[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 164 (Thursday, August 23, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44384-44385]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-21291]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 40-8681]
International Uranium (USA) Corporation; Notice of Opportunity
for Hearing
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of Receipt of Request from International Uranium (USA)
Corporation to Amend Source Material License SUA-1358 To Receive and
Process Alternate Feed Materials from Maywood, New Jersey.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission has received, by letters dated June 15, 2001, June 22, 2001,
and August 3, 2001, a request from International Uranium (USA)
Corporation (IUSA) to amend its NRC Source Material License SUA-1358,
to allow its White Mesa Uranium Mill near Blanding, Utah, to receive
and process up to 600,000 cubic yards (840,000 tons) of alternate feed
material from the Maywood site located in Maywood, New Jersey. The
Maywood site is being remediated under the Formerly Utilized Sites
Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The materials are by-products from the processing of thorium and
lanthanum from monazite sands. IUSA is requesting that the material may
be received and processed for its source material content. By-products
from the extraction of source material will be disposed in lined
tailings cells with a groundwater detection monitoring program.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. William von Till, Fuel Cycle
Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office
of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Mail
[[Page 44385]]
Stop T-8A-33, Washington, D.C. 20555. Telephone (301) 415-6251.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By its submittals dated June 15, 2001, June
25, 2001, and August 3, 2001, IUSA requested that the NRC amend
Materials License SUA-1358 to allow the receipt and processing of
material other than natural uranium ore (i.e., alternate feed material)
at its White Mesa uranium mill located near Blanding, Utah. These
materials would be used as an ``alternate feed material'' (i.e., matter
that is processed in the mill to remove the uranium but which is
different from natural uranium ores, the normal feed material).
IUSA is requesting to receive material from the Maywood, New Jersey
FUSRAP site. The site is being remediated under the authority of the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This site began operations in 1895 and
over the years monazite sands were processed for thorium, lanthanum,
and other rare earth elements. Uranium was not extracted and remains in
the process residues. The material is currently located in three pits
and is also being cleaned up from off-site properties. Material in the
three pits is licensed by the NRC under STC-1333 for the Stepan
Chemical Company. This license covers 19,000 cubic yards of buried
tailings.
The average uranium content, based on 4000 samples, ranges from
non-detectable to 0.06 weight percent, with an average grade of 0.0018
percent uranium. However, IUSA is proposing to only receive material
that contains higher than 0.01 percent uranium. The thorium content of
the material ranges from non-detectable to 3,800 pCi/g with an average
of 970 pCi/g. The thorium content is relatively low due to thorium
extraction at the Maywood site. IUSA states that hazardous wastes
regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) have
not been identified in this material. IUSA also proposes that
verification sampling at the Maywood site will be implemented to assure
that the material does not contain hazardous wastes regulated under
RCRA. IUSA does not have a contract to receive this material at this
time and therefore, the exact mode of transporting the materials to the
mill has not been determined. Transportation may be similar to that of
other alternate feed materials shipped to the mill. This would consist
of inter-modal containers shipped by rail then by truck. If the maximum
volume requested were to be shipped to the mill, IUSA estimates that
7500 rail cars over seven years by rail and 46-86 truckloads per week
would occur. It is more likely that 206,000 cubic yards would be
shipped which would consist of 46 truckloads per week. IUSA does not
expect there to be an impact from the transportation of these materials
due to exclusive-use containers, the small increase in truck traffic (4
to 7.4 percent), and the material will be transported in lined, covered
containers.
This application will be reviewed by the staff using NRC formal
guidance, ``Final Position and Guidance on the Use of Uranium Mill Feed
Material Other Than Natural Ores''. The NRC has approved similar
amendment requests in the past for separate alternate feed material
under this license.
The amendment application is available for public inspection and
copying at the NRC Public Document Room, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission Headquarters, Room 0-1F21, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
MD 20852.
Notice of Opportunity for Hearing
The NRC hereby provides notice of an opportunity for a hearing on
the license amendment under the provisions of 10 CFR part 2, subpart L,
``Informal Hearing Procedures for Adjudications in Materials and
Operator Licensing Proceedings.'' Pursuant to Sec. 2.1205(a), any
person whose interest may be affected by this proceeding may file a
request for a hearing. In accordance with Sec. 2.1205(d), a request for
hearing must be filed within 30 days of the publication of this notice
in the Federal Register. The request for a hearing must be filed with
the Office of the Secretary, either:
(1) By delivery to the Docketing and Service Branch of the Office
of the Secretary at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike,
Rockville, MD 20852; or
(2) By mail or telegram addressed to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, Attention: Docketing and
Service Branch.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.1205(f), each request for a hearing
must also be served, by delivering it personally or by mail, to:
(1) The applicant, International Uranium (USA) Corporation,
Independence Plaza, Suite 950, 1050 Seventeenth Street, Denver,
Colorado 80265; Attention: Michelle Rehmann; and
(2) The NRC staff, by delivery to the Executive Director for
Operations, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD
20852, or by mail addressed to the Executive Director for Operations,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555.
In addition to meeting other applicable requirements of 10 CFR part
2 of the NRC's regulations, a request for a hearing filed by a person
other than an applicant must describe in detail:
(1) The interest of the requestor in the proceeding;
(2) How that interest may be affected by the results of the
proceeding, including the reasons why the requestor should be permitted
a hearing, with particular reference to the factors set out in
Sec. 2.1205(h);
(3) The requestor's areas of concern about the licensing activity
that is the subject matter of the proceeding; and
(4) The circumstances establishing that the request for a hearing
is timely in accordance with Sec. 2.1205(d).
The request must also set forth the specific aspect or aspects of
the subject matter of the proceeding as to which petitioner wishes a
hearing.
In addition, members of the public may provide comments on the
subject application within 30 days of the publication of this notice in
the Federal Register. The comments may be provided to Michael Lesar,
Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administration
Services, Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day of August 2001.
For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Melvyn Leach,
Chief, Fuel Cycle Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety &
Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 01-21291 Filed 8-22-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P