US FR on Disposal of the S3G and D1G Prototype Reactor Plants

[Mike Grissom <mikeg@SLAC.Stanford.EDU>]

Radsafers,

Particularly former US Navy nukes, may find this US Federal
Register entry (extract) of particular interest:

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Federal Register: January 28, 1998 (Volume 63, Number
18, 4235).

Section: Notices

Agency: DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Title:	Record of Decision on the Disposal of the S3G and D1G
	Prototype Reactor Plants

Action: Record of decision.
...
SUMMARY: This Record of Decision has been prepared on the Disposal
of the S3G and D1G Prototype Reactor Plants, located at the Knolls
Atomic Power Laboratory Kesselring Site (Kesselring Site) near
West Milton, New York, pursuant to Section 102(2) of the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.),
and in accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality
regulations implementing NEPA procedures (40 CFR parts 1500-1508),
and Department of Energy (DOE) regulations implementing NEPA
procedures (10 CFR part 1021). The DOE Office of Naval Reactors
(Naval Reactors Program) has decided to promptly dismantle the
defueled S3G and D1G Prototype reactor plants. The project will be
completed as soon as practicable subject to available appropriated
funding. To the extent practical, the resulting low-level
radioactive materials will be recycled at existing commercial
facilities. The remaining low-level radioactive wastes will be
disposed of at the DOE Savannah River Site in South Carolina. All
non-radiological waste would be recycled or disposed of off-site
at permitted facilities using licensed haulers.
...
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The S3G and D1G Prototype reactor plants
are located on the 65-acre Kesselring Site near West Milton, New
York, approximately 17 miles north of Schenectady. The S3G and D1G
Prototype reactor plants first started operation in 1958 and
1962, respectively, and served for more than 30 years as facilities
for testing reactor plant components and equipment and for training
of U.S. Navy personnel. As a result of the end of the Cold War and
the downsizing of the Navy, the S3G and D1G Prototype reactor
plants were shutdown in May 1991 and March 1996, respectively.
Removal of the spent nuclear fuel from the S3G and D1G Prototype
reactors and shipments of the spent nuclear fuel to the Expended
Core Facility at the DOE's Idaho National Engineering and
Environmental Laboratory were completed in July 1994 and February
1997, respectively. After defueling, the S3G and D1G Prototype
reactor plants were placed in a safe and stable protective storage
condition. The Kesselring Site will not be released for other uses
in the foreseeable future since two active prototype reactor
plants continue to operate to perform training of U.S. Navy
personnel and testing of naval nuclear propulsion plant equipment.

The alternatives analyzed in detail in the Final Environmental
Impact Statement were the preferred alternative of prompt
dismantlement, a deferred dismantlement alternative, and a no
action alternative of keeping the defueled S3G and D1G Prototype
reactor plants in protective storage indefinitely.

DOE has selected prompt dismantlement of the S3G and D1G Prototype
reactor plants. All S3G and D1G Prototype reactor plant systems,
components and structures will be removed from the Kesselring
Site. To the extent practicable, the resulting low-level
radioactive metals will be recycled at existing commercial
facilities. The remaining low-level radioactive waste will be
disposed of at the DOE Savannah River Site in South Carolina.
There will be an estimated total of 60 radioactive material
shipments from the Kesselring Site to either the Savannah River
Site or to commercial recycling facilities. Two or three of the
shipments will be by rail and the remainder will be by truck.
The Savannah River Site currently receives low-level radioactive
waste from Naval Reactors' sites in the eastern United States.
Both the volume and radioactive content of the S3G and D1G
Prototype reactor plant low-level waste fall within the
projections of Naval Reactors' waste provided to the Savannah
River Site, which are included and analyzed in the Savannah River
Site Waste Management Final Environmental Impact Statement, dated
July 1995. All nonradiological shipments would be by truck, and
would be recycled or disposed of off-site at permitted facilities
using licensed haulers.

The deferred dismantlement alternative would involve keeping the
defueled S3G and D1G Prototype reactor plants in protective
storage for 30 years before dismantlement. Deferring
dismantlement for 30 years would allow nearly all of the
cobalt-60 radioactivity to decay. Nearly all of the gamma
radiation within the reactor plant comes from cobalt-60. The very
small amount of longer-lived radioisotopes, such as nickel-59,
would remain and would have to be addressed during dismantlement.

The no action alternative would involve keeping the defueled S3G
and D1G Prototype reactor plants in protective storage
indefinitely. Since there is some residual radioactivity with
long half-lives, such as nickel-59, in the defueled reactor
plant, this alternative would leave some radioactivity at the
Kesselring Site indefinitely.

The Naval Reactors Program distributed the Draft Environmental
Impact Statement on the Disposal of the S3G and D1G Prototype
Reactor Plants in July 1997. Comments from 14 individuals and
agencies were received in either oral or written statements at a
public hearing or in comment letters.  Approximately one-third of
the commenters expressed a preference for the Naval Reactors'
preferred alternative, prompt dismantlement. Based on U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) review of the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement, EPA rated the proposed project as
"LO" (Lack of Objection). All of the comments and Naval Reactors'
responses are included in an appendix to the Final Environmental
Impact Statement, distributed in November 1997.