[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 3 (Monday, January 6, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 736-737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-170]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. A-96-44]


Draft Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission.

ACTION: Notice of availability with request for public comment.
SUMMARY: The Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy (DOE), 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission (NRC) are announcing for public comment the 
availability of a draft document, entitled the ``Multi-Agency Radiation 
Survey and Site Investigation Manual `` (MARSSIM). MARSSIM provides 
information on planning, conducting, evaluating, and documenting 
environmental radiological surveys for demonstrating compliance with 
dose-based regulations. The MARSSIM, when finalized, will be a multi-
agency consensus document. The agencies are seeking public comment in 
order to receive feedback from the widest range of interested parties 
and to ensure that all information relevant to developing the document 
is received. The agencies will review public comments received on the 
draft MARSSIM as well as comments from a concurrent, independent, 
scientific peer review. Suggested changes will be incorporated, where 
appropriate, in response to those comments.

DATES: Comments received by July 7, 1997 will be considered. Comments 
received after that date will be considered if it is practical to do 
so, but no assurance can be given for consideration of late comments.

ADDRESSES: Members of the public are invited to submit written comments 
to EITHER the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ATTN: Air and 
Radiation Docket, Mail Stop 6102, Air Docket No. A-96-44, Room M1500, 
First Floor Waterside Mall, 401 M Street, S.W., Washington D.C. 20460 
or the Chief, Rules Review and Directives Branch, Division of Freedom 
of Information and Publications Services, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington DC 20555-0001. Copies of all comments received 
by one agency will be periodically copied and sent to the others. 
Copies of the draft MARSSIM and all comments received may be examined 
or copied for a fee at the EPA Docket Room M1500, Docket No. A-96-44, 
First Floor Waterside Mall, 401 M Street, S.W., Washington D.C. 20460; 
and the NRC Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW, Washington DC 
20555-0001. The EPA docket may be inspected from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, 
Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays in Room M1500 at the 
address above. A free single copy of the draft MARSSIM may be requested 
by writing to: the Distribution and Mail Services Section, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Washington DC 20555-0001 or by fax to (301) 415-
2260. The document is also available through the Internet at http://
www.epa.gov/radiation/cleanup and through the National Technical

[[Page 737]]

Information Service (NTIS). The NTIS document number is PB97-117659, 
and the NTIS Sales Desk can be reached between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., 
Eastern time, Monday through Friday at (703) 487-4650; TDD (hearing 
impaired only): (703) 487-4639.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any of the following points of contact 
for each agency for technical information (see ``Addresses'' section 
above for directions on obtaining a copy of the draft MARSSIM): DOE: 
Kenneth Duvall, Phone: (202) 586-0242, U.S. Department of Energy (EH-
412), 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585; EPA: Mark 
Doehnert; Phone: (202) 233-9386, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 
Mail Stop 6603J, 401 M. Street, SW, Washington DC 20460; NRC: Robert A. 
Meck, Phone: (301) 415-6205, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, MS T-
9C24, Washington DC 20555. Questions concerning the multi-agency 
document development project should be addressed to CDR Colleen 
Petullo, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/U.S. Public Health 
Service, RIENL, PO Box 98517, Las Vegas, NV 89193-8517, (702) 798-2476.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The MARSSIM provides information on 
planning, conducting, evaluating, and documenting environmental 
radiological surveys for demonstrating compliance with dose-based 
regulations. The MARSSIM, when finalized, will be a multi-agency 
consensus document.
    MARSSIM was developed collaboratively over the past three years by 
the technical staffs of the four Federal agencies having authority for 
control of radioactive materials: DOD, DOE, EPA, and NRC (60 FR 12555). 
Contractors to the DOE, EPA, and NRC, and members of the public have 
been present during the open meetings of the MARSSIM work group.
    MARSSIM's objective is to describe standardized and consistent 
approaches for surveys, which provide a high degree of assurance that 
established dose-based release criteria, limits, guidelines, and 
conditions of the regulatory agencies are satisfied at all stages of 
the process, while at the same time encouraging an effective use of 
resources. The techniques, methodologies, and philosophies that form 
the bases of this manual were developed to be consistent with current 
Federal limits, guidelines, and procedures.
    Although Federal agency personnel are involved in the preparation 
of this document, the manual does not represent the official position 
of any participating agency at this time. An earlier draft of the 
document has been reviewed within the Federal agencies. Comments were 
received and comments from the review that reflected a technical error 
or flaw in logic or information flow were addressed. The other comments 
from the Federal agencies will be addressed along with the public 
comments. The public review is a necessary step in the development of a 
final multi-agency consensus document. The document will also receive 
formal technical peer review. The draft has not been approved by the 
participating agencies for use in part or in whole and should not be 
used, cited, or quoted except for the purposes of providing comments as 
requested.
    Reviewers are requested to focus on technical accuracy, and 
understandability. Reviewers are also requested to address five 
questions while reviewing the MARSSIM:
    (1) Does the MARSSIM provide a practical and implementable approach 
to performing radiation surveys and site investigations? Are there any 
major drawbacks to the proposed methods?
    (2) Is the MARSSIM technically accurate?
    (3) Does the MARSSIM provide benefits that are not available using 
current methods? What is the value of the MARSSIM in comparison with 
other currently available alternatives?
    (4) What are the costs associated with the MARSSIM in comparison 
with other currently available alternatives?
    (5) Is the information in the MARSSIM understandable and presented 
in a logical sequence? How can the presentation of material be modified 
to improve the understandability of the manual?
    Comments may be submitted as proposed modified text, or as a 
discussion. Comments should be accompanied by supporting bases, 
rationale, or data. To ensure efficient and complete comment 
resolution, commenters are requested to reference the page number and 
the line number of the MARSSIM to which the comment applies (enter only 
the beginning page and line number, even if your comment applies to a 
number of pages or lines to follow).
    Comments corresponding to an entire chapter, an entire section, or 
an entire table should be referenced to the line number for the title 
of the chapter (always line number 1), section, or table. Comments on 
footnotes should be referenced to the line in the main text where the 
footnote is indicated. Comments on figures should be referenced to the 
page on which the figure appears (figures do not have line numbers). 
The figure number should be included in the text of the comment. 
Comments on the entire manual should be referenced to the title page.
    Title: Draft Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation 
Manual.

    For the Department of Defense, dated this 20th day of December 
1996.
Gary D. Vest,
Principal Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Environmental 
Security.

    Title: Draft Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation 
Manual.

    For the U. S. Department of Energy, dated this 5th day of 
December 1996.
Raymond P. Berube,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment.

    Title: Draft Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation 
Manual.

    For the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, dated this 9th 
day of December 1996.
E. Ramona Trovato,
Director, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air.

    Title: Draft Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation 
Manual.

    For the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, dated this 2nd day 
of December 1996.
David Morrison,
Director, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 97-170 Filed 1-3-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P