17344 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 65 / Wednesday, April 5, 1995 / Notices

$41.2 million, respectively). In 1994, the

Department of Energy issued the first

reimbursements to uranium and

thorium licensees totaling

$33,368,448.46 and $7,000,351.53,

respectively. Subsequently, the total

remaining reimbursement ceiling for

uranium and thorium licensees in 1994

was $244,731,551.54 and

$34,199,648.47. The CPI-U for 1994 was

1.027. Therefore, the adjusted values of

the per dry short ton ceiling and the

total remaining reimbursement ceiling

for uranium and thorium licensees for

1995 are $5.82, $251,339,303.43, and

$35,123,038.98. These amounts were

determined by multiplying the ceiling

values for 1994 by 1.027.

The Department of Energy published

its determination on the Federal-related

and total dry short tons of byproduct

material and Federal reimbursement

ratio for each eligible active uranium

processing site in the May 23, 1994,

Federal Register (59 FR 26714). Since

then, additional records were made

available to the Department of Energy

on the quantities of dry short tons of

byproduct material at the Western

Nuclear Incorporated, Split Rock mill

site in Jeffrey City, Wyoming, and the

American Nuclear Corporation, Gas

Hills mill site, in Gas Hills, Wyoming.

After reviewing these records, the

Department of Energy is revising the

quantity of Federal-related or total dry

short tons of byproduct material and

Federal reimbursement ratio for these

two uranium processing sites. The

Department of Energy has determined

that the quantity of Federal-related and

total dry short tons of byproduct

material at the Western Nuclear

Incorporated site as of October 24, 1992,

is 3.626 million dry short tons and 8.2

million dry short tons, respectively; and

the quantity of Federal-related dry short

tons of byproduct material at the

American Nuclear Corporation site as of

October 24, 1992, is 2.202 million dry

short tons. The total quantity of dry

short tons of byproduct material for the

American Nuclear Corporation site,

however, remains at 6.0 million dry

short tons. Because of these quantity

increases, the Federal reimbursement

ratio for the Western Nuclear

Incorporated and American Nuclear

Corporation sites is also being revised to

0.442 and 0.367, respectively (i.e., 3.626

million dry short tons divided by 8.2

million dry short tons equals 0.442 and

2.202 million dry short tons divided by

6.0 million dry short tons equals 0.367).

The Department of Energy’s reports on

these revisions are available upon

written request to the Environmental

Restoration Division, U.S. Department

of Energy, 2155 Louisiana NE., Suite

10000, Albuquerque, NM 87110.

Because of these quantity increases, the

total amount of Federal-related dry short

tons of byproduct material at all eligible

active uranium processing sites is

56.521 million dry short tons.

In the May 23, 1994, Federal Register

(59 FR 26714), the Department of Energy

announced that it was establishing a

preliminary per dry short ton limit of

$4.80 on reimbursement to licensees of

eligible uranium processing sites. This

was necessary because the $270 million

statutory ceiling would not support the

maximum allowable reimbursement of

$5.50 per dry short ton, as established

by Title X, if remedial action costs at all

of the eligible uranium processing sites

reach or approach this per dry short ton

limit. Because of the above quantity

revisions to the Western Nuclear

Incorporated and American Nuclear

Corporation sites, the preliminary per

dry short ton limit on reimbursement is

$4.78 (i.e., $270 million divided by the

total amount of Federal-related dry short

tons of byproduct material present at all

eligible active uranium processing sites,

56.521 million dry short tons, equals

$4.78). The Department of Energy is

adjusting the $4.78 preliminary per dry

short ton limit to account for inflation

using the CPI-U values discussed above.

The adjusted per dry short ton limit in

1994 was $4.92 (i.e., $4.78 multiplied by

1.030 equals $4.92). The adjusted per

dry short ton limit in 1995 is $5.05 (i.e.,

$4.92 multiplied by 1.027 equals $5.05).

The Department of Energy will further

adjust the preliminary per dry short ton

limit on reimbursement annually for

inflation or if other circumstances, as

determined by the Department of

Energy, require an adjustment.

Authority: Section 1001–1004 of Pub. L.

102–486, 106 Stat. 2776 (42 U.S.C. 2296a et

seq.)

Issued in Washington D.C. on this 29th of

March, 1995.

David E. Mathes,

Director, Offsite Program Division, Office of

Southwestern Area Programs, Environmental

Restoration.

[FR Doc. 95–8360 Filed 4–4–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

Long-Term Storage and Disposition of

Weapons-Usable Fissile Materials

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

SUMMARY: On June 21, 1994, the

Department of Energy (DOE) published

a Notice of Intent to prepare a PEIS for

the Long-Term Storage and Disposition

of Weapons-Usable Fissile Materials (59

FR 31985). By this notice of an

amendment, DOE is amending the scope

of the PEIS by removing the disposition

of all surplus HEU from the PEIS.

Instead, DOE will address the

disposition of surplus HEU in a separate

EIS. This action is based on the need to

move forward on a rapid path for

neutralizing the proliferation threat of

surplus HEU and to demonstrate to

other nations the United States’

nonproliferation commitment. The

disposition of HEU will involve

different time frames, technologies,

facilities and personnel than those

required for the disposition of

plutonium. Therefore, the decisions on

surplus HEU disposition do not affect or

preclude other decisions to be made on

the long-term storage and disposition of

other weapons-usable fissile materials,

can proceed regardless of decisions

pursuant to the PEIS, and are

independently justified. The scope of

the PEIS will continue to include the

long-term storage of non-surplus

weapons-usable fissile materials,

including HEU, and the disposition of

plutonium and other fissile materials.

The EIS on the disposition of surplus

HEU is scheduled for completion in

early 1996. To ensure consideration of

comments in the Draft EIS, written

comments must be postmarked by May

1, 1995. Late comments will be

considered to the extent practical.

ADDRESSES: Written requests for the

Implementation Plan, the Draft EIS, and

Final EIS on the disposition of surplus

HEU should be sent to: Office of Fissile

Materials Disposition (MD–1),

Attention: HEUEIS, Forrestal Building,

U.S. Department of Energy, 1000

Independence Avenue SW, Washington,

DC 20585.

Written requests for the

Implementation Plan, the Draft PEIS,

and Final PEIS on the long-term storage

and disposition of weapons-usable

fissile materials should be sent to: Office

of Fissile Materials Disposition (MD–1),

Attention: PEIS, Forrestal Building, U.S.

Department of Energy, 1000

Independence Avenue SW, Washington,

DC 20585.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

general information on the DOE

National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA) process, please contact: Ms.

Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of

NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH–42),

Forrestal Building, U.S. Department of

Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue,

SW., Washington, DC 20585. Ms.

Borgstrom can be reached at (202) 586–

4600. Comments and questions about

the NEPA process can also be left on the

DOE NEPA hotline, 1–800–472–2756.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 65 / Wednesday, April 5, 1995 / Notices 17345

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the

aftermath of the Cold War, significant

quantities of HEU, a material used in

nuclear weapons, have become surplus

to national defense needs in both the

United States and Russia. This surplus

material could pose a danger to national

and international security. The dangers

exist not only in the potential

proliferation of nuclear weapons but in

the potential for environment, safety,

and health consequences if these

materials are not properly managed. For

further background information on the

storage and disposition of fissile

materials, please refer to the original

June 21, 1994, Notice of Intent (59 FR

31985).

In the course of the PEIS public

scoping process, comments suggested

that it would be more appropriate to

analyze the impact of HEU disposition

in a separate EIS. The Department held

a public meeting on November 10, 1994,

to obtain comments on preparing a

separate environmental analysis for the

disposition of surplus HEU. While many

views were expressed at this meeting,

there was substantial support for

proceeding with a separate EIS. A

separate action is the most rapid path

for neutralizing the proliferation threat

of surplus HEU, is consistent with the

President’s nonproliferation policy,

would demonstrate the U.S.

nonproliferation commitment to other

nations, and is consistent with the

course of action now underway in

Russia to reduce Russian HEU

stockpiles. In addition, the disposition

of HEU could use existing technologies

and facilities in the United States, in

contrast to the disposition of plutonium.

The disposition of HEU will involve

different time frames, technologies,

facilities and personnel than those

required for the disposition of

plutonium. Further, the decisions on

surplus HEU will not impact or

preclude other decisions which may be

made regarding the disposition of

surplus plutonium and other weaponsusable fissile materials, can proceed

regardless of decisions on these other

issues pursuant to the PEIS, and are

independently justified.

Three alternatives have been

evaluated as reasonable for the

disposition of surplus HEU: (1)

Continued long-term storage (no action

alternative), (2) blending down of HEU

into low enriched uranium, and (3)

blending down for disposal as waste.

These alternatives are based upon

technical studies, public input, and

evaluation by a DOE Screening

Committee.

The purpose of this amendment

notice is to inform the public of DOE’s

intention to prepare a separate EIS for

disposition of surplus HEU. Because the

issues related to the disposition of

surplus HEU were included in the LongTerm Storage and Disposition of

Weapons-Usable Fissile Materials

Notice of Intent and the public scoping

process for the PEIS, no additional

scoping activities are anticipated. The

Department will prepare an

Implementation Plan, a Draft EIS, and a

Final EIS. The Implementation Plan will

briefly describe the scope of the EIS,

public input and comments received on

the scope and alternatives, the

alternatives that will be analyzed, the

schedule for completing the EIS, and the

EIS work plan. The results of the

environmental analysis in the Final EIS,

along with information from technical

and economic evaluations and national

policy objectives, will form the basis for

the Record of Decision on the

disposition of surplus HEU.

The Department is planning to issue

the EIS Implementation Plan in June

1995, to issue the Draft EIS in late

Summer 1995 with public meetings in

that same time period, and to issue the

Final EIS in late 1995 or early 1996.

Note: Some of the technical terms used in

this document are defined in a section at the

end of the notice.

Classified Material

DOE plans to prepare the HEU EIS in

an unclassified form; however, DOE

may review classified material while

preparing the document. In the event

that any classified material is included

in the EIS, such material will be placed

in a classified appendix which will not

be available for general public review.

This material will be considered by DOE

in reaching a decision on the

disposition of surplus HEU. DOE will

provide as much information as possible

in unclassified form to assist public

understanding of the proposed action

and environmental impacts.

Other DOE NEPA Documents

There are several other NEPA

documents in preparation by the DOE

that will analyze proposals that are

related to the proposed action described

above. These are:

The Oak Ridge Interim Storage of

Enriched Uranium Environmental

Assessment (EA)

This document addresses the

expansion of interim storage capacity

for enriched uranium at Oak Ridge. This

interim storage will involve materials,

quantities, and forms for which longterm storage and disposition will be

implemented.

The Environmental Management PEIS

This document addresses the

programmatic level decisions for

treatment, storage, and disposal of waste

within the DOE complex. If any action

to dispose of HEU results in a waste

form, these waste forms will be treated,

stored, and disposed of in accordance

with the decisions resulting from the

Environmental Management PEIS.

Other EISs and EAs

Other environmental documents

involving weapons-usable fissile

materials are being, or will be, prepared

as required, for the purpose of

establishing the interim storage

conditions for HEU. These other

environmental documents include sitewide EISs and an EA on the disposition

of HEU from the Republic of

Kazahkstan.

Definitions

As used in this Notice of an

Amendment, the following definitions

apply:

Disposition is a process of use or

disposal of material that results in the

remaining material being converted to a

form that is substantially and inherently

more proliferation-resistant than the

original form.

Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) is

uranium which has an isotopic content

of uranium-235 of 20 percent or more.

Low Enriched Uranium is uranium

which has an isotopic content of

uranium-235 of less than 20 percent.

Most commercial reactor fuel is

enriched to about 4 to 5 percent

uranium-235.

Weapons-Usable Fissile Materials

refers to a specific set of nuclear

materials that may be utilized in making

a nuclear explosive or weapon.

Weapons-usable fissile materials

include uranium with uranium-235

isotopic content of 20 percent or more,

plutonium of any isotopic composition,

and other isotopes such as uranium-233,

and americium-241, which have been

separated from spent nuclear fuel or

irradiated targets. The term weaponsusable fissile materials does not include

the fissile materials present in spent

nuclear fuel or irradiated targets from

reactors.

Invitation to Comment

The DOE invites comments on the

intention to prepare an EIS for the

disposition of surplus HEU, including

suggestions on significant

environmental issues, from all

interested parties, including affected

Federal, State, and local agencies and

Indian tribes. To ensure consideration of

comments in the Draft EIS, written
17346 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 65 / Wednesday, April 5, 1995 / Notices

comments must be postmarked by May

1, 1995. Late comments will be

considered to the extent practical.

Written comments should be sent to the

Office of Fissile Materials Disposition at

the address given above. Comments can

also be provided via the Office of Fissile

Materials Disposition’s Electronic

Bulletin Board. The bulletin board can

be accessed via modem by dialing

(800)–783–3349. Access to the bulletin

board is also available via the Internet.

The telnet address is telnet

fedix.fie.com; the gopher space address

is gopher to gopher.fie.com; the world

wide web address is url=http://

web.fie.com/.

Signed in Washington, DC, this 29th day of

March 1995, for the United States

Department of Energy.

Tara O’Toole,

Assistant Secretary, Environment, Safety and

Health.

[FR Doc. 95–8361 Filed 4–4–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

Environmental Management Site

Specific Advisory Board, Fernald Site

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of open meeting.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the provisions of

the Federal Advisory Committee Act

(Pub. L. 92–463, 86 Stat. 770) notice is

hereby given of the following Advisory

Committee meeting: Environmental

Management Site Specific Advisory

Board (EM SSAB), Fernald Site.

DATES: Saturday, April 8, 1995: 8:30

a.m.–12:30 p.m. (public comment

session, 11:30 p.m.–11:45 p.m.)

ADDRESSES: The Joint Information

Center, 6025 Dixie Highway, Route 4,

Fairfield, Ohio.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John

S. Applegate, Chair of the Fernald

Citizens Task Force, P.O. Box 544, Ross,

Ohio 45061, or call the Fernald Citizens

Task Force message line (513) 648–

6478.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of

the Board: The purpose of the Board is

to make recommendations to DOE and

its regulators in the areas of future use,

cleanup levels, waste disposition and

cleanup priorities at the Fernald site.

Tentative Agenda

Saturday, April 8, 1995

8:30 a.m.—Task Force Administration

(Call to order; Approval of Minutes;

Chair’s Remarks)

8:50 a.m.—Review of Past Resolutions;

Review of New Information

9:45 a.m.—Break

10:00 a.m.—Presentation of Options

10:15 a.m.—Discussion and Draft

Resolutions

11:30 p.m.—Public Comment

11:45 p.m.—Vote on Resolutions

12:00 p.m.—Review Table of Contents

for Final Report

12:15 p.m.—Wrap Up

12:30 p.m.—Adjourn

A final agenda will be available at the

meeting, Saturday, April 8, 1995.

Public Participation: The meeting is

open to the public. Written statements

may be filed with the Task Force chair

either before or after the meeting.

Individuals who wish to make oral

statements pertaining to agenda items

should contact the Task Force chair at

the address or telephone number listed

above. Requests must be received 5 days

prior to the meeting and reasonable

provision will be made to include the

presentation in the agenda. The

Designated Federal Official, Kenneth

Morgan, Public Affairs Officer, Ohio

Field Office, U.S. Department of Energy,

is empowered to conduct the meeting in

a fashion that will facilitate the orderly

conduct of business. Each individual

wishing to make public comment will

be provided a maximum of 5 minutes to

present their comments. Due to

programmatic issues that had to be

resolved, the Federal Register notice is

being published less than fifteen days

before the date of the meeting.

Minutes: The minutes of this meeting

will be available for public review and

copying at the Freedom of Information

Public Reading Room, 1E–190, Forrestal

Building, 1000 Independence Avenue,

SW, Washington, DC 20585 between

9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday–

Friday, except Federal holidays.

Minutes will also be available by

writing to John S. Applegate, Chair, the

Fernald Citizens Task Force, P.O. Box

544, Ross, Ohio 45061 or by calling the

Task Force message line at (513) 648–

6478.

Issued at Washington, DC on March 30,

1995.

Rachel M. Samuel,

Acting Deputy Advisory Committee

Management Officer.

[FR Doc. 95–8358 Filed 4–4–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

Office of Environmental Management;

Proposed Site Treatment Plans

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: Today’s notice announces the

availability of the Department of

Energy’s (DOE) Proposed Site Treatment

Plans (Proposed Plans) for treating its

mixed radioactive and hazardous waste

(mixed waste). As required by the

Federal Facility Compliance Act of 1992

(FFCAct or the Act), DOE prepared

Proposed Plans for 40 sites in 20 States

where DOE stores or generates mixed

waste. The Proposed Plans identify the

proposed treatment option and related

schedule for development of the option

for each type of mixed waste. Each DOE

site is submitting its Proposed Plan to

either its State regulators, or as

appropriate, the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). DOE

faces increasingly tight funding in the

near-term, and anticipates that funding

will continue to be constrained in the

future. The schedules in the Proposed

Plans reflect those constraints. DOE

expects, that for some sites, further

discussion with the State or Federal

regulators concerning priorities will

result in modified schedules in the

approved Plans. The Proposed Plans are

available at each site for review by the

public. Public comments on the

Proposed Plans will be considered by

the appropriate regulatory agency in

reviewing the plan. Additional

opportunities for public involvement in

the FFCAct process will be offered at

many sites by the DOE and State or

Federal regulators.

DATES: Written comments on the

Proposed Plans should be sent to the

recipients identified in Table 1 by July

6, 1995. Written comments received on

or before July 6, 1995, will be

considered by the State/Federal

regulators in reviewing the Proposed

Plans.

ADDRESSES: Table 1 lists the recipient to

which written comments should be sent

on each of the Proposed Plans. Section

V of Supplementary Information lists

the Reading Rooms where the Proposed

Plans may be reviewed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To

obtain general information on a site’s

Proposed Plan or for the address of a

Reading Room where Proposed Plans

may be viewed, contact the Center for

Environmental Management

Information at 1–800–7EM-DATA (1–

800–736–3282).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

Section 3021(b) of the Resource

Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA),

as amended by the Federal Facility

Compliance Act of 1992 (FFCAct or the

Act), requires the DOE to prepare Site

Treatment Plans for developing

treatment capacities and technologies

for mixed waste at each site where the

DOE stores or generates mixed waste.

Mixed waste is defined by the FFCAct

as waste containing both hazardous