[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 18 (Wednesday, January 28, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4235-4236]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1946]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Record of Decision on the Disposal of the S3G and D1G Prototype 
Reactor Plants

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Record of decision.

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SUMMARY: This Record of Decision has been prepared on the Disposal of 
the S3G and D1G Prototype Reactor Plants, located at the Knolls Atomic 
Power Laboratory Kesselring Site (Kesselring Site) near West Milton, 
New York, pursuant to Section 102(2) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and in accordance 
with the Council on Environmental Quality regulations implementing NEPA 
procedures (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and Department of Energy (DOE) 
regulations implementing NEPA procedures (10 CFR part 1021). The DOE 
Office of Naval Reactors (Naval Reactors Program) has decided to 
promptly dismantle the defueled S3G and D1G Prototype reactor plants. 
The project will be completed as soon as practicable subject to 
available appropriated funding. To the extent practical, the resulting 
low-level radioactive materials will be recycled at existing commercial 
facilities. The remaining low-level radioactive wastes will be disposed 
of at the DOE Savannah River Site in South Carolina. All non-
radiological waste would be recycled or disposed of off-site at 
permitted facilities using licensed haulers.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for further information 
should be directed to Mr. Andrew S. Baitinger, Chief, West Milton Field 
Office, Office of Naval Reactors, Department of Energy, PO Box 1069, 
Schenectady, NY 12301-1069, telephone (518) 884-1234.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The S3G and D1G Prototype reactor plants are 
located on the 65-acre Kesselring Site near West Milton, New York, 
approximately 17 miles north of Schenectady. The S3G and D1G Prototype 
reactor plants first started operation in 1958 and 1962, respectively, 
and served for more than 30 years as facilities for testing reactor 
plant components and equipment and for training of U.S. Navy personnel. 
As a result of the end of the Cold War and the downsizing of the Navy, 
the S3G and D1G Prototype reactor plants were shutdown in May 1991 and 
March 1996, respectively. Removal of the spent nuclear fuel from the 
S3G and D1G Prototype reactors and shipments of the spent nuclear fuel 
to the Expended Core Facility at the DOE's Idaho National Engineering 
and Environmental Laboratory were completed in July 1994 and February 
1997, respectively. After defueling, the S3G and D1G Prototype reactor 
plants were placed in a safe and stable protective storage condition. 
The Kesselring Site will not be released for other uses in the 
foreseeable future since two active prototype reactor plants continue 
to operate to perform training of U.S. Navy personnel and testing of 
naval nuclear propulsion plant equipment.
    The alternatives analyzed in detail in the Final Environmental 
Impact Statement were the preferred alternative of prompt 
dismantlement, a deferred dismantlement alternative, and a no action 
alternative of keeping the defueled S3G and D1G Prototype reactor 
plants in protective storage indefinitely.
    DOE has selected prompt dismantlement of the S3G and D1G Prototype 
reactor plants. All S3G and D1G Prototype reactor plant systems, 
components and structures will be removed from the Kesselring Site. To 
the extent practicable, the resulting low-level radioactive metals will 
be recycled at existing commercial facilities. The remaining low-level 
radioactive waste will be disposed of at the DOE Savannah River Site in 
South Carolina. There will be an estimated total of 60 radioactive 
material shipments from the Kesselring Site to either the Savannah 
River Site or to commercial recycling facilities. Two or three of the 
shipments will be by rail and the remainder will be by truck. The 
Savannah River Site currently receives low-level radioactive waste from 
Naval Reactors' sites in the eastern United States. Both the volume and 
radioactive content of the S3G and D1G Prototype reactor plant low-
level waste fall within the projections of Naval Reactors' waste 
provided to the Savannah River Site, which are included and analyzed in 
the Savannah River Site Waste Management Final Environmental Impact 
Statement, dated July 1995. All nonradiological shipments would be by 
truck, and would be recycled or disposed of off-site at permitted 
facilities using licensed haulers.
    The deferred dismantlement alternative would involve keeping the 
defueled S3G and D1G Prototype reactor plants in protective storage for 
30 years before dismantlement. Deferring dismantlement for 30 years 
would allow nearly all of the cobalt-60 radioactivity to decay. Nearly 
all of the gamma radiation within the reactor plant comes from cobalt-
60. The very small amount of longer-lived radioisotopes, such as 
nickel-59, would remain and would

[[Page 4236]]

have to be addressed during dismantlement.
    The no action alternative would involve keeping the defueled S3G 
and D1G Prototype reactor plants in protective storage indefinitely. 
Since there is some residual radioactivity with long half-lives, such 
as nickel-59, in the defueled reactor plant, this alternative would 
leave some radioactivity at the Kesselring Site indefinitely.
    The Naval Reactors Program distributed the Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement on the Disposal of the S3G and D1G Prototype Reactor 
Plants in July 1997. Comments from 14 individuals and agencies were 
received in either oral or written statements at a public hearing or in 
comment letters. Approximately one-third of the commenters expressed a 
preference for the Naval Reactors' preferred alternative, prompt 
dismantlement. Based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
review of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, EPA rated the 
proposed project as ``LO'' (Lack of Objection). All of the comments and 
Naval Reactors' responses are included in an appendix to the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement, distributed in November 1997.
    From an environmental perspective, no single alternative stands out 
as environmentally preferable. The radiation exposure to the general 
public would be small and comparable for all three alternatives. 
Occupational exposure would be higher for the prompt dismantlement 
alternative, however, this expected exposure would be comparable in 
magnitude to the radiation exposure routinely received during current 
operation and maintenance activities of Naval prototype reactor plants. 
Non-radiological environmental, health and safety impacts associated 
with all of the alternatives would also be small and consistent with 
ongoing Kesselring Site operations. Based on current conditions, any of 
the alternatives could be accomplished within Federal and State 
requirements, in both the short term and the long term. However, 30 
years from now, changing conditions associated with the regulatory 
environment, and the availability of trained personnel and waste 
disposal facilities could result in unforeseeable complications or 
delays. Such future unforeseeable conditions cause additional 
uncertainty in the impacts associated with the deferred dismantlement 
and no action alternatives. Naval Reactors has identified the prompt 
dismantlement alternative as the preferred alternative since it is 
consistent with the Naval Reactors' record of managing waste 
efficiently and minimizing its generation. Prompt dismantlement would 
allow Naval Reactors to utilize an experienced work force that is 
presently located at the Kesselring Site. Prompt dismantlement can be 
accomplished safely, economically, and with a high degree of certainty 
that the environmental impacts would be small.
    As discussed in the Final Environmental Impact Statement, the Naval 
Reactors Program implements a large number of conservative engineering 
practices in its operations. These conservative engineering practices 
will serve to ensure that environmental impacts will be very small. No 
additional mitigative measures have been identified which are needed to 
further reduce the small impacts which were described in the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement. Accordingly, all practicable means to 
avoid or minimize environmental harm from the preferred alternative 
have been adopted.

    Issued at Arlington, VA, this 20th day of January 1998.
F.L. Bowman,
Admiral, U.S. Navy, Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.
[FR Doc. 98-1946 Filed 1-27-98; 8:45 am]
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