[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 160 (Wednesday, August 19, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44476-44477]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-22332]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-54]


Cintichem, Inc. Research Reactor; Environmental Assessment and 
Finding of No Significant Impact Regarding Termination of Facility 
License No. R-81

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering

[[Page 44477]]

issuance of an Order terminating Facility License No. R-81 for the 
Cintichem, Inc. (the licensee) Research Reactor located in Tuxedo, New 
York.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of Proposed Action

    By application dated October 19, 1990, as supplemented January 11, 
14, 28, February 19, March 8, April 24, May 21, June 25, July 17, 
August 6, and October 2, 1991, the licensee requested authorization to 
dismantle the 5 Megawatt Research Reactor, dispose of the component 
parts in accordance with the proposed decommissioning plan, and 
terminate Facility License No. R-81. An ``Order Authorizing Dismantling 
of Facility and Disposition of Component Parts,'' dated November 21, 
1991, was published in the Federal Register on November 27, 1991 (56 FR 
60124). In addition, NRC required Cintichem to develop residual soil 
contamination criteria for use as unrestricted release criteria for the 
facility. These were submitted on October 22, 1992, and approved on 
August 26, 1993. On February 1, 1994, Cintichem requested approval of 
residual contamination criteria for five additional radionuclides that 
were not included in the original submittal. NRC approved the criteria 
for the five additional radionuclides on October 17, 1994. Unrestricted 
release criteria for surfaces were those described in NRC Regulatory 
Guide 1.86. These criteria were modified in October 1994 to increase 
the limits for tritium (H-3) and iron-55 (Fe-55) in accordance with NRC 
guidance. Cintichem was also required to demonstrate that the dose to a 
critical member of the public from all residual radioactive material on 
site did not exceed 10 millirem per year. In addition, the dose via the 
water pathway alone could not exceed 4 millirem per year.
    Due to the large geographical size of the site and the considerable 
number of radiation survey data points recorded, the final radiation 
surveys were divided into five sequential phases. For each phase, 
Cintichem conducted radiation surveys using techniques recommended in 
NUREG/CR-5849, ``Manual for Conducting Radiological Surveys in Support 
of License Termination'', to show that unconditional release criteria 
were satisfied. The licensee completed the dismantlement and submitted 
final survey reports and addenda for the five phases dated January 26, 
1995, March 3, 1995, March 26, April 19 and June 7, 1996, June 6 and 
27, 1997, July 3 and 30, 1997, and September 22, 1997.
    Representatives of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and 
Education (ORISE), under contract to NRC, conducted five surveys of the 
Cintichem facility during the period April 1995 through August 1997. 
The surveys are documented in the following ORISE reports.

1. Confirmation Survey of the Exterior Areas of Buildings 1 and 2, May 
1995
2. Confirmation Survey of the Phase 2 Areas of the Reactor Building, 
September 1996
3. Confirmation Survey of the Unaffected Land Areas, September 1996
4. Confirmation Survey of the Phase 4 Areas, May 1997
5. Confirmation Survey of the Phase 5 Areas, April 1998

    In addition, an Addendum to the Phase 5 Confirmatory Survey Report, 
``Bedrock Dose Assessment Report'', was submitted to the NRC on June 2, 
1998.
    NRC finds that the ORISE reports support the data developed in the 
licensee's final survey report, and that all measurements indicate the 
remaining facilities are suitable for unconditional release.
    On May 27, 1998, Cintichem affirmed that all radioactive material 
stored on site had been removed from the facility. This was confirmed 
by inspection of the site by NRC and the State of New York on June 15, 
1998.

The Need for Proposed Action

    The proposed action is to release the facility for unrestricted 
access and use, and Facility License No. R-81 must be terminated.

Environmental Impact of License Termination

    Results of Cintichem's surveys and the ORISE confirmatory surveys 
demonstrate that the facility meets the criteria for unrestricted use 
prescribed in the approved decommissioning plan as supplemented. The 
NRC finds that since these criteria have been met there is no 
significant impact on the environment and the facility can be released 
for unrestricted use.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    As an alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered 
denial of the proposed action. Denial of the application would result 
in no change in environmental impacts and would deny release of the 
site for unrestricted use and require continuance of facility license. 
The environmental impacts of the proposed action and the alternative 
action are similar. Since the reactor and component parts have been 
dismantled and disposed of in accordance with NRC regulations and 
guidelines, there is no viable alternative to termination of Facility 
License No. R-81.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The NRC staff consulted with the Director, Bureau of Pesticides and 
Radiation, Division of Solid and Hazardous Materials, New York State 
Department of Environmental Conservation regarding the proposed action, 
and the official had no comments.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    Based upon the environmental assessment, the Commission concludes 
that the issuance of the Order will not have a significant effect on 
the quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the Commission has 
determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the 
proposed action.
    For further details with respect to this proposed action, see the 
licensee's submittal on decommissioning the facility, dated October 19, 
1990 as supplemented. These documents are available for public 
inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW, 
Washington, DC 20003-1527.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 13th day of August 1998.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Seymour H. Weiss,
Director, Non-Power Reactor and Decommissioning Project Directorate, 
Division of Reactor Program Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 98-22332 Filed 8-18-98; 8:45 am]
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