[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 190 (Friday, September 30, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67338-67340]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-23663]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Environmental Impact Statement for the Recapitalization of
Infrastructure Supporting Naval Spent Nuclear Fuel Handling at the
Idaho National Laboratory
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Naval Nuclear Propulsion
Program (NNPP) announces the availability of the Final Environmental
Impact Statement for the Recapitalization of Infrastructure Supporting
Naval Spent Nuclear Fuel Handling at the Idaho National Laboratory
(DOE/EIS-0453-F). The Final EIS evaluates the potential environmental
impacts associated with recapitalizing the infrastructure needed to
ensure the long-term capability of the NNPP to support naval spent
nuclear fuel handling until at least 2060.
DATES: The NNPP will publish a Record of Decision no sooner than 30
days after publication of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA) Notice of availability in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Final EIS are available in public reading
rooms and libraries as indicated in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
portion of this notice. The Final EIS is also available for review at
www.ecfrecapitalization.us and on the DOE's NEPA Web site at http://energy.gov/nepa.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about this
Final EIS, contact: Erik Anderson, Naval Sea Systems Command, 1240
Isaac Hull Avenue SE., Stop 8036, Washington Navy Yard, DC 20376-8036.
For information regarding the DOE NEPA process, please contact: Ms.
Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance (GC-
54), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20585, Telephone (202) 586-4600, or leave a message at
(800) 472-2756.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NNPP prepared this Final EIS in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA),
as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of
NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and the DOE NEPA implementing procedures
(10 CFR 1021). This Final EIS addresses all public comments on the
Draft EIS which was issued on June 19, 2015 (80 FR 35331). The NNPP is
committed to managing naval spent nuclear fuel in a manner that is
consistent with the Department of Energy (DOE) Programmatic Spent
Nuclear Fuel Management and Idaho National Engineering Laboratory
Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Programs Final
Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS-0203-F), and to complying with
the Settlement Agreement, as amended in 2008, among the State of Idaho,
the DOE, and the Navy concerning the management of naval spent nuclear
fuel. Consistent with the Record of Decision for DOE/EIS-0203-F, naval
spent nuclear fuel is shipped by rail from shipyards and prototype
facilities to the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for processing. To
allow the NNPP to continue to unload, transfer, prepare, and package
naval spent nuclear fuel for disposal, three alternatives are evaluated
in the Final EIS: No Action Alternative, Overhaul Alternative, and New
Facility Alternative. The preferred alternative to recapitalize the
infrastructure supporting naval spent nuclear fuel handling is to build
a new facility (New Facility Alternative).
Background
The mission of the NNPP, also known as the Naval Reactors Program,
is to provide the U.S. with safe, effective, and affordable naval
nuclear propulsion plants and to ensure their continued safe and
reliable operation through lifetime support, research and development,
design, construction, specification, certification, testing,
maintenance, and disposal. A crucial component of this mission, naval
spent nuclear fuel handling, occurs at the end of a nuclear propulsion
system's useful life or when naval nuclear fuel has been depleted. The
NNPP is responsible for removal of the naval spent nuclear fuel through
a defueling or refueling operation. Both operations remove the naval
spent nuclear fuel from the reactor, but a refueling operation also
involves installing new fuel, allowing the nuclear-powered ship to be
redeployed into the U.S. Navy fleet. Once the naval spent nuclear fuel
has been removed from an aircraft carrier, submarine, or prototype, it
is sent to the Naval Reactors Facility (NRF) for examination and
further naval spent nuclear fuel handling including transferring,
preparing, and packaging for transfer to an interim storage facility or
geologic repository.
The NNPP ensures that naval spent nuclear fuel handling is
performed in a safe and environmentally responsible manner in
accordance with 50 U.S.C. 2406 and 2511 (codifying Executive Order
12344). Nuclear fuel handling is an intricate and intensive process
requiring a complex infrastructure.
Proposed Action
NNPP is proposing to recapitalize the current naval spent nuclear
fuel handling capabilities provided by the Expended Core Facility (ECF)
located at the NRF on the INL. The purpose of the proposed action is to
provide the infrastructure necessary to support the naval nuclear
reactor defueling and refueling schedules required to meet the
operational needs of the U.S. Navy. The proposed action is needed
because significant upgrades are necessary to ECF infrastructure and
water pools to continue safe and environmentally responsible naval
spent nuclear fuel handling until at least 2060.
The transfer, preparation, and packaging of naval spent nuclear
fuel
[[Page 67339]]
are vital to the NNPP's mission of maintaining the reliable operation
of the naval nuclear fleet and developing effective nuclear propulsion
plants. Although ECF continues to be operated in a safe and
environmentally responsible manner, the ECF infrastructure and
equipment necessary to accomplish the work of naval spent nuclear fuel
handling need significant upgrades to continue safe and environmentally
responsible naval spent nuclear fuel handling until at least 2060.
Efforts are ongoing to sustain this infrastructure, preserve these
essential capabilities, and ensure that the high NNPP standards for
protecting the environment continue to be met. However, major portions
of this infrastructure have been in service for over 50 years.
Alternatives
Consistent with the Record of Decision for DOE/EIS-0203-F, naval
spent nuclear fuel would continue to be shipped by rail from shipyards
and prototypes to NRF for processing. To allow the NNPP to continue to
unload, transfer, prepare, and package naval spent nuclear fuel for
disposal, three alternatives were identified and analyzed in this Final
EIS.
1. No Action Alternative
The No Action Alternative involves maintaining ECF without a change
to the present course of action or management of the facility. The
current naval spent nuclear fuel handling infrastructure would continue
to be used while the NNPP performs only preventative and corrective
maintenance. The No Action Alternative does not meet the purpose for
the proposed action because it would not provide the infrastructure
necessary to support the naval nuclear reactor defueling and refueling
schedules required to meet the operational needs of the U.S. Navy. The
No Action Alternative does not meet the NNPP's need because significant
upgrades are necessary to the ECF infrastructure to continue safe and
environmentally responsible naval spent nuclear fuel handling until at
least 2060. As currently configured, the ECF infrastructure cannot
support use of the new M-290 shipping containers. Significant changes
in configuration of the facility and spent fuel handling processing
locations in the water pool would be required to support unloading fuel
from the new M-290 shipping containers. In addition, over the next 45
years, preventative and corrective maintenance without significant
upgrades and refurbishments may not be sufficient to sustain the proper
functioning of ECF infrastructure and equipment. Upgrades and
refurbishments needed to support use of the new M-290 shipping
containers and continue safe and environmentally responsible operations
would not meet the definition of the No Action Alternative; therefore,
these actions are represented by the Overhaul Alternative.
The implementation of the No Action Alternative (i.e., failure to
perform upgrades and refurbishments), in combination with the NNPP
commitment to only operate in a safe and environmentally responsible
manner, may result in ECF eventually being unavailable for handling
naval spent nuclear fuel. If the NNPP naval spent nuclear fuel handling
infrastructure were to become unavailable, the inability to transfer,
prepare, and package naval spent nuclear fuel could immediately and
profoundly impact the NNPP's mission and national security needs to
refuel and defuel nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers. In
addition, the U.S. Navy could not ensure its ability to meet the
requirements of the Settlement Agreement and its 2008 Addendum.
Since the No Action Alternative does not meet the purpose and need
for the proposed action, it is considered to be an unreasonable
alternative; however, the No Action Alternative is included in the
Final EIS as required by CEQ regulations.
2. Overhaul Alternative
The Overhaul Alternative involves continuing to use the aging
infrastructure at ECF, while incurring increasing costs to provide the
required refurbishments and work-around actions necessary to ensure
uninterrupted aircraft carrier and submarine refuelings and defuelings.
Under the Overhaul Alternative, the NNPP would operate ECF in a safe
and environmentally responsible manner by continuing to maintain ECF
while implementing major refurbishment projects for the ECF
infrastructure and water pools. This would entail:
[ssquf] Short-term actions necessary to keep the infrastructure and
equipment in safe working order, including regular upkeep sufficient to
sustain their proper functioning (e.g., the ongoing work currently
performed in ECF to inspect and repair deteriorating water pool
concrete coatings).
[ssquf] Facility, process, and equipment reconfigurations needed
for specific capabilities required in the future. These actions involve
installation of new equipment and processes, and relocation of existing
equipment and processes, within the current facility to provide a new
capability (e.g., modification of ECF and reconfiguration of the water
pool as necessary to handle M-290 shipping containers).
[ssquf] Major refurbishment actions necessary to sustain the life
of the infrastructure (e.g., to the extent practicable, overhaul the
water pools to bring them up to current design and construction
standards).
Refurbishment activities would take place in parallel with ECF
operations for the majority of the Overhaul Alternative time period.
The first 33 years of the 45 years (i.e., the refurbishment period)
would include refurbishment and operations activities being conducted
in parallel. During certain refurbishment phases, operations could be
limited due to the nature of the refurbishment activities (e.g.,
operations would not continue in water pools that are under repair).
There would then be a 12-year period where only operational activities
would take place in ECF (i.e., the post-refurbishment operational
period).
Failure to implement this overhaul in advance of infrastructure
deterioration would impact the ability of ECF to operate for several
years. Further, overhaul actions would necessitate operational
interruptions for extended periods of time.
3. New Facility Alternative
A New Facility Alternative would acquire capital assets to
recapitalize naval spent nuclear fuel handling capabilities. While a
new facility requires new process and infrastructure assets, the design
could leverage use of the newer, existing ECF support facilities and
would leverage use of newer equipment designs. The facility would be
designed with the flexibility to integrate future identified mission
needs.
Under the current budget and funding levels for the New Facility
Alternative, it is anticipated that construction activities would occur
over approximately a 5-year period.
Construction of the New Facility Alternative would occur in
parallel with ECF operations. An approximately 2-year period would
follow the construction of the New Facility Alternative when new
equipment would be installed and tested, and training would be provided
to qualify the operations workforce.
A new facility would include all current naval spent nuclear fuel
handling operations conducted at ECF. In addition, it would include the
capability to unload naval spent nuclear fuel from M-290 shipping
containers in
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the water pool and handle aircraft carrier naval spent nuclear fuel
assemblies without prior disassembly for preparation and packaging for
disposal. Such capability does not currently exist within the ECF water
pools, mainly due to insufficient available footprint in areas of the
water pool with the required depth of water.
The NNPP will continue to operate ECF during new facility
construction, during a transition period, and after the new facility is
operational for examination work. To keep the ECF infrastructure in a
safe working order during these time periods, some limited upgrades and
refurbishments may be necessary. Details are not currently available
regarding which specific actions will be taken; therefore, they are not
explicitly analyzed as part of the New Facility Alternative. The
environmental impacts from these upgrades and refurbishments are
considered to be bounded by the environmental impacts described in the
Refurbishment Period of the Overhaul Alternative.
Changes From Draft EIS
The Draft EIS was published by the NNPP in June 2015. The NNPP has
considered all public comments received in preparing this Final EIS,
which includes the NNPP's responses to those comments. The Final EIS
highlights changes that were made to address these comments as well as
changes that have resulted from additional design and planning for the
New Facility Alternative. Changes to the design and planning for the
New Facility Alternative include changes to the seismic design
strategy, water management strategy, and analysis of potential air
emissions related to operation of concrete batch plants.
Public Reading Rooms and Libraries
The Final EIS is available for review at the following reading
rooms:
Idaho Operations Office, Department of Energy, Public Reading Room,
2251 N. Boulevard, Idaho Falls, ID 83402, Telephone: (208) 526-1185
Idaho Falls Public Library, 457 W. Broadway, Idaho Falls, ID 83402,
Telephone: (208) 612-8460
Shoshone-Bannock Library, Bannock and Pima Streets, P.O. Box 306, Fort
Hall, ID 83203, Telephone: (208) 238-3882
Eli M. Oboler Library, Idaho State University, 850 South 9th Avenue,
Pocatello, ID 83209, Telephone: (208) 282-2958
Twin Falls Public Library, 201 Fourth Avenue East, Twin Falls, ID
83301, Telephone: (208) 733-2964
Marshall Public Library, 113 South Garfield, Pocatello, ID 83204,
Telephone: (208) 232-1263
Boise Public Library, 715 S. Capitol, Boise, ID 83702, Telephone: (208)
972-8200
Idaho Commission for Libraries, 325 W. State Street, Boise, ID 83702,
Telephone: (208) 334-2150
Latah County, Free Library District, 110 S. Jefferson, Moscow, ID
83843, Telephone: (208) 882-3925
Issued in Washington, DC, on September 23, 2016.
Jeffrey M. Avery,
Director, Regulatory Affairs, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.
[FR Doc. 2016-23663 Filed 9-29-16; 8:45 am]
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