[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 61 (Friday, March 29, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15252-15254]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-7605]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 40-0299]
UMETCO Minerals Corporation
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Final finding of no significant impact. Notice of opportunity
for Hearing.
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SUMMARY: The U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) proposes to
amend NRC Source Material License SUA-648 to authorize the licensee,
Umetco Minerals Corporation (Umetco) to apply Alternate Concentration
Limits (ACL) to licensed constituents of ground water according to the
submitted plan. An Environmental Assessment (EA) was performed by the
NRC staff in support
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of its review of Umetco's license amendment request, in accordance with
the requirements of 10 CFR Part 51. The conclusion of the Environmental
Assessment is a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the
proposed licensing action.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Elaine Brummett, Fuel Cycle
Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office
of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U. S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Mail Stop T8-A33, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001. Telephone
301/415-6606.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Umetco former uranium mill site is licensed by the U. S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) under Source Materials License SUA-
648 to possess byproduct material in the form of uranium waste, such as
mill tailings, generated by past uranium processing operations. The
Umetco site is located in the East Gas Hills region of western Natrona
and eastern Freemont Counties, Wyoming, approximately 80 kilometers (50
miles) southeast of the town of Riverton, Wyoming. The mill operated
from 1960 to 1979 and was dismantled in 1992. The Umetco site contains
two reclaimed disposal areas; the Above Ground Tailings Impoundment
(Impoundment) (including the heap leach area) and the A-9 Repository.
The license establishes a separate ground water protection standard for
each area. The ground water protection standard is established at two
Point of Compliance (POC) wells near each disposal area. These four
wells are used to monitor water quality because hazardous constituents
have leached from the milling waste into the upper aquifer.
The ACL application requests that site-specific concentration
limits for hazardous constituents in ground water be granted for the
Umetco site in place of the current concentration values in the
license. The concentration limits required to be met under the licensed
corrective action program are not attainable due to the high cost and
the influence of mining-impacted water. The ground water at the Umetco
site and surrounding areas is impacted by open-pit uranium mines with
the same constituents resulting from the tailings and this was not
considered when the corrective action began in 1991.
Umetco is also proposing that the Point of Exposure (POE) be
established for the site at the long-term care boundary. This boundary
encompasses all the land that will be transferred to the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) for perpetual care of the disposal sites.
The western side of the boundary would be located about 1.4 km (0.8
miles) west of the Impoundment and the southern side of the boundary
would be located about 0.8 km (0.5 miles) south of the A-9 Repository.
The POE is the location nearest the site where the public or
environment might be exposed to milling impacted ground water, even
though such exposure is highly unlikely.
Summary of the Environmental Assessment
The NRC staff performed an appraisal of the environmental impacts
associated with the application of ACL, in accordance with 10 CFR Part
51, Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and
Related Regulatory Functions. The license amendment would authorize
Umetco to apply ACL to the license constituents measured at the POC.
The technical aspects of the ACL application are discussed separately
in a Technical Evaluation Report (TER) that will accompany the agency's
final licensing action.
The results of the staff's appraisal of potential environmental
impacts are documented in an EA placed in the Publicly Available
Records (PARS) component of NRC's document system (ADAMS). ADAMS is
accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm.html
(the Public Electronic Reading Room). Based on its review, the NRC
staff has concluded that there are no significant environmental impacts
associated with the proposed action.
Conclusions
The NRC staff has examined actual and potential impacts associated
with implementation of the proposed ACL, and has determined that the
requested amendment of Source Material License SUA-648, authorizing the
ACL, will: (1) Be consistent with requirements of 10 CFR Part 40,
Appendix A; (2) not be inimical to the public health and safety; and
(3) not have long-term detrimental impacts on the environment. The
following statements summarize the conclusions resulting from the
staff's environmental assessment, and support the FONSI:
1. An acceptable long-term ground water monitoring program will
monitor contaminants to detect if applicable regulatory limits are
exceeded. Each of the licensed constituents should remain within the
range of background values, for 1000 years at the POE.
2. Present and potential health risks to the public and risks of
environmental damage from the proposed application of ACL were
assessed. Given the remote location, the expected future land use, the
perpetual control by the Federal government of land within the long-
term boundary, and the high value of some of the constituents in
background due to past surface mining in the area, the staff determined
that the risk factors for health and environmental hazards are
insignificant.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
The proposed action is to amend NRC Source Material License SUA-
648, to allow application of ACL to licensed constituents in ground
water at the Umetco site. The principal alternatives available to the
NRC are to:
1. Approve the license amendment request as submitted; or
2. Amend the license with such additional conditions as are
considered necessary or appropriate to protect public health and safety
and the environment; or
3. Deny the amendment request.
Based on its review, the NRC staff has concluded that the
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action do not
warrant either the limiting of Umetco's plans necessary for license
termination (site is in final stages of decommissioning) or the denial
of the license amendment. Additionally, in the TER prepared for this
action, the staff has reviewed the licensee's proposed action with
respect to the ground water criteria specified in 10 CFR 40, Appendix
A, and has no basis for denial of the proposed action. Therefore, the
staff considers that Alternative 1 is the appropriate alternative for
selection.
Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC staff has prepared an EA for the proposed amendment of NRC
Source Material License SUA-648. On the basis of this assessment, the
NRC staff has concluded that the environmental impacts that may result
from the proposed action would not be significant, and therefore,
preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement is not warranted.
The EA and other documents related to this proposed action are
available for public inspection and copying at the NRC Public Document
Room, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852.
Notice of Opportunity for Hearing
The Commission hereby provides notice that this is a proceeding on
an application for a licensing action falling within the scope of 10
CFR Part 2, Subpart L, ``Informal Hearing Procedures for Adjudications
in Materials and Operators Licensing
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Proceedings,'' of the Commission's Rules of Practice for Domestic
Licensing Proceedings and Issuance of Orders. 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 a hearing must be filed within thirty
(30) days from the date of publication of this Federal Register notice.
The request for a hearing must be filed with the Office of the
Secretary either:
(1) By delivery to the Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff 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 20555-0001, Attention:
Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff.
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, Umetco Minerals Corporation, P.O. Box 1029,
Grand Junction, CO 81502;
(2) The NRC staff, by delivery to the General Counsel, One White
Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852; or
(3) By mail addressed to the General Counsel, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
In addition to meeting other applicable requirements of 10 CFR Part
2 of the Commission'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).
Any hearing that is requested and granted will be held in
accordance with the Commission's ``Informal Hearing Procedures for
Adjudications in Materials and Operator Licensing Proceedings'' in 10
CFR part 2, subpart L.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day of March, 2002.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Melvyn Leach,
Chief, Fuel Cycle Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and
Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 02-7605 Filed 3-28-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P