[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 231 (Wednesday, December 2, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66588-66589]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-32114]



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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Licenses 37-0826-1 and 37-0826-2--Dockets 30-21230 and 30-30666]


ALARON Corp. Northeast Regional Service Facility--Wampum, 
Pennsylvania: Renewal of Material Licenses; Finding of No Significant 
Impact and Notice of Opportunity for a Hearing (NUREG/CR-5549)

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering the renewal 
of Material Licenses 37-20826-01 and 37-20826-02 for the continued 
operation of ALARON Corporation, Northeast Regional Service Facility 
(NRSF), located in Wampum, Pennsylvania.

Summary of the Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is the renewal of ALARON's Material Licenses 
37-20826-01 and 37-20826-02 for at least 10 years. With these renewals, 
the ALARON facility will continue to conduct ongoing operations 
involving treatment, decontamination, compaction and repackaging 
services for generators of radioactively contaminated materials. The 
proposed action would permit ALARON to possess, manage, and treat, 
under two NRC Material Licenses, 37-20826-01 and 37-20826-02, limited 
quantities of byproduct or source materials and sealed sources with 
atomic numbers less than 97, special nuclear materials in the form of 
fixed or removable contamination, and depleted uranium.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The action is to determine if the licenses should be renewed or 
denied. ALARON provides treatment, decontamination, compaction and 
repackaging services for generators of radioactively contaminated 
materials. Because these services reduce the quantities or volumes of 
materials that require disposal as waste, generators choose to have 
their radioactive waste materials treated at the NRSF to reduce the 
costs of disposal. Denial of the license renewals for ALARON is an 
alternative available to NRC, but without the services provided by 
ALARON, contaminated materials would have to be processed at other 
facilities providing these services or the amount of low level waste 
(LLW) disposed of at commercial burial sites would have to increase. 
While terminating the licenses would eliminate the small impacts of 
facility operation, eliminating or replacing facility capabilities 
could lead to environmental impacts elsewhere.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    Because of the limited scope of activities at the NRSF, this 
environmental assessment (EA) focuses on impacts to air quality, 
ecological resources, and human health resulting from normal operations 
and potential accidents. The proposed action would not (1) cause 
appreciable changes in employment at the site, (2) affect previously 
undisturbed areas, (3) generate liquid discharges (except storm water 
runoff) from the facility, (4) expand the developed area of the site, 
or (5) require major operations outside existing buildings or the 
surrounding industrial area. For these reasons, no significant impacts 
on socioeconomic, historic or archaeological resources, water quality, 
terrestrial ecology, or noise levels would result from the proposed 
action.

Air Quality Impacts

    The NRSF is located in Lawrence County, which is in attainment of 
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for all pollutants 
except ozone. NAAQS exist for sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen 
dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), 
lead, and two sizes of respirable particulate matter: particles less 
than 10 m in diameter (designated PM-10) and particles less 
than 2.5 m in diameter (designated PM-2.5). The NAAQS are 
expressed as pollutant concentrations that are not to be exceeded in 
the ambient air--that is, in the outdoor air to which the general 
public has access. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has 
established emissions levels for conformity analysis below which 
contributions to air pollution are not considered significant, and for 
which no further regulatory analysis is required. The proposed action 
would not be expected to increase emissions to the ambient air from 
process facilities. Air emitted from process facilities is filtered and 
recycled through the buildings. The licensee anticipates no changes in 
operations that would affect air-pollutant emissions.
    Ozone is formed from complex chemical reactions involving oxides of 
nitrogen (NOX), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the 
presence of sunlight. Ozone pollution is a cumulative impact of many 
emissions of NOX and hydrocarbons and all internal 
combustion engines emit NOX and VOCs. Because vehicle 
movements associated with facility operations emit these pollutants, 
facility operations contribute to the regional ozone problem. Analysis 
shows that even under very conservative assumptions, NOX and 
VOCs emissions associated with NRSF operations are only a small 
fraction of the limits below which contributions to air pollution are 
not considered significant. Because vehicle movements associated with 
operations contribute much less than the quantities EPA considers 
worthy of analysis for conformity with air quality plans, the facility 
makes no significant contribution to the region's ozone pollution 
problem.

Radioactive Emissions

    NRSF does not have liquid discharge paths where licensed 
(radioactive) material may be released to the environment. There are no 
floor drains in areas where radioactive material containers are opened. 
Operations involving radioactive liquids are conducted in areas with 
spill curbs capable of containing the liquid volume of the largest 
container holding liquids in the area. Because all areas that might 
have decontamination chemicals are co-located with radioactive 
materials, there are no liquid sources for impacts to humans from 
either hazardous chemicals or radioactive materials.
    Airborne contaminants are drawn through HEPA filters, and filtered 
air is discharged back into the buildings. The exhaust of all HEPA 
filters is monitored continuously. No atmospheric emissions containing 
radioactive contaminants are expected to be released.

Accident Evaluation

    The EA evaluated one accident as the bounding accident: the 
potential quantities of licensed and nonradiological materials that 
might be released to the atmosphere in the unlikely event of a major 
fire at the NRSF facility. The regulatory analysis documented in NUREG-
1140 (McGuire 1988), which assessed the accident potential for doses 
exceeding EPA protective action guides, was used to evaluate potential 
impacts. The limiting possession quantities of radionuclides specified 
in 10 CFR 30.72, are derived from the analyses and conclusions in 
NUREG-1140. Because they are derived from the analyses in NUREG-1140, 
these possession limits ensure that accidental releases will not exceed 
the EPA protective action guide 1-rem exposure to downwind individuals. 
The quantities of radiological materials ALARON is allowed to possess 
are limited by license conditions that reference Schedule C in 10 CFR 
30.72.

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The historical quantities of radionuclides at the NRSF have been far 
below the limiting quantities.
    ALARON's operations with licensed material involve use of 
fluoroboric acid (HBF4). In the event of an accident, the 
primary off-site chemical hazard would be from the gaseous boron 
trifluoride (BF3) and hydrogen fluoride (HF) that could 
result from decomposition of the HBF4. The evaluation of the 
potential impacts of this nonradiological material was based on a 
release to the atmosphere using the same accidental fire scenario as 
for the radiological materials. The results were compared to the EPA's 
guidance for chemical hazards under its ``Risk Management Plan Rule.'' 
Because the total inventory of fluoroboric acid at NRSF is less than 
EPA's recommended threshold amounts, there is no potential for adverse 
off-site human health impacts in the event of accidents involving this 
acid at NRSF.

Conclusion

    The NRC staff concludes that the environmental impacts associated 
with the proposed license renewal for continued operation of ALARON 
Corporation's Wampum, Pennsylvania, Northeast Regional Service Facility 
are expected to be insignificant.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    The Commission has prepared an EA related to the renewal of 
Material Licenses 37-20826-01 and 37-20826-02. On the basis of the 
assessment, the Commission has concluded that environmental impacts 
that would be created by the proposed action would not be significant 
and do not warrant the preparation of an Environmental Impact 
Statement. Accordingly, it has been determined that a Finding of No 
Significant Impact is appropriate.
    The EA is being made available as NUREG/CR-5549. Copies of NUREG/
CR-5549 may be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. 
Government Printing Office, PO Box 37082, Washington, DC 20402-9328. 
Copies are also available from the National Technical Information 
Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161. A copy is also 
available for inspection and copying for a fee in the NRC Public 
Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW. (Lower Level), Washington, DC 20555-
0001.

Opportunity for a Hearing

    Any person whose interest may be affected by the issuance of this 
renewal may file a request for a hearing. Any request for hearing must 
be filed with the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington, DC 20555, within 30 days of the publication of 
this notice in the Federal Register; be served on the NRC staff 
(Executive Director for Operations, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852), and on the licensee (ALARON 
Corporation, RD#2, Box 2140A, Wampum, PA 16157); and must comply with 
the requirements for requesting a hearing set forth in the Commission's 
regulations, 10 CFR part 2, subpart L, ``Information Hearing Procedures 
for Adjudications in Materials Licensing Proceedings.''
    These requirements, which the request must address in detail, are:
    1. The interest of the requestor in the proceeding;
    2. How that interest may be affected by the results of the 
proceeding (including the reasons why the requestor should be permitted 
a hearing);
    3. The requestor's areas of concern about the licensing activity 
that is the subject matter of the proceeding; and
    4. The circumstances establishing that the request for hearing is 
timely--that is, filed within 30 days of the date of this notice.
    In addressing how the requestor's interest may be affected by the 
proceeding, the request should describe the nature of the requestor's 
right under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, to be made a 
party to the proceeding; the nature and extent of the requestor's 
property, financial, or other (i.e., health, safety) interest in the 
proceeding; and the possible effect of any order that may be entered in 
the proceeding upon the requestor's interest.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 17th day of November, 1998.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Larry W. Camper,
Chief, Material Safety Branch, Division of Industrial and Medical 
Nuclear Safety, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 98-32114 Filed 12-1-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P