[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 5, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10093-10094]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-5385]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Licenses SMB-179 and SUB-1452--Dockets 40-672 and 40-8866]


Nuclear Metals, Inc.--Concord, Massachusetts: Renewal of Source 
Material Licenses; Finding of No Significant Impact and Notice of 
Opportunity for a Hearing (NUREG/CR-6528)

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering the renewal 
of Source Material Licenses SMB-179 and SUB-1452 for the continued 
operation of Nuclear Metals, Inc. (NMI), located in Concord, 
Massachusetts.

Summary of the Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is the renewal of NMI's Source Material 
Licenses SMB-179 and SUB-1452 for at least 5 years. With these 
renewals, the NMI facility will continue to conduct ongoing operations 
including the development and manufacture of castings, extrusions, 
machined parts, and metal powders comprised of depleted uranium and 
natural uranium metal. The proposed action would permit NMI to possess, 
under License SMB-179, natural uranium metal, alloy, or oxide; depleted 
uranium metal, alloy, oxide, or fluoride; natural thorium metal, alloy, 
or oxide; and depleted uranium slab. The licensed uranium may be an 
element of any compound except uranium hexafluoride (UF6). The 
proposed action would also permit NMI to possess, under License SUB-
1452, depleted uranium as contamination in sand; depleted uranium as 
contamination on metallic components, packaging materials or equipment, 
or as waste solids; and natural thorium as contamination on metallic 
components, packaging materials or equipment, or as waste solids.
    Prior to September 1985, liquid and sludge wastes from the 
processes were stabilized and emptied into an unlined holding basin and 
adjacent bog located on site property. The holding basin was covered by 
a special membrane in 1986 to reduce infiltration of rain water and 
discharge of contaminants to surface and ground waters. Remediation of 
the holding basin and contaminated groundwater is being planned as a 
separate decommissioning action; therefore, this action and subsequent 
environmental impacts are outside the scope of this EA.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The action is to determine if the licenses should be renewed or 
denied. NMI manufactures products composed of depleted uranium and 
natural uranium that have military, aerospace, industrial, and medical 
applications. Depleted uranium metal is processed to form armor 
penetrators, aircraft counterweights and radiation shielding devices. 
Denial of the license renewals for NMI is an alternative available to 
NRC, but since approximately half of the U.S. demand for these products 
is being met by operations at NMI facilities, denying the licenses 
would not be in the nation's best interest.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    Both radiological and nonradiological atmospheric emissions occur 
and were assessed during normal (incident-free) operations at NMI. The 
radiological impacts of the continued operation of the NMI facility 
were assessed using atmospheric dispersion modeling to estimate ambient 
annual dose to the public resulting from emissions at the NMI facility. 
To assess the impact of uranium emissions on atmospheric resources, the 
COMPLY computer code was used to determine the maximum annual dose 
equivalent received from uranium concentrations in the ambient air (at 
or beyond the site boundary). These estimated annual doses were 
compared to NRC requirements and EPA standards to gauge impacts to 
public health and safety.
    Ambient air concentrations (at or beyond the site boundary) 
resulting from the primary sources of nonradiological air emissions 
were estimated using the Industrial Source Complex--Version 2 (ISC2) 
air dispersion model (EPA 1992a). Total predicted concentrations were 
compared to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in order 
to gauge impacts on air quality.

Doses From Routine Airborne Releases

    Small amounts of uranium are emitted from 33 stacks at NMI. The 
town of Concord permits depleted uranium emissions of up to 280 
Ci per calendar quarter for operations associated with License 
Nos. SMB-179 and SUB-1452. NRC's regulations (10 CFR 20.1301) require 
licensees to limit doses to members of the public to 100mrem per year. 
Emission rates of depleted uranium in 1994 were less than 60 percent of 
the 280 Ci per calendar quarter limit. For the modeling, 
annual emissions were assumed to be at maximum permitted levels (i.e., 
1,120 Ci/y as by the town of Concord). The assumptions are 
conservative in that they result in higher predicted doses than are 
expected to occur. The maximum annual committed effective dose 
equivalent predicted was 2.5 mrem. This dose was estimated to occur to 
a person located 150 m (492 ft) from the nearest building. This is 
about one-half the distance to the nearest resident. Therefore, 150 m 
(492 ft) is considered a sufficiently conservative distance to form an 
upper bound of doses that could be received by the public annually. The 
predicted annual dose is 2.5 percent of the NRC limit.
    The primary sources of nonradiological air emissions at NMI are two 
boilers, which burn #4 fuel oil, and which emit the following criteria 
pollutants: SO2, NO2, PM-10, and CO. Short-term emission 
rates, calculated using the maximum monthly fuel usage rates, were used 
in ISC2 for periods of 24 hr or less. Long-term emission rates, 
calculated using the maximum annual fuel usage rates, were used in ISC2 
for the annual time period. Both site specific data and conservative 
assumptions were used in the modeling analysis. Total predicted 
concentrations were compared to the NAAQS in order to gauge impacts on 
air quality. The results of the analysis show that maximum 3-hr and 24-
hr average SO2 concentrations are about twice their respective 
NAAQS. For all other criteria

[[Page 10094]]

pollutants, maximum concentrations are within the NAAQS, and impacts to 
local air quality associated with these pollutants would be minor. NMI 
is prepared to undertake mitigative action to prevent potential 
exceedances of the short-term SO2 NAAQS, and the Massachusetts 
Department of Environmental Protection is prepared to resolve the 
issue.

Accident Evaluation

    The EA evaluated one accident as the bounding accident: the 
potential quantities of uranium and nonradiological materials that 
might be released to the atmosphere in the unlikely event of a major 
fire at the NMI facility. The regulatory analysis documented in NUREG-
1140 (McGuire 1988), which assessed the accident potential for doses 
exceeding EPA protective action guides, was used to evaluate potential 
impacts. For uranium, NUREG-1140 found that the highest doses come from 
the inhalation pathway. The analysis shows a committed effective dose 
equivalent of 0.89 rems at 100 m (330 ft) might occur to a nearby 
downwind individual that would result from a fire involving the 
limiting value quantities agreed to by NMI of 454,000 kg (1,000,000 lb) 
of depleted uranium in any one building. This value is less than the 
EPA-recommended lower limit for consideration of protective actions 
(i.e., a dose of 1 rem). Therefore, radiological impacts resulting from 
exposure to natural uranium during a severe fire would not be major.
    NMI's operations with licensed material involve use of several 
acids. The evaluation of the potential impacts of these nonradiological 
materials was based on a release to the atmosphere using the same 
accidental fire scenario as for the radiological materials. The results 
were compared to the Emergency Response Planning Guidelines (ERPGs) 
established by the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the 
immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH) threshold value, 
established by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH), and the LC50, the concentration which would result in 
fatalities to 50 percent of the exposed population. Of the acids, only 
sulfuric (H2SO4) caused concern as the predicted 
concentration of H2SO4 is below the LC50 but higher than 
the ERPG levels. These results were discussed with Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts staff and NMI is prepared to discuss the potential for an 
accidental H2SO4 release with local emergency response 
officials.

Conclusion

    The NRC staff concludes that the environmental impacts associated 
with the proposed license renewal for continued operation of the NMI's 
Concord, Massachusetts facility are expected to be insignificant.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    The Commission has prepared an EA related to the renewal of Special 
Nuclear Material Licenses SMB-179 and SUB-1452. On the basis of the 
assessment, the Commission has concluded that environmental impacts 
that would be created by the proposed action would not be significant 
and do not warrant the preparation of an Environmental Impact 
Statement. Accordingly, it has been determined that a Finding of No 
Significant Impact is appropriate.
    The EA is being made available as NUREG/CR-6528. Copies of NUREG/
CR-6528 may be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. 
Government Printing Office, P.O. Box 37082, Washington, DC 20402-9328. 
Copies are also available from the National Technical Information 
Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161. A copy is also 
available for inspection and copying for a fee in the NRC Public 
Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW. (Lower Level), Washington, DC 20555-
0001.

Opportunity for a Hearing

    Any person whose interest may be affected by the issuance of this 
renewal may file a request for a hearing. Any request for hearing must 
be filed with the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington, DC 20555, within 30 days of the publication of 
this notice in the Federal Register; be served on the NRC staff 
(Executive Director for Operations, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852), and on the licensee 
(Nuclear Metals, Inc., 2229 Main Street, Concord, MA 01742); and must 
comply with the requirements for requesting a hearing set forth in the 
Commission's regulations, 10 CFR Part 2, Subpart L, ``Information 
Hearing Procedures for Adjudications in Materials Licensing 
Proceedings.''
    These requirements, which the request must address in detail, are:
    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);
    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 hearing is 
timely--that is, filed within 30 days of the date of this notice.
    In addressing how the requestor's interest may be affected by the 
proceeding, the request should describe the nature of the requestor's 
right under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, to be made a 
party to the proceeding; the nature and extent of the requestor's 
property, financial, or other (i.e., health, safety) interest in the 
proceeding; and the possible effect of any order that may be entered in 
the proceeding upon the requestor's interest.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 20th day of February, 1997.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Larry W. Camper,
Chief, Medical, Academic, and Commercial Use Safety Branch, Division of 
Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety, Office of Nuclear Material 
Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 97-5385 Filed 3-4-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P