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Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 68 / Thursday, April 8, 2004 / Notices
Issued in Washington, DC April 2, 2004. Margaret S. Y. Chu, Director, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management. [FR Doc. 04–7949 Filed 4–7–04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste to the repository. Under the mostly rail scenario, the Department would rely on a combination of rail, truck and possibly barge to transport to the repository site at Yucca Mountain up to 70,000 metric tons of heavy metal (MTHM) of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Most of the spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, however, would be transported by rail. The Department’s decision to select the mostly rail scenario in Nevada will ultimately require the construction of a rail line to connect the repository site at Yucca Mountain to an existing rail line in the State of Nevada for the shipment of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in the event that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission authorizes construction of the repository and receipt and possession of these materials at Yucca Mountain. To that end, in the same Record of Decision, the Department also decided to select the Caliente rail corridor to study possible alignments for this rail line. In the Repository Final EIS, DOE defined a rail corridor as a 0.25 miles (400-meter) wide strip of land that encompasses one of several possible alignments or specific locations within which DOE could build a rail line. The Caliente rail corridor was described as originating at an existing siding to the mainline railroad near Caliente, Nevada, and extending in a westerly direction to the northwest corner of the Nevada Test and Training Range, before turning south-southeast to the repository at Yucca Mountain. In the Repository Final EIS, DOE also identified eight variations along the Caliente corridor that may minimize or avoid environmental impacts and/or mitigate construction complexities. Variations were defined as a strip of land 0.25 miles (400-meters) wide that describes a different route, from one point along the corridor to another point on the corridor. Thus, the Caliente corridor ranges between 318 miles (512 kilometers) and 344 miles (553 kilometers) in length, depending on the variations considered. In the Repository Final EIS, DOE did not identify variations for about 55 percent of the length of the corridor (hereafter these areas are referred to as ‘‘ common segments’’). DOE proposes to consider the common segments and the eight variations as preliminary alternatives to be evaluated in the Rail Alignment EIS. These alternatives are described in the Preliminary Alternatives section. In addition, DOE will consider other potential variations outside of the 0.25
potential construction and operation of a rail-to-truck intermodal transfer facility, proposed to be located at the confluence of an existing mainline railroad and a highway, to support legal- weight truck transportation until the rail system is fully operational. DATES : The Department invites and encourages comments on the scope of the EIS (hereafter referred to as the Rail Alignment EIS) to ensure that all relevant environmental issues and reasonable alternatives are addressed. Public scoping meetings are discussed below in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. DOE will consider all comments received during the 45- day public scoping period, which starts with the publication of this Notice of Intent and ends May 24, 2004. Comments received after the close of the public scoping period will be considered to the extent practicable. ADDRESSES : Written comments on the scope of this Rail Alignment EIS, questions concerning the proposed action and alternatives, requests for maps that illustrate the Caliente corridor and alternatives, or requests for additional information on the Rail Alignment EIS or transportation planning in general should be directed to: Ms. Robin Sweeney, EIS Document Manager, Office of National Transportation, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, U.S. Department of Energy, 1551 Hillshire Drive, M/S 011, Las Vegas, NV 89134, Telephone 1–800–967–3477, or via the Internet at http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov under ‘‘ What’s New.’’ FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT : For general information regarding the DOE NEPA process contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance (EH–42), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20585, Telephone 202–586–4600, or leave a message at 1–800–472–2756. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION : Background On July 23, 2002, the President signed into law (Pub. L. 107–200) a joint resolution of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate designating the Yucca Mountain site in Nye County, Nevada, for development as a geologic repository for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Subsequently, the Department issued a Record of Decision (April 2, 2004) to announce its selection, both nationally and in the State of Nevada, of the mostly rail scenario analyzed in the Repository Final EIS as the mode of transportation
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Notice of Intent to Prepare an
1 A corridor is a strip of land 0.25 miles (400 meters) wide that encompasses one of several possible routes through which DOE could build a rail line. An alignment is the specific location of a rail line in a corridor. Mountain to an existing main rail line in Nevada. DOE is now announcing its intent to prepare this Rail Alignment EIS to assist in selecting this alignment. The EIS also would consider the Environmental Impact Statement for the Alignment, Construction, and Operation of a Rail Line to a Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, NV AGENCY : U.S. Department of Energy. ACTION : Notice of intent. SUMMARY : The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) announces its intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the alignment, construction, and operation of a rail line for shipments of spent nuclear fuel, high-level radioactive waste, and other materials from a site near Caliente, Lincoln County, Nevada, to a geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada. On April 2, 2004, the Department signed a Record of Decision announcing its selection, both nationally and in the State of Nevada, of the mostly rail scenario analyzed in the ‘‘ Final Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada’’ (DOE/ EIS–0250F, February 2002) (Repository Final EIS). This decision will ultimately require the construction of a rail line to connect the repository site at Yucca Mountain to an existing rail line in the State of Nevada for the shipment of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, in the event that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission authorizes construction of the repository and receipt and possession of these materials at Yucca Mountain. To that end, the Department also decided to select the Caliente rail corridor 1 in which to examine possible alignments for construction of a rail line that would connect the repository at Yucca
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