Notice of Availability of Draft Waste Incidental to Reprocessing Evaluation for Vitrified Low Activity Waste for Onsite Disposal at the Hanford Site, Washington, 31479-31481 [2020-11192]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 101 / Tuesday, May 26, 2020 / Notices
extending the deadline date for
transmittal of applications in order to
allow applicants more time to prepare
and submit their applications.
Additionally, the NIA indicated that
proof of approval of all modifications to
court-ordered desegregation plans could
be submitted to the Department
following the application due date. The
new deadline for proof of modifications
is July 28, 2020.
Please also note that Grants.gov has
relaxed the requirement for applicants
to have an active registration in the
System for Award Management (SAM)
in order to apply for funding during the
COVID–19 pandemic. An applicant that
does not have an active SAM
registration can still register with
Grants.gov, but must contact the
Grants.gov Support Desk, toll-free, at 1–
800–518–4726, in order to take
advantage of this flexibility.
Note: While applications must be
transmitted in the FY 2020 year, which ends
on September 30, 2020, any awards granted
will be made only after all applicable reviews
and certifications have been completed. All
other information in the NIA for this
competition remains the same, except for the
deadline for the transmittal of applications,
intergovernmental review, and proof of
modified desegregation plans, if court
ordered.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7231–
7231j.
Accessible Format: Individuals with
disabilities can obtain this document
and a copy of the application package in
an accessible format (e.g., braille, large
print, audiotape, or compact disc) on
request to the program contact person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
Electronic Access to This Document:
The official version of this document is
the document published in the Federal
Register. You may access the official
edition of the Federal Register and the
Code of Federal Regulations at
www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can
view this document, as well as all other
documents of this Department
published in the Federal Register, in
text or Portable Document Format
(PDF). To use PDF you must have
Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is
available free at the site.
You may also access documents of the
Department published in the Federal
Register by using the article search
feature at: www.federalregister.gov.
Specifically, through the advanced
search feature at this site, you can limit
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:08 May 22, 2020
Jkt 250001
your search to documents published by
the Department.
Frank T. Brogan,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and
Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2020–11212 Filed 5–22–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Environmental Management SiteSpecific Advisory Board, Oak Ridge
Office of Environmental
Management, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
AGENCY:
This notice announces a
meeting of the Environmental
Management Site-Specific Advisory
Board (EM SSAB), Oak Ridge. The
Federal Advisory Committee Act
requires that public notice of this
meeting be announced in the Federal
Register.
DATES: Wednesday, June 10, 2020; 6:00
p.m.
ADDRESSES: DOE Information Center,
Office of Science and Technical
Information, 1 Science.gov Way, Oak
Ridge, Tennessee 37831.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Melyssa P. Noe, Alternate Deputy
Designated Federal Officer, U.S.
Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Office
of Environmental Management (OREM),
P.O. Box 2001, EM–942, Oak Ridge, TN
37831. Phone (865) 241–3315; Fax (865)
241–6932; E-Mail: Melyssa.Noe@
orem.doe.gov. Or visit the website at
https://www.energy.gov/orem/services/
community-engagement/oak-ridge-sitespecific-advisory-board.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose of the Board: The purpose of
the Board is to make recommendations
to DOE–EM and site management in the
areas of environmental restoration,
waste management, and related
activities.
SUMMARY:
Tentative Agenda
• Welcome and Announcements
• Comments from the Deputy
Designated Federal Officer (DDFO)
• Comments from the DOE, Tennessee
Department of Environment and
Conservation, and Environmental
Protection Agency Liaisons
• Presentation: East Tennessee
Technology Park Main Plant
Groundwater Remedy Selections
• Public Comment Period
• Motions/Approval of February 12,
2020 Meeting Minutes
• Status of Outstanding
Recommendations
PO 00000
Frm 00049
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
31479
• Alternate DDFO Report
• Committee Reports
• Adjourn
Public Participation: The meeting is
open to the public. The EM SSAB, Oak
Ridge, welcomes the attendance of the
public at its advisory committee
meetings and will make every effort to
accommodate persons with physical
disabilities or special needs. If you
require special accommodations due to
a disability, please contact Melyssa P.
Noe at least seven days in advance of
the meeting at the telephone number
listed above. Written statements may be
filed with the Board either before or
after the meeting. Individuals who wish
to make oral statements pertaining to
the agenda item should contact Melyssa
P. Noe at the address or telephone
number listed above. Requests must be
received five days prior to the meeting
and reasonable provision will be made
to include the presentation in the
agenda. The Deputy Designated Federal
Officer is empowered to conduct the
meeting in a fashion that will facilitate
the orderly conduct of business.
Individuals wishing to make public
comments will be provided a maximum
of five minutes to present their
comments.
Minutes: Minutes will be available by
writing or calling Melyssa P. Noe at the
address and phone number listed above.
Minutes will also be available at the
following website: https://
www.energy.gov/orem/listings/oakridge-site-specific-advisory-boardmeetings.
Signed in Washington, DC, on May 19,
2020.
LaTanya Butler,
Deputy Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020–11189 Filed 5–22–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice of Availability of Draft Waste
Incidental to Reprocessing Evaluation
for Vitrified Low Activity Waste for
Onsite Disposal at the Hanford Site,
Washington
U.S. Department of Energy.
Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE) announces the availability
of the Draft Waste Incidental to
Reprocessing Evaluation for Vitrified
Low Activity Waste Disposed Onsite at
the Hanford Site, Washington (Draft
WIR Evaluation). The Draft WIR
Evaluation demonstrates that the
vitrified low activity waste (VLAW),
from which long-lived insoluble
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\26MYN1.SGM
26MYN1
31480
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 101 / Tuesday, May 26, 2020 / Notices
radionuclides and cesium has been or
will be removed before vitrification at
the Low Activity Waste Vitrification
Facility and subsequent disposal onsite
at the Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF),
is waste that is incidental to
reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, is not
high-level radioactive waste (HLW), and
may be managed (disposed of onsite) as
mixed low-level radioactive waste
(MLLW). DOE prepared the Draft WIR
Evaluation pursuant to DOE Order
435.1, Radioactive Waste Management,
and the criteria in DOE Manual 435.1–
1, Radioactive Waste Management
Manual. DOE is consulting with the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
before finalizing this evaluation. DOE is
also making the Draft WIR Evaluation
available for comments from States,
Tribal Nations, stakeholders and the
public. After consultation with NRC,
carefully considering comments
received, and performing any necessary
revisions of analyses and technical
documents, DOE will prepare a final
WIR evaluation. Based on the final WIR
Evaluation, DOE may determine, in a
future WIR Determination, whether the
VLAW is incidental to reprocessing, is
non-HLW, and may be managed
(disposed of onsite at the IDF) as
MLLW.
DATES: DOE invites comments on the
Draft WIR Evaluation during a 120-day
comment period beginning May 26,
2020, and ending on September 26,
2020. DOE will consider all comments
received by September 26, 2020. DOE
will also consider comments received
after that date to the extent practical. A
public webex meeting on the Draft WIR
Evaluation will be held on June 10,
2020. Before the meeting, DOE will
issue stakeholder and media
notifications and publish an additional
notice in the local newspaper providing
the date, time, and webex information of
the public meeting. Information on the
public meeting date and webex
information also will be available before
the meeting at the website listed in
https://www.hanford.gov/
pageAction.cfm/calendar.
ADDRESSES: The Draft WIR Evaluation is
available on the internet at https://
www.hanford.gov/page.cfm/
VitrifiedLowActivityWaste and will be
publicly available for review at the
following locations once these facilities
re-open following resolution of public
health concerns associated with the
coronavirus: U.S. DOE Public Reading
Room, 1000 Independence Avenue SW,
Washington, DC 20585, phone: (202)
586–5955, or fax: (202) 586–0575; and
U.S. DOE Public Reading Room located
at 2770 University Drive, Consolidated
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:08 May 22, 2020
Jkt 250001
Information Center (CIC), Room 101L,
Richland, WA 99354, phone: (509) 372–
7303. Written comments should be
submitted to: Ms. Jennifer Colborn, U.S.
Department of Energy, Office of River
Protection, 2440 Stevens Drive,
Richland, WA 99354. Alternatively,
comments may also be filed
electronically by email to:
VLAWDraftWIR@rl.gov.
For
further information about this Draft WIR
Evaluation, please contact Ms. DaBrisha
Smith by mail at U.S. Department of
Energy, Office of River Protection, 2440
Stevens Drive, Richland, WA 99354, by
phone at 509–376–4306, or by email at
dabrisha_m_smith@orp.doe.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
The
Hanford site currently stores radioactive
waste in underground storage tanks. The
waste was generated, in part, by the
prior reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel
during the Manhattan Project and Cold
War eras, for defense-related nuclear
research, development and weaponsproduction activities. Hanford’s current
mission focuses on the cleanup and
remediation of those wastes and
ultimate closure of the site. As part of
that mission, DOE is retrieving waste
from the Hanford tanks, and has
decided to separate the tank waste into
a low-activity waste stream and a highlevel radioactive waste stream.
The Draft WIR Evaluation concerns
approximately 23.5 million gallons
(Mgal) of separated, pretreated and
vitrified low activity waste (VLAW),
from some of the underground tanks at
the Hanford Site in the State of
Washington. For the low-activity tank
waste at issue in this Draft WIR
Evaluation, DOE plans to use the directfeed low-activity waste (DFLAW)
approach. The DFLAW approach is a
two-phased approach that will separate
and pretreat supernate (essentially the
upper-most layer of tank waste that
contains low concentrations of longlived radionuclides) from the Hanford
tanks, to generate a low-activity waste
(LAW) stream. For Phase 1, the DFLAW
approach will begin with in-tank
settling, separation (removal by
decanting) of the supernate (including
dissolved saltcake and interstitial
liquids), filtration, and then cesium
removal using ion-exchange columns in
a tank-side cesium removal (TSCR) unit.
For Phase 2, DOE will treat additional
supernate (including dissolved saltcake
and interstitial liquids) using the same
processes with either an additional
TSCR unit or a filtration and cesium
removal facility. The DFLAW approach
is expected to remove more than 99% of
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
PO 00000
Frm 00050
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
the cesium and remove other key
radionuclides.
After pretreatment, the LAW stream
will be sent by transfer lines to the Low
Activity Waste Vitrification Facility at
the Hanford Site, where it will be
vitrified (immobilized in borosilicate
glass). Approximately 13,500 containers
of vitrified waste will be produced using
the DFLAW approach. DOE plans to
dispose of the pretreated and vitrified
LAW in the onsite IDF, a land disposal
facility at the Hanford Site for MLLW.
DOE Manual 435.1–1, which
accompanies DOE Order 435.1,
Radioactive Waste Management,
provides for a rigorous evaluation
process that DOE uses to determine
whether or not certain waste from the
reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel is
incidental to reprocessing, is not HLW
and may be managed as LLW. This
process, in relevant part, requires
demonstrating that:
(1) The wastes have been processed,
or will be processed, to remove key
radionuclides to the maximum extent
that is technically and economically
practical;
(2) The waste will be managed to meet
safety requirements comparable to the
performance objectives set out in 10
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part
61, Subpart C, Performance Objectives;
and
(3) The waste will be managed,
pursuant to DOE authority under the
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended,
and in accordance with the provisions
of Chapter IV of DOE Manual 435.1–1,
provided the waste will be incorporated
in a solid physical form at a
concentration that does not exceed the
applicable concentration limits for Class
C LLW as set out in 10 CFR 61.55, Waste
Classification.
The Draft WIR Evaluation documents
and demonstrates that the disposal of
VLAW at IDF will meet the abovereferenced criteria in DOE Manual
435.1–1. DOE is predicating this Draft
WIR Evaluation on extensive analysis
and scientific rationale, using a riskinformed approach, including analyses
presented in the ‘‘Performance
Assessment for the Integrated Disposal
Facility, Hanford Site, Washington’’
(IDF PA). Specifically, this Draft WIR
Evaluation shows that key radionuclides
(those radionuclides which contribute
most significantly to radiological dose to
workers, the public, and the
environment as well as radionuclides
listed in 10 CFR 61.55) have been or
will have been removed to the
maximum extent technically and
economically practical. Based on the
analyses in the IDF PA, this Draft WIR
Evaluation also projects that potential
E:\FR\FM\26MYN1.SGM
26MYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 101 / Tuesday, May 26, 2020 / Notices
doses to a hypothetical member of the
public and hypothetical inadvertent
intruder for 1,000 years (and beyond)
after IDF closure will be well below the
doses specified in the performance
objectives and performance measures
for LLW. In addition, the analyses
demonstrate that there is reasonable
expectation that safety requirements
comparable to the NRC performance
objectives at 10 CFR part 61, subpart C
will have been met. As also shown in
the Draft WIR Evaluation, the VLAW
will have been incorporated into a solid
form that does not exceed concentration
limits for Class C LLW.
DOE is consulting with NRC on this
Draft WIR Evaluation and also making
the Draft WIR Evaluation available for
comments from the States, Tribal
Nations, stakeholders and the public.
After consultation with NRC, carefully
considering comments received, and
performing any necessary revisions of
analyses and technical documents, DOE
plans to issue a final WIR Evaluation.
Based on the final WIR Evaluation, DOE
may determine, in a future WIR
Determination, whether the VLAW is
incidental to reprocessing, is non-HLW,
and may be managed (disposed of onsite
at IDF) as LLW.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of
Energy was signed on May 15, 2020, by
Elizabeth A. Connell, Associate
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Regulatory and Policy Affairs, pursuant
to delegated authority from the
Secretary of Energy. That document
with the original signature and date is
maintained by DOE. For administrative
purposes only, and in compliance with
requirements of the Office of the Federal
Register, the undersigned DOE Federal
Register Liaison Officer has been
authorized to sign and submit the
document in electronic format for
publication, as an official document of
the Department of Energy. This
administrative process in no way alters
the legal effect of this document upon
publication in the Federal Register.
Signed in Washington, DC, on May 20,
2020.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S.
Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2020–11192 Filed 5–22–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:08 May 22, 2020
Jkt 250001
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Case Number 2019–004; EERE–2019–BT–
WAV–0009]
Energy Conservation Program:
Decision and Order Granting a Waiver
to GD Midea Air Conditioning
Equipment Co. LTD. From the
Department of Energy Room Air
Conditioner Test Procedure
Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy, Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Notice of decision and order.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Department of
Energy (‘‘DOE’’) gives notice of a
Decision and Order (Case Number
2019–004) that grants to GD Midea Air
Conditioning Equipment Co. LTD.
(‘‘Midea’’) a waiver from specified
portions of the DOE test procedure for
determining the energy efficiency of
specified room air conditioner basic
models. Under the Decision and Order,
Midea is required to test and rate the
specified basic models of its room air
conditioners in accordance with the
alternate test procedure specified in the
Decision and Order.
DATES: The Decision and Order is
effective on May 26, 2020. The Decision
and Order will terminate upon the
compliance date of any future
amendment to the test procedure for
room air conditioners located at title 10
of the Code of Federal Regulations
(‘‘CFR’’), part 430, subpart B, appendix
F that addresses the issues presented in
this waiver. At that time, Midea must
use the relevant test procedure for this
product for any testing to demonstrate
compliance with the applicable
standards, and any representations of
energy use.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ms. Lucy deButts, U.S. Department of
Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy, Building
Technologies Office, EE–5B, 1000
Independence Avenue SW, Washington,
DC 20585–0121. Email: AS_Waiver_
Requests@ee.doe.gov.
Ms. Sarah Butler, U.S. Department of
Energy, Office of the General Counsel,
Mail Stop GC–33, Forrestal Building,
1000 Independence Avenue SW,
Washington, DC 20585–0103.
Telephone: (202) 586–1777. Email:
Sarah.Butler@hq.doe.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with Title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (10 CFR
430.27(f)(2)), DOE gives notice of the
issuance of its Decision and Order as set
forth below. The Decision and Order
grants Midea a waiver from the
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00051
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
31481
applicable test procedure at 10 CFR part
430, subpart B, appendix F for specified
basic models of room air conditioners
and provides that Midea must test and
rate such room air conditioners using
the alternate test procedure specified in
the Decision and Order. Midea’s
representations concerning the energy
efficiency of the specified basic models
must be based on testing according to
the provisions and restrictions in the
alternate test procedure set forth in the
Decision and Order, and the
representations must fairly disclose the
test results. Distributors, retailers, and
private labelers also must comply with
the same requirements when making
representations regarding the energy
efficiency of these products. (42 U.S.C.
6293(c))
Manufacturers not currently
distributing room air conditioners in
commerce in the United States that
employ a technology or characteristic
that results in the same need for a
waiver from the applicable test
procedure must petition for and be
granted a waiver prior to the
distribution in commerce of those
products in the United States. 10 CFR
430.27(j). Manufacturers may also
submit a request for interim waiver
pursuant to the requirements of 10 CFR
430.27.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of
Energy was signed on May 8, 2020, by
Alexander N. Fitzsimmons, Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Energy
Efficiency, pursuant to delegated
authority from the Secretary of Energy.
That document with the original
signature and date is maintained by
DOE. For administrative purposes only,
and in compliance with requirements of
the Office of the Federal Register, the
undersigned DOE Federal Register
Liaison Officer has been authorized to
sign and submit the document in
electronic format for publication, as an
official document of the Department of
Energy. This administrative process in
no way alters the legal effect of this
document upon publication in the
Federal Register.
E:\FR\FM\26MYN1.SGM
26MYN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 101 (Tuesday, May 26, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31479-31481]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-11192]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice of Availability of Draft Waste Incidental to Reprocessing
Evaluation for Vitrified Low Activity Waste for Onsite Disposal at the
Hanford Site, Washington
AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability
of the Draft Waste Incidental to Reprocessing Evaluation for Vitrified
Low Activity Waste Disposed Onsite at the Hanford Site, Washington
(Draft WIR Evaluation). The Draft WIR Evaluation demonstrates that the
vitrified low activity waste (VLAW), from which long-lived insoluble
[[Page 31480]]
radionuclides and cesium has been or will be removed before
vitrification at the Low Activity Waste Vitrification Facility and
subsequent disposal onsite at the Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF),
is waste that is incidental to reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, is
not high-level radioactive waste (HLW), and may be managed (disposed of
onsite) as mixed low-level radioactive waste (MLLW). DOE prepared the
Draft WIR Evaluation pursuant to DOE Order 435.1, Radioactive Waste
Management, and the criteria in DOE Manual 435.1-1, Radioactive Waste
Management Manual. DOE is consulting with the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) before finalizing this evaluation. DOE is also making
the Draft WIR Evaluation available for comments from States, Tribal
Nations, stakeholders and the public. After consultation with NRC,
carefully considering comments received, and performing any necessary
revisions of analyses and technical documents, DOE will prepare a final
WIR evaluation. Based on the final WIR Evaluation, DOE may determine,
in a future WIR Determination, whether the VLAW is incidental to
reprocessing, is non-HLW, and may be managed (disposed of onsite at the
IDF) as MLLW.
DATES: DOE invites comments on the Draft WIR Evaluation during a 120-
day comment period beginning May 26, 2020, and ending on September 26,
2020. DOE will consider all comments received by September 26, 2020.
DOE will also consider comments received after that date to the extent
practical. A public webex meeting on the Draft WIR Evaluation will be
held on June 10, 2020. Before the meeting, DOE will issue stakeholder
and media notifications and publish an additional notice in the local
newspaper providing the date, time, and webex information of the public
meeting. Information on the public meeting date and webex information
also will be available before the meeting at the website listed in
https://www.hanford.gov/pageAction.cfm/calendar.
ADDRESSES: The Draft WIR Evaluation is available on the internet at
https://www.hanford.gov/page.cfm/VitrifiedLowActivityWaste and will be
publicly available for review at the following locations once these
facilities re-open following resolution of public health concerns
associated with the coronavirus: U.S. DOE Public Reading Room, 1000
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585, phone: (202) 586-5955, or
fax: (202) 586-0575; and U.S. DOE Public Reading Room located at 2770
University Drive, Consolidated Information Center (CIC), Room 101L,
Richland, WA 99354, phone: (509) 372-7303. Written comments should be
submitted to: Ms. Jennifer Colborn, U.S. Department of Energy, Office
of River Protection, 2440 Stevens Drive, Richland, WA 99354.
Alternatively, comments may also be filed electronically by email to:
[email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about this
Draft WIR Evaluation, please contact Ms. DaBrisha Smith by mail at U.S.
Department of Energy, Office of River Protection, 2440 Stevens Drive,
Richland, WA 99354, by phone at 509-376-4306, or by email at
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Hanford site currently stores
radioactive waste in underground storage tanks. The waste was
generated, in part, by the prior reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel
during the Manhattan Project and Cold War eras, for defense-related
nuclear research, development and weapons-production activities.
Hanford's current mission focuses on the cleanup and remediation of
those wastes and ultimate closure of the site. As part of that mission,
DOE is retrieving waste from the Hanford tanks, and has decided to
separate the tank waste into a low-activity waste stream and a high-
level radioactive waste stream.
The Draft WIR Evaluation concerns approximately 23.5 million
gallons (Mgal) of separated, pretreated and vitrified low activity
waste (VLAW), from some of the underground tanks at the Hanford Site in
the State of Washington. For the low-activity tank waste at issue in
this Draft WIR Evaluation, DOE plans to use the direct-feed low-
activity waste (DFLAW) approach. The DFLAW approach is a two-phased
approach that will separate and pretreat supernate (essentially the
upper-most layer of tank waste that contains low concentrations of
long-lived radionuclides) from the Hanford tanks, to generate a low-
activity waste (LAW) stream. For Phase 1, the DFLAW approach will begin
with in-tank settling, separation (removal by decanting) of the
supernate (including dissolved saltcake and interstitial liquids),
filtration, and then cesium removal using ion-exchange columns in a
tank-side cesium removal (TSCR) unit. For Phase 2, DOE will treat
additional supernate (including dissolved saltcake and interstitial
liquids) using the same processes with either an additional TSCR unit
or a filtration and cesium removal facility. The DFLAW approach is
expected to remove more than 99% of the cesium and remove other key
radionuclides.
After pretreatment, the LAW stream will be sent by transfer lines
to the Low Activity Waste Vitrification Facility at the Hanford Site,
where it will be vitrified (immobilized in borosilicate glass).
Approximately 13,500 containers of vitrified waste will be produced
using the DFLAW approach. DOE plans to dispose of the pretreated and
vitrified LAW in the onsite IDF, a land disposal facility at the
Hanford Site for MLLW.
DOE Manual 435.1-1, which accompanies DOE Order 435.1, Radioactive
Waste Management, provides for a rigorous evaluation process that DOE
uses to determine whether or not certain waste from the reprocessing of
spent nuclear fuel is incidental to reprocessing, is not HLW and may be
managed as LLW. This process, in relevant part, requires demonstrating
that:
(1) The wastes have been processed, or will be processed, to remove
key radionuclides to the maximum extent that is technically and
economically practical;
(2) The waste will be managed to meet safety requirements
comparable to the performance objectives set out in 10 Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) Part 61, Subpart C, Performance Objectives; and
(3) The waste will be managed, pursuant to DOE authority under the
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and in accordance with the
provisions of Chapter IV of DOE Manual 435.1-1, provided the waste will
be incorporated in a solid physical form at a concentration that does
not exceed the applicable concentration limits for Class C LLW as set
out in 10 CFR 61.55, Waste Classification.
The Draft WIR Evaluation documents and demonstrates that the
disposal of VLAW at IDF will meet the above-referenced criteria in DOE
Manual 435.1-1. DOE is predicating this Draft WIR Evaluation on
extensive analysis and scientific rationale, using a risk-informed
approach, including analyses presented in the ``Performance Assessment
for the Integrated Disposal Facility, Hanford Site, Washington'' (IDF
PA). Specifically, this Draft WIR Evaluation shows that key
radionuclides (those radionuclides which contribute most significantly
to radiological dose to workers, the public, and the environment as
well as radionuclides listed in 10 CFR 61.55) have been or will have
been removed to the maximum extent technically and economically
practical. Based on the analyses in the IDF PA, this Draft WIR
Evaluation also projects that potential
[[Page 31481]]
doses to a hypothetical member of the public and hypothetical
inadvertent intruder for 1,000 years (and beyond) after IDF closure
will be well below the doses specified in the performance objectives
and performance measures for LLW. In addition, the analyses demonstrate
that there is reasonable expectation that safety requirements
comparable to the NRC performance objectives at 10 CFR part 61, subpart
C will have been met. As also shown in the Draft WIR Evaluation, the
VLAW will have been incorporated into a solid form that does not exceed
concentration limits for Class C LLW.
DOE is consulting with NRC on this Draft WIR Evaluation and also
making the Draft WIR Evaluation available for comments from the States,
Tribal Nations, stakeholders and the public. After consultation with
NRC, carefully considering comments received, and performing any
necessary revisions of analyses and technical documents, DOE plans to
issue a final WIR Evaluation. Based on the final WIR Evaluation, DOE
may determine, in a future WIR Determination, whether the VLAW is
incidental to reprocessing, is non-HLW, and may be managed (disposed of
onsite at IDF) as LLW.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of Energy was signed on May 15,
2020, by Elizabeth A. Connell, Associate Principal Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Regulatory and Policy Affairs, pursuant to delegated
authority from the Secretary of Energy. That document with the original
signature and date is maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes
only, and in compliance with requirements of the Office of the Federal
Register, the undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been
authorized to sign and submit the document in electronic format for
publication, as an official document of the Department of Energy. This
administrative process in no way alters the legal effect of this
document upon publication in the Federal Register.
Signed in Washington, DC, on May 20, 2020.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2020-11192 Filed 5-22-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P