Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Alternative Strategies for the Long-Term Management and Use of Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Alternative

Strategies for the Long-Term Management and Use of Depleted Uranium

Hexafluoride

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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

the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for

Alternative Strategies for the Long-Term Management and Use of Depleted

Uranium Hexafluoride (DOE/EIS-0269). This Final PEIS, prepared pursuant

to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), assesses the potential

environmental impacts of reasonable alternatives to manage DOE's nearly

700,000 metric tons of depleted uranium hexafluoride (UF6)

stored in 57,634 steel cylinders at the East Tennessee Technology Park

(formerly known as the K-25 facility) on the Oak Ridge Reservation, and

the gaseous diffusion plant sites at Portsmouth, Ohio, and Paducah,

Kentucky. The Final PEIS also includes analyses of the impacts of an

additional 11,212 cylinders recently transferred to DOE from the United

States Enrichment Corporation under two recent memoranda of agreement.

The management strategies considered in the Final PEIS include

continuation of depleted UF6 storage at

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the current locations, two long-term storage alternatives (one as

UF6 and one as an oxide, after conversion) at a consolidated

location, two alternatives to convert and use the material (one as

uranium oxide and one as uranium metal), and a disposal alternative.

DOE has identified a preferred alternative in the Final PEIS. DOE's

preferred alternative for the long-term management and use of depleted

UF6 is to begin conversion of the UF6 inventory

as soon as possible, either to uranium oxide, uranium metal, or a

combination of both, while allowing for future use of as much of this

inventory as possible. The preferred alternative in the Final PEIS was

revised based in part on public comments on the Draft PEIS. The Record

of Decision, to be issued no sooner than 30 days after the

Environmental Protection Agency's Notice of Availability of the Final

PEIS, will identify DOE's decision for the long-term management and use

of depleted UF6.

ADDRESSES: Copies of this Final PEIS are available at the Office of

Environment, Safety and Health National Environmental Policy Act home

page at http://www.eh.doe.gov/nepa, or on the Office of Nuclear Energy,

Science and Technology home page at http://www.ne.doe.gov. You may

request copies of this Final PEIS by calling the toll-free number 1-

800-517-3191, by faxing requests to (301) 903-4905, or by mailing them

to: Scott Harlow, Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride Program, Office of

Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology (NE), U.S. Department of Energy,

19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874. You may also request

copies of this Final PEIS via the Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride home

page at http://www.ead.anl.gov/uranium.html, or via electronic mail to:

[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the DOE

NEPA process, please contact: Carol Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA

Policy and Assistance, Office of Environment, Safety and Health, U.S.

Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC

20545, (202) 586-4600 or 1-800-472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On January 25, 1996, DOE issued a Notice of Intent (61 FR 2239) to

prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement on alternative

strategies for the long-term management and use of depleted

UF6. The unique properties and value of depleted

UF6, such as its high purity and density, as well as the

large volume (nearly 700,000 metric tons) in storage, made it

appropriate to evaluate, analyze, and decide the long-term management

of this material separately from other DOE materials in storage or

awaiting disposition.

The purpose of this PEIS was to assess and consider the potential

environmental impacts of a range of reasonable alternative strategies

for the long-term management and use of depleted UF6

currently stored at sites near Paducah, Kentucky; Portsmouth, Ohio; and

Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The Final PEIS addresses the potential

environmental impacts of the activities for each strategy.

During February 1996, public scoping meetings were held in Paducah,

Piketon, and Oak Ridge. The Draft PEIS incorporates the public comments

received during the scoping period. During February and March 1998,

public hearings on the draft PEIS were held in Paducah, Kentucky;

Piketon, Ohio; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Washington, DC. All comments

submitted by the public were considered by DOE in preparing the Final

PEIS.

The Final PEIS and related documents prepared by DOE are available

for review at the following locations:

Kentucky

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

Freedom Boulevard, Kevil, KY 42053, (502) 462-2550

Ohio

U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Information Center, 3930 U.S.

Route 23, Piketon, OH 45661, (740) 289-3317

Tennessee

U.S. Department of Energy, Information Resource Center, 105 Broadway

Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, (423) 241-4582; and, U.S. Department of

Energy, Public Reading Room, Building 1916-T2, Suite 300, 230 Warehouse

Road, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830

Washington, DC

U.S. Department of Energy, Freedom of Information Reading Room, Room

1E-190, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20585, (202)

586-3142

Subsequent Document Preparation

Following issuance of the Final PEIS and Record of Decision, DOE

will prepare additional project-specific NEPA documents as appropriate.

Issued in Washington, D.C. April 16, 1999.

William D. Magwood, IV,

Director, Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology.

[FR Doc. 99-10764 Filed 4-28-99; 8:45 am]

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