[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 136 (Wednesday, July 16, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 38130]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-18665]
[[Page 38130]]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-356]
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact;
Regarding Issuance of a Specific Exemption to the Requirements of 10
CFR 50.82(b)(6)(ii); University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Low
Power Reactor Assembly
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
granting, for Facility Operating License No. R-117 for the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (the licensee or University) Low Power
Reactor Assembly (LOPRA) located on the licensee's campus in Urbana,
Illinois, a specific exemption in accordance with 10 CFR 50.12 to the
part of the requirements of 10 CFR 50.82(b)(6)(ii) that requires a
terminal radiation survey and associated documentation to demonstrate
that the facility and site are suitable for release as a condition of
license termination.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of Proposed Action
By application dated February 10, 1995, as supplemented on April
24, 1995, and October 2, 1996, the licensee requested authorization to
decommission the LOPRA in accordance with the proposed decommissioning
plan, and terminate Facility Operating License No. R-117. Amendment No.
6 to the facility operating license was issued on January 21, 1997,
approving the decommissioning plan. The licensee informed the NRC in a
letter dated April 15, 1997, that the University has completed
decommissioning of the LOPRA in accordance with the amendment. The NRC
project manager for the LOPRA and a non-power reactor inspector visited
the site on May 7, 1997, and found that the licensee had decommissioned
the LOPRA in accordance with the license amendment and that no licensed
material remained under the authority of the LOPRA license. The
licensee had transferred the LOPRA components and fuel to the Advanced
TRIGA Research Reactor (TRIGA) license (Docket No. 50-151, Facility
License No. R-115). Some components containing byproduct material were
subsequently transferred to a University of Illinois byproduct
materials license (License IL-01271-01), issued by the State of
Illinois to allow the components to be stored at a facility away from
the Nuclear Reactor Laboratory.
The University's Nuclear Reactor Laboratory houses the TRIGA (which
the University continues to operate) and housed the LOPRA, which was
located in the bulk shielding tank of the TRIGA. The Nuclear Reactor
Laboratory continues to be subject to the terms of the TRIGA license.
The Nuclear Reactor Laboratory will be considered for release by NRC as
part of the request to terminate the TRIGA license at some time in the
future. Because the facility and site will continue to be used under an
NRC license and will be surveyed in the future, and because application
of the regulation is not necessary to achieve the underlying purpose of
the rule, the licensee requested in its letter of April 15, 1997, that
NRC consider granting a specific exemption in accordance with 10 CFR
50.12 to the part of the requirements of 10 CFR 50.82(b)(6)(ii) that
requires a terminal radiation survey and associated documentation to
demonstrate that the facility and site are suitable for release as a
condition for license termination.
The Need for Proposed Action
The exemption is needed for termination of Facility Operating
License No. R-117.
Environmental Impact of Granting of Exemption
No licensed material remains under the authority of the LOPRA
license. The NRC staff has verified that the LOPRA components and fuel
have been transferred to the TRIGA license and the University of
Illinois byproduct materials license, issued by the State of Illinois,
which are authorized to receive this material. Future use of these
components and fuel as a subcritical assembly in the TRIGA bulk
shielding tank is currently authorized by the TRIGA license. With the
transfer of all licensed material from the LOPRA license, the
termination of the LOPRA license is administrative in nature. Because
the facility and site will continue to be used under an NRC license,
and because no facility or site is to be released as part of the
license termination, granting the exemption will have no effect on the
status of the site and, thus, no significant impact on the environment.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered
denying the proposed action. Not granting the exemption would not
change current environmental impacts and would require continuance of
Facility Operating License No. R-117. The staff also considered taking
no action. This would have the same outcome as not granting the
proposed action. The environmental impacts of the proposed action and
of the alternative actions are similar. Since the LOPRA components and
fuel have been transferred to other licenses that are authorized to
receive this material, there is no alternative with less environmental
impact than granting the exemption, which would allow the termination
of Facility Operating License No. R-117.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The 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 NRC has determined not to prepare an environmental impact
statement for the proposed action. On the basis of the foregoing
environmental assessment, the NRC has concluded that the granting of
the exemption will have no significant effect on the quality of the
human environment.
For further details with respect to this proposed action, see the
application for termination of Facility Operating License No. R-117,
dated February 10, 1995, as supplemented, which includes the letter of
April 15, 1997, which requests the exemption. 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 9th day of July 1997.
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. 97-18665 Filed 7-15-97; 8:45 am]
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