[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 248 (Friday, December 28, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67250-67251]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-28249]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Availability of Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement for Disposition of Depleted Uranium Oxide Conversion Product 
Generated From DOE's Inventory of Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride

AGENCY: Office of Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability and public hearings.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Environmental 
Management, announces the availability of the Draft Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement for Disposition of Depleted Uranium 
Oxide Conversion Product Generated from DOE's Inventory of Depleted 
Uranium Hexafluoride (Draft SEIS) (DOE/EIS-0359-S1; DOE/EIS-0360-S1). 
DOE also announces three web-based public hearings to receive comments 
on the Draft SEIS. The Draft SEIS evaluates the potential environmental 
impacts associated with the transportation to final disposition of 
depleted uranium (DU) oxide conversion product from its depleted 
uranium hexafluoride (DUF<INF>6</INF>) conversion facilities at the 
Paducah, Kentucky, and Portsmouth, Ohio, sites at three alternative 
offsite low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities: The DOE-owned 
low-level radioactive waste disposal facility at the Nevada National 
Security Site (NNSS) in Nye County, Nevada; the EnergySolutions low-
level radioactive waste disposal facility in Clive, Utah; and the Waste 
Control Specialists LLC (WCS) low-level radioactive waste disposal 
facility in Andrews, Texas.

DATES: DOE is inviting public comments on the Draft SEIS starting with 
the date of publication of this Notice and ending on Monday, February 
11, 2019. DOE will host three web-based public hearings to receive 
comments on the Draft SEIS. Comments submitted during this public 
comment period will be considered in preparation of the Final SEIS. DOE 
will consider late comments to the extent practicable. DOE will conduct 
web-based public comment hearings on the dates indicated below:
    <bullet> Tuesday, January 22, 2019 from 2:00-4:00 p.m., Web-based
    <bullet> Wednesday, January 23, 2019 from 4:00-6:00 p.m., Web-based
    <bullet> Thursday, January 24, 2019, from 7:00-9:00 p.m., Web-based

ADDRESSES: Comments on the Draft SEIS maybe be submitted by any of the 
following methods:
    <bullet> Mail: Ms. Jaffet Ferrer-Torres, Document Manager, Office 
of Environmental Management, Department of Energy, EM-4.22, 1000 
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585. Note: Comments submitted 
by U.S. Postal Service may be delayed by mail screening.
    <bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5612031060091813061716333b7832393378313920"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="abeffeed9df4e5eefbeaebcec685cfc4ce85ccc4dd">[email protected]</span></a>.
    <bullet> WebEx Meeting Room (during scheduled dates see Web-based 
Public Hearing Information Section):
    [cir] https://doe.webex.com/join/duf6_nepa (Copy and Paste into web 
browser).
    <bullet> DU Oxide SEIS Website: http://www.energy.gov/em/disposition-uranium-oxide-conversion-depleted-uranium-hexafluoride.
    This NOA, the Environmental Protection Agency NOA, and the Draft 
SEIS will be posted on the DOE NEPA website at http://energy.gov/nepa. 
These documents, and additional materials relating to this Draft SEIS, 
will be also available on the DU Oxide SEIS website at: http://www.energy.gov/em/disposition-uranium-oxide-conversion-depleted-uranium-hexafluoride.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about this 
Draft SEIS, please contact Ms. Jaffet Ferrer-Torres, U.S. Department of 
Energy at the mailing addresses listed in ADDRESSES. For information on 
DOE's NEPA process, please contact Mr. William Ostrum, Acting NEPA 
Compliance Officer, Office of Regulatory Compliance, U.S. Department of 
Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585; or email at 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#afcedcc4e1eaffeeefc7de81cbc0ca81c8c0d9"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="28495b43666d7869684059064c474d064f475e">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    The Draft SEIS has been prepared in accordance with Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) and DOE NEPA implementing regulations at 40 
CFR parts 1500-1508 and 10 CFR part 1021, respectively. The Draft SEIS 
evaluates the potential impacts from three Action Alternatives and the 
No Action alternative (in accordance with 40 CFR 1502.14). Under the No 
Action alternative, transportation to and disposal of the conversion 
product at an offsite low-level waste disposal facility would not occur 
and refilled cylinders of DU oxide conversion product would remain in 
storage at DOE's Paducah and Portsmouth sites.

[[Page 67251]]

Preferred Alternative

    DOE does not have a preferred alternative for the disposal of 
depleted uranium, but does identify factors that DOE plans to consider 
in developing a preferred alternative or alternatives for inclusion in 
the Final SEIS. These factors are discussed in the SUMMARY and chapter 
four of the Draft SEIS. The preferred alternative could be a 
combination of two or more alternatives. DOE invites public comments on 
these factors and any additional factors that should be considered in 
the selection of a preferred alternative and why.

Next Steps

    Following the end of the public comment period, DOE will consider 
public comments on the Draft SEIS in preparing the Final SEIS. After 
issuing the Final SEIS, DOE will consider the environmental impacts 
presented in the Final SEIS, along with other appropriate information 
in proposing its decision(s) related to the disposal of depleted 
uranium for an Amended Record of Decision.

Web-based Public Hearing Information

    Registration details are included below and are also available on 
the DOE EM SEIS project website (See ADDRESSES section). If you are 
joining the web-based public hearing via internet, copy and paste the 
link below to login to the WebEx Meeting Room, then follow prompts 
after entering the access code. If you are joining the web-based public 
hearing via phone, dial the US Toll number below and follow prompts to 
enter access code. For Global Call in numbers, visit the DU Oxide SEIS 
website. Documents and the presentation for the public hearing will be 
made available at http://www.energy.gov/em/disposition-uranium-oxide-conversion-depleted-uranium-hexafluoride, as well as shared during live 
web-based public hearings. Comments will be accepted during the web-
based public hearing, by mail, by email, and through submittal of 
comment forms on the DU Oxide SEIS website. Persons who wish to speak 
may sign up to speak before each meeting by submitting a request to 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6723322151382922372627020a4903080249000811"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="efabbaa9d9b0a1aabfaeaf8a82c18b808ac1888099">[email protected]</span></a>.
    <bullet> Join web-based public hearing via WebEx Meeting Room:
    [cir] https://doe.webex.com/join/duf6_nepa_(Copy and Paste into web 
browser).
    <bullet> Join web-based public hearing by phone:
    [cir] US Toll: 1-415-527-5035 (For Global Call-In Numbers visit DU 
Oxide SEIS website).
    [cir] Access code: 988 230 782 #.

Public Reading Rooms and Libraries

    Copies of the Draft SEIS are available at http://www.energy.gov/em/disposition-uranium-oxide-conversion-depleted-uranium-hexafluoride. 
Copies may also be found for public review at the locations listed 
below:

District of Columbia

U.S. Department of Energy
Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room:
https://www.energy.gov/management/office-management/operational-management/freedom-information-act/reading-room

Nevada

Nevada Site Office, U.S. Department of Energy
Public Reading Room
755 East Flamingo Road, Room 103
Las Vegas, NV 89119, (702) 794-5106.

Amargosa Valley Library
829 E Farm Road
HCR 69 Box 401-T
Amargosa, NV 89020, (775) 372-5340.

Clark County Library
1401 E Flamingo Road
Las Vegas, NV 89119, (702) 507-3400.

Indian Springs Library
715 Gretta Lane
P.O. Box 629
Indian Springs, NV 89018, (702) 879-3845.

Las Vegas Library
833 N Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89101, (702) 507-3500.

Pahrump Community Library,
701 S. East Street
Pahrump, NV 89048, (775) 727-5930.

Tonopah Public Library,
167 S Central Street
Tonopah, NV 89049, (775) 482-3374.

Utah

Tooele City Public Library
128 W Vine Street
Tooele, UT 84074, (435) 882-2182.

Texas

Andrews County Library
109 NW 1st Street
Andrews, TX 79714, (432)-523-9819.

Kentucky

U.S. DOE Environmental Information Center
Emerging Technology Center (Room 221)
5100 Alben Barkley Drive
Paducah, KY 42001, (270) 554-3004.

McCracken County Public Library
555 Washington Street
Paducah, KY 42003, (270) 442-2510.

Ohio

U.S. DOE Environmental Information Center
Ohio State Endeavor Center
1862 Shyville Road (Room 207)
Piketon, OH 45661, (740) 289-8898.

Portsmouth Public Library
1220 Gallia Street
Portsmouth, OH 45662, (740) 354-5688.
Scioto County Law Library
602 Seventh Street (Room 306)
Portsmouth, OH 45662, (740) 355-8259.

    Individual commentators' names and addresses (including email 
addresses) received as part of oral statements at the public hearings 
or comment documents on this Draft SEIS normally are part of the public 
record. DOE plans to reproduce comment documents in their entirety in 
the Final SEIS, as appropriate, and to post all comment documents 
received in their entirety on the DU oxide SEIS website at the close of 
the public comment period. Any person wishing to have his/her name, 
address, or other identifying information withheld from the public 
record of comment documents must state this request prominently at the 
beginning of any comment document. DOE will honor the request to the 
extent allowable by law. All submissions from organizations or 
businesses will be included in the public record and open to public 
inspection in their entirety.

    Issued at Washington, DC on December 20, 2018.
Elizabeth A. Connell,
Acting Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regulatory 
and Policy Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2018-28249 Filed 12-27-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P


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