[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 11, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6915-6917]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-3432]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. A-96-44]


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.

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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 the availability for use of 
the ``Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual'' 
(MARSSIM). The MARSSIM provides information on planning, conducting, 
evaluating, and documenting environmental radiological surveys of 
surface soils and building surfaces for demonstrating compliance with 
regulations. The MARSSIM, now finalized, is a multi-agency consensus 
document. The agencies previously have sought 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 was 
received. The agencies reviewed public comments received on the draft 
MARSSIM as well as comments from a concurrent, independent, technical 
peer review. Suggested changes were incorporated, where appropriate, in 
response to those comments.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft and the final MARSSIM and all public and 
technical peer review 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. 
NRC documents may be inspected from 7:45 am to 4:15 pm, Monday through 
Friday, excluding Federal holidays in the lower level of the building 
at the address above. Copies of the MARSSIM may be

[[Page 6916]]

purchased by requests in writing to: The Superintendent of Documents, 
U.S. Government Printing Office, P.O. Box 37082, Washington, DC 20402-
9328. The NRC document number is NUREG-1575, and the EPA document 
number is EPA 402-R-97-016. The manual is also available through the 
Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/radiation/marssim or by linkage from 
the NRC home page at: http://www.nrc.gov; or the DOE home page at: 
http://www.doe.gov.

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 MARSSIM): DOE: Kenneth 
Duvall, Phone: (202) 586-0242, U.S. Department of Energy (EH-412), 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585, e-mail 
[email protected]; EPA: Mark Doehnert; Phone: (202) 564-9386, 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Stop 6602J, 401 M. Street, 
SW, Washington DC 20460, e-mail [email protected]; NRC: 
Robert A. Meck, Phone: (301) 415-6205, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, MS T-9C24, Washington DC 20555, e-mail [email protected]. 
Questions concerning the multi-agency document development project 
should be addressed to CDR Colleen Petullo, U.S. Public Health Service 
at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, R&IE, PO Box 98517, Las Vegas, 
NV 89193-8517, (702) 798-2476, e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The MARSSIM provides information on 
planning, conducting, evaluating, and documenting environmental 
radiological surveys of surface soil and building surfaces for 
demonstrating compliance with regulations. The MARSSIM, now finalized, 
is a multi-agency consensus document.
    The MARSSIM was developed collaboratively over the past four years 
by the technical staffs of four Federal agencies having authority for 
control of radioactive materials: DOD, DOE, EPA, and NRC. Members of 
the public and contractors to the Federal agencies have been present 
during the open meetings of the MARSSIM work group and have been 
provided opportunities for input.
    The MARSSIM's objective is to describe standardized and consistent 
approaches for surveys of soil surfaces and building surfaces, which 
provide a high degree of assurance that established release criteria, 
limits, guidelines, and conditions of the regulatory agencies are 
satisfied, 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.
    The MARSSIM benefited from extensive internal, public, and 
technical peer reviews and public comments. Before the publication of 
the draft for public comment, the Federal agencies performed an 
internal review. Those internal review comments that reflected a 
technical error or flaw in logic or information flow were addressed 
before public comments were requested. The other comments, e.g., 
clarifications, editorial suggestions, etc., from the Federal agencies 
were addressed along with the public comments. The public review was a 
necessary step in the development of a final multi-agency consensus 
document. In addition to written comments, the work group provided the 
public with the opportunity to comment during the open meetings. The 
document also received formal technical peer review under the auspices 
of the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB). The results of the peer review 
and the responses to comments by the EPA will be publicly available for 
examination and may be copied for a fee (see ``Addresses'' section 
above for directions).
    Reviewers were requested to focus on technical accuracy and 
understandability. Reviewers were also requested to address five 
questions while reviewing the MARSSIM. In consideration of the 
responses to the questions, other comments, and the changes 
incorporated into the final version of the MARSSIM, the answers to the 
questions are listed as follows:
    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?
    Answer: The MARSSIM has been shown to be practical and 
implementable in field tests. Identified difficulties in establishing a 
suitable background reference area for radionuclides in common with 
natural or ubiquitous radionuclides are intrinsic to the situations, 
and such difficulties exist regardless of the measurement method. The 
MARSSIM provides technically defensible and efficient methods to 
demonstrate compliance with radiological criteria.
    2. Is the MARSSIM technically accurate?
    Answer: Within the scope of the MARSSIM, the methods are 
technically accurate and applicable over a large range of situations.
    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?
    Answer: The MARSSIM provides a technically defensible process over 
a broad range of situations. Results to date indicate that the MARSSIM 
process requires fewer measurements in comparison to other methods for 
demonstrating compliance for radiological sites. The MARSSIM also 
provides a performance based approach and has a strong focus on 
planning.
    4. What are the costs associated with the MARSSIM in comparison 
with other currently available alternatives?
    Answer: The MARSSIM process optimizes the number of samples needed 
to demonstrate compliance with radiological criteria within the 
accepted decision errors. Other methods may either overestimate or 
underestimate the number of samples needed to demonstrate compliance or 
may not take decision errors into account. The MARSSIM generally 
involves more planning and less re-work than other currently available 
methods.
    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?
    Answer: Several Chapters in the MARSSIM were significantly revised 
for clarity, understandability, and elaboration in response to 
comments. The overall basic processes and methods did not change.
    The author agencies solicit comments arising from review and use of 
the final MARSSIM. Comments will be reviewed periodically by the author 
agencies, resolved as appropriate, and incorporated into revisions of 
the MARSSIM. 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 and Directives Branch, Division of 
Administrative 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. Revised pages resulting 
from the resolution of comments will be available on the Internet at 
the world wide web site: http://www.epa.gov/radiation/marssim. This EPA 
world wide web site is also accessible by links from the NRC home page 
at: http://

[[Page 6917]]

 www.nrc.gov; and the DOE home page at: http://www.doe.gov.
    Title: Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual.

    For the Department of Defense, dated this 15th day of January 
1998.
Gary D. Vest,
Principal Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Environmental 
Security.

    For the U. S. Department of Energy, dated this 22nd day of 
December 1997.
Raymond P. Berube,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment.

    For the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, dated this 23rd 
day of December 1997.
Lawrence G. Weinstock,
Acting Director, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air.

    For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, dated this 18th day 
of December 1997.
Malcolm R. Knapp,
Acting Director, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 98-3432 Filed 2-10-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P