Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement on Management of Certain Plutonium Residues and Scrub Alloy Stored at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact

Statement on Management of Certain Plutonium Residues and Scrub Alloy

Stored at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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

the Final Environmental Impact Statement on Management of Certain

Plutonium Residues and Scrub Alloy Stored at the Rocky Flats

Environmental Technology Site (DOE/EIS-0277F, August 1998). The Final

EIS analyzes reasonable alternatives for the management of certain

plutonium residues and all of the scrub alloy at the Rocky Flats

Environmental Technology Site (Rocky Flats) near Golden, Colorado.

Plutonium residues and scrub alloy are materials that were generated

while processing plutonium during the manufacture of components for

nuclear weapons. The Final EIS analyzes processing technologies for

various material categories of residues (e.g., ash, salts, fluorides)

and the scrub alloy. Processing of these materials is needed to address

health and safety issues associated with their continued storage and to

prepare them for disposal or other disposition. DOE has prepared this

Final EIS pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42

U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), in accordance with the Council on Environmental

Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA

(40 CFR Parts 1500-1508) and the DOE NEPA implementing regulations (10

CFR Part 1021).

DOE analyzed four alternatives, in addition to the Preferred

Alternative, for each of the categories of Rocky Flats plutonium

residues and scrub alloy. The Final EIS identifies the rationale for

identifying the treatment technologies as preferred.

All of the alternatives analyzed in the Final EIS were either

analyzed in the Draft EIS or are composed of elements of alternatives

analyzed in the Draft EIS, with the exception of two new candidate

processing technologies similar to technologies analyzed in the Draft

EIS. Nevertheless, because certain

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alternatives were not presented to the public in the form in which they

appear in this Final EIS, and in furtherance of public involvement in

the NEPA process, DOE has decided to issue phased Records of Decision

for this Final EIS. The first Record of Decision will cover only those

materials for which the preferred processing technology was analyzed in

the Draft EIS, and for which any variances to safeguards termination

limits discussed in the Draft EIS had already been granted. The first

Record of Decision will be issued no sooner than 30 days after issuance

of the Final EIS. The second Record of Decision will cover the

remaining materials within the scope of the EIS (e.g., as discussed in

Section 1.4.2 of the Final EIS). Prior to issuing the second Record of

Decision, DOE is providing a 45-day comment period that begins with

publication of the Environmental Protection Agency's Notice of

Availability regarding this Final EIS as discussed in the Dates section

below, and will resolve any comments received.

The Final EIS is available to the public in the public reading

rooms listed below in the ``Availability of Copies of the Final EIS''

section of this Notice. The Final EIS is also available by mail upon

request by contacting the Center for Environmental Management

Information as specified under ADDRESSES below.

DATES: The public is invited to comment on the processing technologies

for a subset of the plutonium residue material categories addressed by

the Final EIS, as specified in Section 1.4.2 of the Final EIS. The

public comment period begins with publication of the Environmental

Protection Agency's Notice of Availability regarding this Final EIS in

the Federal Register (August 28, 1998), and continues through October

12, 1998. All comments received by October 12, 1998, will be considered

when preparing the second Record of Decision or taking other actions in

response to the comments. Comments received after the close of the

comment period will be considered to the degree practical.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the Final EIS should be directed to:

Center for Environmental Management Information, P.O. Box 23769,

Washington, DC 20026-3769.

Copies may also be requested by calling 1-800-736-3282 (or 202-863-

5084 in Washington, DC).

Written comments on the Final EIS may be submitted to the following

address: Mr. Charles R. Head, Senior Technical Advisor, Office of

Nuclear Material and Facility Stabilization (EM-60), Environmental

Management, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.,

Washington, DC 20585-0001.

Written comments may also be submitted electronically as follows:

Via E-Mail to [email protected], or Via facsimile to Mr. Charles R.

Head at (202) 586-5393.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on the Final

EIS, please contact Mr. Charles R. Head at the address specified above.

For general information on the DOE NEPA process, please write or

call: Ms. Carol Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and

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

Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20585, Telephone: 202-586-4600, or leave a

message at 1-800-472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the Final EIS, DOE analyzes processing

certain plutonium-bearing materials being stored at Rocky Flats near

Golden, Colorado. These materials are plutonium residues and scrub

alloy remaining from nuclear weapons manufacturing operations formerly

conducted by DOE at this site. In their present forms, these materials

cannot be disposed of or otherwise be prepared for final disposition

because they contain plutonium in concentrations exceeding DOE

safeguards termination requirements. The term ``safeguards'' refers to

those measures (e.g., recordkeeping, monitoring, and physical

protection) that DOE and other organizations holding nuclear materials

must take to ensure that the materials are not stolen or diverted for

illicit purposes.

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board has raised health and

safety concerns regarding the current storage of plutonium residues and

scrub alloy at Rocky Flats. The proposed processing will address the

concerns raised by the Board and also will prepare the plutonium

residues and scrub alloy for disposal or other disposition.

Alternatives

DOE has identified and assessed the following alternatives for

processing these plutonium-bearing materials:

1. Alternative 1 (No Action--Stabilize and Store). This alternative

consists of stabilization or repackaging to prepare the material for

interim storage as described in the Rocky Flats Solid Residue

Environmental Assessment (Solid Residue Treatment, Repackaging, and

Storage Environmental Assessment/Finding of No Significant Impact, DOE/

EA-1120, Rocky Flats Field Office, April 1996). Under this alternative,

further processing to prepare the material for disposal or other

disposition would not occur. Because scrub alloy was not addressed in

the Rocky Flats Solid Residue Environmental Assessment, the ``No

Action'' alternative for scrub alloy has been defined as continued

storage at Rocky Flats with repackaging, as necessary. Under this

alternative, approximately 40 percent of the Rocky Flats plutonium

residues and all of Rocky Flats scrub alloy would be left in forms that

would not meet the requirements for termination of safeguards, making

these materials ineligible for disposal. Thus, while implementation of

this alternative would address the immediate health and safety concerns

associated with near-term storage of the materials, the health and

safety risks associated with potential long-term storage of these

materials would remain.

2. Alternative 2 (Processing Without Plutonium Separation).

Processing to prepare the material for disposal as transuranic waste or

for other disposition (i.e., meet safeguards termination limits).

Processing technologies evaluated include immobilization and dilution,

with all processing taking place at Rocky Flats.

3. Alternative 3 (Processing With Plutonium Separation). This

alternative would include use of various plutonium separation

technologies, such as Purex, acid dissolution/plutonium oxide recovery,

salt distillation, water leach, and others. On-site processing is

evaluated at Rocky Flats for most of the residues and scrub alloy; off-

site processing is evaluated at the Savannah River Site for certain

types of residues and the scrub alloy and the Los Alamos National

Laboratory for certain salt residues only. The separated plutonium

would be placed into safe and secure storage at the processing site

pending disposition. The wastes left after separation of the plutonium

would be disposed of.

4. Alternative 4 (Combination of Processing Technologies). This

alternative would include processing technologies that stabilize and

blend down the residues, as necessary, so that the concentration of

plutonium in the residues would be less than 10 percent. These residues

would then be repackaged in preparation for disposal. Due to the

relatively higher concentration of plutonium in the scrub alloy, no

processing technology for scrub alloy was analyzed under this

alternative. All processing under this alternative would be done at

Rocky Flats.

[[Page 46008]]

Alternative 4 would also require that a variance to safeguards

termination limits be applied for any residues that would be sent to

the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) for disposal because the

residues would contain plutonium concentrations exceeding DOE

safeguards termination limits. The variance is based on the combination

of processing method, the waste management controls in place for normal

handling of transuranic waste, and the limited quantity of special

nuclear materials present at any particular place and time.

5. Preferred Alternative Identified in the Final EIS. DOE has

identified preferred processing technologies (collectively referred to

as the Preferred Alternative) for each of the categories of Rocky Flats

plutonium residues and scrub alloy. Under the Preferred Alternative,

all materials would be processed at Rocky Flats except for sand, slag,

and crucible; certain direct oxide reduction salts; fluoride residues;

and scrub alloy. The salts would be processed at Los Alamos National

Laboratory. The sand, slag and crucible; fluoride residues; and scrub

alloy would be processed at the Savannah River Site. The Final EIS

identifies the rationale for identifying the treatment technologies as

preferred.

Public Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Copies of the Draft EIS and/or the Summary were mailed to over

1,000 individuals and organizations. The public comment period was held

from November 25, 1997, to January 5, 1998. However, DOE continued to

consider and accept comments received after the closing date. Written

submissions were received from 39 individuals and organizations,

generating about 200 comments. DOE held three public hearings at the

potentially affected sites, attended by a total of approximately 50

people. These meetings generated about 40 questions and comments.

Chapter 9 of the Final EIS provides the Department's responses to the

comments received. Most commentors commented on the alternatives and

technical processes, the analyses presented in the EIS, and concerns

such as storage, ultimate disposition, proliferation risks,

transportation, environmental, safety and health risks, and costs.

Process and Schedule for Decisions

All of the alternatives analyzed in the Final EIS were either

analyzed in the Draft EIS or are composed of elements of alternatives

analyzed in the Draft EIS, with the exception of two new candidate

processing technologies similar to technologies analyzed in the Draft

EIS. Nevertheless, because certain alternatives were not presented to

the public in the form in which they appear in this Final EIS, and in

furtherance of public involvement in the NEPA process, DOE has decided

to issue phased Records of Decision for this Final EIS. The first

Record of Decision will cover only those materials for which the

preferred processing technology was analyzed in the Draft EIS, and for

which any variances to safeguards termination limits discussed in the

Draft EIS had already been granted (e.g., sand, slag, and crucible

residues, low plutonium concentration direct oxide reduction salt

residues, combustible residues, plutonium fluoride residues, Ful Flo

filter media residues, glass residues, graphite residues, and inorganic

residues, and the scrub alloy). The first Record of Decision will be

issued no sooner than 30 days after issuance of the Final EIS. The

second Record of Decision will cover the remaining materials within the

scope of the EIS (e.g., incinerator ash residues, graphite fines

residues, inorganic ash residues, molten salt extraction/

electrorefining salt residues, high plutonium concentration direct

oxide reduction salt residues, HEPA filter media residues, and sludge

residues). Prior to issuing the second Record of Decision, DOE is

providing a 45-day comment period and will resolve any comments

received.

Availability of Copies of the Final EIS

The Final EIS has been distributed to interested Federal, State,

and local agencies, and to individuals and organizations who have

expressed an interest. Copies of the Final EIS are available for review

in the following public reading rooms:

Simi Valley Public Library, 2629 Tapo Canyon Road, Simi Valley, CA

93063

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, East Gate Visitors Center,

Greenville Road, Livermore, CA 94550

CSU Northridge/Oviatt Library, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA

91330

U.S. Department of Energy, Oakland Operations Office, 1301 Clay

Street, Room EIC, 8th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612

Platt Brand Public Library, 23600 Victory Boulevard, Woodland Hills,

CA 91367

U.S. Department of Energy, Golden Field Office, Public Reading Room,

14869 Denver West Parkway, Golden, CO 80401

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Superfund Records Center, 999

18th Street, Floor 5, Denver, CO 80202

Rocky Flats Citizens Advisory Board, Public Reading Room, 9035

Wadsworth Avenue, Suite 2250, Westminster, CO 80021

Standley Lake Public Reading Room, 8485 Kipling Street, Arvada, CO

80005

Rocky Flats Public Reading Room, Front Range Community College

Library, 3645 W. 112th Avenue, Westminster, CO 80030

University of Colorado Libraries, Government Publications, Campus

Box 184, Boulder, CO 80309

Colorado Department of Public Health, 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South,

Denver, CO 80222

Colorado School of Mines, Arthur Lakes Library, 1400 Illinois

Street, P.O. Box 4029, Golden, CO 80401

Colorado State University, Library Documents Department, Ft.

Collins, CO 80523

U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, FOI Room,

1E-190, Forrestal Bldg., Washington, DC 20585

Pullen Public Library, 100 Decatur Street, SE, Atlanta, GA 30303

Chatham Effingham Library, 2002 Bull Street, Savannah, GA 31499

Reese Library, Augusta College, 2500 Walton Way, Augusta, GA 30904

Georgia Institute of Technology, Bobby Dodd Way, Atlanta, GA 30332

Argonne National Laboratory, Technical Library, P.O. Box 2528, Idaho

Falls, ID 83403

University of Illinois at Chicago, U.S. DOE Public Documents Room,

801 S. Morgan Street, 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60607

East St. Louis Public Library, Dr. Ram Chauhan, 405 North 9th

Street, East St. Louis, IL 62201

Lincoln Library, Reference Department, 326 South 7th Street,

Springfield, IL 62701

Salina Public Library, Marc Boucher, Reference Librarian, 301 West

Elm, Salina, KS 67401

Washburn Law Library, 1700 College, Topeka, KS 66621

Paducah Public Library, 555 Washington Street, Paducah, KY 42001

U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Information Center, 175

Freedom Boulevard, Kevil, KY 42053

Mid Continent Public Library, Blue Ridge Branch, 9253 Blue Ridge

Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64138

St. Louis Public Library, 1301 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103

Scenic Regional Library, 308 Hawthorn Drive, Union, MO 63084

Los Alamos Community Reading Room, 1350 Central Avenue, Suite 101,

Los Alamos, NM 87544

U.S. Department of Energy, Albuquerque Operations Office, National

Atomic Museum, 20358 Wyoming Boulevard SE, Kirtland Air Force Base,

P.O. Box 5400, Albuquerque, NM 87185

U.S. Department of Energy, FOIA Reading Room, 4700 Morris NE,

Albuquerque, NM 87111

U.S. Department of Energy, Technical Vocational Institute, Main

Campus Library, 525 Buena Vista SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106

New Mexico State Library, 325 Don Gasper, Santa Fe, NM 87503

U.S. Department of Energy, Gregg Graniteville Library, 171

University Parkway, Aiken, SC 29801

County Library, 404 King Street, Charleston, SC 29403

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South Carolina State Library, 1500 Senate Street, P.O. Box 11469

Orangeburg County Free Library, 510 Louis Street NE, P.O. Box 1367,

Orangeburg, SC 29116

Lawson McGhee Public Library, 500 West Church Avenue, Knoxville, TN

37902

Nashville Public Library, 225 Polk Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203

U.S. Department of Energy, Public Reading Room, Oak Ridge Operations

Office, 55 Jefferson Circle, Room 1123, Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Copies of the Final EIS can also be obtained by contacting the

Center for Environmental Management Information at the address, or via

the telephone numbers, listed earlier in this Notice under Addresses.

Issued in Washington, D.C. on August 25, 1998.

David G. Huizenga,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Material and Facility

Stabilization, Office of Environmental Management.

[FR Doc. 98-23264 Filed 8-26-98; 8:55 am]

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