Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Disposal of Decommissioned, Defueled Cruiser, Ohio Class, and Los Angeles Class Naval Reactor Plants

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement for the Disposal of Decommissioned, Defueled Cruiser, Ohio

Class, and Los Angeles Class Naval Reactor Plants

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 [42

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.] and in accordance with the Council on

Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural

Provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR Parts 1500-

1508), the Department of the Navy has prepared and filed with the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement for disposal of reactor plants from U.S. Navy cruisers, OHIO

Class submarines and LOS ANGELES Class submarines. The Department of

Energy is participating as a cooperating agency and may adopt the

Environmental Impact Statement, if appropriate, to fulfill its

environmental review obligations under NEPA.

The Department of the Navy invites public comments on the Draft

Environmental Impact Statement and will hold public hearings on the

document.

DATES: The public comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement ends on October 10, 1995. Written comments regarding the

document should be postmarked by this date to ensure consideration in

preparation of the Final Environmental Impact Statement. Comments sent

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

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

be held on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement: September 18 in

Bremerton, Washington; September 19 in Portland, Oregon; September 20

in Seattle, Washington; and September 21 in Richland, Washington.

Locations for these meetings are identified below.

ADDRESSES: Addresses for the public meeting locations are provided

below. Written comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement,

requests for copies of the document, and requests for further

information should be directed to Mr. John Gordon (Code 1160), Puget

Sound Naval Shipyard, 1400 Farragut Avenue, Bremerton, Washington

98314-5001, telephone (360)476-7111.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Scope of the Draft EIS

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement analyzes the alternative

ways for disposing of decommissioned, defueled, reactor compartments

from U.S. Navy nuclear-powered cruisers (BAINBRIDGE, TRUXTUN, LONG

BEACH, CALIFORNIA Class and VIRGINIA Class) and submarines (LOS ANGELES

and OHIO Classes). The total number of reactor compartments in these

classes is expected to be approximately 100. A disposal method for the

defueled reactor compartment is needed when a nuclear-powered ship no

longer has sufficient military value to justify its continued

maintenance, or it is no longer needed. For disposal, the ship can be:

(1) placed in protective storage for an extended period followed by

permanent disposal or recycling; or (2) prepared for permanent disposal

or recycling.

The alternatives examined in detail in the Draft Environmental

Impact Statement are the preferred alternative--land burial of the

entire defueled reactor compartment at the Department of Energy Low-

Level Waste Burial Grounds at Hanford, Washington; the no action

alternative--protective waterborne storage for an indefinite period;

disposal and reuse of subdivided portions of the reactor compartments;

and indefinite storage above ground at Hanford.

Several other alternatives are examined in limited detail. These

alternatives include sea disposal; land disposal of entire reactor

compartments at other sites; and permanent above ground disposal of

entire defueled reactor compartments at Hanford.

Public Scoping Process

On February 24, 1994 the Department of the Navy published a Notice

of Intent (59 FR 8915) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for

Disposal of Decommissioned, Defueled Cruiser OHIO, and LOS ANGELES

Class Naval Reactor Plants. Subsequently, the Navy held five public

scoping meetings at the following locations:

Bremerton, Washington, March 10, 1994;

Richland, Washington, March 11, 1994;

Olympia, Washington, March 12, 1994;

Portland, Oregon, March 15, 1994; and

Portsmouth, Virginia, March 17, 1994.

The Navy received oral and written comments from individuals and

organizations during the scoping process. All of those comments were

considered during preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement.

Background Information

Navy reactor plants constructed prior to the USS LOS ANGELES (SSN

688) (referred to as pre-LOS ANGELES Class submarines) share many

common design characteristics with reactor plants from cruisers, OHIO

Class submarines and LOS ANGELES Class submarines. Pre-LOS ANGELES

Class submarine reactor compartments are currently being disposed of at

the Department of Energy Hanford Site in Eastern Washington by the

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, consistent with

the Secretary of the Navy's 1984 Record of Decision on disposal of

decommissioned, defueled Naval submarine reactor plants. This method of

disposal is the preferred alternative for disposal of reactor

compartments from cruisers, OHIO Class submarines and LOS ANGELES Class

submarines because it has minimal environmental impacts and appears to

be preferable from an environmental standpoint to other alternatives.

Except for sea disposal, no new legislation or Congressional action

would be required to implement any of these alternatives. In all of the

alternatives considered in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement

there would be no spent nuclear fuel left in the reactor compartments;

all the spent nuclear fuel would be removed before disposal. Management

of the naval spent nuclear fuel has been addressed in a separate

Department of Energy Environmental Impact Statement. Nevertheless,

there would be some other radioactive materials left within the reactor

compartments, and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement evaluates

disposal of these residual materials. Types of U.S. Navy nuclear-

powered ships that are not expected to be decommissioned in the next 20

years (e.g., aircraft carriers, SEAWOLF Class submarines) are not

included in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement has been distributed to

various federal, state, and local government agencies, tribes, elected

officials, and special interest groups. Requests for copies of the

Draft Environmental Impact Statement should be directed to the address

listed above. In addition, copies of the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement and comments received during scoping are

[[Page 42152]]

also available for public inspection in the following libraries:

Kitsap County Public Library, Main Branch, 1301 Sylvan Way, Bremerton,

Washington, (360)377-7601

Public Reading Room for U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations

Office, Washington State University, Tri-Cities, 100 Sprout Road, Room

130 West, Richland, Washington, (509)376-8583

Suzallo Library, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington,

(206)543-9158

Multnomah County Library, 801 Southwest 10th Avenue, Portland, Oregon,

(503)248-5234

Information Meetings and Public Hearings

The Department of the Navy will hold public hearings to inform the

public of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and to solicit

comments. Hearings will be held at the following locations:

September 18, 1995, 7 pm-10 pm

Bremerton, Washington, Bremerton High School, Performing Arts

Center, 1500 13th St.

September 19, 1995, 7 pm-10 pm

Portland, Oregon, Red Lion Inn, Jantzen Beach, 909 N. Hayden Island

Dr.

September 20, 1995, 7 pm-10 pm

Seattle, Washington, H.M. Jackson Fed. Bldg, 915 2nd Ave.

September 21, 1995, 7 pm-10 pm

Richland, Washington, Shiloh Inn, Rivershore (O'Callahan's), 50

Comstock

The hearings will be conducted by the Navy. Federal, state, tribal

and local agencies and interested parties are invited to attend or be

represented at the hearings. All statements, both oral and written,

will become part of the public record. Equal weight will be given to

both oral and written comments.

Dated: August 3, 1995.

Michael A. Waters,

LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 95-20083 Filed 8-14-95; 8:45 am]

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