[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 154 (Tuesday, August 11, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42887-42888]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-21548]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket 70-7002]


Notice of Amendment to Certificate of Compliance GDP-2 For The 
U.S. Enrichment Corporation, Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant; 
Portsmouth, OH

    The Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, has 
made a determination that the following amendment request is not 
significant in accordance with 10 CFR 76.45. In making that 
determination, the staff concluded that: (1) there is no change in the 
types or significant increase in the amounts of any effluents that may 
be released offsite; (2) there is no significant increase in individual 
or cumulative occupational radiation exposure; (3) there is no 
significant construction impact; (4) there is no significant increase 
in the potential for, or radiological or chemical consequences from, 
previously analyzed accidents; (5) the proposed changes do not result 
in the possibility of a new or different kind of accident; (6) there is 
no significant reduction in any margin of safety; and (7) the proposed 
changes will not result in an overall decrease in the effectiveness of 
the plant's safety, safeguards, or security programs. The basis for 
this determination for the amendment request is described below.
    The NRC staff has reviewed the certificate amendment application 
and concluded that it provides reasonable assurance of adequate safety, 
safeguards, and security and compliance with NRC requirements. 
Therefore, the Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and 
Safeguards, is prepared to issue an amendment to the Certificate of 
Compliance for the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS). The 
staff has prepared a Compliance Evaluation Report which provides 
details of the staff's evaluation. The NRC staff has determined that 
this amendment satisfies the criteria for a categorical exclusion in 
accordance with 10 CFR 51.22. Therefore, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.22(b), 
no environmental impact statement or environmental assessment need be 
prepared for this amendment.
    USEC or any person whose interest may be affected may file a 
petition, not exceeding 30 pages, requesting review of the Director's 
Decision. The petition must be filed with the Commission not later than 
15 days after publication of this Federal Register Notice. A petition 
for review of the Director's Decision shall set forth with 
particularity the interest of the petitioner and how that interest may 
be affected by the results of the decision. The petition should 
specifically explain the reasons why review of the Decision should be 
permitted with particular reference to the following factors: (1) the 
interest of the petitioner; (2) how that interest may be affected by 
the Decision, including the reasons why the petitioner should be 
permitted a review of the Decision; and (3) the petitioner's areas of 
concern about the activity that is the subject matter of the Decision. 
Any person described in this paragraph (USEC or any person who filed a 
petition) may file a response to any petition for review, not to exceed 
30 pages, within 10 days after filing of the petition. If no petition 
is received within the designated 15-day period, the Director will 
issue the final amendment to the Certificate of Compliance without 
further delay. If a petition for review is received, the decision on 
the amendment application will become final in 60 days, unless the 
Commission grants the petition for review or otherwise acts within 60 
days after publication of this Federal Register Notice.
    A petition for review must be filed with the Secretary of the 
Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,

[[Page 42888]]

Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: Rulemakings and Adjudications 
Staff, or may be delivered to the Commission's Public Document Room, 
the Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, NW, Washington, DC, by the above 
date.
    For further details with respect to the action see: (1) the 
application for amendment and (2) the Commission's Compliance 
Evaluation Report. These items are available for public inspection at 
the Commission's Public Document Room, the Gelman Building, 2120 L 
Street, NW, Washington, DC, and at the Local Public Document Room.
    Date of amendment request: June 11, 1998.
    Brief description of amendment: The United States Enrichment 
Corporation (USEC) submitted a certificate amendment request for the 
Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS) to delete the requirement in 
The Plan for Achieving Compliance with NRC Regulations at the 
Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (Compliance Plan) Issue 11, Plan of 
Action and Schedule, to install evacuation horns/lights in the X-744H 
warehouse and to tie them to the X-744G warehouse Criticality Accident 
Alarm System (CAAS). Prior to requesting approval from the NRC for 
changes to the Plan of Action and Schedule section of the Compliance 
Plan, USEC is required to obtain the Department of Energy's (DOE's) 
approval. As such, USEC in a letter dated May 7, 1998, requested DOE 
approval of the change. DOE's approval was granted on May 29, 1998.
    Issue 11 of the Compliance Plan was originally developed by DOE to 
ensure that workers in X-744H would be alerted immediately if an 
inadvertent criticality occurred in X-744H. The criticality in X-744H 
would be detected by the CAAS cluster of instruments located in X-744G 
which is about 300 feet from X-744H. However, recent operational 
changes, which includes the transfer of fissile material operations 
(FMOs) of concern from X-744H to another facility which is already 
covered by a CAAS, and the intrinsic nature of the residual 
contaminated material stored in X-744H, do not warrant CAAS coverage 
for X-744H, since a criticality accident in this facility is not 
credible.

Basis for Finding of No Significance

    1. The proposed amendment will not result in a change in the types 
or significant increase in the amounts of any effluents that may be 
released offsite.
    This amendment deletes the Compliance Plan requirement to install 
criticality alarms (horns/lights) in X-744H and to tie them to the 
existing X-744G CAAS. It does not involve systems that are used to 
prevent or mitigate effluents that may be released offsite. Therefore, 
this amendment will not result in a significant change in the types or 
significant increase in the amounts of any effluents that may be 
released offsite.
    2. The proposed amendment will not result in a significant increase 
in individual or cumulative occupational radiation exposure.
    This amendment deletes the Compliance Plan requirement to install 
criticality alarms (horns/lights) in X-744H and to tie them to the 
existing X-744G CAAS. This requirement was included in the Compliance 
Plan before certification to ensure that workers in X-744H would be 
alerted immediately if an inadvertent criticality occurred in X-744H. 
However, since that time, USEC has transferred the FMOs of concern to 
another facility covered by a CAAS thus reducing the likelihood of a 
criticality in X-744H to insignificant levels. In addition, the X-744H 
facility is more than 200 feet from the nearest FMO of concern which 
places it outside the range of significant criticality doses. 
Therefore, not requiring CAAS coverage for this amendment would not 
adversely affect criticality safety for X-744H. For these reasons, the 
proposed amendment will not result in a significant increase in 
individual or cumulative occupational radiation exposures.
    3. The proposed amendment will not result in a significant 
construction impact.
    The proposed amendment does not involve any construction, 
therefore, there will be no construction impacts.
    4. The proposed amendment will not result in a significant increase 
in the potential for, or radiological or chemical consequences from, 
previously analyzed accidents.
    For the reasons provided in the assessment of criterion 2, the 
proposed amendment will not result in a significant increase in the 
potential for, or radiological or chemical consequences from, 
previously analyzed accidents.
    5. The proposed amendment will not result in the possibility of a 
new or different kind of accident.
    For the reasons provided in the assessment of criterion 2, the 
proposed amendment will not result in new or different kinds of 
accidents.
    6. The proposed amendment will not result in a significant 
reduction in any margin of safety.
    For the reasons provided in the assessment of criterion 2, the 
proposed amendment will not result in a significant reduction in any 
margin of safety.
    7. The proposed amendment will not result in an overall decrease in 
the effectiveness of the plant's safety, safeguards, or security 
programs.
    For the reasons provided in the assessment of criterion 2, the 
proposed amendment will not result in an overall decrease in the 
effectiveness of the plant's safety program.
    The staff has not identified any safeguards or security related 
implications from the proposed amendment. Therefore, the proposed 
amendment will not result in an overall decrease in the effectiveness 
of the plant's safeguards or security programs.
    Effective date: The amendment to GDP-2 will become effective five 
(5) days after issuance by NRC.
    Certificate of Compliance No. GDP-2: Amendment will revise PORTS 
Compliance Plan Issue 11.
    Local Public Document Room location: Portsmouth Public Library, 
1220 Gallia Street, Portsmouth, Ohio 45662.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 31st day of July 1998.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Malcolm R. Knapp,
Acting Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 98-21548 Filed 8-10-98; 8:45 am]
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