[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]
[[Page 66588]]
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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.
[[Page 66589]]
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