[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 3 (Monday, January 6, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 588-589]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-154]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Safety Analyses of the Potential Inadvertent Disposal of Two 
Spent Fuel Rods at Low-Level Radioactive Waste Facilities; Notice of 
Availability

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Office of Nuclear

[[Page 589]]

Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) is announcing the availability 
for public comment of a set of draft safety analyses related to the 
potential inadvertent disposal of two spent fuel rods at a low-level 
radioactive waste facility. In November 2000, the licensee for 
Millstone Unit 1 (Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc.) informed the NRC 
that the location of two spent fuel rods could not be determined and 
the following investigation by the licensee concluded that the two 
spent fuel rods may have been inadvertently sent for disposal as Class 
C low-level radioactive waste. One analysis was prepared for each of 
the two possible low-level radioactive waste facilities: the Hanford, 
Washington site and the Barnwell, South Carolina site. The NRC has 
determined, from these analyses, that the potential presence of the two 
fuel rods, at either site, would not constitute a present or future 
risk to public health and safety or the environment. 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 safety analyses is available to the NRC staff. The NRC 
will review public comments received on the draft documents. In 
response to those comments, suggested changes will be incorporated, 
where appropriate, and a final document will be issued.

DATES: Comments on this draft document should be submitted by March 7, 
2003. Comments received after that date will be considered to the 
extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: The draft safety analyses, ``Long-Term Hazard of Millstone 
Unit 1's Missing Spent Fuel Rods Potentially Disposed at the Barnwell 
Commercial Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility'' and ``Long-
Term Hazard of Millstone Unit 1's Missing Spent Fuel Rods Potentially 
Disposed at the Hanford Commercial Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal 
Facility,'' are 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. They are also 
available electronically from the ADAMS Electronic Reading Room on the 
NRC Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (ADAMS Access 
Numbers: Barnwell's analysis--ML023610413; Hanford's analysis--
ML023610424)
    Members of the public are invited and encouraged to submit written 
comments to: Christepher McKenney, System Performance Analyst (HP), 
Environmental and Performance Assessment Branch, Division of Waste 
Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, Mail Stop 
T-7J8, U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. 
Hand-deliver comments to: 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD, between 
7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., Federal workdays. Comments may also be sent 
electronically to [email protected]. Copies of comments received may be 
examined at the ADAMS Electronic Reading Room on the NRC web site, and 
in the NRC Public Document Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Room O-1F21, 
Rockville, MD 20852. The NRC Public Document Room is open from 7:45 
a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Christepher McKenney, Mail Stop T-
7J8, Environmental and Performance Assessment Branch, Division of Waste 
Management, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001. Telephone: (301) 415-6663; Internet: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In November 2000, the licensee for Millstone 
Unit 1 (Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc.) informed the NRC that the 
location of two spent fuel rods could not be determined. An 
investigative team was formed by the licensee and completed its 
investigation in October, 2001. A follow-up NRC inspection reviewed the 
findings of the investigation and agrees with the results. The result 
of the investigation was that there is a chance that the rods may have 
been unintentionally disposed at the Hanford, Washington, or Barnwell, 
South Carolina commercial low-level radioactive waste disposal 
facilities. The most likely explanation was that the rods were 
inadvertently shipped to Barnwell in 1988, as part of a shipment of 
Class C low-level radioactive waste. These safety analyses do not 
address the jurisdictional issues raised by the potential disposal of 
spent fuel at a shallow low-level waste disposal facility.
    There are both short- and long-term considerations for reviewing 
the health and safety impacts of the rods potentially being at a low-
level radioactive waste disposal facility. These include the type and 
amount of radioactivity present, the current location and disposition 
of the suspected shipments, potential future groundwater release, and 
risk to potential inadvertent intruders. Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, 
Inc., provided an assessment of the risks from the missing fuel on 
October 5, 2001. A second assessment was provided by Dominion Nuclear 
Connecticut, Inc., on May 15, 2002, that responded to a NRC request for 
additional information. After investigating the short- and long-term 
considerations, for the reasons given in the safety analyses, NRC has 
determined that the presence of the two fuel rods at either low-level 
radioactive waste disposal facility does not constitute a present or 
future risk to the public health and safety or the environment.
    Commentors are encouraged to submit their written comments on these 
two safety analyses to the addresses listed above. To ensure efficient 
and complete comment resolution, commentors are requested to reference 
the section, page, and line numbers of the document to which the 
comment applies, if possible.

    Dated at Rockville, MD, this 24th day of December, 2002.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Lawrence Kokajko,
Branch Chief, Environmental and Performance Assessment Branch, Division 
of Waste Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 03-154 Filed 1-3-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P