62572 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 226 / Monday, November 24, 1997 / Notices

Issued in Washington, DC on November 18,

1997.

Anthony J. Como,

Manager, Electric Power Regulation, Office

of Coal and Power Im/Ex, Office of Coal and

Power Systems, Office of Fossil Energy.

[FR Doc. 97–30795 Filed 11–21–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Notice of Wetland Involvement; for

Construction of a Consolidated Waste

Processing Facility at the Miamisburg

Environmental Management Project

(MEMP)

AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE),

Miamisburg Environmental

Management Project.

ACTION: Notice of wetland involvement.

SUMMARY: This is to give notice of DOE’s

proposal to construct a consolidated

waste processing facility at the

Miamisburg Environmental

Management Project, located

approximately ten (10) miles southwest

of Dayton, Ohio. The proposed activity

would involve a small portion of an

isolated, man-made wetland in

Montgomery County, Ohio. In

accordance with 10 CFR 1022, DOE will

prepare a Wetlands Assessment and

conduct the proposed action in such a

manner to avoid or minimize potential

harm to or within the affected wetland

area.

DATES: Written comments must be

received by the DOE at the following

address on or before December 9, 1997.

ADDRESSES: For further information on

this proposed action, including a site

map and/or a copy of the Wetlands

Assessment, contact: Mr. James O.

Johnson, SM/PP Hill Performance/

Technical Monitor, U.S. Department of

Energy, Miamisburg Environmental

Management Project Office, P.O. Box 66,

Miamisburg, OH 45343–0066. Phone:

(937) 865–5234; Facsimile: (937) 865–

4489.

FOR FURTHER FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT: For further information on

general DOE wetland and floodplain

environmental review requirements,

contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom,

Director, Office of NEPA Policy and

Assistance, EH–42, U.S. Department of

Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue,

SW, Washington, D.C. 20585. Phone:

(202) 586–4600 or 1–800–472–2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

proposed activity would directly

support the ongoing environmental

remediation program at the Mound

Plant. Construction and operation of the

temporary, pre-fabricated consolidated

waste processing facility would

accomplish volume-reduction, metal

recovery and waste packaging goals

established for the site. Included in the

construction of the facility are

equipment and laydown pads and a

roadway. Approximately 20% of the 50′

× 60′ laydown pad would encroach

upon an isolated, man-made wetland

with an overall areal extent of 0.04

acres. Construction of the laydown pad

would, in turn, impact approximately

one-third (1⁄3) of the subject wetland; the

remaining two-thirds (2⁄3) of the wetland

would not be impacted. The wetland

was one of several delineated in the

Mound Plant Habitat map (Mound Plant

Ecological Characterization Report,

March 1994); the map was prepared in

accordance with the 1987 Corps of

Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual

and has the concurrence of the Corps.

The proposed action would result in

long-term and direct impacts to

approximately one-third of the 0.04 acre

man-made wetland, as a result of backfilling with gravel before construction of

the laydown pad. Best management

practices would be utilized to minimize

the amount of wetland area impacted.

All reasonable efforts would be taken to

backfill the smallest area of wetland

possible. Staging and transport of

equipment and supplies in the wetland

would be avoided. Erosion controls

such as silt fences would be used, if

needed, to minimize sediment

deposition into the wetland. Culverts

would also be used, if necessary, to

ensure continued overland flow to the

wetland.

Issuance: Issued in Miamisburg, Ohio on

November 18, 1997.

Susan L. Smiley,

NEPA Compliance Officer, Ohio Field Office.

[FR Doc. 97–30794 Filed 11–21–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Environmental Impact Statement for

the High Flux Beam Reactor Transition

Project at the Brookhaven National

Laboratory, Upton, NY

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of intent (NOI).

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of

Energy (DOE) announces its intent to

prepare an Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS), pursuant to the

National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA), for the High Flux Beam Reactor

(HFBR) at the Brookhaven National

Laboratory (BNL) in Upton, New York.

The EIS will evaluate the range of

reasonable alternatives regarding the

future of the reactor, as required by

NEPA, including: (1) No action

(maintaining HFBR in a shutdown and

defueled condition); (2) resume

operation at a power level of 30

megawatt (MW) or up to 60 MW; (3)

resume operation and enhance the

facility; and (4) permanent shutdown

with eventual decontamination and

decommissioning (D&D). DOE invites

individuals, organizations, and agencies

to present oral and/or written comments

concerning the scope of the EIS,

including the environmental issues and

alternatives the EIS should analyze.

DATES: The public scoping begins with

publication of this NOI in the Federal

Register and continues until January 23,

1998. Written comments submitted by

mail should be postmarked by that date

to ensure consideration. Comments

mailed after that date will be considered

to the extent practicable.

DOE will conduct public scoping

meetings to assist it in defining the

appropriate scope of the EIS, including

the significant environmental issues to

be addressed. DOE plans to hold

scoping meetings in the vicinity of BNL

in December 1997 and January 1998.

The December meeting will be held at

the following date, time and location:

December 10, 1997, Mastic Beach

Property Owners Association, 31

Neighborhood Road, Mastic Beach, New

York 11951; Time: 4:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

Locations of additional scoping

meetings to be held in January will be

announced through the local media as

soon as possible, but at least 15 days

prior to the date of the meetings.

ADDRESSES: Please direct comments or

suggestions on the scope of the EIS,

requests to speak at the public scoping

meetings, requests for special

arrangements to enable participation at

scoping meetings (e.g., interpreter for

the hearing-impaired) and questions

concerning the project to: Michael

Holland, Brookhaven Group, U.S.

Department of Energy, 53 Bell Avenue,

Bldg. 464, P.O. Box 5000, Upton, NY

11973–5000, (516) 344–3552, telefax

(516) 344–1377, or by electronic mail to

mholland@bnl.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

general information associated with the

research aspects of the HFBR, please

contact: Iran Thomas, Deputy Associate

Director, Office of Basic Energy

Sciences, Office of Energy Research,

U.S. Department of Energy, ER–10,

Germantown, MD 20874, telephone:

(301) 903–3427.

For technical information associated

with reactor operation, please contact:

Robert Lange, Associate Director, Office

of Facilities, Office of Nuclear Energy,