[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 164 (Thursday, August 23, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44384-44385]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-21291]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 40-8681]


International Uranium (USA) Corporation; Notice of Opportunity 
for Hearing

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of Receipt of Request from International Uranium (USA) 
Corporation to Amend Source Material License SUA-1358 To Receive and 
Process Alternate Feed Materials from Maywood, New Jersey.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission has received, by letters dated June 15, 2001, June 22, 2001, 
and August 3, 2001, a request from International Uranium (USA) 
Corporation (IUSA) to amend its NRC Source Material License SUA-1358, 
to allow its White Mesa Uranium Mill near Blanding, Utah, to receive 
and process up to 600,000 cubic yards (840,000 tons) of alternate feed 
material from the Maywood site located in Maywood, New Jersey. The 
Maywood site is being remediated under the Formerly Utilized Sites 
Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 
The materials are by-products from the processing of thorium and 
lanthanum from monazite sands. IUSA is requesting that the material may 
be received and processed for its source material content. By-products 
from the extraction of source material will be disposed in lined 
tailings cells with a groundwater detection monitoring program.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. William von Till, Fuel Cycle 
Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office 
of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Mail

[[Page 44385]]

Stop T-8A-33, Washington, D.C. 20555. Telephone (301) 415-6251.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By its submittals dated June 15, 2001, June 
25, 2001, and August 3, 2001, IUSA requested that the NRC amend 
Materials License SUA-1358 to allow the receipt and processing of 
material other than natural uranium ore (i.e., alternate feed material) 
at its White Mesa uranium mill located near Blanding, Utah. These 
materials would be used as an ``alternate feed material'' (i.e., matter 
that is processed in the mill to remove the uranium but which is 
different from natural uranium ores, the normal feed material).
    IUSA is requesting to receive material from the Maywood, New Jersey 
FUSRAP site. The site is being remediated under the authority of the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This site began operations in 1895 and 
over the years monazite sands were processed for thorium, lanthanum, 
and other rare earth elements. Uranium was not extracted and remains in 
the process residues. The material is currently located in three pits 
and is also being cleaned up from off-site properties. Material in the 
three pits is licensed by the NRC under STC-1333 for the Stepan 
Chemical Company. This license covers 19,000 cubic yards of buried 
tailings.
    The average uranium content, based on 4000 samples, ranges from 
non-detectable to 0.06 weight percent, with an average grade of 0.0018 
percent uranium. However, IUSA is proposing to only receive material 
that contains higher than 0.01 percent uranium. The thorium content of 
the material ranges from non-detectable to 3,800 pCi/g with an average 
of 970 pCi/g. The thorium content is relatively low due to thorium 
extraction at the Maywood site. IUSA states that hazardous wastes 
regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) have 
not been identified in this material. IUSA also proposes that 
verification sampling at the Maywood site will be implemented to assure 
that the material does not contain hazardous wastes regulated under 
RCRA. IUSA does not have a contract to receive this material at this 
time and therefore, the exact mode of transporting the materials to the 
mill has not been determined. Transportation may be similar to that of 
other alternate feed materials shipped to the mill. This would consist 
of inter-modal containers shipped by rail then by truck. If the maximum 
volume requested were to be shipped to the mill, IUSA estimates that 
7500 rail cars over seven years by rail and 46-86 truckloads per week 
would occur. It is more likely that 206,000 cubic yards would be 
shipped which would consist of 46 truckloads per week. IUSA does not 
expect there to be an impact from the transportation of these materials 
due to exclusive-use containers, the small increase in truck traffic (4 
to 7.4 percent), and the material will be transported in lined, covered 
containers.
    This application will be reviewed by the staff using NRC formal 
guidance, ``Final Position and Guidance on the Use of Uranium Mill Feed 
Material Other Than Natural Ores''. The NRC has approved similar 
amendment requests in the past for separate alternate feed material 
under this license.
    The amendment application is available for public inspection and 
copying at the NRC Public Document Room, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission Headquarters, Room 0-1F21, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 
MD 20852.

Notice of Opportunity for Hearing

    The NRC hereby provides notice of an opportunity for a hearing on 
the license amendment under the provisions of 10 CFR part 2, subpart L, 
``Informal Hearing Procedures for Adjudications in Materials and 
Operator Licensing Proceedings.'' Pursuant to Sec. 2.1205(a), any 
person whose interest may be affected by this proceeding may file a 
request for a hearing. In accordance with Sec. 2.1205(d), a request for 
hearing must be filed within 30 days of the publication of this notice 
in the Federal Register. The request for a hearing must be filed with 
the Office of the Secretary, either:
    (1) By delivery to the Docketing and Service Branch of the Office 
of the Secretary at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, 
Rockville, MD 20852; or
    (2) By mail or telegram addressed to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, Attention: Docketing and 
Service Branch.
    In accordance with 10 CFR 2.1205(f), each request for a hearing 
must also be served, by delivering it personally or by mail, to:
    (1) The applicant, International Uranium (USA) Corporation, 
Independence Plaza, Suite 950, 1050 Seventeenth Street, Denver, 
Colorado 80265; Attention: Michelle Rehmann; and
    (2) The NRC staff, by delivery to the Executive Director for 
Operations, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 
20852, or by mail addressed to the Executive Director for Operations, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555.
    In addition to meeting other applicable requirements of 10 CFR part 
2 of the NRC's regulations, a request for a hearing filed by a person 
other than an applicant must describe in detail:
    (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, with particular reference to the factors set out in 
Sec. 2.1205(h);
    (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 a hearing 
is timely in accordance with Sec. 2.1205(d).
    The request must also set forth the specific aspect or aspects of 
the subject matter of the proceeding as to which petitioner wishes a 
hearing.
    In addition, members of the public may provide comments on the 
subject application within 30 days of the publication of this notice in 
the Federal Register. The comments may be provided to Michael Lesar, 
Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administration 
Services, Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day of August 2001.

    For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Melvyn Leach,
Chief, Fuel Cycle Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety & 
Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 01-21291 Filed 8-22-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P