Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the F-Canyon Plutonium Solutions at the Savannah River Site

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the F-Canyon Plutonium

Solutions at the Savannah River Site

AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS) and notice of public hearings.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability

of a Draft EIS entitled ``F-Canyon Plutonium Solutions, Savannah River

Site, Aiken, South Carolina'' (DOE/EIS-0219D). The Draft EIS assesses

the potential environmental impacts of stabilizing plutonium solutions

that are currently stored in F-Canyon at the Savannah River Site.

DOE invites public comments on the Draft EIS, and will hold public

hearings on the document.

DATES: The public comment period for the Draft EIS ends on Monday,

October 24, 1994. Written comments regarding the document should be

postmarked by Monday, October 24, 1994, to ensure consideration in

preparation of the Final Environmental Impact Statement. Comments sent

after that date will be considered to the extent practicable. Three

public hearings (which will also serve as informational meetings), will

be held on the Draft EIS: Tuesday, October 4, 1994, in Columbia, South

Carolina; Thursday, October 6, 1994, in North Augusta, South Carolina;

and Tuesday, October 11, 1994, in Savannah, Georgia. The locations for

these meetings are identified below.

ADDRESSES: Addresses for the public meeting locations are provided

below. Written comments on the Draft EIS, requests for copies of the

document, and requests for further information should be directed to:

Dr. K.L. Hooker, NEPA Compliance Officer, U.S. Department of Energy,

Savannah River Operations Office, P. O. Box 5031, Aiken, South Carolina

29804-5031, Attention: ``F-Canyon Plutonium Solutions EIS''. Telephone:

(803) 725-9615 or through the Information Line (800) 242-8269.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on DOE's

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, please contact: Ms.

Carol Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Oversight (EH-25), 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:

Scope of the Draft EIS

The Department proposes to stabilize the plutonium solutions

currently within the F-Canyon facility. Based on technical and

management judgment, DOE believes that these plutonium solutions

present a safety concern that warrants expeditious processing to a more

stable and storable form while decisions are made regarding interim to

long-term disposition of this plutonium. The draft EIS indicates that

the preferred alternative would be to operate the F-Canyon and FB-Line

facilities in order to process the plutonium solutions into a more

stable plutonium metal form.

The draft EIS also identifies and evaluates processing the

solutions into plutonium oxide and vitrification as alternative methods

of stabilizing the F-Canyon plutonium solutions. Consistent with NEPA's

requirement that the ``no action'' alternative be considered, the draft

EIS evaluates the potential environmental impacts of continuing to

manage the F-Canyon plutonium solutions in their current liquid form

until decisions regarding interim to long-term disposition are made.

Public Scoping Process

On March 17, 1994, DOE published a Notice of Intent (59 FR 12588)

to prepare an EIS for the Interim Management of Nuclear Materials at

the SRS. DOE developed the scope of the EIS following completion of the

March 17 to May 31, 1994, public scoping period. DOE held public

scoping meetings in Savannah, Georgia, May 12, 1994; in North Augusta,

South Carolina on May 17, 1994; and in Columbia, South Carolina on May

19, 1994. DOE received oral and written comments from individuals and

organizations regarding the scope of the EIS. On August 23, 1994, DOE

published a Notice of an Amendment to the Environmental Impact

Statement for the Interim Management of Nuclear Materials at the

Savannah River Site (59 FR 43341), to explain the need to prepare the

F-Canyon plutonium solutions EIS. Because the issues to be addressed in

the F-Canyon Plutonium Solutions EIS were included within the Interim

Management of Nuclear Materials EIS scoping process, no additional

scoping meetings will be held. An Implementation Plan has been released

that identifies the comments received during the previously held public

scoping process, including those issues related to the F-Canyon

Plutonium Solutions EIS, and identifies those matters to be addressed

in both EISs. All comments received during the scoping process relevant

to the stabilization of F-Canyon plutonium solutions have been

addressed in the preparation of the F-Canyon Plutonium Solutions EIS.

Copies of the EIS Implementation Plan may be obtained upon request

from Dr. K.L. Hooker at the address given above. The Implementation

Plan will also be available at the public hearings for the Draft EIS.

Background Information

For background information on the SRS, and for a discussion of the

underlying purpose and need for stabilizing nuclear materials at the

SRS, please refer to the original March 17, 1994, Notice of Intent to

prepare an EIS for the Interim Management of Nuclear Materials at the

SRS (59 FR 12588).

Approximately 80,000 gallons of in-process plutonium solutions

currently are held in tanks in F-Canyon. These plutonium solutions

include mixtures of plutonium-239 and uranium-238, as well as simple

plutonium-239 solutions. Some of these solutions also contain fission

products from irradiation in a nuclear reactor, as well as naturally

occurring products from radioactive decay during storage. Such

plutonium solutions historically and routinely have been created and

treated in the F-Canyon as in-process materials of SRS production and

reprocessing programs. However, the solutions currently in storage have

been held much longer than called for in the original design and

routine operation of the Canyon. Furthermore, as a result of specific

manipulations of the solutions' chemistry to maintain safety, the

solutions are now in a condition not previously envisioned for routine

operations. These safety-related alterations to solution chemistry have

prevented an imminent hazard from occurring. However, the operations

staff of F-Canyon has documented a slow deterioration in solution

chemistry, which requires continuous vigilance to assure safe storage

and to avoid potentially severe radiological impacts should an accident

occur. Therefore, DOE proposes to stabilize these solutions by

conversion of the plutonium in solution to a solid state as plutonium

metal. However, because it is not needed for weapons, the chemical

purity of the plutonium would be made sufficient only for stabilization

and safe long-term storage, rather than in compliance with purity

standards previously set for weapons materials. The entire conversion

process would take place in existing facilities in the F-Canyon

building.

These potentially significant safety concerns, identified since the

publication of the March 17, 1994, Notice of Intent, have led DOE to

consider stabilization of these solutions in advance of any decisions

made subsequent to the completion of the Interim Management of Nuclear

Materials EIS. As a result, DOE has prepared a draft EIS on the F-

Canyon Plutonium Solutions, pursuant to the National Environmental

Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 USC 4321 et seq.).

Availability of Draft EIS

Copies of the Draft EIS have been distributed to Federal, State,

and local agencies, organizations, and individuals known to be

interested in the Savannah River Site.

Copies of the Draft EIS and documents referenced in the draft are

available for public inspection in the Library at the University of

South Carolina's Aiken Campus, University Parkway, Aiken, South

Carolina, and in DOE's Freedom of Information Reading Room, Room 1E-

190, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC.

Copies of the Draft EIS are also available for public inspection at

many local and regional libraries in Georgia and South Carolina.

Locations of nearest libraries can be obtained by contacting Dr. K.L.

Hooker, DOE, at the telephone numbers given above.

Invitation To Comment

Interested parties are invited to provide oral or written comments

on the Draft EIS. Written comments should be sent to Dr. K.L. Hooker,

DOE at the address given above. To be considered in the final EIS,

written comments should be postmarked by Monday, October 24, 1994;

comments postmarked after that date will be considered to the extent

practicable.

Information Meetings and Public Hearings

Combined information meetings and public hearings on the Draft EIS

have been scheduled as follows:

Tuesday, October 4, 1994, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

to 9:00 p.m.: Holiday Inn Coliseum, 630 Assembly Street, Columbia,

South Carolina 29201.

Thursday, October 6, 1994, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00

p.m. to 9:00 p.m.: North Augusta Community Center, 495 Brookside Ave.,

North Augusta, South Carolina 29841.

Tuesday, October 11, 1994, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00

p.m. to 9:00 p.m.: Coastal Georgia Center for Continuing Education, 305

Martin Luther King Boulevard, Savannah, Georgia 31401.

The public is invited to provide comments on the Draft EIS to DOE

representatives at the hearings. Written and verbal comments will be

given equal weight.

The program for the hearings will be flexible and informal in an

effort to better accommodate the needs of the public. Each session will

begin with approximately an hour for presentations and discussions by

DOE personnel familiar with the topics addressed by the EIS. Members of

the public in attendance will have the opportunity to ask questions and

discuss matters of interest during these periods. These informal

periods are designed to facilitate questions and answers and promote

interaction with members of the public. Upon conclusion of the informal

portion of the meetings, members of the public are invited to present

comments which will be recorded by a court reporter. So that all

interested parties have the opportunity to speak during the recorded

portion of the meetings, five minutes will be allotted to each

individual or representative of a group. More speaking time will be

available depending upon the number of people who wish to comment.

Commenters are requested to provide DOE with written copies of their

oral comments, if possible. Individuals who wish to preregister to

speak at any of the hearings may do so by calling (800) 242-8269.

Clarifying questions regarding statements made at the hearings may

be asked by personnel conducting the hearings, but there will be no

cross- examination of people presenting statements. Any additional

procedural guidance will be provided by the Moderator at the start of

the hearings.

A transcript of the hearings will be prepared, and DOE will make

the entire record of the hearings, including the transcript, available

for public inspection at the DOE reading rooms listed above.

DOE will consider all comments (both written and oral comments

presented at the public hearings) received during the public comment

period in preparing the Final EIS.

Henry K. Garson,

Director, Office of Environmental Support, NEPA Compliance Officer

Defense Programs.

[FR Doc. 94-22339 Filed 9-8-94; 8:45 am]

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