[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 11 (Thursday, January 16, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2400-2401]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-1088]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-356]


Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact 
Regarding Proposed Amendment Approving Decommissioning Plan University 
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of a license amendment approving the decommissioning plan for 
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (licensee or UIUC) Low 
Power Reactor Assembly (LOPRA) located on the licensee's campus in 
Urbana, Illinois, in accordance with the application dated February 10, 
1995, as supplemented on April 24, 1995, and October 2, 1996. The 
approved decommissioning plan will be a supplement to the Safety 
Analysis Report.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of Proposed Action

    By application dated February 10, 1995, as supplemented, UIUC 
requested authorization to decommission and partially dismantle the 
LOPRA, Facility Operating License No. R-117, in accordance with the 
decommissioning plan submitted as part of the application and to 
terminate Facility Operating License No. R-117. There are two reactors 
at UIUC, the Advanced TRIGA Research Reactor (TRIGA) and the LOPRA. The 
LOPRA was created when a subcritical assembly authorized under the 
TRIGA license was upgraded in 1971 to sustain nuclear fission in a 
self-supporting chain reactor and licensed as a separate reactor. The 
LOPRA will be converted back into a subcritical assembly by partial 
dismantling. All byproduct and special nuclear material under the LOPRA 
license will then be transferred as part of the decommissioning effort 
to Facility License No. R-115 for the UIUC TRIGA. Amendment No. 9 to 
the TRIGA license authorizing possession of the LOPRA byproduct and 
special nuclear material was issued on August 8, 1996.

Need for Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed in order to convert the LOPRA back 
into a subcritical assembly, transfer the byproduct and special nuclear 
material to the TRIGA license, and terminate the LOPRA license.

Environmental Impact of the Proposed Action

    All proposed operations in connection with decommissioning and 
dismantling of the LOPRA will be carefully planned and controlled; all 
contaminated components will be removed, packaged, and shipped offsite 
or transferred to the TRIGA license; and radiological control 
procedures will be in place and implemented to ensure that releases of 
radioactive wastes from the facility are within the limits of 10 CFR 
Part 20 and are as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA).
    All decommissioning activities will be performed by trained 
personnel in accordance with previously reviewed procedures and will be 
overseen by experienced health-physics staff. Solid and liquid waste 
will be removed from the facility and managed in accordance with NRC 
requirements. The NRC staff estimates that the collective dose 
equivalent to the UIUC staff and public for the project will be less 
than 1 mrem.
    On the basis of a review of the specific proposed activities 
associated with the dismantling and decontamination of the UIUC-LOPRA, 
the staff has determined that there will be no significant increase in 
the amounts of effluents that may be released off site, and no 
significant increase in individual or cumulative occupational or 
population radiation exposure.
    The staff has also determined that the proposed activities will not 
have any significant impacts on air, water, land, or biota in the area 
or any other significant environmental impact.

Alternative Use of Resources

    The only alternative to the proposed decommissioning, dismantling, 
and decontamination activities is to have UIUC maintain possession of 
the reactor. This approach would include monitoring and reporting for 
the duration of a safe storage period until the TRIGA is 
decommissioned. However, UIUC intends to convert the reactor to a 
subcritical assembly under the TRIGA reactor license. This alternative 
would not be responsive to the licensee's request. The alternative of 
not decommissioning reactors was rejected in the ``Generic 
Environmental Impact Statement on Decommissioning,'' NUREG-0586. No 
alternative appears that will have a different or lesser effect on the 
use of available resources, and other alternatives need not be 
evaluated.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The NRC staff consulted with the Illinois State official regarding 
the environmental impact of the proposed action. The State official had 
no comments.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    The Commission has determined not to prepare an environmental 
impact statement for the proposed action based upon the foregoing 
environmental assessment. The Commission concludes that the proposed 
action will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human 
environment for the reasons given above.
    For detailed information with respect to this proposed action, see 
the application for a license amendment dated February 10, 1995, as 
supplemented. These documents are available for public inspection at 
the Commission's Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW, Washington, 
DC 20037.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 10th day of January 1997.


[[Page 2401]]


For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Marvin M. Mendonca,
Acting Director, Non-Power Reactors and Decommissioning Project 
Directorate, Division of Reactor Program Management, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 97-1088 Filed 1-15-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P