[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 202 (Thursday, October 18, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52951-52952]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-26277]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NUREG-1748, Draft Report]


Environmental Review Guidance for Licensing Actions Associated 
With NMSS Programs; Notice of Availability

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for public comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is announcing, for 
public comment, the availability of a draft document ``Environmental 
Review Guidance for Licensing Actions Associated with NMSS Programs'' 
(NUREG-1748). This document provides guidance for the planning and 
implementation of National Environmental Policy Act requirements for 
all non-reactor facilities, e.g., those which fabricate nuclear fuel, 
dispose high-level radioactive waste, fabricate sources, etc. The 
guidance is intended for NRC staff, licensees/applicants, and the 
public. The NRC is seeking public comment in order to receive feedback 
from the widest range of interested parties and to ensure that all 
information relevant to developing the document is available to the NRC 
staff. This document is being issued for interim use and comment. The 
NRC will review public comments received on the draft document. 
Suggested changes will be incorporated, where appropriate, in response 
to those comments.

DATES: Comments received by September 30, 2002, will be considered. 
Comments received after that date will be considered to the extent 
practical.

ADDRESSES: Members of the public are invited and encouraged to submit 
comments to the Chief, Rules Review and Directives Branch, Mail Stop 
T6-D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. 
Comments may also be sent electronically to [email protected].
    NUREG-1748 is available for inspection and copying for a fee at the 
Commission's Public Document Room, U.S. NRC's Headquarters Building, 
11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland, and 
electronically from the ADAMS Public Library component on the NRC Web 
Site, 
http://www.nrc.gov (the Electronic Reading Room).
    A free single copy of NUREG-1748 will be made available to 
interested parties until the supply is exhausted. Such copies may be 
requested by writing to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Distribution Services, Washington, DC 20555-0001 or submitting an e-
mail to [email protected]. NUREG-1748 is available on the World Wide 
Web at http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/NUREGS/SR1748/index.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Either of the following: Matt Blevins, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop T7-J8, Washington, DC 
20555, Phone Number: (301) 415-7684, Email: [email protected]; or Melanie 
Wong, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop T7-J8, Washington, 
DC 20555, Phone Number: (301) 415-6262, Email: [email protected]. Please 
email comments to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 requires 
Federal agencies, as part of their decision-making process, to consider 
the environmental impacts of actions under their jurisdiction. Both the 
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission (NRC) have promulgated regulations to implement NEPA 
requirements. CEQ regulations are contained in the Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) at 40 CFR parts 1500 to 1508, and NRC requirements 
are provided in 10 CFR part 51.
    To ensure consistent treatment of NEPA requirements throughout the 
NRC Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS), the 
Environmental and Performance Assessment Branch (EPAB) has produced a 
guidance document (NUREG-1748) which provides general procedures for 
determining the level of NEPA review and documentation required for the 
environmental review of licensing actions undertaken by the Office of 
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS). Such licensing actions 
encompass fuel cycle, spent nuclear fuel storage, radioactive waste 
disposal, uranium recovery, decommissioning, and other nuclear 
materials sites. Divisions within NMSS and their regional counterparts 
may have supplemental guidance that is specific to facilities they 
regulate. Although the main focus of this guidance is the NRC staff's 
environmental review process, the guidance also contains related 
information which applicants and licensees may find useful. Chapter 1 
provides a summary and overview of the guidance. This chapter briefly 
discusses whether an applicant or licensee's request is a categorical 
exclusion or whether the staff needs to prepare an environmental 
assessment (EA) or environmental impact statement (EIS), early planning 
for an EA or EIS and describes methods of using previous environmental 
analyses related to the proposed action. Chapter 2 discusses 
categorical exclusions and the basis of their use. Chapter 3 discusses 
the EA process, including preparation and content of the EA, agencies 
to be consulted, and preparation of the Finding of No Significant 
Impact. Chapter 4 discusses the process of preparing an EIS, from 
developing a project plan, through scoping, consultations and public 
meetings, to preparing the Record of Decision. Chapter 5 discusses the 
content of the EIS, and Chapter 6 discusses environmental information 
that should be considered by applicants and licensees in preparing 
environmental reports.
    Commentors are encouraged to submit their written comments to the 
addresses listed above. To ensure efficient and complete comment 
resolution, commentors are requested to reference the page number and 
the line number of

[[Page 52952]]

the document to which the comment applies.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 11th day of October, 2001.
    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Thomas H. Essig,
Chief, Environmental and Performance Assessment Branch, Division of 
Waste Management, NMSS.
[FR Doc. 01-26277 Filed 10-17-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P