Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Ground Water Project

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Uranium

Mill Tailings Remedial Action Ground Water Project

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy announces the availability of the

draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Uranium Mill

Tailings Remedial Action Ground Water Project. The proposed action is

to conduct the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Ground Water

Project using appropriate ground water compliance strategies at the 24

uranium processing sites based on a health and environmental risk-based

framework that provides a consistent and flexible approach. The three

other alternatives analyzed in the programmatic environmental impact

statement are: No action, active remediation to background levels at

all processing sites, and passive remediation at all processing sites.

Separate site-specific National Environmental Policy Act documentation

will be prepared to address site-specific ground water compliance

activities.

DATES: The public comment period extends through July 17, 1995. Written

comments should be postmarked by that date to ensure consideration in

preparation of the final document. Comments postmarked after that date

will be considered to the extent practicable. Comments may also be

submitted orally or in writing at public hearings to be held at the

times, places, and dates listed below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the draft programmatic environmental

impact statement should be directed to Mr. Rich Sena, Acting Director,

Environmental Restoration Division, Department of Energy, Suite 4000,

2155 Louisiana N.E., Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110. Addresses of

Department of Energy Public Reading Rooms and public libraries where

the draft [[Page 26418]] document will be available for review are

listed below under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for copies of the draft

programmatic environmental impact statement and requests for further

information concerning this draft document may be directed to Mr. Rich

Sena at the address above. Requests for copies of the draft

programmatic environmental impact statement or requests for more

information may also be made by leaving a message at 1-800-523-6495

(outside New Mexico) and 1-800-423-2539 (within New Mexico). For

general information on the procedures followed by the Department of

Energy in complying with the requirements of the National Environmental

Policy Act, contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA

Policy and Assistance (EH-42), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000

Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20585, Telephone 1-202-586-

4600 or leave a message at 1-800-472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Public concern regarding the potential human health and

environmental effects from uranium mill tailings led to passage of the

Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (Public Law 95-604, 42 USC

Sec. 7901 et seq.) in 1978, wherein Congress acknowledged the

potentially harmful health effects associated with uranium mill

tailings at 24 abandoned uranium mill processing sites. Pursuant to the

Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency developed standards (40

CFR Part 192) which include exposure limits for surface contamination

and concentration limits for ground water, to protect the public and

the environment from potential radiological and nonradiological hazards

from the abandoned mill processing sites. Final ground water protection

standards were published in the Federal Register [60 FR 2854 (Jan. 11,

1995)]. The Department of Energy is responsible for performing remedial

action to bring the surface and ground water contaminant levels at the

abandoned mill processing sites into compliance with these standards.

The Department of Energy is accomplishing this function through the

Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project. Remedial action will be

conducted with the concurrence of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission and the full participation of affected States and Indian

tribes.

Uranium processing activities at most of the 24 mill processing

sites resulted in the formation of contaminated ground water beneath

and, in some cases, downgradient of the sites. The purpose of the

Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Ground Water Project is to

protect human health and the environment by meeting the Environmental

Protection Agency standards in areas where ground water has been

contaminated with hazardous constituents, such as uranium and nitrate,

as a result of former uranium processing activities.

A major first step in the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action

Ground Water Project is the preparation of the Ground Water Project

programmatic environmental impact statement which assesses the

potential programmatic impacts of conducting the Ground Water Project,

provides a method for determining the site-specific ground water

compliance strategies, and supplies data and information that can be

used to tier off site-specific environmental impact analysis documents

to eliminate repetition. The proposed action and the alternatives in

the document are considered programmatic in that they broadly address

the overall plans for conducting the Ground Water Project.

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Preparation

The Department of Energy published a Notice of Intent [57 FR 54374,

Nov. 18, 1992)] to prepare a programmatic environmental impact

statement and commence the scoping process. The public scoping process

was completed on April 15, 1993. Public scoping meetings were held in

Falls City, Texas; Durango, Colorado; Moenkopi Village, Arizona;

Shiprock, Arizona; Tuba City, Arizona; Window Rock, Arizona; Grand

Junction, Colorado; Gunnison, Colorado; Rifle, Colorado; Bowman, North

Dakota; Lakeview, Oregon; Canonsburg, Pennsylvania; Halchita, Utah;

Salt Lake City, Utah; St. Stephen, Wyoming; and Riverton, Wyoming. The

Department of Energy received over 500 comments on the proposed scope

of the programmatic environmental impact statement which were

considered in preparation of the draft programmatic environmental

impact statement.

Availability of Copies of the Draft Programmatic Environmental

Impact Statement

Copies of the draft programmatic environmental impact statement

have been distributed to Federal, State, and local agencies, and to

organizations, environmental groups, and individuals known to be

interested in or affected by the Ground Water Project. Additional

copies of the document may be obtained by contacting the Uranium Mill

Tailings Project Office at the address or telephone numbers listed

above. Copies of the draft programmatic environmental impact statement

and applicable documents referenced in the document are available for

inspection at the Department of Energy's reading rooms and at the

public libraries in the vicinity of the 24 former uranium processing

sites listed below.

Department of Energy Reading Rooms

Freedom of Information Reading Room, Room 1E-190, Department of Energy,

Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC

20585

National Atomic Museum Library, Public Document Room, Department of

Energy, Albuquerque Operations, Albuquerque, NM 87115

Grand Junction Project Office, Department of Energy, 2597 B 3/4 Road,

Grand Junction, CO 81302

Public Libraries

Arizona

Tuba City Public Library, Tuba City, AZ 86045

Navajo Nation Library System, Window Rock, AZ 86515

Kykotsmovi Public Library, Community Development Director, Kykotsmovi,

AZ 86039

Colorado

Cortez Public Library, 802 E. Montezuma, Cortez, CO 81321

Denver Public Library, 1357 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203

Rifle Branch Library, Second Street, Rifle, CO 81650

Mesa State College Library, Grand Junction, CO 81502

Dove Creek School Library, Dove Creek, CO 81324

Durango Public Library, Reference Department, Durango, CO 81301

Glenwood Springs Library, 413 9th Street, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601

Gunnison Public Library, 307 N. Wisconsin, Gunnison, CO 81230

Naturita Public Library, 312 W. Second Street, Naturita, CO 81422

Montrose Public Library, 4349 First Street, Montrose, CO 81424

Idaho

Boise Public Library, 715 S. Capitol Bldg., Boise, ID 83805

[[Page 26419]]

New Mexico

Navajo Community College Library, Shiprock Branch, Shiprock, NM 87420

Mother Whiteside Memorial Library, 525 W. High Street, Grants, NM 87020

New Mexico State University Library, 1500 3rd St., Grants, NM 87020

University New Mexico Gallup Library, 200 College Road, Gallup, NM

87301

University New Mexico Zimmerman Library, Albuquerque, NM 87131-1466

New Mexico Environmental Department Library, 1190 St. Francis Drive,

Santa Fe, NM 87502

North Dakota

Bowman Public Library, 104 Main Street, Bowman, ND 58623

Dickinson Public Library, 139 West 3rd Street, Dickinson, ND 58601

Oregon

Lake County Library, 513 Center Street, Lakeview, OR 97630

Pennsylvania

Canonsburg Public Library, East Pike Street, Canonsburg, PA 15317

People's Library, 2889 Leechburg Road, Lower Burrell, PA 15068

Texas

Falls City Public Library, P.O. Box 325, Falls City, TX 78113

Utah

Bluff Public Library, Bluff, UT 84512

Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112

San Juan County Library, 25 West 300 St., Blanding, UT 84511

Grand County Library, 25 S. 1st East, Moab, UT 84532

Green River Library, 85 South Lang St., Green River, UT 84525

Wyoming

Riverton Branch Library, 1330 West Park, Riverton, WY 82501

Wyoming St. Library, Supreme Court Building, 24th & Capitol Street

Cheyenne, WY 82002

University of Wyoming Library, University Station, Laramie, WY 82071

Opportunity to Comment

Interested parties are invited to comment on the draft programmatic

environmental impact statement. The Department of Energy will consider

written and oral comments equally when preparing the final programmatic

environmental impact statement. Written comments should be sent to Mr.

Rich Sena, UMTRA Team, at the address given above. To be considered in

the document, written comments should be postmarked by July 17, 1995;

comments postmarked after that date will be considered to the extent

practicable.

Public Hearings and Information Meetings

The public is invited to comment on the draft programmatic

environmental impact statement to the Department of Energy in person at

the scheduled public hearings. The purposes of the hearings are to

receive comments on the subjects analyzed in the draft document; to

provide information to the public concerning the content and adequacy

of the programmatic environmental impact statement; and to respond to

public questions on the analyses or the programmatic environmental

impact statement process. Hearings will be set up to address these

areas. Persons presenting oral comments at the hearings are encouraged

to provide the Department of Energy with written copies of their

comments.

Conduct of Hearings

Format for the conduct of the hearings will be announced by the

presiding officer at the start of the hearings. The Department of

Energy personnel conducting the hearings may ask clarifying questions

regarding statements made at the hearings. Transcripts of the comments

made at the hearings will be made available at Department of Energy

reading rooms and public libraries listed above.

Hearing Schedules and Locations

Shiprock, New Mexico, June 7, 1995, Shiprock Chapter House, 7:00-10:00

p.m.

Durango, Colorado, June 8, 1995, Durango City Hall, 7:00-10:00 p.m.

Halchita, Utah, June 13, 1995, Mexican Hat Elementary School, 7:00-

10:00 p.m.

Moenkopi, Arizona, June 14, 1995, Moenkopi Community Center, 7:00-10:00

p.m.

Tuba City, Arizona, June 14, 1995, Tuba City Chapter House, 2:00-5:00

p.m.

Grand Junction, Colorado, June 22, 1995, Grand Junction City Hall,

7:00-10:00 p.m.

Gunnison, Colorado, June 21, 1995, Gunnison County Court House, 7:00-

10:00 p.m.

Falls City, Texas, June 27, 1995, Falls City Community Center, 7:00-

10:00 p.m.

Riverton, Wyoming, June 28, 1995, St. Stephens School, 7:30-10:30 p.m.

Issued in Washington, D.C., on May 10, 1995.

James M. Ownedoff,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Restoration.

[FR Doc. 95-12041 Filed 5-16-95; 8:45 am]

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