[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 84 (Friday, May 1, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24197-24198]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11620]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 72-22]


Private Fuel Storage, L.L.C., Independent Spent Fuel Storage 
Installation, Skull Valley Indian Reservation, Tooele County, UT, 
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and 
Conduct Scoping Process

Description of Proposed Action

    Private Fuel Storage, L.L.C. (the applicant) submitted an 
application, dated June 20, 1997, for a license to construct and 
operate an independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) at the 
Skull Valley Indian Reservation in Tooele County, Utah. The license, 
under the provisions of Part 72 to Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR part 72), would authorize the applicant to receive, 
possess, store, and transfer spent nuclear fuel from licensed 
commercial U.S. nuclear power reactors in dry storage systems. A notice 
of consideration of issuance of a materials

[[Page 24198]]

license for the proposed Private Fuel Storage Facility (PFSF) was 
published in the Federal Register on July 31, 1997 (62 FR 41099).

Environmental Report

    In connection with this proposed action, the applicant submitted an 
Environmental Report in accordance with the requirements specified in 
10 CFR part 51 and pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969. The Environmental Report is available for public inspection at 
the Commission's Public Document Room in the Gelman Building, 2120 L 
Street, NW, Washington, DC, and the Local Public Document Room at the 
University of Utah, Marriott Library, Documents Division, 295 S. 1500 
East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-0860.

Environmental Impact Statement

    In accordance with NRC regulations specified in 10 CFR 51.20(b)(9), 
NRC has determined that the proposed action is a major federal action 
that warrants the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) on the construction and operation of the proposed ISFSI.
    NRC will first conduct a scoping process and, as soon as 
practicable thereafter, prepare a draft EIS for comment by the public 
and other agencies. The draft EIS will be the subject of a separate 
notice in the Federal Register. After receipt and consideration of 
comments, the NRC will prepare a final EIS.

Public Scoping Process

    The scoping process for the EIS will be used to:
    (1) Define the scope of the proposed action which is to be the 
subject of the EIS.
    (2) Determine the scope of the EIS and identify the significant 
issues to be analyzed in depth.
    (3) Identify and eliminate from detailed study issues which are 
peripheral or are not significant.
    (4) Identify any environmental assessments and other EIS which are 
being or will be prepared that are related to but are not part of the 
scope of the EIS under consideration.
    (5) Identify other environmental review and consultation 
requirements related to the proposed action.
    (6) Indicate the relationship between the timing of the preparation 
of the environmental analyses and the Commission's tentative planning 
and decision making schedule.
    (7) Identify any cooperating agencies, and as appropriate, allocate 
assignments for preparation and schedules for completion of the EIS to 
the NRC and any cooperating agencies.
    (8) Describe the means by which the EIS will be prepared, including 
any contractor assistance to be used.
    The NRC invites the following persons to participate in the scoping 
process:
    (1) The applicant, Private Fuel Storage, L.L.C.;
    (2) Any person who has petitioned for leave to intervene or who has 
been admitted as a party to the proceeding on the license application;
    (3) Any other Federal agency which has jurisdiction by law or 
special expertise with respect to any environmental impact involved or 
which is authorized to develop and enforce relevant environmental 
standards;
    (4) Affected State and local agencies, including those authorized 
to develop and enforce relevant environmental standards;
    (5) Any affected Indian tribe; and
    (6) Any person who has requested an opportunity to participate in 
the scoping process.
    Participants should submit written comments on the EIS scoping 
process to Dr. Edward Y. Shum, Environmental Project Manager, Spent 
Fuel Licensing Section, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555. To be considered in the scoping process, comments 
should be postmarked by June 19, 1998.
    Participation in the scoping process does not entitle participants 
to become parties to the proceeding to which the EIS relates. 
Participation in the adjudicatory proceeding is governed by the 
procedures specified in 10 CFR 2.714 and 2.715, and in the 
aforementioned Federal Register Notice (62 FR 41099).

Public Scoping Meeting

    In accordance with 10 CFR 51.26, the scoping process may include a 
public scoping meeting to help identify significant issues related to a 
proposed activity and to determine the scope of issues to be addressed 
in an EIS. As part of the EIS scoping process related to the 
applicant's proposed action, NRC will conduct a public scoping meeting 
at The Ballroom of the Little America Inn, 500 South Main Street, Salt 
Lake City, Utah 84101, on June 2, 1998, at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will 
include a briefing by Private Fuel Storage, L.L.C. on the proposed 
ISFSI, a briefing by the NRC on the environmental review process and 
the proposed scope of the EIS, and the opportunity for interested 
agencies, organizations, and individuals to submit comments or 
suggestions on the environmental issues or proposed scope of the EIS. 
Persons may register to present oral comments by writing to Dr. Edward 
Y. Shum, at the aforementioned address, or may register at the meeting. 
Individual oral comments may be limited in time, depending on the 
number of persons who register. Comments presented at the meeting will 
be considered in the EIS scoping process.

Summary

    At the conclusion of the scoping process, NRC will prepare a 
concise summary of the determinations and conclusions reached, 
including the significant issues identified, and will send a copy of 
the summary to each participant in the scoping process.
    For additional information about the proposed action, the EIS, or 
the scoping process, contact Dr. Edward Y. Shum at the aforementioned 
address or by telephone at (301) 415-8545.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day of April 1998.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Charles J. Haughney,
Acting Director, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material 
Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 98-11620 Filed 4-30-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P