81 FR 91925 - Request for Comment: Publication of the Draft Plan for a Defense Waste Repository

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 243 (December 19, 2016)

Consistent with the determination by the President in March 2015 and pursuant to its authorities under the Atomic Energy Act, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is proceeding to evaluate the development of a repository for disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) resulting from DOE's atomic energy defense activities. This defense waste repository (DWR) could be used to dispose of some or all of the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and HLW resulting from DOE's atomic energy defense activities and/or research and development activities. The DOE intends to use a consent-based process for siting the DWR, and is beginning that process by sharing the Draft Plan for a DWR for public comment.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 243 (Monday, December 19, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 91925-91926]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-30366]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Request for Comment: Publication of the Draft Plan for a Defense 
Waste Repository

AGENCY: Office of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition, Office of Nuclear 
Energy, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comment.

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SUMMARY: Consistent with the determination by the President in March 
2015 and pursuant to its authorities under the Atomic Energy Act, the 
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is proceeding to evaluate the 
development of a repository for disposal of high-level radioactive 
waste (HLW) resulting from DOE's atomic energy defense activities. This 
defense waste repository (DWR) could be used to dispose of some or all 
of the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and HLW resulting from DOE's atomic 
energy defense activities and/or research and development activities. 
The DOE intends to use a consent-based process for siting the DWR, and 
is beginning that process by sharing the Draft Plan for a DWR for 
public comment.

DATES: The comment period will end March 20, 2017. Comments received 
after this date will be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: The Draft Plan is available at energy.gov/DWR. Interested 
persons may submit comments by any of the following methods.
    Email: Comments may be submitted by email to [email protected]. Please 
include ``Response to DWR RFC'' in subject line.
    Mail: Comments may be provided by mail to the following address: 
U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy, Response to DWR 
RFC, 1000 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20585.
    Fax: Responses may be faxed to 202-586-0544. Please include 
``Response to DWR RFC'' on the fax cover page.
    Online: Responses may be submitted online at www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Evangeline Chase at (202) 586-7965 or 
[email protected]. Written inquiries should be mailed to Ms. Evangeline 
Chase at the Department of Energy, Office of Spent Fuel and Waste 
Disposition (NE-8), Office of Nuclear Energy, 1000 Independence Ave. 
SW., Washington, DC 20585.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    Nuclear material is used to power naval vessels and was used to 
build the U.S. nuclear weapon stockpile during the Cold War. These 
activities have generated spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level 
radioactive waste (HLW) that are currently stored at multiple DOE 
sites.
    The United States no longer generates defense HLW from reprocessing 
of SNF associated with weapons production. The finite volume and lower 
heat output of the defense HLW compared to commercial SNF simplify the 
planning required to site and construct a DWR, in contrast to that for 
a common repository for both defense and commercial nuclear waste under 
the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA).
    The United States does not have an operating permanent disposal 
site for SNF and HLW. Isolating this material from the biosphere is 
necessary to ensure the long-term safety and security of the public and 
environment. DOE is responsible for removing defense HLW and SNF that 
is currently stored at several DOE sites. These environmental clean-up 
activities require a permanent disposal site for the defense waste.
    In March 2015, the President issued a Presidential Memorandum in 
which he found that ``the development of a repository for the disposal 
of high-level radioactive waste resulting from atomic energy defense 
activities only is required.'' This finding permits the Department to 
develop a separate DWR in accordance with its authority under the 
Atomic Energy Act. A DWR could be used to dispose of some or all of the 
SNF and HLW resulting from DOE's atomic energy defense activities and/
or research and development activities.
    The Department has begun early planning to identify various 
activities that need to be performed to evaluate and design a DWR. 
Although these plans are preliminary, they begin to describe the 
different components--including technical, regulatory, risk management, 
cost and schedule considerations--that need to come together to build a 
viable program, all within the framework of a consent-based siting 
process. A DWR could be sited, licensed, and built sooner than a common 
repository. This could potentially reduce ongoing storage, treatment, 
and management costs for defense waste currently stored at DOE 
facilities. Successful development of a DWR could play an important 
role in a broader nuclear waste strategy by providing important 
experience in the design, siting, licensing, and development of the 
facility that could be applied to the development of a future 
repository for commercial spent fuel.
    It is now appropriate to share the Draft Plan and ask the public 
for its review and feedback. Ultimately, the final Plan would provide 
meaningful information to any community interested in learning more 
about what it would take to host such a facility.

Purpose

    In this notice, DOE announces the availability of the Draft Plan 
for a Defense Waste Repository to inform the public and request 
feedback on the plan. The Draft Plan is available at the following Web 
site--energy.gov/DWR.

Next Steps

    Comments received in response to this Request for Comments will be 
used to revise the Draft Plan and inform next steps.

[[Page 91926]]

Submitting Comments

    Instructions: Submit comments via any of the mechanisms set forth 
in the ADDRESSES section. No individual responses to comments will be 
provided. DOE plans to publish all comments received in their entirety 
without change or edit, including any personal information provided, on 
the Office of Nuclear Energy Web site at the close of the public 
comment period. All submissions from individuals, organizations or 
businesses will be recorded and included in the public record, 
published and open to public inspection in their entirety.
    Privacy Act: Data collected via the mechanism listed above will not 
be protected from the public view in any way.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on December 6, 2016.
Andrew R. Griffith,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition, Office 
of Nuclear Energy, Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2016-30366 Filed 12-16-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P