S -- COMMERCIAL SECTOR PROVISION OF ELEMENTAL MERCURY PROCESSING SERVICES-REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

Notice Date

May 22, 2001

Contracting Office

DLA, Defense National Stockpile Center, Directorate of Stockpile Contracts, 8725 John J. Kingman Road, Suite 4616, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6223

ZIP Code

22060-6223

Response Due

July 9, 2001

Point of Contact

Dennis Lynch, Project Manager, (703) 767-7609

E-Mail Address

Click here to contact the project manager via e-mail. (information@mercuryeis.com)

Description

I. SUMMARY: As announced in the Federal Register on February 5, 2001, The Defense National Stockpile Center (DNSC), part of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) within the Department of Defense (DoD), is preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) to assess alternatives for the management or use of 4,890 tons of elemental mercury that has been declared excess to U.S. defense needs. The EIS will evaluate a range of reasonable alternatives that are likely to include mercury processing and storage, and processing and disposal alternatives. DNSC is requesting Expressions of Interest to determine whether there are any available existing technologies for, and firms capable of and interested in supplying, processing services to render the excess elemental mercury more stable and/or less toxic for storage or disposal. This is not a request for proposals, but rather an attempt to obtain information and to identify entities interested in performing this service. Processing technologies that are submitted for DNSC consideration will be reviewed to determine their reasonableness for evaluation in the EIS. II. BACKGROUND: The DNSC inventory of approximately 4,890 tons of excess mercury is currently stored in warehouses at four locations. Most of the excess inventory, about 2,882 tons (75,980 flasks) is stored at the Somerville Depot near Somerville, NJ. Approximately 770 tons (20,276 flasks) is stored at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, TN, and 621 tons (16,355 flasks) is stored at the Warren Depot near Warren, OH. The remainder, 614 tons (16,151 flasks), is stored at the Casad Depot, near New Haven, IN. The DNSC mercury is between 99.5 and 99.9 percent pure. The material is currently stored in steel flasks with each flask containing about 76 pounds (34.5 kilograms) of mercury. The flasks are stored in wooden box pallets equipped with drip pans, with 50 to 60 flasks to a pallet. Most of the flasks were manufactured in the 1940's and 1950's, although the mercury at the Y-12 National Security Complex was transferred into new flasks in the mid-1970s. DNSC, as custodian of the excess inventory of mercury, must decide on an approach for long-term management or use of the material. As required by Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and DLA National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations, this decision must include consideration of a range of reasonable management alternatives and the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of those alternatives. Therefore as announced in the Federal Register (pages 8947 8949) on February 5, 2001, DNSC is preparing an EIS, and is evaluating a range of reasonable alternatives in the EIS. These alternatives include no action, and are likely to include consolidated long-term storage, processing and storage, processing and disposal, and sales. The excess mercury stored by DNSC is a resource that has commercial uses, and therefore, is not a waste. If, in the Record of Decision (ROD) for the EIS, DNSC decides to dispose of the mercury inventory, the material would then be considered a waste, and would be subject to applicable waste management regulations. DNSC understands that current hazardous waste disposal regulations (40 CFR 268) do not allow disposal of elemental mercury even after treatment. DNSC is anticipating rulemaking by EPA that may soon allow the disposal of treated elemental mercury. Regulations for the treatment of elemental mercury for disposal were discussed in EPA's Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published in the May 28, 1999 Federal Register (pages 28949- 28963). III. PURPOSE: As part of the EIS, DNSC is requesting Expressions of Interest from parties that would be interested in supplying processing services to render 4,890 tons (128,762, 76-lb flasks) of excess DNSC elemental mercury more stable and/or less toxic. Processing technologies that are submitted for DNSC consideration will be reviewed to determine their reasonableness for evaluation in the EIS. The EIS will assess the environmental impacts of each reasonable alternative for mercury management, including options for mercury processing. This initiative extends only to mercury processing services and not to any of the other functions reviewed in the EIS (e.g., storage and disposal). More detailed information on the EIS can be found in the February 5, 2001 Federal Register and at the Mercury Management EIS web site at www.mercuryeis.com. IV. EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FORMAT: The length of the Expression of Interest should be no more than 30 pages using 12-point font. While the responder may determine how best to use the 30 pages, we recommend the following format: SECTION I -- Summary; SECTION 2 Description of mercury processing technology with specific reference to the items requested by DNSC below. V. PROPRIETARY INFORMATION: If the Expression of Interest contains information that is privileged or confidential and which the respondent does not want disclosed to the public or used by the Federal Government for any purpose other than this Notice, the respondent should place the following notice on the Expression of Interest. "Notice: The data contained in the pages of this Expression of Interest have been submitted in confidence and contain trade secrets or commercial or financial information that is confidential or privileged, and such data should be used or disclosed only for purposes of consideration of this Expression of Interest. This restriction does not limit the Government's right to use or disclose data obtained without restriction from any source, including the respondent." The respondent should mark the pages that are considered "Proprietary Information". VI. SUBMISSION: Those wishing to make an Expression of Interest should do so in writing within forty-five (45) calendar days of this publication, to ensure their consideration. Each submittal should consist of four copies, and be mailed to Project Manager, Mercury Management EIS; DNSC-E; Defense Logistics Agency; Defense National Stockpile Center, 8725 John J. Kingman Road, Suite 4616, Fort Belvoir, VA. 22060-6223. DNSC will not consider attachments or appendices if the total number of pages exceeds 30 pages. Questions may be submitted by e-mail to information@mercuryeis.com or by fax to (888) 306-8818. Responses to questions will be posted on the Mercury Management EIS web site at www.mercuryeis.com. DNSC will not pay for any costs associated with the preparation or submission of Expressions of Interest in response to this Notice. DNSC reserves the right to respond or not respond to any portion, all, or none of the Expressions of Interest submitted in response to this Notice. DNSC requires the following information for each proposed processing technology: 1. A map showing the location of the processing unit on the offeror's site, nearby (within 10 miles) political boundaries, communities, roads, railroads, airports, water bodies, and parkland and other environmentally sensitive areas; 2. A description of the site including ownership, current activities, current tenants, numbers of employees, access control systems, hazardous materials handling experience, mercury handling experience, previous regulatory compliance problems (last 5 years), and existing environmental contamination; 3. A description of the mercury processing unit including: dimensions, space required (acres), personnel needed to operate, required personnel protective equipment, estimates of exposure of operating personnel to hazardous materials, types and quantities of utilities required (e.g., electricity, water, natural gas, fuel oil, etc.), and special features which provide protection against leaks and external environmental hazards. Include a material flow diagram with mass balance, emissions rates of pollutants to air and water, and quantities and types of non-hazardous and hazardous wastes and waste-waters produced; 4. For air emissions, provide emission release characteristics (i.e. stack height, diameter, exit temperature, exit velocity, location, and base elevation); 5. For water emissions, provide release characteristics (i.e., flow rate, and discharge location); 6. Land (acres), equipment, materials, utilities, and labor required to upgrade or construct the facility, and wastes produced; 7. Physical and chemical characteristics of the processed mercury (e.g., aerosol, solid or fine particulate, acidic or basic, flammable, strength [compressive, shear]); 8. Stability of the processed mercury under conditions likely during storage in steel drums; 9. Stability of the processed mercury under conditions likely to occur in a lined landfill (include TCLP, UTS measurements); 10. Required environmental and health and safety approvals; 11. Estimated cost, including construction, operations, and any decontamination. Include a description of the basis for the estimate, and any assumptions; and 12. Estimated time to process 4,490 tons. This is not a request for proposals, but rather an attempt to obtain information and to identify available technologies and firms interested in performing this service.

Web Link

Click here to view the Mercury Management EIS web site. (http://www.mercuryeis.com)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010524/SSOL002.HTM (W-142 SN50M7Q2)