Reopening of the Public Comment Period for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Disposal Phase Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Reopening of the Public Comment Period for the Waste Isolation

Pilot Plant Disposal Phase Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact

Statement

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Reopening of the Public Comment Period.

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SUMMARY: This notice reopens the public comment period for the

Department of Energy's (DOE) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Disposal Phase

Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS-II) until

February 27, 1997. All comments received by that date will be

considered in preparing the final SEIS-II. A Notice of Availability of

the draft was published on November 29, 1996 (61 FR 60690). All other

information contained in the Notice of Availability remains unchanged.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the draft SEIS-II should be mailed to

the following address: Harold Johnson, NEPA Compliance Officer, Att:

SEIS Comments, P.O. Box 9800, Albuquerque, NM 87119.

Although some written comments mailed to this address were

mistakenly returned by the U.S. Postal Service to sender, this

situation has been rectified and individuals are requested to resubmit

their comments to the above address. Comments may also be submitted by

electronic mail to [email protected] or by fax to Harold Johnson,

NEPA Compliance Officer at (505) 224-8030. For more information on WIPP

and the SEIS-II, contact the WIPP Information Center at 1-800-336-WIPP

(1-800-336-9477).

For information on the DOE National Environmental Policy Act

process, contact: 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, (202) 586-4600 or leave a message

at 1-800-472-2756.

DATES: The comment period on the draft SEIS-II will be reopened until

February 27, 1997. Comments postmarked after that date will be

considered to the extent practicable.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 29, 1996, the Department issued

a Notice of Availability (61 FR 60690) on the draft SEIS-II that

included: A brief description of the contents of the document and

alternatives analyzed; a list of reading rooms where the full document

is available to the public; information on how to obtain additional

copies of the document and submit public comments; and a schedule of

public hearings. This Notice also announced a sixty-day public comment

period extending from November 29, 1996 to January 28, 1997.

The public comment period is being reopened until February 27,

1997, in response to public requests for additional time to review the

document and prepare comments. The Department has individually notified

interested stakeholders of the reopened comment period. Except for the

end of the comment period, all information contained in the November

29, 1996, Notice of Availability remains unchanged. Please note that

some written comments on the draft SEIS-II that were mailed to the

Department were mistakenly returned by the U.S. Postal Service to

sender. This situation has been rectified and these comments may be

resubmitted to the address above. Comments postmarked after February

27, 1997, will be considered to the extent practicable. Further

information on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and on the SEIS-II is

contained in the November 29, 1996, Notice of Availability.

Issued in Washington, DC., this 27 day of January, 1997.

Mark W. Frei,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Waste Management Environmental

Management.

[FR Doc. 97-2554 Filed 1-31-97; 8:45 am]

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