78844 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 250 / Wednesday, December 31, 2014 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Notice of Availability of Secretarial 

Determination and Basis for 

Determination for Closure of the HTank Farm at the Savannah River Site 

and the High-Level Waste Tank 

Closure Final Environmental Impact 

Statement for the Savannah River Site, 

Supplement Analysis 

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy 

(DOE) announces the availability of the 

Secretary’s Section 3116 Determination 

for Closure of H-Tank Farm at the 

Savannah River Site and the Basis for 

Section 3116 Determination for Closure 

of H-Tank Farm at the Savannah River 

Site (HTF 3116 Basis Document) 

concerning closure of the H-Tank Farm 

(HTF) at the Savannah River Site (SRS). 

Under Section 3116(a) of the Ronald W. 

Reagan National Defense Authorization 

Act for Fiscal Year 2005 (NDAA), the 

Secretary of Energy may, in consultation 

with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC), determine that 

certain waste from the reprocessing of 

spent nuclear fuel is not high-level 

waste if the provisions set forth in 

Section 3116(a) are satisfied, 

specifically that the waste: (1) Does not 

require permanent isolation in a deep 

geologic repository for spent fuel or 

high-level radioactive waste; (2) has had 

highly radioactive radionuclides 

removed to the maximum extent 

practical; and (3)(A) does not exceed 

concentration limits for Class C lowlevel waste and will be disposed of in 

compliance with the performance 

objectives in 10 CFR part 61, subpart C 

and pursuant to a State approved 

closure plan or State-issued permit; or 

(3)(B) exceeds concentration limits for 

Class C low-level waste but will be 

disposed of in compliance with the 

performance objectives of 10 CFR part 

61, subpart C; pursuant to a Stateapproved closure plan or State-issued 

permit; and pursuant to plans 

developed by DOE in consultation with 

the NRC. For the reasons set forth in the 

HTF 3116 Basis Document, and based 

on consultation with the NRC, Secretary 

of Energy Ernest J. Moniz determined 

(in the Section 3116 Determination for 

Closure of H-Tank Farm at the 

Savannah River Site) that the stabilized 

residuals, tanks, and ancillary structures 

at closure in the HTF will meet the 

criteria in Section 3116(a) of the NDAA, 

are not high-level radioactive waste, and 

may be disposed of in place. 

DOE has also issued the High-Level 

Waste Tank Closure Final 

Environmental Impact Statement for the 

Savannah River Site, Supplement 

Analysis (Supplement Analysis) which 

analyzes the potential environmental 

impacts associated with new 

information and changes in operations 

for the tank closure process as applied 

to the F-Area and H-Area Tank Farms at 

SRS. Based on this Supplement 

Analysis, DOE has determined that the 

proposed actions in the FTF and HTF 

and the tank closure program do not 

constitute substantial changes from 

those evaluated in the original HighLevel Waste Tank Closure Final 

Environmental Impact Statement for the 

Savannah River Site that are relevant to 

environmental concerns, or significant 

new circumstances or information 

relevant to environmental concerns and 

bearing on the proposed action, and 

therefore, no further documentation is 

necessary under the National 

Environmental Policy Act. 

ADDRESSES: The Secretary’s Section 

3116 Determination for Closure of HTank Farm at the Savannah River Site, 

the Basis for Section 3116 

Determination for Closure of H-Tank 

Farm at the Savannah River Site and the 

High-Level Waste Tank Closure Final 

Environmental Impact Statement for the 

Savannah River Site, Supplement 

Analysis are available on the Internet at 

http://sro.srs.gov/f_

htankfarmsdocuments.htm, and are 

publicly available at the following 

locations: 

District of Columbia 

U.S. Department of Energy, Freedom 

of Information Act, Public Reading 

Room, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., 

Room 1G–033, Washington, DC 20585, 

(202) 586–5955. 

South Carolina 

University of South Carolina–Aiken, 

Gregg-Graniteville Library, 471 

University Parkway, Aiken, SC 29801, 

(803) 641–3320. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Sherri Ross, DOE SR, Building 704–S, 

Room 43, U.S. Department of Energy, 

Savannah River Operations Office, 

Aiken, SC 29802 (ATTN: H-Tank Farm 

Secretarial Determination and Basis), 

(803) 208–6078. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The HTF 

is a 45-acre site, located at the SRS near 

Aiken, South Carolina. The HTF 

consists of 29 underground radioactive 

waste storage tanks and supporting 

ancillary structures. The major HTF 

ancillary structures are 3 evaporator 

systems, transfer lines, 8 diversion 

boxes, 1 catch tank, 2 concentrate 

transfer systems, 10 pump pits, 9 pump 

tanks, and 11 valve boxes. There are 

four waste tank types in HTF with 

operating capacities ranging from 

750,000 gallons (Type I tanks), to 

1,030,000 gallons (Type II tanks), to 

1,300,000 gallons (Type III/IIIA and 

Type IV tanks). The waste tanks have 

varying degrees of secondary 

containment and in-tank structural 

features such as cooling coils and 

columns. All HTF waste tanks are 

constructed of carbon steel. The HTF 

was constructed to receive waste 

generated by various SRS production, 

processing, and laboratory facilities. 

DOE has initiated waste removal and 

cleaning of tanks and ancillary 

structures in the HTF using a process 

that includes removing bulk waste from 

tanks and ancillary structures and then 

deploying tested technologies to 

removing the majority of the remaining 

waste. After completing cleaning 

operations, a small amount of residual 

radioactive waste will remain in the 

tanks, ancillary equipment and piping. 

DOE plans to stabilize the residuals in 

the tanks and certain ancillary 

structures with grout. Tank waste 

storage and removal operations in the 

HTF are governed by a South Carolina 

Department of Health and 

Environmental Control (SCDHEC) 

industrial wastewater operating permit. 

Removal of tanks from service and 

stabilization of the HTF waste tanks and 

ancillary structures will be carried out 

pursuant to a State-approved closure 

plan, the Industrial Wastewater General 

Closure Plan for H-Area Waste Tank 

Systems. Specific Closure Modules for 

each tank or ancillary structure or 

groupings of tanks and ancillary 

structures will be developed and 

submitted to SCDHEC for approval. 

After grouting, the tank/system will be 

removed from the State’s industrial 

wastewater permit. The HTF 3116 Basis 

Document applies to stabilized residuals 

in the waste tanks and ancillary 

structures, the waste tanks, and 

ancillary structures in the HTF at the 

time of closure. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on December 

19, 2014. 

Mark A. Gilbertson, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Site 

Restoration. 

[FR Doc. 2014–30707 Filed 12–30–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

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