[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 2, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34451-34452]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-16876]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 40-8943]
Crow Butte Resources Inc.
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-1534 to allow the licensee, Crow Butte
Resources, Inc., to increase the maximum concentrations of radium,
uranium, and sulfate in process waste fluids to be disposed by deep
well injection at its in-situ leach uranium mining facility in Dawes
County, Nebraska. An Environmental Assessment was performed by the NRC
staff 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: Mr. James R. Park, Uranium Recovery
Branch, Mail Stop TWFN 7-J9, Division of Waste Management, Office of
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555. Telephone 301/415-6699.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
During April 1991, Crow Butte Resources, Inc. (Crow Butte)
commenced uranium recovery operations at its Crow Butte in-situ leach
(ISL) uranium mining facility in Dawes County, Nebraska. These
activities are authorized by NRC Source Material License SUA-1534. The
NRC staff prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) based on its review
of Crow Butte's license application and environmental report (ER); a
Final Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) concerning the issuance
of SUA-1534 was issued on December 27, 1989 (54 FR 53200). Supplemental
EAs were prepared based on the NRC staff's review of Crow Butte's
amendment requests to increase its maximum processing flow rate from
2500 gallons per minute (gpm) to 3500 gpm, and separately, from 3500
gpm to the currently approved level of 5000 gpm. The NRC staff issued
Final FONSIs on March 12, 1993 (58 FR 13561), and February 28, 1996 (61
FR 7541), respectively, concerning these licensing actions.
Summary of the Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
The proposed action is an amendment to SUA-1534 to allow Crow Butte
to increase the maximum concentration limits for radium, uranium, and
sulfate in process waste fluids to be disposed by deep well injection
at its ISL facility. The concentration limits for these constituents
would be increased as follows: (1) For radium, from 1000 picocuries per
liter (pCi/l) to 5000 pCi/l; (2) for uranium, from 10 milligrams per
liter (mg/l) to 25 mg/l; and (3) for sulfate, from 5000 mg/l to 10,000
mg/l. The NRC staff's review was conducted in accordance with the
requirements of 10 CFR 40.32 and 10 CFR 40.45.
Need for the Proposed Action
Crow Butte requested NRC approval of this increase in the
concentration limits because the concentrations of radium, uranium, and
sulfate in its typical facility waste water may approach or exceed the
currently approved limits.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff approved deep well injection as an alternate method
of waste disposal for the Crow Butte ISL facility by amendment to SUA-
1534 on October 4, 1994. The NRC staff's approval was conditional on
the State of Nebraska issuing the necessary underground injection
permit for the deep well disposal process, and finding that the
potential for contamination of other usable aquifers by deep well
injection was minimal. If the State determined in the affirmative on
both of these issues, the NRC staff considered the potential impacts to
a member of the public to be minimal. In addition, the NRC staff
considered that worker exposure could be adequately managed under Crow
Butte's radiation safety program. Finally, the NRC staff determined
that the radiological constituent concentration limits requested by
Crow Butte were comparable to levels allowed by the NRC at other ISL
uranium recovery operations which employ deep well injection as a waste
disposal option.
State of Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) Permit
No. NE0206369 was issued to Crow Butte on June 20, 1995. Under this
permit, Crow Butte is authorized to operate a Class I non-hazardous
waste injection well to inject waste fluids into the Morrison and
Sundance Formations, which are located below the lowermost underground
source of drinking water (USDW), at approximately 3500 to 3800 feet
below ground surface. Due to elevated concentrations of total dissolved
solids, water quality in these formations is not considered under
Federal or State of Nebraska regulations to be a USDW.
Among other provisions, NDEQ Permit No. NE0206369 requires Crow
Butte to continuously monitor the injection pressure to ensure that,
coupled with the hydrostatic pressure, the fracture pressure of the
injection zones is not exceeded, and to conduct regular mechanical
integrity testing of the well to assure that process waste fluids are
not injected into an unauthorized injection zone and thus pose a threat
to fresh and/or usable waters of the State.
Based on its review of Crow Butte's proposed amendment request, the
NRC staff considers that the requested concentration limits for uranium
and radium continue to be comparable to levels approved for other ISL
operations. The NRC staff defers to the NDEQ on a determination
regarding the requested concentration limit for the non-radiological
constituent, sulfate. The NRC staff notes that a revised NDEQ Permit
No. NE0206369, issued on April 18, 1996, incorporates the increased
sulfate concentration level. Finally, the monitoring and testing
provisions required under NDEQ Permit No. NE0206369 are not impacted by
the proposed amendment.
Conclusion
The NRC staff concludes that approval of Crow Butte's amendment
request to increase the maximum
[[Page 34452]]
concentration limits for radium, uranium, and sulfate to be disposed by
deep well injection will not cause significant environmental impacts.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
Since the NRC staff has concluded that there are no significant
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action, any
alternatives with equal or greater environmental impacts need not be
evaluated. The principal alternative to the proposed action would be to
deny the requested action. Since the environmental impacts of the
proposed action and this no-action alternative are similar, there is no
need to further evaluate alternatives to the proposed action.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC staff consulted with the State of Nebraska, Department of
Environmental Quality (NDEQ), in the development of the Environmental
Assessment. A facsimile copy of the final Environmental Assessment was
transmitted to Mr. Frank Mills of the NDEQ on June 11, 1996. In a
telephone conversation on June 11, 1996, Mr. Mills indicated that the
NDEQ had no comments on the Environmental Assessment.
Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC staff has prepared an Environmental Assessment for the
proposed amendment of NRC Source Material License SUA-1534. 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 Environmental Assessment and other documents related to this
proposed action are available for public inspection and copying at the
NRC Public Document Room, in the Gelman Building, 2120 L Street NW.,
Washington, DC 20555.
Dated at Rockville, MD., this 25th day of June 1996.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Joseph J. Holonich,
Chief, Uranium Recovery Branch, Division of Waste Management, Office of
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 96-16876 Filed 7-1-96; 8:45 am]
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