[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 90 (Friday, May 9, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25070-25071]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-11527]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 40-6622]
Finding of No Significant Impact and Availability of the
Environmental Assessment Regarding the Proposed Changes to the
Reclamation Plan for the Pathfinder Mines Corporation's Shirley Basin
Site, Shirley Basin Region of Wyoming
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering an
amendment of NRC Source Material License SUA-442 to authorize the
licensee, Pathfinder Mines Corporation (PMC), to change the Reclamation
Plan for the Shirley Basin uranium mill tailings site located in the
Shirley Basin region of Wyoming. PMC requested that NRC approve the
proposed changes to the Reclamation Plan by letter dated October 16,
2001, as amended August 9, 2002.
An Environmental Assessment (EA) was performed by the NRC staff in
support of its review of PMC's license amendment request, in accordance
with the requirements of 10 CFR Part 51. Based on the evaluation, the
staff concluded that a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is
appropriate for this licensing action.
II. EA Summary
The EA was prepared to evaluate the environmental impacts of PMC's
request to amend NRC license SUA-442, by revising the Reclamation Plan
for the Shirley Basis site to allow PMC to do two things. First, in
response to recent tailings analysis which showed a significant
decrease in source term from what was estimated in the original
Reclamation Plan, it would allow PMC to reduce the radon clay barrier
thickness from 2.5 feet to .5 feet. The licensee has calculated that
with this reduction on thickness, the average radon flux will still be
within the required levels and they will confirm this fact by actual
measurement. Second, it would allow PMC to create relatively flat
vegetated surfaces or benches, with rock protected apron slopes to make
the transition between benches. This would provide a reclamation
surface covered primarily by vegetated topsoil instead of large
expanses of rock. The technical aspects of the application are to be
discussed separately in a Technical Evaluation Report (TER) that will
accompany the agency's final licensing action.
The results of the staff's evaluation are documented in an EA
placed in the Publicly Available Records (PAR) component of NRC's
document system (ADAMS).
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
Based on the EA, as summarized above, the staff has concluded that
the proposed licensing action would not have any significant effect on
the quality of the human environment, and therefore, an environmental
impact statement is unnecessary.
IV. Further Information
The EA for this proposed action as well as the licensee's request
are available for inspection at the NRC's Public Document Reading Room
at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (ADAMS Accession Number for
licensee request is: ML012980334 (October 16, 2001), ML022310348
(August 8, 2002) and ADAMS Accession Number for the EA is:
ML031190198). Documents can also
[[Page 25071]]
be examined and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room,
located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD
20852. Any questions with respect to this action should be referred to
Michael Raddatz, Fuel Cycle Facilities Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle
Safety and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and
Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop T8-A33,
Washington DC 20555-0001. Telephone (301) 415-6334.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 30th day of April, 2003.
For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Susan M. Frant,
Chief, Fuel Cycle Facilities Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and
Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 03-11527 Filed 5-8-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P