[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 169 (Wednesday, September 1, 1999)] [Notices] [Pages 47780-47782] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 99-22671] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Management of Certain Plutonium Residues and Scrub Alloy Stored at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site AGENCY: U. S. Department of Energy. ACTION: Amendment to a record of decision. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) has decided to revise the approach to be used to dispose of approximately 3,360 kg of sand, slag and crucible plutonium residues (containing approximately 130 kg of plutonium) that is currently stored at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site. In an earlier Record of Decision on Management of Certain Plutonium Residues and Scrub Alloy Stored at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (63 FR 66136, December 1, 1998), DOE decided that the sand, slag and crucible residues would be shipped to the Savannah River Site for processing and storage pending disposition. With the opening of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico on March 26, 1999, DOE has now decided instead to prepare the sand, slag and crucible residues for direct shipment to the repository for disposal. This will result in final disposition of this material several years earlier than the previous approach and would be more cost effective. The environmental impacts of alternative approaches for management of these residues are presented in the Final Environmental Impact Statement on Management of Certain Plutonium Residues and Scrub Alloy Stored at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (the EIS, DOE/EIS-0277F, August 1998). ADDRESSES: Copies of the EIS, the first and second Records of Decision published by DOE on this subject, and this Amended Record of Decision are available in the public reading rooms and libraries identified in the Federal Register notice that announced the availability of the EIS (63 FR 46006, August 28, 1998), or please write or call: Center for Environmental Management Information, P.O. Box 23769, Washington, DC 20026-3769, telephone 1-800-736-3282 (in Washington, DC: 202-863-5084). These documents may also be accessed on the DOE Office of Environmental Management's World Wide Web site at http://www.em.doe.gov/em60/ documents. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on management of plutonium residues and scrub alloy currently stored at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, contact: Ms. Patrice M. Bubar, Acting Director, Rocky Flats Office (EM-64), Office of Nuclear Material and Facility Stabilization, Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, [[Page 47781]] Washington, DC 20585, Telephone: 301-903-7130. For information concerning the EIS, the first or second Records of Decision, or this Amended Record of Decision, contact: Mr. Charles R. Head, Senior Technical Advisor, Office of Nuclear Material and Facility Stabilization, Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585, Telephone: 202-586- 5151. For further information on DOE's National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, contact: Ms. Carol Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-42), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585, Telephone (202) 586- 4600, or leave a message at 1-800-472-2756. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued the Final Environmental Impact Statement on Management of Certain Plutonium Residues and Scrub Alloy Stored at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (EIS, DOE/EIS-0277F) in August 1998. In this EIS, DOE assessed the potential environmental impacts of processing certain plutonium residues and scrub alloy currently stored at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (Rocky Flats) near Golden, Colorado in preparation for disposal or other disposition. These materials were produced during nuclear weapons production activities conducted by DOE during the Cold War, and are no longer needed. DOE is currently conducting activities to safely manage, clean up, and dispose (where appropriate) such intermediate products of its prior nuclear weapons production activities. The plutonium residues analyzed in the EIS include approximately 3,360 kg of sand, slag and crucible residues (containing approximately 130 kg of plutonium). The EIS evaluated four alternatives for management of the sand, slag and crucible residues, as shown in Table 1. Table 1.--Alternatives for Management of Sand, Slag and Crucible Plutonium Residues ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alternative 1--No Action:Calcination/Cementation at Rocky Flats, followed by storage at Rocky Flats. Alternative 2--Processing without Plutonium Separation: Vitrification at Rocky Flats, in preparation for disposal in WIPP 1, or Calcination & Blend Down at Rocky Flats, in preparation for disposal in WIPP Alternative 3--Process with Plutonium Separation: Purex Process at the Savannah River Site, in preparation for disposition of the plutonium as either mixed oxide nuclear fuel or immobilized in highly radioactive waste in a mined geologic repository. Alternative 4--Combination of Processing Technologies: Calcination/Cementation at Rocky Flats, in preparation for disposal in WIPP, or Repackaging at Rocky Flats, in preparation for disposal in WIPP. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ \1\ The ``Waste Isolation Pilot Plant'' is DOE's mined geologic repository for disposal of transuranic radioactive wastes. WIPP is located near Carlsbad, New Mexico. Transuranic is a term for any element whose atomic number is higher than that of uranium (i.e., atomic number 92). All transuranic elements are produced artificially. II. Original Decision DOE issued a first Record of Decision (63 FR 66136, December 1, 1998) that covered eight categories of Rocky Flats plutonium residues (including sand, slag and crucible residues) and the scrub alloy.2 The first Record of Decision stated in Section VII.A.1. that ``DOE has decided to preprocess the sand, slag and crucible residues at the Rocky Flats site and then transport them to the Savannah River Site for stabilization in the F-Canyon. The Purex process will be used to chemically separate the plutonium from the other residue constituents (i.e., Alternative 3). The separated plutonium will then be placed in storage at the Savannah River Site until it is dispositioned as determined by DOE after completion of the Surplus Plutonium Disposition Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS- 0283, under preparation, draft issued in July 1998).'' --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \1\ The ``Waste Isolation Pilot Plant'' is DOE's mined geologic repository for disposal of transuranic radioactive wastes. WIPP is located near Carlsbad, New Mexico. Transuranic is a term for any element whose atomic number is higher than that of uranium (i.e., atomic number 92). All transuranic elements are produced artificially. \2\ DOE issued a second Record of Decision (64 FR 8068, February 18, 1999) for the remaining seven categories of residues. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section VII.A.2. of the first Record of Decision explained that Alternative 3 (processing at the Savannah River Site) was selected because it would provide the most expeditious approach for stabilization of the sand, slag and crucible residues. Because repackaging at Rocky Flats under Alternative 4 (preparation of the sand, slag and crucible residues for disposal in WIPP) also appeared to be a desirable alternative, Section VII.A.2 went on to explain the following: ``Consideration of alternative processing technologies that would result in sending the Rocky Flats sand, slag and crucible residues directly to WIPP for disposal as transuranic waste revealed that significant further characterization of the material would be required to verify its suitability for disposal in WIPP, due to the presence of reactive calcium in the residues. Resolution of the issues raised by the reactive calcium would require (1) further testing to demonstrate that no more than 5 percent of the residues contain enough reactive calcium to be pyrophoric, (2) approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of a change to the WIPP TRUCON Shipping Code to change the allowable passivated calcium metal content from a trace (i.e., less than 1 percent) to a minor (i.e., 1 to 10 percent) constituent, and (3) obtaining WIPP certification of the material. This strategy, if successful, would take about one year longer to implement than processing at the Savannah River Site.'' III. Events Since Issuance of the First Record of Decision Since issuance of the first Record of Decision, sand, slag and crucible residues have been packaged in preparation for shipment to the Savannah River Site. A small quantity of these residues (approximately 112 kg containing about 2.7 kg of plutonium) has been shipped to the Savannah River Site as test samples to determine how best to process the bulk of the sand, slag and crucible residues yet to be shipped. The shipping schedule for the remainder of the materials has been delayed, however, by approximately one year, while issues associated with certifying a new transportation package continue to be addressed. Meanwhile, the following activities regarding [[Page 47782]] sending the sand, slag and crucible residues to WIPP have been completed: A. In July 1999, DOE completed sampling and analysis of the sand, slag and crucible residues to a greater than 95 percent confidence level and has concluded that there would be no pyrophoric hazards with this material. The analysis also showed that the sand, slag and crucible residues are sufficiently passivated (i.e. made less chemically reactive) to be shipped to WIPP. B. DOE obtained Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval of Revision 11 of the TRUCON Codes in June 1999. This revision allows shipment to WIPP of residues with a passivated calcium constituent greater than that present in the sand, slag and crucible residues. C. WIPP began disposal operations on March 26, 1999. In the process of preparing other transuranic wastes for shipment to WIPP, the Rocky Flats Site has developed a record keeping and management system that meets stringent WIPP certification requirements. This new record keeping and management system has passed several audits by both the DOE Carlsbad Area Office (the DOE organization that operates WIPP) and the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. The system provides the technical information needed to certify transuranic wastes for disposal in WIPP. Rocky Flats has obtained WIPP certification for several waste streams and is currently shipping these waste streams to WIPP for disposal. This proven system could be used to obtain WIPP certification for the sand, slag and crucible residues. These residues are not hazardous waste, subject to Resource Conservation and Recovery Act regulations. Completion of the activities discussed above resolves the three issues identified in the first Record of Decision as requiring resolution before disposal of the sand, slag and crucible residues at WIPP would be possible. Their resolution prompted DOE to reconsider its decision. IV. Need to Change the Initial Decision Shipment of the sand, slag and crucible residues to the Savannah River Site for processing would result in separation of approximately 130 kg of nuclear weapons usable plutonium from the other constituents of the sand, slag and crucible residues. While plutonium can be safely stored at the Savannah River Site, DOE prefers not to separate weapons usable plutonium unless such separation is required by health and safety concerns. With the resolution of the issues that led to DOE's original decision not to dispose of the sand, slag and crucible residues at WIPP, and the delay in shipping material to Savannah River Site, there is no longer any advantage in shipping the sand, slag and crucible residues to the Savannah River Site for processing. In addition, if the plutonium were separated from the sand, slag and crucible residues at the Savannah River Site, the separated plutonium would then have to be stored at the Savannah River Site for several years before it would be further dispositioned, e.g., by immobilization. If the plutonium were to be immobilized, it would likely be several additional years before the immobilized plutonium could be shipped to a geologic repository for disposal. Direct disposal at WIPP would require further repackaging at Rocky Flats, and shipment to WIPP for disposal would occur somewhat later than shipments to the Savannah River Site. Nevertheless, DOE has confirmed that this delay would not adversely affect DOE's plan to close Rocky Flats by 2006. V. Environmental Impacts Analysis As indicated in the Records of Decision issued under the Final EIS, because of the small risks that potentially could result from implementation of any of the action alternatives and the absence of any clear basis for discerning an environmental preference, no one action alternative is clearly environmentally preferable over any other action alternative. On the other hand, because the residues would be left in storage at Rocky Flats with no defined disposal path under the No Action Alternative, all of the action alternatives are environmentally preferable to the No Action Alternative. Since the estimates of the impacts that could potentially occur under the various alternatives for management of the sand, slag and crucible residues have not changed since issuance of the Records of Decision, DOE believes that the conclusions it previously reached regarding the environmentally preferable alternative are still valid. VI. Amended Decision After review of the potential impacts considered in the EIS and the new information discussed above, DOE has decided to dispose of the sand, slag and crucible residues at WIPP (i.e., DOE will implement the repackaging option of Alternative 4). Termination of safeguards (as discussed in Section III.D. of the first Record of Decision) will be accomplished through the continued use of an approved variance to the safeguards requirements, as is already being done for several other categories of Rocky Flats plutonium residues. Basis for the Decision As discussed above, disposal at WIPP of the sand, slag and crucible residues will avoid separation of up to 130 kg of plutonium and result in permanent disposal of the plutonium several years sooner than it could be disposed of under the Savannah River Site plutonium separation alternative. DOE estimates that packaging the material for direct disposal is a more cost effective approach than processing at the Savannah River Site. Additionally, this would allow other materials from Rocky Flats, which would have been processed after the sand, slag and crucible residues, to be processed earlier in the F Canyon and F-B line facilities. VII. Conclusion The decision specified in this Amended Record of Decision is effective upon being made public, in accordance with DOE's NEPA implementation regulations (10 CFR 1021.315). The goals of this decision remain as stated in the first Record of Decision, namely to prepare the sand, slag and crucible residues for disposal in a manner that addresses health and safety concerns associated with storage of the sand, slag and crucible residues and to support closure of the Rocky Flats Site. Issued in Washington, DC this 25th day of August, 1999. Carolyn L. Huntoon, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management. [FR Doc. 99-22671 Filed 8-31-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P