concerning the management of naval spent nuclear
fuel. Consistent with the Record of Decision for DOE/EIS-0203-F, naval
spent nuclear fuel is shipped by rail from shipyards and prototype
facilities to the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for processing. To
allow the NNPP to continue to unload, transfer, prepare, and package
naval spent nuclear fuel for disposal, three alternatives are evaluated
in the Final EIS: No Action Alternative, Overhaul Alternative, and New
Facility Alternative. The preferred alternative to recapitalize the
infrastructure supporting naval spent nuclear fuel handling is to build
a new facility (New Facility Alternative).
Background
The mission of the NNPP, also known as the Naval Reactors Program,
is to provide the U.S. with safe, effective, and affordable naval
nuclear propulsion plants and to ensure their continued safe and
reliable operation through lifetime support, research and development,
design, construction, specification, certification, testing,
maintenance, and disposal. A crucial component of this mission, naval
spent nuclear fuel handling, occurs at the end of a nuclear propulsion
system's useful life or when naval nuclear fuel has been depleted. The
NNPP is responsible for removal of the naval spent nuclear fuel through
a defueling or refueling operation. Both operations remove the naval
spent nuclear fuel from the reactor, but a refueling operation also
involves installing new fuel, allowing the nuclear-powered ship to be
redeployed into the U.S. Navy fleet. Once the naval spent nuclear fuel
has been removed from an aircraft carrier, submarine, or prototype, it
is sent to the Naval Reactors Facility (NRF) for examination and
further naval spent nuclear fuel handling including transferring,
preparing, and packaging for transfer to an interim storage facility or
geologic repository.
The NNPP ensures that naval spent nuclear fuel handling is
performed in a safe and environmentally responsible manner in
accordance with 50 U.S.C. 2406 and 2511 (codifying Executive Order
12344). Nuclear fuel handling is an intricate and intensive process
requiring a complex infrastructure.
Proposed Action
NNPP is proposing to recapitalize the current naval spent nuclear
fuel handling capabilities provided by the Expended Core Facility (ECF)
located at the NRF on the INL. The purpose of the proposed action is to
provide the infrastructure necessary to support the naval nuclear
reactor defueling and refueling schedules required to meet the
operational needs of the U.S. Navy. The proposed action is needed
because significant upgrades are necessary to ECF infrastructure and
water pools to continue safe and environmentally responsible naval
spent nuclear fuel handling until at least 2060.
The transfer, preparation, and packaging of naval spent nuclear
fuel
[[Page 67339]]
are vital to the NNPP's mission of maintaining the reliable operation
of the naval nuclear fleet and developing effective nuclear propulsion
plants. Although ECF continues to be operated in a safe and
environmentally responsible manner, the ECF infrastructure and
equipment necessary to accomplish the work of naval spent nuclear fuel
handling need significant upgrades to continue safe and environmentally
responsible naval spent nuclear fuel handling until at least 2060.
Efforts are ongoing to sustain this infrastructure, preserve these
essential capabilities, and ensure that the high NNPP standards for
protecting the environment continue to be met. However, major portions
of this infrastructure have been in service for over 50 years.
Alternatives
Consistent with the Record of Decision for DOE/EIS-0203-F, naval
spent nuclear fuel would continue to be shipped by rail from shipyards
and prototypes to NRF for processing. To allow the NNPP to continue to
unload, transfer, prepare, and package naval spent nuclear fuel for
disposal, three alternatives were identified and analyzed in this Final
EIS.
1. No Action Alternative
The No Action Alternative involves maintaining ECF without a change
to the present course of action or management of the facility. The
current naval spent nuclear fuel handling infrastructure would continue
to be used while the NNPP performs only preventative and corrective
maintenance. The No Action Alternative does not meet the purpose for
the proposed action because it would not provide the infrastructure
necessary to support the naval nuclear reactor defueling and refueling
schedules required to meet the operational needs of the U.S. Navy. The
No Action Alternative does not meet the NNPP's need because significant
upgrades are necessary to the ECF infrastructure to continue safe and
environmentally responsible naval spent nuclear fuel handling until at
least 2060. As currently configured, the ECF infrastructure cannot
support use of the new M-290 shipping containers. Significant changes
in configuration of the facility and spent fuel handling processing
locations in the water pool would be required to support unloading fuel
from the new M-290 shipping containers. In addition, over the next 45
years, preventative and corrective maintenance without significant
upgrades and refurbishments may not be sufficient to sustain the proper
functioning of ECF infrastructure and equipment. Upgrades and
refurbishments needed to support use of the new M-290 shipping
containers and continue safe and environmentally responsible operations
would not meet the definition of the No Action Alternative; therefore,
these actions are represented by the Overhaul Alternative.
The implementation of the No Action Alternative (i.e., failure to
perform upgrades and refurbishments), in combination with the NNPP
commitment to only operate in a safe and environmentally responsible
manner, may result in ECF eventually being unavailable for handling
naval spent nuclear fuel. If the NNPP naval spent nuclear fuel handling
infrastructure were to become unavailable, the inability to transfer,
prepare, and package naval spent nuclear fuel could immediately and
profoundly impact the NNPP's mission and national security needs to
refuel and defuel nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers. In
addition, the U.S. Navy could not ensure its ability to meet the
requirements of the Settlement Agreement and its 2008 Addendum.
Since the No Action Alternative does not meet the purpose and need
for the proposed action, it is considered to be an unreasonable
alternative; however, the No Action Alternative is included in the
Final EIS as required by CEQ regulations.
2. Overhaul Alternative
The Overhaul Alternative involves continuing to use the aging
infrastructure at ECF, while incurring increasing costs to provide the
required refurbishments and work-around actions necessary to ensure
uninterrupted aircraft carrier and submarine refuelings and defuelings.
Under the Overhaul Alternative, the NNPP would operate ECF in a safe
and environmentally responsible manner by continuing to maintain ECF
while implementing major refurbishment projects for the ECF
infrastructure and water pools. This would entail:
[ssquf] Short-term actions necessary to keep the infrastructure and
equipment in safe working order, including regular upkeep sufficient to
sustain their proper functioning (e.g., the ongoing work currently
performed in ECF to inspect and repair deteriorating water pool
concrete coatings).
[ssquf] Facility, process, and equipment reconfigurations needed
for specific capabilities required in the future. These actions involve
installation of new equipment and processes, and relocation of existing
equipment and processes, within the current facility to provide a new
capability (e.g., modification of ECF and reconfiguration of the water
pool as necessary to handle M-290 shipping containers).
[ssquf] Major refurbishment actions necessary to sustain the life
of the infrastructure (e.g., to the extent practicable, overhaul the
water pools to bring them up to current design and construction
standards).
Refurbishment activities would take place in parallel with ECF
operations for the majority of the Overhaul Alternative time period.
The first 33 years of the 45 years (i.e., the refurbishment period)
would include refurbishment and operations activities being conducted
in parallel. During certain refurbishment phases, operations could be
limited due to the nature of the refurbishment activities (e.g.,
operations would not continue in water pools that are under repair).
There would then be a 12-year period where only operational activities
would take place in ECF (i.e., the post-refurbishment operational
period).
Failure to implement this overhaul in advance of infrastructure
deterioration would impact the ability of ECF to operate for several
years. Further, overhaul actions would necessitate operational
interruptions for extended periods of time.
3. New Facility Alternative
A New Facility Alternative would acquire capital assets to
recapitalize naval spent nuclear fuel handling capabilities. While a
new facility requires new process and infrastructure assets, the design
could leverage use of the newer, existing ECF support facilities and
would leverage use of newer equipment designs. The facility would be
designed with the flexibility to integrate future identified mission
needs.
Under the current budget and funding levels for the New Facility
Alternative, it is anticipated that construction activities would occur
over approximately a 5-year period.
Construction of the New Facility Alternative would occur in
parallel with ECF operations. An approximately 2-year period would
follow the construction of the New Facility Alternative when new
equipment would be installed and tested, and training would be provided
to qualify the operations workforce.
A new facility would include all current naval spent nuclear fuel
handling operations conducted at ECF. In addition, it would include the
capability to unload naval spent nuclear fuel from M-290 shipping
containers in
[[Page 67340]]
the water pool and handle aircraft carrier naval spent nuclear fuel
assemblies without prior disassembly for preparation and packaging for
disposal. Such capability does not currently exist within the ECF water
pools, mainly due to insufficient available footprint in areas of the
water pool with the required depth of water.
The NNPP will continue to operate ECF during new facility
construction, during a transition period, and after the new facility is
operational for examination work. To keep the ECF infrastructure in a
safe working order during these time periods, some limited upgrades and
refurbishments may be necessary. Details are not currently available
regarding which specific actions will be taken; therefore, they are not
explicitly analyzed as part of the New Facility Alternative. The
environmental impacts from these upgrades and refurbishments are
considered to be bounded by the environmental impacts described in the
Refurbishment Period of the Overhaul Alternative.
Changes From Draft EIS
The Draft EIS was published by the NNPP in June 2015. The NNPP has
considered all public comments received in preparing this Final EIS,
which includes the NNPP's responses to those comments. The Final EIS
highlights changes that were made to address these comments as well as
changes that have resulted from additional design and planning for the
New Facility Alternative. Changes to the design and planning for the
New Facility Alternative include changes to the seismic design
strategy, water management strategy, and analysis of potential air
emissions related to operation of concrete batch plants.
Public Reading Rooms and Libraries
The Final EIS is available for review at the following reading
rooms:
Idaho Operations Office, Department of Energy, Public Reading Room,
2251 N. Boulevard, Idaho Falls, ID 83402, Telephone: (208) 526-1185
Idaho Falls Public Library, 457 W. Broadway, Idaho Falls, ID 83402,
Telephone: (208) 612-8460
Shoshone-Bannock Library, Bannock and Pima Streets, P.O. Box 306, Fort
Hall, ID 83203, Telephone: (208) 238-3882
Eli M. Oboler Library, Idaho State University, 850 South 9th Avenue,
Pocatello, ID 83209, Telephone: (208) 282-2958
Twin Falls Public Library, 201 Fourth Avenue East, Twin Falls, ID
83301, Telephone: (208) 733-2964
Marshall Public Library, 113 South Garfield, Pocatello, ID 83204,
Telephone: (208) 232-1263
Boise Public Library, 715 S. Capitol, Boise, ID 83702, Telephone: (208)
972-8200
Idaho Commission for Libraries, 325 W. State Street, Boise, ID 83702,
Telephone: (208) 334-2150
Latah County, Free Library District, 110 S. Jefferson, Moscow, ID
83843, Telephone: (208) 882-3925
Issued in Washington, DC, on September 23, 2016.
Jeffrey M. Avery,
Director, Regulatory Affairs, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.
[FR Doc. 2016-23663 Filed 9-29-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
