[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 67 (Thursday, April 8, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17200-17201]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-8771]


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NUCLEAR REGUATORY COMMISSION

[Docket 70-7002]


Amendment to Certificate of Compliance GDP-2 for the U.S. 
Enrichment Corporation, Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Portsmouth, 
Ohio

    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.
    The United States Enrichment Corporation (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, 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.
    Since the application for amendment and the Commission's Compliance 
Evaluation Report contain proprietary information, they are not subject 
to public disclosure per 10 CFR 2.790.
    Date of amendment request: August 7, 1998, as revised on February 
24, 1999.
    Brief description of amendment: USEC submitted a certificate 
amendment request for PORTS to reduce the minimum number of 
measurements that are required to determine the enriched uranium 
content of UF6 cylinder receipts from Russian facilities for 
whom a valid historical database has been established so as to provide 
99.9 percent confidence that a statistically significant shift in the 
mean uranium concentration will be detected. PORTS typically receives, 
from three blending facilities in Russia, several hundred 2.5-ton 
UF6 cylinders per year

[[Page 17201]]

at enrichments less than 5 weight percent U-235. Currently, each 
cylinder's liquid sample obtained in Russia or at PORTS is required to 
be analyzed at PORTS to confirm the uranium concentration and 
enrichment indicated by the shipper. The proposed amendment would allow 
analysis of UF6 samples at PORTS at a lower rate which 
provides 99.9 percent confidence that a statistically significant shift 
in the mean uranium concentration will be detected for each Russian 
supplier with a valid historical database. It is noted that the 
proposed amendment only lowers the analytical measurement rate for 
Russian-origin UF6 cylinders. The current 100 percent liquid 
sampling requirement and the 100 percent nondestructive analysis 
requirement will not be altered by this amendment.

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 significantly reduces the destructive sample 
analytical requirement for 2.5-ton UF6 cylinders obtained 
from three Russian facilities which have established historical bases 
to provide 99.9 percent confidence that a statistically significant 
shift in uranium concentration will be detected. As such, it would 
likely result in a reduction in the analytical handling of 
UF6 samples. This would reduce the likelihood of any 
accidental releases of UF6 during analytical operations. 
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.
    For the reasons provided in the assessment of criterion 1, 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 1, 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 1, 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 1, 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 1, the 
proposed amendment will not result in an overall decrease in the 
effectiveness of the plant's safety program.
    The NRC staff has determined that the sampling and measurement plan 
as described in USEC's proposed amendment would provide an adequate 
systems performance capability for determining the uranium content of 
UF6 cylinder receipts at PORTS from the three current 
Russian suppliers. The systems capability that would be provided by the 
proposed sampling rates, which would detect with a probability of over 
0.99, a mean shift in concentration as small as one standard deviation. 
The resulting detection level would be of the same magnitude as the 
uncertainty associated with the PORTS analytical measurement system if 
the sampling plan is applied in a reasonably random way to assure the 
representativeness of data. Moreover, the proposed statistical approach 
is consistent with current commitments of other NRC licensees who 
receive low-enriched UF6 cylinders of either domestic or 
foreign origin. It should be noted that this amendment only applies to 
those shippers of Russian material for whom a valid database has been 
established so as to provide 99.9 percent confidence that a 
statistically significant shift in the mean uranium concentration will 
be detected. Therefore, the NRC staff concludes that the proposed 
amendment will not result in an overall decrease in the effectiveness 
of the plant's safeguards program.
    The staff has not identified any 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 
security program.
    Effective date: The amendment to GDP-2 will become effective 
immediately after issuance by NRC.
    Certificate of Compliance No. GDP-2: Amendment will revise the 
PORTS Fundamental Nuclear Materials Control Plan and the PORTS 
Transportation Security Plan.
    Local Public Document Room location: Portsmouth Public Library, 
1220 Gallia Street, Portsmouth, Ohio 45662.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 31st day of March 1999.
    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Carl J. Paperiello,
Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 99-8771 Filed 4-7-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P