Idaho High-level Waste and Facilities Disposition Draft Environment Impact Statement

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

[Federal Register: January 21, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 14)]
[Notices]
[Page 3432-3436]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21ja00-38]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Idaho High-level Waste and Facilities Disposition Draft
Environment Impact Statement

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability of
the Idaho High-level Waste and Facilities Disposition Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for public review and comment.
This Draft EIS has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of
the National Environment Policy Act of 1969 as amended (NEPA) (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); Council on Environmental Quality regulations
implementing NEPA, 40

[[Page 3433]]

CFR Parts 1500-1508; and DOE NEPA Implementing Procedures, 10 CFR Part
1021. The State of Idaho is a Cooperating Agency in the preparation of
this Draft EIS and will continue to be involved in the review and
preparation of the Final EIS.
This Draft EIS evaluates five waste processing alternatives and six
facilities disposition alternatives for high-level radioactive (HLW)
waste and liquid mixed transuranic waste stored at DOE's Idaho National
Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). Currently, there are
approximately 4,200 cubic meters of HLW stored in bins as a dry
granular calcine and approximately 1.4 million gallons of liquid mixed
transuranic waste stored in underground tanks.
Neither DOE nor the State of Idaho has identified a preferred
alternative. After considering information in this Draft EIS and other
relevant information, DOE and the State will enter into discussions
concerning the preferred alternative. If DOE and the State reached
agreement, the Final EIS will identify the agreed-upon preferred
alternative; if not, the Final EIS will set forth both the State's and
DOE's respective choices for the preferred alternative.
The public is invited to comment on the Draft EIS during a 60-day
public comment period, which starts on the date of this Notice and ends
on March 20, 2000. All comments received during the public comment
period will be considered in preparing the Final EIS. Late comments
will be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Requests for information about this Draft EIS should be
directed to: Thomas L. Wichmann, NEPA Document Manager, U.S. Department
of Energy, Idaho Operations Office, 850 Energy Drive, MS 1108, Idaho
Falls, ID 83401-1563, (208) 526-0535.
Copies of the document can be requested by telephone at 1-888-918-
5100.
Written comments on the Draft EIS can be mailed to Thomas L.
Wichmann, NEPA Document Manager, U.S. Department of Energy, Idaho
Operations Office, 850 Energy Drive, MS 1108, Idaho Falls, ID 83401-
1563, Attention: Public Comments, Idaho, HLW & FD EIS, or submitted by
fax to: 208-526-1184, or submitted electronically to: http://
www.jason.com/hlwfdeis.
Oral comments on the Draft EIS will be accepted only during the
public hearings scheduled for the dates and locations provided in the
DATES section of this Notice.
For information on the DOE National Environmental Policy Act
process, contact: Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy
and Assistance (EH-42), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-4600 or leave a message at
1-800-472-2756.
Copies of the Draft EIS and supporting technical reports are
available for review at the addresses listed in the ``Availability of
the Draft EIS'' section of this Notice.

DATES: The public is invited to submit written and/or oral comments on
the Draft EIS. Comments may also be submitted electronically to http://
www.jason.com/hlwfdeis. Example topics on which DOE welcomes comments
include: the technical adequacy of the document; what additional
alternatives/options should be analyzed; which alternatives/options DOE
should select upon completion of the document; and what criteria DOE
should use in making these selections. DOE's responses to all comments
received during the public comment period will be presented in the
Final EIS. The comment period on this Draft EIS begins on the date of
this Notice and ends on March 20, 2000. Comments postmarked after that
date will be considered to the extent practicable. DOE expects to issue
the Final EIS in mid-2000.
DOE will hold a series of 7 public hearings according to the
schedule below. The session format will provide for collection of
written and oral comments and will enable the public to discuss issues
and concerns with DOE managers. Participants who wish to present oral
comments at the hearings are asked to registger in advance by calling
the toll-free number: 1-888-918-5100. Requests to speak that have not
been submitted prior to the hearings will be handled in the order in
which they are received during the hearings.

Schedule of Public Hearings
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meeting
Cities Dates Meeting times locations
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Idaho Falls, ID............... February 7, 2000.................. 7:00 pm................... Shilo Inn.
Pocatello, ID................. February 8, 2000.................. 6:00 pm................... Idaho State
University
Student Union.
Jackson, WY................... February 9, 2000.................. 6:00 pm................... Snow King Lodge.
Twin Falls, ID................ February 15, 2000................. 6:00 pm................... College of
Southern ID
Taylor
Building.
Boise, ID..................... February 17, 2000................. 6:00 pm................... The Grove Hotel.
Portland, OR.................. February 22, 2000................. 6:00 pm................... Doubletree Lloyd
Center.
Pasco, WA..................... February 24, 2000................. 6:00 pm................... Doubletree Pasco
Hotel.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Open house will be held one hour prior to meeting times.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

From 1952 to 1991, DOE and its predecessor agencies reprocessed
spent nuclear reactor fuel at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant,
located on the Snake River Plain in the desert of Southeast Idaho. This
facility, now known as the Idaho Nuclear Technology Engineering Center
(INTEC), is part of the INEEL nuclear research complex that has served
the nation through both peaceful and defense-related missions.
Reprocessing operations at INTEC produced mixed HLW (i.e., HLW
containing hazardous characteristics or components that are regulated
under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) HLW from the first
extraction cycle of the operation. Subsequent treatment processes and
decontamination activities generated liquid mixed transuranic waste.
This waste is much less radioactive than the mixed HLW.
All of the liquid mixed HLW was converted to calcine (a dry
granular substance) over several years. This conversion was completed
in 1998. Stored in large, robust bin sets, the mixed HLW calcine is a
more stable waste form that poses less environmental risk than liquid
radioactive waste stored in underground tanks. However, the mixed HLW
calcine does not meet planned HLW disposal repository waste acceptance
criteria, and further treatment would be necessary to convert the mixed
HLW calcine to a form that would be acceptable for disposal in such a
repository. At present, approximately 4,200 cubic meters of mixed HLW
calcine is stored in the bin sets.

[[Page 3434]]

Since spent nuclear fuel reprocessing was discontinued in 1991, DOE
has continued to accumulate liquid mixed transuranic waste in
underground tanks from decontamination and other ongoing operations. At
present, approximately 1.4 million gallons of liquid mixed transuranic
waste is stored in eleven underground tanks.
In a 1995 Settlement Agreement, DOE and the State of Idaho agreed
that the underground tanks would be emptied down to the residual heels
by 2012, and that by a target date of 2035, all of the mixed HWL would
be treated and made ready for shipment out of Idaho. DOE intends to
continue to manage these wastes according to regulatory requirements,
in a manner that helps to ensure the protection of human health and the
environment.
To meet its commitments and objectives, DOE needs to decide:
How to treat INTEC mixed HLW so that it can be transported
out of Idaho to a storage facility or repository.
How to treat and where to dispose of other radioactive
wastes that are associated with the HLW management program at INTEC.
How to close associated HWL-related facilities.
On September 19, 1997, DOE issued a Notice of Intent (62 FR 49209)
to prepare the Idaho High-level Waste and Facilities Disposition
Environmental Impact Statement. The public scoping period announced in
the Notice of Intent extended from September 19, 1997, to November 24,
1997. During this period, DOE held public scoping workshops in Idaho
Falls and Boise, Idaho. DOE also sponsored open houses, set up and
staffed booths and displays at shopping malls throughout southern
Idaho, made presentations to schools and civic groups, and provided
individual briefings to government and Tribal officials, local interest
groups, site employees, and the INEEL Citizens Advisory Board. DOE
received more than 900 comments during the public scoping period and
used these comments to refine the proposed action and the alternatives.
The proposed action and alternatives analyzed in this Draft EIS are
described in the following two sections.

Proposed Action

DOE has identified the following proposed actions to support the
needed decisions.
Develop appropriate technologies and construct facilities
necessary to manage INTEC mixed HLW and mixed liquid transuranic waste.
Treat the mixed HLW calcine so that it will be suitable
for disposal in a repository.
Treat and dispose of the sodium-bearing, liquid mixed
transuranic waste.
Provide for the disposition of the INTEC HLW management
facilities when their missions are completed.

Alternatives Analyzed

DOE analyzed the potential impacts of implementing five waste
processing and six facilities disposition alternatives over the period
2000 through 2095. Each alternative has a specific time line for
implementation and completion. For residual contamination or waste
disposal, DOE analyzed potential impacts over 10,000 years.
Waste Processing Alternatives address HLW treatment technologies,
pretreatment requirements for the liquid mixed transuranic waste, and
storage and disposal options for treated wastes. These alternatives are
listed and briefly described below.
No Action Alternative--This alternative serves as a basis
for comparing other alternatives. DOE would not continue to calcine
liquid mixed transuranic waste, but would continue to reduce the volume
of this waste via evaporation until all of the available underground
tanks are full. The liquid mixed transuranic waste would remain in the
tanks indefinitely, and the mixed HLW calcine would remain in the bins
indefinitely. Maintenance to protect workers and the environment would
continue, but there would be no major upgrades.
Continued Current Operations Alternative--The calcining
facility would be upgraded and would continue processing the liquid
mixed transuranic wastes to empty the underground tanks to material
left in the tanks after initial reprocessing. Residual material in the
tanks would be treated; transuranic waste would be shipped to the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant for disposal, and low-level waste would be
grouted for disposal at INEEL. The mixed HLW calcine would remain in
the bin sets indefinitely.
Separations Alternative--Three options were analyzed for
chemically separating the waste into fractions that would be disposed
of according to their waste classification. These options are as
follows.
The Full Separations Option would retrieve and dissolve the mixed
HLW calcine from the bin sets and would chemically separate the most
highly radioactive and long-lived radiosotopes from both mixed HLW
calcine and the liquid mixed transuranic waste. The most highly
radioactive wastes would be prepared for disposal in a HLW repository.
The process stream remaining, after separating out the mixed HLW
fraction, would be managed as mixed low-level waste, suitable for
disposal in a near-surface landfill at INEEL or an offsite disposal
facility.
The Planning Basis Option reflects previously announced DOE
decisions and agreements with the State of Idaho regarding the
management of mixed HLW and liquid mixed transuranic waste. This option
is similar to the Full Separations Option except that, prior to
separation, the liquid mixed tansuranic waste would be calcined and
stored in the bin sets along with the mixed HLW. Under this option, the
low-level waste fraction would be grouted for disposal offsite.
The Transuranic Separations Option would retrieve and dissolve the
mixed HLW calcine and chemically treat the dissolved calcine and the
liquid mixed transuranic waste, including the residual material
remaining in the tanks. This treatment process would result in waste
streams that could be managed as transuranic waste and as low-level
waste. A HLW fraction would not result. The transuranic waste would be
packaged and shipped to the Waste Isolation Plant for disposal, and the
low-level waste would be grouted for disposal at INEEL or at an offsite
disposal facility.
Non-Separations Alternative--The mixed HLW and liquid
mixed transuranic waste would be processed into immobilized forms.
Transuranic waste generated as a result of these processes would be
packaged and shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant for disposal,
and low-level wastes would be grouted for disposal in a near-surface
landfill at INEEL or offsite. These treatment options are as follows.
The Hot Isostatic Waste Option would calcine the liquid mixed
transuranic waste and add the calcine to the mixed HLW calcine in the
bin sets. All calcine would then be retrieved and converted to an
impervious, glass-ceramic waste form. Implementing this option would
require a determination from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
that the final form of the HLW would be suitable for disposal in a HLW
repository.
The Direct Cement Waste Option is similar to the Hot Isostatic
Waste Option except that all of the calcine would be converted to a
cement-like solid. Implementing this option would require a
determination from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that the
final form of the HLW would be suitable for disposal in a HLW
repository.

[[Page 3435]]

The Early Vitrification Option would directly process both the
mixed HLW calcine and the liquid mixed transuranic waste into a glass-
like solid. The resulting HLW glass would be suitable for disposal in a
repository; the mixed transuranic waste would be shipped to the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant.
Minimum INEEL Processing Alternative--The mixed HLW
calcine would be retrieved, packaged for transportation, and shipped to
DOE's Hanford Site in Richland, WA. The calcine would be separated into
high-radioactivity and low-radioactivity fractions. The high-
radioactivity fraction would be processed to a glass form suitable for
disposal in a repository and either shipped directly to an offsite
facility or returned to INEEL to await shipment to a HLW repository.
Likewise, the low-radioactivity fraction would be prepared for disposal
in a near-surface landfill at INEEL or an offsite facility.
Facilities Disposition Alternatives were developed and analyzed to
address the final risk component of the proposed actions and close HLW
treatment and associated management facilities when their missions are
completed. These alternatives are listed and briefly described below.
No Action Alternative--DOE would not close its HLW
facilities at INEEL, but would maintain the facilities to ensure the
safety and health of workers and the public until 2095. After that
time, for purposes of analysis, DOE assumed that institutional controls
such as surveillance and maintenance would not continue.
Clean Closure Alternative--All of the hazardous wastes and
radiological contaminants, including contaminated equipment, would be
removed from the facility or treated so that any remaining hazardous
and radiological contaminants would be indistinguishable from
background concentrations.
Performance-based Closure Alternative--Closure methods
would be determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on risk, in
accordance with risk-based criteria. Most above-ground structures would
be razed and most underground structures would be decontaminated and
left in place. Any remaining facilities would be decontaminated to
comply with applicable requirements for protecting the health of
workers and the public.
Closure to Landfill Standards Alternative--Facilities
would be closed in accordance with State of Idaho and Federal
requirements specified in regulations for closure of landfills.
Performance-based Closure with Class A Grout Alternative--
Facilities would be closed as described for the Performance-based
Closure alternative, except that the tanks or bin sets would be used to
dispose of Class A Type low-level waste.
Performance-based Closure with Class C Grout Alternative--
Facilities would be closed as described for the Performance-based
Closure alternative, except that the tanks or bin sets would be used to
dispose of Class C Type low-level waste.

Preferred Alternative

Neither DOE nor the State of Idaho has identified a preferred
alternative for either the waste processing or the facilities
disposition alternatives. After considering information in this Draft
EIS, including public comments and other relevant information, DOE and
the State will enter into discussions concerning the preferred
alternative. If DOE and the State reach agreement, the Final EIS will
identify the agreed-upon preferred alternative; if not, the Final EIS
will set forth both the State's and DOE's respective choices for the
preferred alternatives.

Availability of the Draft EIS

Copies of this Draft EIS have been distributed to Federal, State,
and local officials, as well as agencies, organizations and individuals
who may be interested or affected. This Draft EIS is available on the
Internet at: http://tis.eh.doe.gov/nepa/docs/docs.htm. Additional
copies can be requested by telephone at 1-888-918-5100. Copies of the
Draft EIS and supporting technical reports are also available for
public review at the locations listed below.
In December 1999, the National Research Council issued a study that
DOE had requested of the technical options for treating high-level
waste at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory.
Copies of the study, entitled Alternative High-level Waste Treatments
at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, are
also available at the locations listed below. DOE will consider the
study and all comments received during the public comment period in
preparing the Final EIS.

Colorado

U.S. Department of Energy, Rocky Flats Operations Office, Public
Reading Room, Front Range College Library, 3705 112th Avenue,
Westminister, CO 80030, Telephone: (303) 469-4435

Idaho

Boise Outreach Office, INEEL-Boise City National Bank, 895 West Idaho
Street, Boise, ID 83706, Telephone: (208) 334-9572
Boise Public Library, 715 Capital Boulevard, Boise, ID 83706,
Telephone: (208) 384-4023
Boise State University Library, Albertson Library, 1910 University
Drive, Boise, ID 83705, Telephone: (208) 426-3903
Shoshone-Bannock Library, Bannock and Pima Streets, P.O. Box 306, Fort
Hall, ID 83203, Telephone: (208) 238-3882
INEEL Technical Library, DOE Public Reading Room, 2525 N. Fremont
Place, University Place, Idaho Falls, ID 83402, Telephone: (208) 526-
9162
Idaho Falls Public Library, 457 Broadway, Idaho Falls, ID 83402,
Telephone: (208) 529-1450
Lewis-Clark State College, The Library, 500 8th Ave., Lewiston, ID
83501, Telephone: (208) 799-5272
University of Idaho Library, Rayburn Street, Moscow, ID 83844,
Telephone: (208) 885-6344
Idaho State University Public Library, 741 South 7th Ave., Pocatello,
ID 83209, Telephone: (208) 236-3152
Twin Falls Public Library, 434 2nd Street East, Twin Falls, ID 83301,
(208) 733-2964

Montana

Mansfield Library, Government Documents Collection, University of
Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, Telephone: (406) 243-6860

Nevada

U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office, Public Reading
Room, 2621 Losee Rd., B-3 Building, North Las Vegas, NV 89030,
Telephone: (702) 295-0731

New Mexico

US DOE Public Document Collection, University of New Mexico Government
Information Department, Zimmerman Library, Albuquerque, NM 87131,
Telephone: (505) 277-5441

Oregon

U.S. Department of Energy, Bonneville Power Administration Reading
Room, 905 Northeast 11th Avenue, Portland, OR 97232, Telephone: (503)
725-4617

Utah

Marriott Library, Public Document Collection, University of Utah, 295
S. 1500 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, Telephone: (801) 581-8394

[[Page 3436]]

Washington

U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, Washington State
University, WSU Tri-Cities Branch Campus, 100 Sprout Road, Richlands,
WA 99352, Telephone: (509) 376-8583

Wyoming

Teton County Public Library, 125 Virginian Lane, Jackson, WY 83001,
Telephone: (307) 733-2164
Wyoming State Library, Government Documents Collection, 2301 Capitol
Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 82002, Telephone: (307) 777-6333

District of Columbia

DOE Forrestal Building, Freedom of Information Reading Room, 1000
Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20585, Telephone: (202) 586-6020

Issued in Washington, DC, January 14, 2000.
Mark W. Frei,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Project Completion, Environmental
Management.
[FR Doc. 00-1494 Filed 1-20-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-M

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Idaho High-level Waste and Facilities Disposition Draft Environment Impact Statement

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