[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 21 (Friday, January 31, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5056-5057]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-2309]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 030-05295]
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of Environmental Assessment and Finding of no
Significant Impact related to license amendment of Byproduct Material
License No. 29-03761-01, Warner-Lambert Company, Morris Plains, New
Jersey.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
the issuance of a license amendment to Byproduct Material License No.
29-03761-01 to authorize release of its facility in Morris Plains, New
Jersey, for unrestricted use and has prepared an Environmental
Assessment in support of this action. Based upon the Environmental
Assessment, the NRC has concluded that a Finding of No Significant
Impact is appropriate, and, therefore, an Environmental Impact
Statement is unnecessary.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Betsy Ullrich, Division of Nuclear
Materials Safety, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Region I, 475
Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania 19406; telephone (610)
337-5040 or e-mail [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is
considering terminating Byproduct Materials License No. 29-03761-01 and
authorizing the release of the licensee's facilities in Morris Plains,
New Jersey, for unrestricted use and has prepared an Environmental
Assessment (EA) and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) in
support of this action.
SUMMARY: The U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviewed the
results of the decommissioning of the Warner-Lambert Company (Warner-
Lambert) facility in Morris Plains, New Jersey. Warner-Lambert was
authorized by NRC from 1963 to 2002 to use radioactive materials for
research and development purposes at the site. In 2002, Warner-Lambert
ceased operations with licensed materials at the Morris Plains site,
and requested that NRC terminate its license. Warner-Lambert has
conducted surveys of the facility and determined that the facility
meets the license termination criteria in subpart E of 10 CFR part 20.
The NRC staff has evaluated Warner-Lambert's request and results of the
surveys, and has developed an Environmental Assessment (EA) in
accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR part 51. Based on the staff
evaluation, the conclusion of the EA is a Finding of No Significant
Impact (FONSI) on human health and the environment for the proposed
licensing action.
Introduction
Warner-Lambert Company (Warner-Lambert) requested release for
unrestricted use of the buildings at 170 and 182 Tabor Road, Morris
Plains, New Jersey as authorized by the NRC License No. 29-03761-01,
and termination of the license. License No. 29-03761-01 was issued in
1963 and amended periodically since that time. It authorizes Warner-
Lambert to perform activities at 170, 175 and 182 Tabor Road, Morris
Plains, New Jersey. The building at 175 Tabor Road, although authorized
on the license, was not used for licensed activities. NRC-licensed
activities performed at the Morris Plains site were limited to
laboratory procedures typically performed on bench tops and in hoods. A
variety of radionuclides were used primarily for research and
development, but past activities also included manufacture and
distribution of radio-labeled pharmaceuticals for medical research. No
outdoor areas were affected by the use of licensed materials.
Licensed activities ceased completely in June 2002, and the
licensee requested termination of the license and release of the
facilities for unrestricted use. Based on the licensee's historical
knowledge of the site and the conditions of the facility, the licensee
determined that only routine decontamination activities, in accordance
with licensee radiation safety procedures, were required. A
decommissioning plan was not required to be submitted to the NRC. The
licensee surveyed the facilities, decontaminated or remediated areas as
needed, and provided documentation that the facilities meet the license
termination criteria specified in subpart E of 10 CFR part 20, and do
not require additional decommissioning activities
[[Page 5057]]
to be performed. The licensee subsequently requested that the
facilities be released for unrestricted use.
The Proposed Action
The proposed action is to terminate Byproduct Materials License No.
29-03761-01 and release the facilities at 170 and 182 Tabor Road,
Morris Plains, New Jersey for unrestricted use. Warner-Lambert provided
survey results which demonstrate that the Morris Plains site is in
compliance with the radiological criteria for license termination in
subpart E, 10 CFR part 20, ``Radiological Criteria for License
Termination.''
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action
The purpose of the proposed action is to terminate Byproduct
Materials License No. 29-03761-01 and release the Warner-Lambert site
in Morris Plains, New Jersey, for unrestricted use. NRC is fulfilling
its responsibilities under the Atomic Energy Act to make a decision on
a proposed license amendment for termination of a license and release
of facilities for unrestricted use that ensures protection of public
health and safety and the environment.
Alternative to the Proposed Action
The only alternative to the proposed action of termination of the
license and release of the Morris Plains site for unrestricted use is
no action. The no-action alternative is not acceptable because the
licensee does not plan to perform any activities with licensed
materials at those locations and does not plan to maintain staff to
perform licensed activities.
The Affected Environment and Environmental Impacts
The NRC staff has reviewed the surveys performed by Warner-Lambert
to demonstrate compliance with the 10 CFR 20.1402 license termination
criteria. Based on its review, the staff has determined that the
affected environment and environmental impacts associated with the
release for unrestricted use of the Warner-Lambert Morris Plains
facilities are bounded by the impacts evaluated by the ``Generic
Environmental Impact Statement in Support of Rulemaking on Radiological
Criteria for License Termination of NRC-Licensed Nuclear Facilities''
(NUREG-1496). The staff also finds that the proposed release for
unrestricted use of the Warner-Lambert facilities is in compliance with
Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, 10 CFR 20.1402, ``Radiological
Criteria for Unrestricted Use.''
Agencies and Persons Consulted
This Environmental Assessment was prepared entirely by the NRC
staff. The State Office of Historical Preservation, the State Fish and
Wildlife Service, and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service were not
contacted because release of the Warner-Lambert facilities for
unrestricted use does not affect historical or cultural resources, nor
will it affect threatened or endangered species. No other sources were
used beyond those referenced in the EA.
NRC provided a draft of its Environmental Assessment to the State
of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for
review. On January 9, 2003, NJDEP responded by letter, provided
editorial comments and agreed with the conclusions of the EA.
Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC staff concluded that the completed action complies with 10
CFR part 20. NRC has prepared this EA in support of the proposed
license amendment to terminate the license and release the facilities
for unrestricted use. On the basis of the EA, NRC has concluded that
the environmental impacts from the proposed action are expected to be
insignificant and has determined not to prepare an environmental impact
statement for the proposed action.
List of Preparers
Betsy Ullrich, Senior Health Physicist, Division of Nuclear
Materials Safety, Region 1.
List of References
1. NRC License No. 29-03761-01 inspection and licensing records.
2. Letter dated September 5, 2002, with enclosures, from Pfizer
Consumer Healthcare for Warner-Lambert Company. [ADAMS Accession No.
ML022670617]
3. Letter dated November 18, 2002, with attachments, from Pfizer
Consumer Healthcare for Warner-Lambert Company. [ADAMS Accession No.
ML023250206]
The application for the license amendment and supporting
documentation are available for inspection at NRC's Public Electronic
Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/ADAMS.html. Any questions
with respect to this action should be referred to Betsy Ullrich,
Nuclear Materials Safety Branch 2, Division of Nuclear Materials
Safety, Region I, 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
19406, telephone (610) 337-5040, fax (610) 337-5269.
Dated at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania this 23rd day of January,
2002.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John D. Kinneman,
Chief, Nuclear Materials Safety Branch 2, Division of Nuclear Materials
Safety, Region I.
[FR Doc. 03-2309 Filed 1-30-03; 8:45 am]
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