Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, NV

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository

for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste

at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, NV

AGENCY: Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Department of

Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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

the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for

the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at

Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada (DOE/EIS-0250D). The Department has

prepared this Draft EIS in accordance with the Nuclear Waste Policy Act

of 1982, as amended (NWPA), the National Environmental Policy Act of

1969 (NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations

that implement the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-

1508), and the DOE procedures implementing NEPA (10 CFR Part 1021). The

Draft EIS provides information on potential environmental impacts that

could result from a Proposed Action to construct, operate and monitor,

and eventually close a repository for the disposal of spent nuclear

fuel and high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The

Draft EIS also considers the potential environmental impacts from an

alternative referred to as the No-Action Alternative, under which a

repository would not be developed at Yucca Mountain. The locations of

the public hearings to receive comments on the Draft EIS are listed

below.

DATES: Comments on the Draft EIS will be accepted during a 180-day

public comment period, which ends on February 9, 2000. DOE will

consider comments received after February 9, 2000, to the extent

practicable. DOE will conduct public hearings on the Draft EIS and will

announce the dates in the Federal Register in the near future.

ADDRESSES: Written comments, requests for further information on the

Draft EIS or the public hearings, and requests for copies of the

document (or a CD-ROM version) should be directed to: Ms. Wendy R.

Dixon, EIS Project Manager, M/S 010, U.S. Department of Energy, Office

of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Yucca Mountain Site

Characterization Office, P.O. Box 30307, North Las Vegas, Nevada 89036-

0307, Telephone 1-800-967-3477, Facsimile 1-800-967-0739.

Written comments transmitted by facsimile should include the

following identifier: ``Yucca Mountain Draft EIS.'' Addresses of the

locations where the Draft EIS will be available for public review are

listed in this Notice under ``Availability of the Draft EIS.''

Written comments or requests for copies of the document may also be

submitted over the Internet via the Yucca Mountain Project website at

http://www.ymp.gov, under the listing ``Environmental Impact

Statement.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Wendy R. Dixon, EIS Project Manager, M/S 010, U.S. Department

of Energy, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Yucca

Mountain Site Characterization Office, P.O. Box 30307, North Las Vegas,

Nevada 89036-0307, Telephone 1-800-967-3477, Facsimile 1-800-967-0739.

General information on the DOE NEPA process may be requested from:

Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance

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

Washington, DC 20585, Telephone 1-202-586-4600, or leave a message at

1-800-472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On August 7, 1995, the Department published a Notice of Intent (60

FR 40164) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic

Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level

Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada. The purpose of

the Notice of Intent was to inform the public of the proposed scope of

the Repository EIS, to solicit public input, and to announce that

scoping meetings would be held from August through October 1995. During

that period, 15 public scoping meetings were held throughout the United

States to obtain public comments regarding the scope, alternatives, and

issues that should be addressed in the EIS. The scoping period closed

on December 5, 1995. Due to subsequent budget reductions, EIS

activities were deferred until Fiscal Year 1997. In May 1997, DOE

published Summary of Public Scoping Comments Related to the

Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for the

Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-level Radioactive Waste at

Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada, which summarized the comments

received by DOE during the scoping process and described how DOE

planned at that time to address issues raised during scoping. A Notice

of Availability for the Summary of Public Scoping Comments document was

published on July 9, 1997 (62 FR 36789).

Alternatives Considered

The Draft EIS evaluates a Proposed Action and a No-Action

Alternative. Under the Proposed Action, DOE would construct, operate

and monitor, and eventually close a geologic repository at Yucca

Mountain for the disposal of as much as 70,000 metric tons of heavy

metal (MTHM) of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste.

The Proposed Action includes the transportation of spent nuclear fuel

and high-level radioactive waste to Yucca Mountain from commercial and

DOE sites. Under the No-Action Alternative, DOE would end site

characterization activities at Yucca Mountain, and commercial and DOE

sites would

[[Page 44201]]

continue to store spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste,

packaged as necessary for their safe on-site management.

DOE developed implementing alternatives and analytical scenarios

for estimating in the Draft EIS the reasonably foreseeable

environmental impacts that could result from the Proposed Action. For

example, DOE evaluated three thermal load scenarios, which correspond

to a relatively high emplacement density of spent nuclear fuel and

high-level radioactive waste (high thermal load--85 MTHM per acre), a

relatively low emplacement density (low thermal load--25 MTHM per

acre), and an intermediate case--60 MTHM per acre. DOE recognizes,

however, that if the site is eventually approved for development of a

repository, the designs of repository surface and subsurface

facilities, and plans for the construction, operation and monitoring,

and closure of the repository would continue to evolve and would depend

on the outcome of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's licensing review

of the repository.

Two national transportation scenarios are evaluated in the Draft

EIS. The mostly legal-weight truck 1 scenario assumes that

most spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste would be

shipped to the repository by legal-weight truck over existing highways,

with a few exceptions. The mostly rail scenario assumes that most spent

nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste would be shipped to

Nevada by rail, with a few exceptions (based largely on the on-site

loading limitations at some commercial sites). The Nevada

transportation implementing alternatives parallel the national

transportation scenarios; however, because no rail access currently

exists to the repository site, the EIS considers different implementing

alternatives for the construction of either a new branch rail line to

the proposed repository, or an intermodal transfer station 2

with associated highway improvements for heavy-haul trucks.3

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\1\ Truck with a gross vehicle weight (both truck and cargo) of

less than 80,000 pounds.

\2\ An intermodal transfer station is a facility at the juncture

of rail and road transportation used to transfer shipping casks

containing spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste from

rail to truck and empty casks from truck to rail.

\3\ Shipment of a rail cask (weighing up to 300,000 pounds) on a

special truck and trailer combination that would have a total weight

of approximately 500,000 pounds.

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The No-Action Alternative considers two scenarios. Scenario 1

assumes that spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste would

remain at the 72 commercial and 5 DOE sites under effective

institutional control for at least 10,000 years. Scenario 2 also

assumes spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste would

remain at the 77 sites, but under effective institutional control for

only about 100 years.

Public Hearings and Invitation To Comment

The public is invited to provide oral and written comments on the

Repository Draft EIS during the public comment period that ends on

February 9, 2000. DOE will consider comments received during the

comment period in preparation of the Final EIS. Comments received after

February 9, 2000, will be considered to the extent practicable.

The Department will hold 16 public hearings (each following the

same format in either the mid-morning or afternoon and evening) to

receive oral and written comments from members of the public. The

public hearings are currently planned to be held in the following

Nevada locations: Pahrump, Goldfield, Caliente, Las Vegas, Reno,

Austin, Crescent Valley, Amargosa Valley and Ely. Other hearing

locations will include Washington, DC; Atlanta, Georgia; Denver,

Colorado; Boise, Idaho; Salt Lake City, Utah; St. Louis, Missouri; and

Lone Pine, California. DOE will publish the dates, times, and specific

locations in the Federal Register, and will notify all recipients of

the Draft EIS and the media in writing as soon as this information is

available. In addition, this information will be available on the Yucca

Mountain website at http://www.ymp.gov and on the toll-free information

line at 1-800-967-3477.

Each of the public hearings will include a brief session in which

an overview of the Draft EIS will be presented, a general question-and-

answer session, and an opportunity to provide comments for the record.

Members of the public who plan to present oral comments are asked to

register in advance by calling 1-800-967-3477.

Availability of the Draft EIS

Copies of the Draft EIS are being distributed to Federal, State,

Indian tribal, and local officials, agencies, and organizations and

individuals who have indicated an interest in the EIS process. Copies

of the document may also be requested by telephone (1-800-967-3477) or

over the Internet via the Yucca Mountain Project website at http://

www.ymp.gov, under the listing ``Environmental Impact Statement.''

Copies of references considered in preparation of the Draft EIS are

available at the following Public Reading Rooms: University of Nevada--

Las Vegas, Nevada; University of Nevada--Reno, Nevada; Beatty Yucca

Mountain Science Center, Nevada; and the DOE Headquarters Office in

Washington, DC. Addresses of these Public Reading Rooms and of other

Public Reading Rooms and libraries where the Draft EIS is available for

public review are listed below.

Public Reading Rooms

Inyo County--Contact: Andrew Remus; (760) 878-0447; Inyo County Yucca

Mountain Repository Assessment Office; 168 North Edwards Street; Post

Office Drawer L; Independence, CA 93526

Oakland Operations Office--Contact: Annette Ross; (510) 637-1762; U. S.

Department of Energy Public Reading Room; EIC; 1301 Clay Street, Room

700N; Oakland, CA 94612-5208

National Renewable Energy Laboratory--Contact: Sarah Manion; (303) 275-

4709; Public Reading Room; 1617 Cole Boulevard; Golden, CO 80401

Rocky Flats Public Reading Room--Contact: Ann Smith; (303) 469-4435;

College Hill Library; 3705 112th Avenue B121; Westminster, CO 80030

Headquarters Office--Contact: Carolyn Lawson; (202) 586-3142; U.S.

Department of Energy; Room 1E-190, Forrestal Building; 1000

Independence Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20585

Atlanta Support Office--Contact: Nancy Mays/Laura Nicholas; (404) 347-

2420; Department of Energy; Public Reading Room; 730 Peachtree Street,

Suite 876; Atlanta, GA 30308-1212

Southeastern Power Administration--Contact: Joel W. Seymour/Carol M.

Franklin; (706) 213-3800/(706) 213-3813; U.S. Department of Energy;

Reading Room; Samuel Elbert Building; 2 South Public Square; Elberton,

GA 30635-2496

Boise State University Library--Contact: Adrien Taylor; (208) 385-1621;

Government Documents; 1910 University Drive; P.O. Box 46; Boise, ID

83707-0046

Idaho Operations Office--Contact: Brent Jacobson/Gail Willmore; (208)

526-1144; Public Reading Room; 1776 Science Center Drive; Idaho Falls,

ID 83402

Chicago Operations Office--Contact: John Shuler; (312) 996-2738;

Document Department; University of Illinois at Chicago; 801 South

Morgan Street; Chicago, IL 60607

Strategic Petroleum Reserve Project Management Office--Contact: Deanna

Harvey; (504) 734-4316; U.S. Department of Energy; SPRPMO/SEB

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Reading Room; 850 Commerce Road, East; New Orleans, LA 70123

Lander County--Contact: Tammy Manzini; (775) 964-2447; 610 Main Street;

(P.O. Box 10); Austin, NV 89310

Beatty Yucca Mountain Science Center--Contact: Marina Anderson; (775)

553-2130; 100 North E Avenue; Beatty, NV 89003

Lincoln County--Contact: Eve Culverwell; (775) 726-3511; Box 1068 100

Depot Avenue; Caliente, NV 89008

Nevada State Clearinghouse--Contact: Heather Elliot; (775) 684-0209;

Department of Administration; 209 Musser Street, Room 200; Carson City,

NV 89701

White Pine County--Contact: Debra Kolkman; (775) 289-2033; 959 Campton

Street; Ely, NV 89301

Eureka County--Contact: Leonard Fiorenzi; (775) 237-5372; Courthouse

Annex; (P.O. Box 714); Eureka, NV 89316

Churchill County--Contact: Alan Kalt; (775) 423-5136; 190 West First

Street; Fallon, NV 89046-2478

Esmeralda County--Contact: Tony Cain; (775) 485-3419; Repository

Oversight Program; Elliot Street between Franklin and Euclid; P.O. Box

490; Goldfield, NV 89013

Mineral County--Contact: Commissioner Jackie Wells; (775) 945-2484;

First & A Streets; (P.O. Box 1600); Hawthorne, NV 89415

Clark County--Contact: Dennis Bechtel; (702) 455-5175; 500 South Grand

Central Parkway #3012; (P.O. Box 551751); Las Vegas, NV 89155-1751

Las Vegas, Nevada--Contact: Reference Desk; (702) 895-3409; University

of Nevada Las Vegas; James R. Dickinson Library; Government

Publications; 4505 Maryland Parkway; Las Vegas, NV 89154-7013

Las Vegas Yucca Mountain Science Center--Contact: Terri Brown; (702)

295-1312; 4101-B Meadows Lane; Las Vegas, NV 89107

Nye County--Contact: Les Bradshaw; (775) 727-7727; c/o Department of

Natural Resources and Federal Facilities; 1210 E. Basin Avenue;

Pahrump, NV 89048

Pahrump Yucca Mountain Science Center--Contact: Gordon Froman; (775)

727-0896; 1141 South Highway 160; Pahrump NV, 89041

Reno, Nevada--Contact: Kathie Brinkerhoff; (775) 784-6500, x-258;

University of Nevada, Reno; The University of Nevada Libraries;

Business and Government Information Center M/S 322; 1664 N. Virginia

Street; Reno, NV 89557-0044

Albuquerque Operations Office--Contact: Shawna Schwartz; (702) 845-

4939; U.S. DOE Contract Reading Room; Kirtland Air Force Base;

Pennsylvania and H Street; Building 388; Albuquerque, NM 87116

Fernald Area Office--Contact: Gary Stegner; (513) 648-7480; U.S.

Department of Energy; Public Information Room; 7400 Willey Road;

Cincinnati, OH 45239

Bartlesville Project Office/National Institute for Petroleum and Energy

Research--Contact: Josh Stroman; (918) 337-4371; BPO/NIPER Library;

U.S. Department of Energy; 220 Virginia Avenue; Bartlesville, OK 74003

Southwestern Power Administration--Contact: Pam Bland; (918) 595-6624;

U.S. Department of Energy; Public Reading Room; 1 West 3rd, Suite 1600;

Tulsa, OK 74101

Bonneville Power Administration--Contact: Jean Pennington; (503) 230-

7334; U.S. Department of Energy; BPA-C-ACS-1; 905 NE 11th Street;

Portland, OR 97208

Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center--Contact: Ann C. Dunlap; (412) 892-

6167; U.S. Department of Energy; Building 922/M210; Cochrans Mill Road;

Pittsburgh, PA 15236-0940

Savannah River Operations Office--Contact: David Darugh; (803) 725-

2497; Gregg-Graniteville Library; University of South Carolina--Aiken;

171 University Parkway; Aiken, SC 29801

University of South Carolina--Contact: Lester Duncan; (803) 777-4841;

Thomas Cooper Library; Documents/Microforms Department; Green and

Sumter Streets; Columbia, SC 29208

Oak Ridge Operations Office--Contact: Amy Rothrock/Teresa Brown; (423)

576-1216/(423) 241-4780; U.S. Department of Energy; Public Reading

Room; P.O. Box 2001; American Museum of Science and Energy; 300 S.

Tulane Avenue; Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Southern Methodist University--Contact: Stephen Short; (214) 768-2561;

Central Union Libraries Fondren Library; Government Information;

Airline and McFarland Streets; Dallas, TX 75275-0135

University of Utah--Contact: Walter Jones; (801) 581-8863; Marriott

Library Special Collections; 295 South 15th East; Salt Lake City, UT

84112-0860

Richland Operations Center--Contact: Terri Traub; (509) 372-7443; U.S.

Department of Energy; Public Reading Room; 2770 University Drive; Room

101L; PO Box 999; Mailstop H2-53; Richland, WA 99352

Issued in Washington, DC, August 5, 1999.

Lake Barrett,

Acting Director, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management.

[FR Doc. 99-20661 Filed 8-12-99; 8:45 am]

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