[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 51 (Monday, March 17, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12720-12721]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-6288]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Notice of Error in Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Construction and Operation of the Proposed Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication 
Facility at the Savannah River Site, South Carolina and Extension of 
Public Comment Period

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of error in Draft Environmental Impact Statement; 
extension of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) noticed in the 
Federal Register (68 FR 9728; February 28, 2003) the availability of a 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on the proposed 
construction and operation of a mixed oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication 
facility at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina and the 
opportunity for stakeholders to provide comment on the DEIS. That the 
Federal Register notice also provided information of public meetings 
that the NRC will be hosting on March 25, 26, and 27, 2003, to accept 
oral and written comments on the DEIS. The U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) also noticed the filing of the DEIS in the 
Federal Register (68 FR 9650, February 28, 2003).
    Since issuing the DEIS, NRC has identified an error in the DEIS. 
The error affects the calculation of the 1-year exposure to members of 
the public following hypothetical accidents at the proposed MOX 
facility, pit disassembly and conversion facility, and waste 
solidification building. The risk associated with these potential 
accidents is still considered to be very small. Correcting the error 
will not change the estimated low probability that such accidents would 
ever occur, but correcting the error is expected to substantially 
reduce these potential impacts.
    NRC is revising the calculations of the 1-year public accident 
impacts and plans to issue errata sheets in early April to stakeholders 
who were mailed a copy of the DEIS. The NRC will also post the revised 
information on the MOX website, which is provided below. The NRC plans 
to discuss this issue at the above noted public meetings.
    Extension of public comment period: The NRC is extending the public 
comment period on the proposed MOX facility DEIS by 30 days. Comments 
should be submitted by May 14, 2003. Submit written comments to: 
Michael T. Lesar, Chief, Rules and Directives

[[Page 12721]]

Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, 
Mail Stop T-6D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555. Comments will also be accepted by e-mail. Interested parties may 
e-mail their comments to [email protected]. Comments will also be accepted by 
fax at (301) 415-5398, Attention: Tim Harris.
    Availability of Documents for Review: The DEIS, and other documents 
on which the DEIS is based, are available for public review through our 
electronic reading room: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm.html. A selected 
group of these documents are on the MOX web page: http://www.nrc.gov/materials/fuel-cycle-fac/mox/licensing.html. For those without access 
to the internet, paper copies of any electronic documents may be 
obtained for a fee by contacting the NRC's Public Document Room at 1-
800-397-4209.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding this 
notice, please contact: Tim Harris at (301) 415-6613.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of March 2003.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Lawrence E. Kokajko,
Acting Chief, Environmental and Performance Assessment Branch Division 
of Waste Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 03-6288 Filed 3-14-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-U