[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 179 (Thursday, September 16, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 50306]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-24170]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 70-364]
Notice of Issuance of an Environmental Assessment and Finding of
No Significant Impact for the BWX Technologies (BWXT), Parks Township,
Pennsylvania
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is
considering issuing an exemption to BWX Technologies (BWXT or the
licensee) from the requirement at 10 CFR Part 20, Appendix G III (E)(1)
and (2) to investigate and report to the Commission when receipt of a
shipment, or part of a shipment, of radioactive waste is not
acknowledged by the intended recipient within 20 days of the shipment
of the waste.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
By letter dated May 11, 1999, BWXT requested an exemption from the
requirement at 10 CFR Part 20.Appendix G III (E)(1) and (2) to
investigate and report to the Commission when receipt of a shipment, or
part of a shipment, of radioactive waste is not acknowledged by the
intended recipient within 20 days of the shipment of the waste.
Instead, BWXT would only investigate and file a report to the NRC when
receipt of the shipment is not received within 35 days of the date of
shipment.
Need for the Proposed Action
The BWXT operation involves the decommissioning of its facility in
Parks Township, Pennsylvania. As part of this operation, BWXT ships
radioactive waste to a radioactive waste disposal facility in Hanford,
Washington. As described in the licensee's request, the radioactive
waste being shipped to the Hanford, WA facility will typically take
longer than the 20 days contemplated in the NRC's regulations at 10 CFR
Part 20 Appendix G III (E)(1) and (2). As such, the licensee could be
required to investigate and file a report of the investigation with the
NRC for each routine shipment of waste. The licensee also stated in its
request that a tracking system for rail shipments allows the licensee,
and its transportation subcontractor, to monitor the progress of the
shipment.
Environmental Impact of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff has examined the licensee's proposed exemption
request and concluded that the proposed exemption request is procedural
and administrative in nature. Therefore, exempting BWXT from the
requirements at 10 CFR Part 20 Appendix G III (E)(1) and (2) and
instead requiring BWXT to investigate and report to NRC when receipt of
a shipment is not received within 35 days of a shipment will not
endanger life or property, or the common defense and security, and will
not cause any environmental impact.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
Since there are no environmental impacts associated with this
proposed action, no alternatives other than the proposed action were
evaluated.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
Staff of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
were consulted for this proposed action.
Finding of No Significant Impact
As discussed above, the proposed action is procedural and
administrative in nature and there is no environmental impact
associated with this action. Accordingly, the Commission has determined
not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed
exemption.
This application for the proposed action was docketed under 10 CFR
Part 70, Docket No. 70-364. For further details with respect to this
action, see the licensee's May 11,1999, request, which is available for
public inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room, 2120 L
Street, NW, Washington, DC 20555.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 7th day of September 1999.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Larry W. Camper,
Chief, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Waste Management, Office of
Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 99-24170 Filed 9-15-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P