[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 200 (Monday, October 18, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 56185-56186]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-27140]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 194
[FRL-6459-5]
RIN 2060-AG85
Waste Characterization Program Documents Applicable to
Transuranic Radioactive Waste From the Rocky Flats Environmental
Technology Site for Disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice of availability; opening of public comment period.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the
availability of, and soliciting public comments for 30 days on
Department of Energy (DOE) documents applicable to characterization of
transuranic (TRU) radioactive waste at Rocky Flats Environmental
Technology Site (RFETS) proposed for disposal at the Waste Isolation
Pilot Plant (WIPP). The documents are entitled: (1) ``Salt Residue
Repack, Bldg. 371 and 707 Process Control Plan, RS-020-021, Rev. 000,''
(2) ``Ash Residue Repack Project, Bldg. 707 Process Control Plan, RS-
020-012, Rev. 000,'' (3) ``Dry Residue Repackaging Process Control
Plan, RS-020-013, Rev. 000,'' and ``Combustible Residue Repackaging
Process Control Plan, RS-020-018, Rev. 000.'' They are available for
review in the public dockets listed in ADDRESSES. EPA will conduct an
inspection of waste characterization systems and processes at RFETS to
verify that the proposed systems and processes at RFETS can
characterize transuranic waste in accordance with EPA's WIPP compliance
criteria at 40 CFR 194.24. EPA will perform this inspection the week of
November 15, 1999. This notice of the inspection and comment period
accords with 40 CFR 194.8.
DATES: EPA is requesting public comment on the documents. Comments must
be received by EPA's official Air Docket on or before November 17,
1999.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be submitted to: Docket No. A-98-49, Air
Docket, Room M-1500 (LE-131), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401
M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460. The DOE documents are available for
review in the official EPA Air Docket in Washington, DC, Docket No. A-
98-49, Category II-A2, and at the following three EPA WIPP
informational docket locations in New Mexico: in Carlsbad at the
Municipal Library, Hours: Monday-Thursday, 10am-9pm, Friday-Saturday,
10am-6pm, and Sunday 1pm-5pm; in Albuquerque at the Government
Publications Department, Zimmerman Library, University of New Mexico,
Hours: vary by semester; and in Santa Fe at the New Mexico State
Library, Hours: Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm.
As provided in EPA's regulations at 40 CFR part 2, and in
accordance with normal EPA docket procedures, if copies of any docket
materials are requested, a reasonable fee may be charged for
photocopying.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Monroe, Office of Radiation and
Indoor Air, (202) 564-9310 or call EPA's toll-free WIPP Information
Line, 1-800-331-WIPP.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
DOE is developing the WIPP near Carlsbad in southeastern New Mexico
as a deep geologic repository for disposal of TRU radioactive waste. As
defined by the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (LWA) of 1992 (Pub. L. No. 102-
579), as amended (Pub. L. No. 104-201), TRU waste consists of materials
containing elements having atomic numbers greater than 92 (with half-
lives greater than twenty years), in concentrations greater than 100
nanocuries of alpha-emitting TRU isotopes per gram of waste. Much of
the existing TRU waste consists of items contaminated during the
production of nuclear weapons, such as rags, equipment, tools, and
sludges.
On May 13, 1998, EPA announced its final compliance certification
decision to the Secretary of Energy (published May 18, 1998, 63 FR
27354). This decision stated that the WIPP will comply with EPA's
radioactive waste disposal regulations at 40 CFR part 191, subparts B
and C.
The final WIPP certification decision includes conditions that (1)
prohibit shipment of TRU waste for disposal at WIPP from any site other
than the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) until the EPA determines
that the site has established and executed a quality assurance program,
in accordance with Secs. 194.22(a)(2)(i), 194.24(c)(3), and
194.24(c)(5) for waste characterization activities and assumptions
(Condition 2 of Appendix A to 40 CFR part 194); and (2) prohibit
shipment of TRU waste for disposal at WIPP from any site other than
LANL until the EPA has approved the procedures developed to comply with
the waste characterization requirements of Sec. 194.22(c)(4) (Condition
3 of Appendix A to 40 CFR part 194). The EPA's approval process for
waste generator sites is described in Sec. 194.8. As part of EPA's
decision-making process, the DOE is required to submit to EPA
appropriate documentation of quality assurance and waste
characterization programs at each DOE waste generator site seeking
approval for shipment of TRU radioactive waste to WIPP. In accordance
with Sec. 194.8, EPA will place such documentation in the official Air
Docket in Washington, DC, and informational dockets in the State of New
Mexico for public review and comment.
EPA approved the required quality assurance program at RFETS in
March 1999. EPA also approved certain waste characterization processes
at RFETS in March 1999 and June 1999. DOE is proposing to use
additional nondestructive assay processes that EPA did not previously
inspect at RFETS. EPA will conduct a inspection of RFETS to verify that
the utilization of these additional processes as part of the system of
controls for waste characterization complies with 40 CFR 194.24.
EPA has placed four documents pertinent to the inspection in the
public docket described in ADDRESSES. The documents are entitled: (1)
``Salt Residue Repack, Bldg. 371 and 707
[[Page 56186]]
Process Control Plan, RS-020-021, Rev. 000,'' (2) ``Ash Residue Repack
Project, Bldg. 707 Process Control Plan, RS-020-012, Rev. 000,'' (3)
``Dry Residue Repackaging Process Control Plan, RS-020-013, Rev. 000,''
and ``Combustible Residue Repackaging Process Control Plan, RS-020-018,
Rev. 000.'' Two other relevant RFETS documents--``Tansuranic Waste
Management Manual, Rev. 2,'' and ``RFETS TRU Waste Characterization
Program Quality Assurance Project Plan''--were placed in Docket A-98-49
previously (Items II-A2-9 and II-A2-10) and are also open to comment.
In accordance with 40 CFR 194.8, as amended by the final certification
decision, EPA is providing the public 30 days to comment on these
documents.
If EPA determines as a result of the inspection that the proposed
processes at RFETS adequately control the characterization of
transuranic waste, we will notify DOE by letter and place the letter in
the official Air Docket in Washington, DC, as well as in the
informational docket locations in New Mexico. A letter of approval will
allow the DOE to ship from RFETS the TRU waste that may be
characterized using the approved processes. The EPA will not make a
determination of compliance prior to the inspection or before the 30-
day comment period has closed.
Information on the certification decision is filed in the official
EPA Air Docket, Docket No. A-93-02 and is available for review in
Washington, DC, and at three EPA WIPP informational docket locations in
New Mexico. The dockets in New Mexico contain only major items from the
official Air Docket in Washington, DC, plus those documents added to
the official Air Docket since the October 1992 enactment of the WIPP
LWA.
Dated: October 7, 1999.
Robert Perciasepe,
Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 99-27140 Filed 10-15-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P