Nuclear Regulatory Commission February 4, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on the proposed construction and operation of a mixed oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication facility at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The FEIS is being issued as part of the NRC's decision-making process on whether to authorize Duke Cogema Stone & Webster (DCS), a contractor of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), to construct and operate the proposed MOX fuel fabrication facility (MOX facility). The proposed MOX facility would convert depleted uranium dioxide and weapons-grade plutonium dioxide into MOX fuel. The FEIS discusses the purpose and need for the proposed MOX facility, and reasonable alternatives to the proposed action, including the no-action alternative. The FEIS also discusses the environment potentially affected by the proposal, presents and compares the potential environmental impacts resulting from the proposed action and its alternatives, and identifies mitigation measures that could eliminate or lessen the potential environmental impacts. The FEIS is being issued as part of the NRC's decision-making process on whether to authorize DCS to begin construction of the proposed MOX facility. The FEIS will also be relevant to any later decision on whether to authorize DCS to operate the MOX facility. Based on the evaluation in the FEIS, the NRC environmental review staff have concluded that the proposed action will generally have small effects on the public and existing environment. This FEIS reflects the final analysis of environmental impacts of DCS's proposal and its alternatives including the consideration of public comments received by the NRC. In addition, the FEIS provides summaries of the substantive public comments on the draft EIS, and responses, as appropriate. Several pages in the FEIS have been removed from public access based on the additional security reviews that the NRC initiated on October 25, 2004. The material on these pages is being withheld pursuant to 10 CFR 2.390(a).\1\