Subject: Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management; Site
[Federal Register: August 30, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 169)]
[Notices]
[Page 45845-45846]
>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30au01-44]
[[Page 45845]]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management; Site
Recommendation Consideration; Suggested Topics for Public Comment
Process
AGENCY: Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Notice of suggested topics for public comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (the Department) provides suggested
topics for public consideration regarding the possible recommendation
by the Secretary of Energy to the President of the Yucca Mountain Site
in Nevada for development as a spent nuclear fuel and high-level
nuclear waste geologic repository, pursuant to Section 114(a)(1) of the
Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended (NWPA).
DATES: As announced previously in the Federal Register (66 FR 43850-
43851), written comments on the Secretary's consideration of Yucca
Mountain for a potential site recommendation to the President will be
accepted for consideration if received by September 20, 2001. Comments
received after September 20, 2001, will be considered to the extent
practicable.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to Carol Hanlon, U.S.
Department of Energy, Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Office, (M/S
#025), P.O. Box 30307, North Las Vegas, Nevada 89036-0307, or provided
by electronic mail to YMP_SR@ymp.gov. Written comments should be
identified on the outside of the envelope, and on the comments
themselves, with the designation: A Possible Site Recommendation for
Yucca Mountain. Comments can also be submitted by facsimile to 1-800-
967-0739.
Copies of any written comments, and documents referenced in this
notice may be inspected and photocopied in the Department's Freedom of
Information Act Reading Room located at the Yucca Mountain Science
Center, 4101B Meadows Lane, Las Vegas, Nevada, (702) 295-1312, between
the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10:00
a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, except for Federal holidays. Documents
referenced in this notice may be found on the Internet at http://
www.ymp.gov and at http://www.rw.doe.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of
Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Yucca Mountain Site
Characterization Office, (M/S #025), P.O. Box 30307, North Las Vegas,
Nevada 89036-0307, 1-800-967-3477.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 7, 2001, the Department announced in
the Federal Register (66 FR 23013-23016) the initiation of a public
comment period on the Secretary's consideration of the Yucca Mountain
site for recommendation as a spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste
repository. In conjunction with the initiation of the comment period,
the Department issued a report, the Yucca Mountain Science and
Engineering Report (YMS&ER), summarizing the scientific and technical
information compiled by the Department to date outlining the
preliminary design and performance attributes of a potential geologic
repository at the Yucca Mountain site. This report was provided to
inform the public and facilitate public comment and review on the
technical and scientific information and analyses forming the basis for
the Department's consideration of a possible site recommendation.
On August 21, 2001, the Department announced in the Federal
Register (66 FR 43850-43851) the issuance of another report, the
Preliminary Site Suitability Evaluation (PSSE), that also is intended
to inform the public and facilitate public review and comment on a
possible site recommendation. The PSSE contains a preliminary
evaluation of the suitability of the Yucca Mountain site for
development as a geologic repository based on the Department's proposed
site suitability regulations, to be codified as 10 CFR part 963. The
preliminary evaluation described in the PSSE is based on information
contained in the YMS&ER, supplemented by the most recent available
technical information. The Department also announced in that notice the
scheduling of public hearings, pursuant to Section 114 (a)(1) of the
NWPA, and the date for the closure of the public comment period
(September 20, 2001).
Over the next several months, the Secretary will carefully consider
a large body of scientific documents, as well as the views of the
public, in determining whether to recommend to the President that the
Yucca Mountain site be developed as a repository for spent nuclear fuel
and high level radioactive waste. In order to encourage and facilitate
public participation in that process, the Department has sent the
attached letter to a list of governmental officials and members of the
public whose interest in commenting the Department has anticipated. The
letter contains a list of suggested topics for public comment. The list
is not intended to be comprehensive. Nor is it intended to inhibit the
public from commenting on any other relevant technical, policy or other
issue related to a possible recommendation of the site. The Department
is publishing the attached letter today so that members of the public
who do not receive an actual copy will have the opportunity to add
their comments in response to the suggested topics.
Issued in Washington, D.C. on August 27, 2001.
Ronald A. Milner,
Chief Operating Officer, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste
Management.
Attachment
Dear ______
Over the next several months the Secretary of Energy will
carefully consider a large body of scientific documents, as well as
the views of the public, and decide whether or not to recommend to
the President that Yucca Mountain be developed to serve as our
repository for spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste.
As you probably know, on August 21, 2001, the Department of Energy
(Department) published a Federal Register notice (66 FR 43850) which
scheduled public hearings and announced a closing date of September
20, 2001 for public comments on this possible recommendation by the
Secretary. Your comments in response to this notice would be very
much appreciated.
The Nuclear Waste Policy Act, as amended (the Act), establishes
the Federal responsibility for the final disposition of spent
nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste in the United States.
This responsibility includes 50 years of defense legacy wastes that
have resulted from the development of nuclear weapons, spent fuel
that has provided power for the United States Navy, spent fuel from
the Nation's university research reactors, and spent fuel from the
Nation's civilian reactors, which provide approximately twenty
percent of our domestic electricity supply.
The Department has spent 20 years and over $6.7 billion studying
various means to fulfill the Federal responsibility. Since 1987, at
the direction of the Act, the Department has been required to focus
exclusively on the Yucca Mountain site. The result of this effort is
contained within the Yucca Mountain Preliminary Site Suitability
Evaluation (PSSE) and other scientific documents produced by the
Department. The PSSE and these other supporting technical documents
are available on the Internet (http://ymp.gov), or may be requested
by telephone (1-800-967-3477).
The Secretary's recommendation regarding the Yucca Mountain site
is an important intermediate step in the decades-long process for
siting and developing a repository. If the Secretary determines that
the scientific evaluation of the site indicates the site is suitable
for development of a repository, he may then submit a recommendation
for site development to the President. If the
[[Page 45846]]
President accepts the Secretary's positive recommendation, he would
recommend the site as qualified for application for a construction
license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The State of
Nevada would then have the opportunity to submit a disapproval
notice. If it does so, Congress would have to pass a law approving
the President's recommendation in order for it to take effect. If
the President's recommendation does take effect, the Department
would then prepare and submit a construction license application to
NRC.
It is important to note that, following a possible Presidential
recommendation and prior to either the construction of or use of a
repository, numerous additional steps must be satisfied. These steps
include consideration of the Presidential recommendation by the
State of Nevada and possibly the United States Congress. In
addition, construction of a facility and receipt of waste requires
the issuance of a construction license and a license to possess
nuclear material, respectively, by the NRC after a rigorous review
process with public involvement.
In providing comments to the Department, there are a number of
topics regarding which your views and comments would be appreciated.
An outline of these topics is attached for your use. The Department
also values any other comments you believe would be relevant to its
consideration. Your participation on this critical issue is
important and helpful. Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Lake H. Barrett,
Acting Director, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management.
Suggested Topics for Public Comment on Yucca Mountain
Please provide your views concerning whether the Yucca
Mountain Preliminary Site Suitability Evaluation (PSSE) and other
scientific documents produced by the Department provide an adequate
basis for finding that the Yucca Mountain site is suitable for
development of a repository. If you believe that certain aspects of
the PSSE are inadequate, please detail the basis for this belief and
indicate how the documentation might be made adequate with respect
to these aspects.
If the Secretary determines that the scientific
analysis indicates that the Yucca Mountain site is likely to meet
the applicable radiation protection standards established by the
Environmental Protection Agency and Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
do you believe that the Secretary should proceed to recommend the
site to the President at this time? If not, please explain.
Are there any reasons that you believe should prevent
the President from concluding that the Yucca Mountain site is
qualified for the preparation and submission of a construction
license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission?
If you believe that the Secretary should not proceed
with a recommendation to develop a repository at Yucca Mountain,
what mechanism should be utilized to meet the Department's legal
obligation to begin accepting spent nuclear fuel and high level
radioactive waste?
If you believe that the Secretary should not proceed
with a recommendation to develop a repository at Yucca Mountain,
what measures should the Nation consider for assuring safe disposal
of spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste?
Please provide any other comments concerning any
relevant aspect of the Yucca Mountain site for use as a repository,
or that are otherwise relevant to the consideration of a possible
recommendation by the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-21961 Filed 8-27-01; 4:47 pm]
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