[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 179 (Thursday, September 16, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 50306]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-24170]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 70-364]


Notice of Issuance of an Environmental Assessment and Finding of 
No Significant Impact for the BWX Technologies (BWXT), Parks Township, 
Pennsylvania

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is 
considering issuing an exemption to BWX Technologies (BWXT or the 
licensee) from the requirement at 10 CFR Part 20, Appendix G III (E)(1) 
and (2) to investigate and report to the Commission when receipt of a 
shipment, or part of a shipment, of radioactive waste is not 
acknowledged by the intended recipient within 20 days of the shipment 
of the waste.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    By letter dated May 11, 1999, BWXT requested an exemption from the 
requirement at 10 CFR Part 20.Appendix G III (E)(1) and (2) to 
investigate and report to the Commission when receipt of a shipment, or 
part of a shipment, of radioactive waste is not acknowledged by the 
intended recipient within 20 days of the shipment of the waste. 
Instead, BWXT would only investigate and file a report to the NRC when 
receipt of the shipment is not received within 35 days of the date of 
shipment.

Need for the Proposed Action

    The BWXT operation involves the decommissioning of its facility in 
Parks Township, Pennsylvania. As part of this operation, BWXT ships 
radioactive waste to a radioactive waste disposal facility in Hanford, 
Washington. As described in the licensee's request, the radioactive 
waste being shipped to the Hanford, WA facility will typically take 
longer than the 20 days contemplated in the NRC's regulations at 10 CFR 
Part 20 Appendix G III (E)(1) and (2). As such, the licensee could be 
required to investigate and file a report of the investigation with the 
NRC for each routine shipment of waste. The licensee also stated in its 
request that a tracking system for rail shipments allows the licensee, 
and its transportation subcontractor, to monitor the progress of the 
shipment.

Environmental Impact of the Proposed Action

    The NRC staff has examined the licensee's proposed exemption 
request and concluded that the proposed exemption request is procedural 
and administrative in nature. Therefore, exempting BWXT from the 
requirements at 10 CFR Part 20 Appendix G III (E)(1) and (2) and 
instead requiring BWXT to investigate and report to NRC when receipt of 
a shipment is not received within 35 days of a shipment will not 
endanger life or property, or the common defense and security, and will 
not cause any environmental impact.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    Since there are no environmental impacts associated with this 
proposed action, no alternatives other than the proposed action were 
evaluated.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    Staff of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection 
were consulted for this proposed action.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    As discussed above, the proposed action is procedural and 
administrative in nature and there is no environmental impact 
associated with this action. Accordingly, the Commission has determined 
not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed 
exemption.
    This application for the proposed action was docketed under 10 CFR 
Part 70, Docket No. 70-364. For further details with respect to this 
action, see the licensee's May 11,1999, request, which is available for 
public inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room, 2120 L 
Street, NW, Washington, DC 20555.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 7th day of September 1999.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Larry W. Camper,
Chief, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Waste Management, Office of 
Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 99-24170 Filed 9-15-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P