60490 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 198 / Friday, October 13, 2006 / Notices 

1Coincident with this Notice of Intent, DOE is 

publishing an Amended Notice of Intent to prepare 

a Supplemental Yucca Mountain Rail Corridor and 

Rail Alignment EIS (DOE/EIS–0250F–S2 and DOE/ 

EIS–0369). That EIS will review the rail corridor 

analyses of the Yucca Mountain Final EIS, and 

update, as appropriate, and will analyze the 

proposed Mina corridor; it also will include 

detailed analyses of alternative alignments for the 

construction and operation of a rail line within the 

Mina corridor, as well as the Caliente corridor. 

2Section 114(f)(4) of the NWPA provides that any 

environmental impact statement ‘‘prepared in 

connection with a repository * * * shall, to the 

extent practicable, be adopted by the Commission 

[NRC] in connection with the issuance by the 

Commission of a construction authorization and 

license for such repository. To the extent such 

statement is adopted by the Commission, such 

adoption shall be deemed to also satisfy the 

responsibilities of the Commission under the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 * * *.’’

the Supplemental Yucca Mountain Rail 

Corridor and Rail Alignment EIS, and 

transportation planning in general. 

The public scoping meetings will be 

held during the public scoping 

comment period. The comment period 

begins with publication of this 

Amended Notice of Intent in the 

Federal Register and closes November 

27, 2006. Comments received after this 

date will be considered to the extent 

practicable. Written comments may be 

provided in writing, facsimile, or by the 

Internet to Mr. Lee Bishop, EIS 

Document Manager (see ADDRESSES

above). 

Public Reading Rooms 

Documents referenced in this 

Amended Notice of Intent and related 

information are available at the 

following locations: Beatty Yucca 

Mountain Information Center, 100 North 

E. Avenue, Beatty, NV 89003, (775) 553–

2130; Esmeralda County Yucca 

Mountain Oversight Office, 274 E. Crook 

Avenue, Goldfield, NV 89013, (775) 

485–3419; Las Vegas Yucca Mountain 

Information Center, 4101–B Meadows 

Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89107, (702) 295–

1312; Lincoln County Nuclear Waste 

Project Office, 100 Depot Avenue, 

Caliente, NV 89008, (775) 726–3511; 

Nye County Department of Natural 

Resources and Federal Facilities, 1210 

E. Basin Road, Suite #6, Pahrump, NV 

89060 (775) 727–7727; Pahrump Yucca 

Mountain Information Center, 2341 

Postal Drive, Pahrump, NV 89048, (775) 

571–5817; University of Nevada, Reno, 

The University of Nevada Libraries, 

Business and Government Information 

Center, M/S 322, 1664 N. Virginia 

Street, Reno, NV 89557, (775) 784–6500, 

Ext. 309; and the U.S. Department of 

Energy Headquarters Office Public 

Reading Room, 1000 Independence 

Avenue SW., Room 1E–190 (ME–74) 

FORS, Washington, DC 20585, 202–

586–3142. 

Issued in Washington, DC, October 10, 

2006. 

David R. Hill, 

General Counsel. 

[FR Doc. 06–8675 Filed 10–10–06; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Supplement to the Final 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: U.S. Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Energy (DOE or the Department) is 

announcing its intent to prepare a 

Supplement to the ‘‘Final 

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–0250F, 

February 2002) (Yucca Mountain Final 

EIS). The Proposed Action addressed in 

the Yucca Mountain Final EIS is to 

construct, operate and monitor, and 

eventually close a geologic repository at 

Yucca Mountain in southern Nevada for 

the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and 

high-level radioactive waste. 

The Yucca Mountain Final EIS 

considered the potential environmental 

impacts of a repository design for 

surface and subsurface facilities, a range 

of canister packaging scenarios and 

repository thermal operating modes, and 

plans for the construction, operation 

and monitoring, and eventual closure of 

the repository. The Yucca Mountain 

Final EIS also considered the 

environmental impacts of the 

transportation of spent nuclear fuel and 

high-level radioactive waste from 

commercial and DOE sites to the 

repository by two principal modes—

mostly truck and mostly rail. In the 

Yucca Mountain Final EIS DOE 

recognized that these repository design 

concepts and operational plans would 

continue to develop during the design 

and engineering process. 

Since publication of the Yucca 

Mountain Final EIS, DOE has continued 

to develop the repository design and 

associated plans. As now planned, the 

proposed surface and subsurface 

facilities would allow DOE to operate 

the repository following a primarily 

canistered approach in which most 

commercial spent nuclear fuel would be 

packaged at the commercial sites in 

multipurpose transport, aging and 

disposal canisters (TADs), and all DOE 

materials would be packaged in 

disposable canisters at the DOE sites. 

Waste packages would be arrayed in the 

repository underground to achieve what 

is referred to as a higher-thermal 

operating mode, and most spent nuclear 

fuel and high-level radioactive waste 

would arrive at the repository by rail. 

To evaluate the potential 

environmental impacts of the current 

repository design and operational plans, 

DOE has decided to prepare a 

Supplement to the Yucca Mountain 

Final EIS 1, consistent with the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 

the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, as 

amended (Pub. L. 97–425) (NWPA). 

This Supplemental Yucca Mountain EIS 

(DOE/EIS–0250–S1) is being prepared to 

assist the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) in satisfying its 

NEPA responsibilities pursuant to the 

NWPA (Section 114(f)(4)) 2. 

DATES: The Department invites 

comments on the scope of the 

Supplemental Yucca Mountain EIS to 

ensure that all relevant environmental 

issues are addressed. Public scoping 

meetings are discussed below in the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. 

DOE will consider all comments 

received during the 45-day public 

scoping period, which starts with 

publication of this Notice of Intent and 

ends November 27, 2006. Comments 

received after this date will be 

considered to the extent practicable. 

ADDRESSES: Requests for additional 

information on the Supplemental Yucca 

Mountain EIS or on the repository 

program in general, should be directed 

to: Dr. Jane Summerson, EIS Document 

Manager, Regulatory Authority Office, 

Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste 

Management, U.S. Department of 

Energy, 1551 Hillshire Drive, M/S 010, 

Las Vegas, NV 89134, Telephone 1–800–

967–3477. Written comments on the 

scope of the Supplemental Yucca 

Mountain EIS may be submitted to Dr. 

Jane Summerson at this address, or by 

facsimile to 1–800–967–0739, or via the 

Internet at http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov 

under the caption What’s New. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

general information regarding the DOE 

NEPA process contact: Ms. Carol M. 

Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA 

Policy and Compliance, U.S. 

Department of Energy, 1000 

Independence Ave., SW., Washington, 

DC 20585, Telephone 202–586–4600, or 

leave a message at 1–800–472–2756. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES2
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 198 / Friday, October 13, 2006 / Notices 60491 

3On April 8, 2004 (69 FR 18557), the Department 

issued a Record of Decision selecting, both 

nationally and in the State of Nevada, the mostly 

rail scenario analyzed in the Yucca Mountain Final 

EIS. This decision will ultimately require the 

construction of a rail line to connect the repository 

site at Yucca Mountain to an existing rail line in 

the State of Nevada. 

4The terminology refers to retaining commercial 

spent nuclear fuel on the surface at the repository 

to meet waste package thermal limits (aging), or to 

provide a surge capacity to maintain flexibility in 

waste handling operations (staging). 

5The 70,000 MTHM includes 63,000 MTHM of 

commercial spent nuclear fuel, about 2,333 MTHM 

of DOE fuel (includes about 65 MTHM of naval 

fuel), and about 4,667 MTHM of DOE high-level 

radioactive waste. 

6 In 2002, fifty-four additional sites, primarily 

domestic research reactors, were expected to ship 

spent nuclear fuel to two DOE sites prior to disposal 

at the repository (see Records of Decision June 1, 

1995 at 60 FR 28680, and March 8, 1996 at 61 FR 

9441). Also, the Yucca Mountain Final EIS analyzed 

fuel shipments from 5 DOE sites, including Fort St. 

Vrain, to the repository. Presently, it is anticipated 

that fuel from Fort St. Vrain will be shipped to 

Idaho National Laboratory prior to being shipped to 

the repository. 

Background 

Section 111(a)(4) of the NWPA states that 

the Federal government has the: 

‘‘responsibility to provide for the permanent 

disposal of high-level radioactive waste and 

such spent nuclear fuel as may be disposed 

of in order to protect the public health and 

safety and the environment.’’

The NWPA directs the Secretary of 

Energy, if the Secretary decides to 

recommend approval of the Yucca 

Mountain site for development of a 

repository, to submit a final 

environmental impact statement with 

any recommendation to the President. 

The Department prepared the Yucca 

Mountain Final EIS to fulfill that 

requirement. 

On February 14, 2002, the Secretary, 

in accordance with the NWPA, 

transmitted his recommendation 

(including the Yucca Mountain Final 

EIS) to the President for approval of the 

Yucca Mountain site for development of 

a geologic repository. The President 

considered the site qualified for 

application to the NRC for a 

construction authorization and 

recommended the site to the U.S. 

Congress. Subsequently, on July 23, 

2002, the President signed into law 

(Pub. L. 107–200) a joint resolution of 

the U.S. House of Representatives and 

the U.S. Senate designating the Yucca 

Mountain site for development as a 

geologic repository for the disposal of 

spent nuclear fuel and high-level 

radioactive waste. The Department is 

now preparing a license application for 

submittal to the NRC seeking 

authorization to construct the 

repository, as required by the NWPA 

(Section 114(b)). 

In the Yucca Mountain Final EIS, 

DOE considered the potential 

environmental impacts of a repository 

design for surface and subsurface 

facilities, a range of canister packaging 

scenarios and repository thermal 

operating modes, and plans for the 

construction, operation and monitoring, 

and eventual closure of the repository. 

The Yucca Mountain Final EIS also 

described and evaluated the 

transportation of spent nuclear fuel and 

high-level radioactive waste from 

commercial and DOE sites to the 

repository by two principal modes—

mostly truck and mostly rail. DOE 

recognized at that time that these 

repository design concepts and 

operational plans would continue to 

develop during the design and 

engineering process. 

More specifically, the Yucca 

Mountain Final EIS included 

evaluations of separate canistered and 

uncanistered packaging scenarios for 

commercial spent nuclear fuel, and a 

repository design comprised of three 

primary surface operations areas (North 

Portal Operations Area, South Portal 

Development Area, Ventilation Shaft 

Operations Area) in which spent 

nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive 

waste would be handled in two 

principal facilities (Carrier Preparation 

Building, Waste Handling Building). 

The Yucca Mountain Final EIS also 

evaluated a range of underground 

thermal operating modes (referred to as 

lower- and higher-temperature modes) 

in which heat from the waste packages 

would raise the temperature of the 

adjacent rock to a range of temperatures 

from below the boiling point of water to 

above the boiling point. Two scenarios, 

mostly truck and mostly rail, were 

analyzed for the transportation of spent 

nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive 

waste from the commercial and DOE 

sites to the repository. 

Since publication of the Yucca 

Mountain Final EIS, DOE has continued 

to develop the repository design and 

associated plans. As now planned (and 

described in greater detail in the 

Proposed Action below), the proposed 

surface and subsurface facilities would 

allow DOE to operate the repository 

following a primarily canistered 

approach in which most commercial 

spent nuclear fuel would be packaged at 

the commercial sites in TADs, and all 

DOE materials would be packaged in 

disposable canisters at the DOE sites. 

These TADs and disposable canisters 

then would be transported mostly by 

rail 3 to the repository where they would 

be placed on aging (or staging) 4 pads 

prior to disposal, or inserted into waste 

packages and disposed of in the 

repository underground. 

At the repository site, spent nuclear 

fuel and high-level radioactive waste 

would now be handled in up to six 

principal facilities located within three 

primary surface operations areas. A 

fourth operations area would be 

developed to support excavation of the 

underground repository. A higherthermal (temperature) operating mode 

would be employed. 

Based on the current planning, the 

Department does not believe that any of 

the developments to the repository 

design or operational plans would have 

a significant impact on the 

environmental effects considered in the 

Yucca Mountain Final EIS. 

Nevertheless, to assist NRC in satisfying 

its NEPA responsibilities pursuant to 

the NWPA (Section 114(f)(4)), DOE has 

decided to prepare this Supplemental 

EIS. 

Proposed Action 

Under the Proposed Action, DOE 

would construct, operate and monitor, 

and eventually close a geologic 

repository at Yucca Mountain for the 

disposal of up to 70,000 metric tons of 

heavy metal (MTHM) of commercial and 

DOE-owned spent nuclear fuel and 

high-level radioactive waste.5 DOE 

would dispose of these materials in the 

repository using the inherent, natural 

geologic features of the mountain and 

engineered barriers to ensure long-term 

isolation of the spent nuclear fuel and 

high-level radioactive waste from the 

human environment. These materials 

would be emplaced underground at 

least 200 meters (660 feet) below the 

surface and at least 160 meters (530 feet) 

above the water table. The NRC, through 

its licensing process, would regulate 

repository construction, operation and 

monitoring, and closure. 

Under the Proposed Action, most 

spent nuclear fuel and high-level 

radioactive waste would be shipped 

from 72 commercial and 4 DOE sites 6 to 

the repository in NRC-certified 

transportation casks placed on trains 

dedicated only to these shipments. 

Some shipments, however, would arrive 

at the repository by truck. 

Under the Proposed Action, all DOE 

spent nuclear fuel and high-level 

radioactive waste would be placed in 

disposable canisters at the DOE sites, 

and as much as 90 percent of the 

commercial spent nuclear fuel would be 

placed in TADs at the commercial sites 

prior to shipment. Upon arrival at the 

repository, both types of canisters (DOE 

disposable and TADs) would be placed 

into corrosion-resistant overpacks 


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60492 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 198 / Friday, October 13, 2006 / Notices 

7 DOE published a ‘‘Draft Environmental 

Assessment for the Proposed Infrastructure 

Improvements for the Yucca Mountain Project, 

Nevada’’ on July 6, 2006 (71 FR 38391). DOE 

proposes to repair, replace, or improve certain 

infrastructure at the site to enhance safety and to 

safely continue operations, scientific testing, and 

maintenance until such time as NRC decides 

whether to authorize construction of a repository. 

To the extent that activities proposed by DOE in its 

environmental assessment, such as construction of 

a new access road or new power lines, may not be 

undertaken in the timeframe considered in the 

environmental assessment, they will be considered 

in this Supplemental Yucca Mountain EIS (DOE/ 

EIS–0250F–S1). 

(waste packages) prior to emplacement 

in the repository underground. 

The remaining commercial spent 

nuclear fuel (about 10 percent) would be 

transported to the repository in dualpurpose canisters (canisters suitable for 

storage and transportation), or would be 

uncanistered. At the repository, 

uncanistered spent nuclear fuel would 

be placed directly into TADs and then 

waste packages for disposal. 

Commercial spent nuclear fuel arriving 

in dual-purpose canisters would first be 

removed from the canisters, placed into 

TADs and then into waste packages for 

disposal. 

Handling of spent nuclear fuel and 

high-level radioactive waste would take 

place in the geologic repository 

operations area, which includes the 

North Portal area, the South Portal 

development area, a North Construction 

Portal development area, and the 

surface shaft areas. The surface portion 

of the geologic repository operations 

area also would include the facilities 

necessary to receive, package, and 

support emplacement of spent nuclear 

fuel and high-level radioactive waste in 

the repository. Waste transfer operations 

would be conducted inside reinforced 

concrete and metal frame buildings 

designed and constructed to withstand 

earthquakes and other phenomena. 

Workers and the public would be 

protected from radiation by shielded 

transfer equipment and walls, exhaust 

filtering systems, and the use of 

remotely controlled equipment to 

remove the waste forms from the 

transportation casks for insertion into 

waste packages. 

The primary surface waste handling 

facilities include a wet handling facility, 

a receipt facility, and three separate 

canister receipt and closure facilities. 

DOE also is considering an initial 

handling facility. These facilities would 

allow the various types of materials 

received at the repository to be prepared 

for disposal. 

The wet handling facility would 

receive commercial spent nuclear fuel 

as bare fuel assemblies (uncanistered) or 

in dual-purpose canisters, either in 

truck or rail transportation casks. 

Commercial spent nuclear fuel would be 

transferred underwater from the 

transportation casks or dual-purpose 

canisters into TADs. The wet handling 

facility would include provisions for 

opening transportation casks and dualpurpose canisters, and for drying and 

closing the loaded TADs. Loaded TADs 

either would be placed into overpacks 

for placement on aging/staging pads, or 

would be transferred to the canister 

receipt and closure facilities for loading 

into waste packages for disposal. 

The receipt facility would receive 

TADs and dual-purpose canisters in rail 

transportation casks. The TADs and 

dual-purpose canisters would be 

transferred (dry) from the transportation 

casks either to overpacks for placement 

on the aging/staging pads, or to shielded 

transfer casks for transfer to the canister 

receipt and closure facilities. Shielded 

transfer casks also would transfer dualpurpose canisters to the wet handling 

facility, as necessary. 

The canister receipt and closure 

facilities would receive DOE disposable 

canisters and TADs in rail 

transportation casks, shielded transfer 

casks and aging/staging overpacks. 

These facilities also could receive truck 

casks. There, TADs and DOE disposable 

canisters would be placed into waste 

packages for disposal. 

If constructed, the initial handling 

facility would receive DOE high-level 

radioactive waste canisters and naval 

spent nuclear fuel canisters in truck and 

rail transportation casks. These canisters 

would be removed from the 

transportation casks and transferred to 

waste packages for disposal. 

Waste packages containing TADs, 

naval nuclear spent fuel, or DOE 

disposable canisters would be placed on 

pallets and loaded onto shielded waste 

package transporters. The shielded 

waste package transporters would 

transfer the waste packages to the 

underground for emplacement in 

dedicated tunnels (drifts). In these 

drifts, waste packages would be aligned 

end-to-end. Emplacement drifts would 

be excavated in a series of panels, 

phased to match the anticipated 

throughput rate of the surface waste 

handling facilities. 

The repository also would have other 

underground excavations. These would 

include, for example, main drifts to 

provide access to the surface and the 

emplacement drifts, and exhaust mains 

to exhaust ventilation air from the 

emplacement drifts. 

Under the Proposed Action, thermal 

output of the waste packages would heat 

the adjacent rock in excess of the boiling 

temperature of water (i.e., higherthermal operating mode). In this higherthermal mode, the repository 

emplacement drifts would remain open 

and ventilated for a nominal period of 

50 years after emplacement of the spent 

nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive 

waste; ventilation would remove much 

of the heat and humidity from the 

emplacement drifts during this period. 

The higher thermal operating mode 

would be achieved by a combination of 

closely spaced waste packages, a 

nominal ventilation period of 50 years, 

and managing waste package thermal 

output by mixing lower heat output 

waste packages with higher heat output 

packages in the drifts (for example). 

After the repository is closed and 

sealed, the rock around the 

emplacement drifts would dry, 

minimizing the amount of water that 

might contact the waste packages for 

hundreds of years. However, a 

substantial portion of the rock between 

the drifts would remain at temperatures 

below boiling, and this would promote 

drainage of water through the central 

portions of the rock, rather than into the 

emplacement drifts. 

The surface and subsurface facilities 

and associated infrastructure,7 such as 

the on-site road and water distribution 

networks and emergency response 

facilities, would be constructed in 

phases to accommodate the expected 

receipt rates of spent nuclear fuel and 

high-level radioactive waste. 

Emplacement (disposal) operations, 

which would last up to 50 years, would 

be followed by a preclosure monitoring 

period of 50 years. Towards the end of 

the preclosure monitoring period, 

titanium drip shields would be installed 

over the waste packages. The drip 

shields would divert moisture that 

might drip from the drift walls, as well 

as condensed water vapor around the 

waste packages, to the drift floor thereby 

increasing the life expectancy of the 

waste packages. Drip shields also would 

protect the waste packages from rock 

falls. 

Under the Proposed Action, emplaced 

waste packages could be retrieved at any 

time prior to 100 years after the start of 

emplacement. Following waste 

emplacement, surface facilities would 

be decommissioned and after the 

monitoring period the repository would 

be closed. Closure would involve 

sealing the shafts, ramps, exploratory 

boreholes and other repository 

openings. The main drifts would be 

filled with crushed rock and surface 

caps would be installed to discourage 

human intrusion. A network of 

monuments and markers would be 

erected around the site surface to warn 


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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 198 / Friday, October 13, 2006 / Notices 60493 

8 DOE will hold a joint public scoping meeting on 

the Supplemental Yucca Mountain Rail Corridor 

and Rail Alignment EIS (DOE/EIS–0250F–S2 and 

DOE/EIS–0369) and on the Supplemental Yucca 

Mountain EIS (DOE/EIS–0250F–S1) in Amargosa 

Valley, Longstreet Hotel Casino, Nevada State 

Highway 373, November 1 from 4–7 pm. Additional 

public scoping meetings on the Supplemental 

Yucca Mountain Rail Corridor and Rail Alignment 

EIS will be held in Caliente, Caliente Youth Center, 

U.S. 93 North, November 8 from 6–8 pm; Goldfield, 

Goldfield School Gymnasium, Hall and Euclid, 

November 13 from 4–7 pm; Hawthorne, Hawthorne 

Convention Center, 932 E. Street, November 14 

from 4–7 pm; and Fallon, Fallon Convention 

Center, 100 Campus Way, November 15, from 4–7 

pm. 

future generations of the presence and 

nature of the buried radioactive waste. 

No Action Alternative 

Under the No Action Alternative, 

DOE would terminate activities at Yucca 

Mountain and undertake site 

reclamation to mitigate any significant 

adverse environmental impacts. 

Commercial nuclear power utilities and 

DOE would continue to manage spent 

nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive 

waste at sites throughout the United 

States. The No Action Alternative was 

analyzed in the Yucca Mountain Final 

EIS as a basis for comparison with the 

Proposed Action. 

Since completion of the Yucca 

Mountain Final EIS, DOE has not 

identified any relevant changes in 

circumstances or information bearing on 

environmental concerns regarding the 

No Action Alternative. For this reason, 

DOE anticipates that the Supplemental 

Yucca Mountain EIS will incorporate by 

reference the information describing 

and analyzing the No Action Alternative 

presented in the Yucca Mountain Final 

EIS (pursuant to Council on 

Environmental Quality (CEQ) 

regulations at 40 Code of Federal 

Regulations (CFR) 1502.21). 

Potential Environmental Issues and 

Resources To Be Examined 

The CEQ regulations direct Federal 

agencies preparing an EIS to focus on 

significant environmental issues (40 

CFR 1502.1) and discuss impacts in 

proportion to their significance (40 CFR 

1502.2). Accordingly, the Supplemental 

Yucca Mountain EIS will analyze issues 

and impacts with the amount of detail 

commensurate with their importance. 

Under these guidelines, aspects of the 

Proposed Action with clearly small 

environmental impacts usually would 

require less depth and breadth of 

analysis. To the degree that the 

Proposed Action would affect public 

health or safety, however, the potential 

impacts generally are a matter of public 

interest, regardless of their significance. 

Therefore, DOE plans to pay particular 

attention to worker and public health 

and safety associated with the handling 

and disposal, and transportation of 

spent nuclear fuel and high-level 

radioactive waste, even where such 

impacts would not be significant. 

To facilitate the scoping process, DOE 

has identified a preliminary list of 

issues and environmental resources that 

it may consider in the Supplemental 

Yucca Mountain EIS. The list is not 

intended to be all-inclusive, but should 

be used as a starting point for public 

input on the scope of the Supplemental 

Yucca Mountain EIS. 

• Radiological releases. The potential 

impacts (i.e., latent cancer fatalities) to 

the public and workers from potential 

radiological releases during routine 

loading of canisters and transportation 

casks at the commercial sites, and from 

handling and disposal operations at the 

repository. 

• Worker safety and health. Potential 

health and safety impacts (i.e., injuries 

and fatalities) to workers during 

handling and disposal operations at the 

commercial and DOE sites and the 

repository. 

• Transportation. The potential 

radiological and non-radiological 

impacts (i.e., traffic injuries and 

fatalities) to the public and workers 

associated with the shipment of 

materials to the repository under the 

mostly rail scenario. 

• Accidents. The potential 

radiological impacts to workers and the 

public from reasonably foreseeable 

accidents during loading of canisters at 

the sites, transportation and repository 

operations, including any accidents 

with low probability but high potential 

consequences. 

• Sabotage. The potential radiological 

impacts to workers and the public from 

sabotage of transportation and 

repository operations. 

• Waste isolation. Potential 

radiological and non-radiological 

impacts (e.g., chemically toxic 

materials) associated with the long-term 

performance of the repository. 

• Socioeconomic conditions. 

Potential local regional socioeconomic 

impacts to the surrounding 

communities from construction, 

operation and closure of the repository. 

• Water and air resources. Potential 

impacts to air resources, and water 

quality and use. 

• Cultural resources. Potential 

impacts to archaeological and historic 

resources and American Indian issues of 

concern. 

• Biological resources. Potential 

impacts to plants, animals and their 

habitats, including impacts to 

endangered and threatened species. 

• Cumulative impacts from the 

Proposed Action and other past, present 

and reasonably foreseeable future 

actions. 

• Environmental justice. Potential for 

disproportionately high and adverse 

impacts on minority or low-income 

populations. 

Schedule 

The DOE intends to issue the Draft 

Supplemental Yucca Mountain EIS in 

2007, at which time its availability will 

be announced in the Federal Register 

and in media in Nevada. A public 

comment period will start upon 

publication of the Environmental 

Protection Agency’s Notice of 

Availability in the Federal Register. 

DOE will hold public hearings during 

the comment period. The Department 

will consider and respond to comments 

received on the Draft Supplemental 

Yucca Mountain EIS in preparing the 

Final Supplemental Yucca Mountain 

EIS. 

Other Agency Involvement 

The Department intends to consult 

with Federal agencies, such as the U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Bureau 

of Land Management, U.S. Air Force, 

and the U.S. Department of the Navy, 

and with state agencies, such as the 

Nevada Department of Transportation 

and the Nevada Division of 

Environmental Protection, during 

preparation of the Supplemental Yucca 

Mountain EIS. 

Public Scoping Meetings 

DOE will hold public scoping 

meetings on the Supplemental Yucca 

Mountain EIS. The meetings will be 

held at the following locations and 

times: 

• Washington, District of Columbia, 

L’Enfant Plaza Hotel, 480 L’Enfant 

Plaza, SW., October 30 from 4–7 p.m. 

• Amargosa Valley, Nevada. 

Longstreet Hotel Casino, Nevada State 

Highway 373, November 1 from 4–7 

p.m.8

• Las Vegas, Nevada. Cashman 

Center, 850 North Las Vegas Blvd., 

November 2 from 4–7 p.m. 

The public scoping meetings will be 

an open meeting format without a 

formal presentation by DOE. Members 

of the public are invited to attend the 

meetings at their convenience any time 

during meeting hours and submit their 

comments in writing at the meeting, or 

in person to a court reporter who will 

be available throughout the meeting. 

This open meeting format increases the 

opportunity for public comment and 

provides for one-on-one discussions 

with DOE representatives involved with 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES2
60494 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 198 / Friday, October 13, 2006 / Notices 

the Supplemental Yucca Mountain EIS 

and the repository program. 

The public scoping meetings will be 

held during the public scoping 

comment period. The comment period 

begins with publication of this Notice of 

Intent in the Federal Register and closes 

November 27, 2006. Comments received 

after this date will be considered to the 

extent practicable. Written comments 

may be provided in writing, by 

facsimile, or via the Internet to Dr. Jane 

Summerson, EIS Document Manager 

(see ADDRESSES above). 

Public Reading Rooms 

Documents referenced in this Notice 

of Intent and related information are 

available at the following locations: 

Beatty Yucca Mountain Information 

Center, 100 North E. Avenue, Beatty, NV 

89003, (775) 553–2130; Esmeralda 

County Yucca Mountain Oversight 

Office, 274 E. Crook Avenue, Goldfield, 

NV 89013, (775) 485–3419; Las Vegas 

Yucca Mountain Information Center, 

4101–B Meadows Lane, Las Vegas, NV 

89107, (702) 295–1312; Lincoln County 

Nuclear Waste Project Office, 100 Depot 

Avenue, Caliente, NV 89008, (775) 726–

3511; Nye County Department of 

Natural Resources and Federal 

Facilities, 1210 E. Basin Road, Suite #6, 

Pahrump, NV 89060 (775) 727–7727; 

Pahrump Yucca Mountain Information 

Center, 2341 Postal Drive, Pahrump, NV 

89048, (775) 571–5817; University of 

Nevada, Reno, The University of Nevada 

Libraries, Business and Government 

Information Center, M/S 322, 1664 N. 

Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, (775) 

784–6500, Ext. 309; and the U.S. 

Department of Energy Headquarters 

Office Public Reading Room, 1000 

Independence Avenue, SW., Room 1E–

190 (ME–74) FORS, Washington, DC, 

20585, 202–586–3142. 

Issued in Washington, DC, October 10, 

2006. 

David R. Hill, 

General Counsel. 

[FR Doc. 06–8676 Filed 10–10–06; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. RP00–445–016] 

Alliance Pipeline L.P.; Notice of 

Negotiated Rates 

October 5, 2006. 

Take notice that on October 2, 2006, 

Alliance Pipeline L.P. (Alliance) 

tendered for filing to become part of its 

FERC Gas Tariff, Original Volume No. 1, 

Eleventh Revised Sheet No. 11, to 

become effective November 1, 2006. 

Any person desiring to intervene or to 

protest this filing must file in 

accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of 

the Commission’s Rules of Practice and 

Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and 

385.214). Protests will be considered by 

the Commission in determining the 

appropriate action to be taken, but will 

not serve to make protestants parties to 

the proceeding. Any person wishing to 

become a party must file a notice of 

intervention or motion to intervene, as 

appropriate. Such notices, motions, or 

protests must be filed in accordance 

with the provisions of Section 154.210 

of the Commission’s regulations (18 CFR 

154.210). Anyone filing an intervention 

or protest must serve a copy of that 

document on the Applicant. Anyone 

filing an intervention or protest on or 

before the intervention or protest date 

need not serve motions to intervene or 

protests on persons other than the 

Applicant. 

The Commission encourages 

electronic submission of protests and 

interventions in lieu of paper using the 

‘‘eFiling’’ link at http://www.ferc.gov. 

Persons unable to file electronically 

should submit an original and 14 copies 

of the protest or intervention to the 

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 

888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 

20426. 

This filing is accessible on-line at 

http://www.ferc.gov, using the 

‘‘eLibrary’’ link and is available for 

review in the Commission’s Public 

Reference Room in Washington, DC. 

There is an ‘‘eSubscription’’ link on the 

Web site that enables subscribers to 

receive e-mail notification when a 

document is added to a subscribed 

docket(s). For assistance with any FERC 

Online service, please e-mail 

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, or call 

(866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY, call 

(202) 502–8659. 

Magalie R. Salas, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. E6–16976 Filed 10–12–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. RP96–200–154] 

CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission 

Company; Notice Of Negotiated Rate 

Filing 

October 5, 2006. 

Take notice that on October 3, 2006, 

CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission 

Company (CEGT) tendered for filing and 

approval a negotiated rate agreement 

between CEGT and Norphlet Chemical 

Incorporated. CEGT has entered into an 

agreement to provide firm 

transportation service to this shipper 

under Rate Schedule FT and requests 

the Commission accept and approve the 

transaction under which transportation 

service will commence upon the later of 

December 1, 2006, or the ‘‘in-service’’

date following completion of necessary 

delivery facilities. 

Any person desiring to intervene or to 

protest this filing must file in 

accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of 

the Commission’s Rules of Practice and 

Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and 

385.214). Protests will be considered by 

the Commission in determining the 

appropriate action to be taken, but will 

not serve to make protestants parties to 

the proceeding. Any person wishing to 

become a party must file a notice of 

intervention or motion to intervene, as 

appropriate. Such notices, motions, or 

protests must be filed in accordance 

with the provisions of Section 154.210 

of the Commission’s regulations (18 CFR 

154.210). Anyone filing an intervention 

or protest must serve a copy of that 

document on the Applicant. Anyone 

filing an intervention or protest on or 

before the intervention or protest date 

need not serve motions to intervene or 

protests on persons other than the 

Applicant. 

The Commission encourages 

electronic submission of protests and 

interventions in lieu of paper using the 

‘‘eFiling’’ link at http://www.ferc.gov. 

Persons unable to file electronically 

should submit an original and 14 copies 

of the protest or intervention to the 

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 

888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 

20426. 

This filing is accessible on-line at 

http://www.ferc.gov, using the 

‘‘eLibrary’’ link and is available for 

review in the Commission’s Public 

Reference Room in Washington, DC. 

There is an ‘‘eSubscription’’ link on the 

Web site that enables subscribers to 

receive e-mail notification when a 

document is added to a subscribed 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES2