[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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