Department of Energy March 4, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing to treat certain miscellaneous refrigeration products (MREFs), which include coolers and combination cooler refrigeration products, as covered products under Part A of Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), as amended. This supplemental proposed determination would modify DOE's initial proposed scope of those products that would be considered MREFs presented in its earlier proposed determinations. As part of this supplemental proposed determination, DOE is also proposing specific definitions of the product categories that would fall within the MREF product type. In addition, DOE is proposing to amend its current definitions for refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and freezers to help clarify the distinctions between the proposed covered product definitions for MREFs. The proposed amendments to these definitions (for refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and freezers) would not alter the scope or intent of the current definitions, other than for those products that would newly be covered as combination cooler refrigeration products.

This notice announces a meeting of the Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee (BERAC). The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat.770) requires that public notice of these meetings be announced in the Federal Register.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE or Department) announces the availability of its Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Disposal of Greater-Than-Class C (GTCC) Low-Level Radioactive Waste and GTCC-Like Waste (Final EIS) (DOE/EIS-0375), prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This Final EIS considered public comments, including a Comment Response Document that addresses all comments received on the Draft EIS. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a cooperating agency in the preparation of this EIS. The Final EIS evaluates the potential human health and environmental impacts of a range of reasonable alternatives for disposing of an estimated 12,000 cubic meters (m\3\) of waste, containing approximately 160 million curies of radioactivity. This includes GTCC low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) as defined by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 10 CFR 72.3, i.e., ``low-level radioactive waste that exceeds the concentration limits of radionuclides established for Class C waste in 10 CFR 61.55,'' as well as GTCC-like waste which is DOE owned or generated LLRW and non- defense-generated transuranic radioactive waste having characteristics similar to GTCC LLRW and for which there may be no path to disposal. This Final EIS also identifies DOE's preferred alternative for the disposal of GTCC and GTCC-like waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) geologic repository in New Mexico and land disposal at generic commercial facilities.