[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 198 (Friday, October 12, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 52158]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-25671]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Completion of Terminated License Review Project

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Completion of terminated license review project.

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    In 1989 the General Accounting Office issued a report which raised 
concerns about the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) 
criteria and procedures used for the decommissioning of formerly 
licensed sites. As a result, in 1990, the NRC decided to undertake a 
review of terminated materials licenses to assure that previously 
licensed facilities were properly decontaminated and posed no threat to 
public health and safety. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) was 
contracted to review all materials licenses terminated by the NRC or 
its predecessor agencies, from inception of material regulation, to: 
(1) Identify sites with potential for meaningful residual 
contamination, based on information in the license documentation; and 
(2) to identify sealed sources with incomplete or no accounting that 
could represent a public hazard.
    ORNL examined in excess of 37,000 terminated license files. From 
its evaluation of these license files, ORNL identified approximately 
675 loose material licenses and 565 sealed source licenses that 
required further review. NRC Regional offices either performed a 
follow-up review, or transferred responsibility for the follow-up 
review to the appropriate Agreement State.
    As a result of the Regional reviews, 40 sites were found to have 
residual contamination in excess of the NRC's criteria for unrestricted 
release. Of these sites, 18 have been closed, 11 have been transferred 
to Agreement States or the U.S. Department of Air Force, 8 are in the 
process of decommissioning, and 3 are under further NRC review.
    ORNL has developed a web-based database for the NRC to document the 
evaluation and closure process for all terminated license files. This 
database will also be used to track the 300-400 licenses terminated 
each year by NRC. The database will be completed in September 2002.
    For further details with respect to this action, see the Final 
Report on Results of Terminated License Reviews, dated September 26, 
2001. This report is available online through NRC's Agencywide 
Documents Access and Management Systems (Accession No. ML012710539).

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 4th day of October 2001.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Larry W. Camper,
Chief, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Waste Management, Office of 
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 01-25671 Filed 10-11-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P