Federal Register, Volume 68 Issue 170 (Wednesday, September 3, 2003)

[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 170 (Wednesday, September 3, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52430-52431]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-22396]

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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 030-33819]

Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
Related to Issuance of a License Amendment of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission Byproduct Material License No. 55-14065-03; Unitime
Industries, Inc.

I. Summary

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
terminating Byproduct Material License No. 55-14065-03 to authorize the
release of the licensee's facilities in Christiansted, St. Croix for
unrestricted use and has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) and
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) in support of this action.
The NRC has reviewed the results of the final survey of the Unitime
facility in Christiansted, St. Croix. Unitime Industries was authorized
by the NRC from March 23, 1995, until the present to use manufactured
watch dials and hands containing luminous paint activated with tritium
for the manufacture and repair of timepieces. In November 2001, Unitime
Industries ceased operations with licensed materials at the
Christiansted, St. Croix site, and requested that the NRC terminate the
license. Unitime Industries 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 Unitime's
request and the results of the surveys, performed a confirmatory
survey, and has developed an EA in accordance with the requirements of
10 CFR Part 51. Based on the staff evaluation, the conclusion of the EA
is a FONSI on human health and the environment for the proposed
licensing action.

II. Environmental Assessment

Introduction

Unitime Industries has requested release, for unrestricted use, of
their building located at Parcel 1C, Estate Diamond, Plots 8 and 9, in
Christiansted, St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Islands, as authorized for use
by NRC License No. 55-14065-03. License No. 55-14065-03 was issued on
March 23, 1995, and amended periodically since that time. NRC-licensed
activities performed at the Christiansted, St. Croix site were limited
to the service and repair of returned timepieces the incorporation of
timepiece self-luminous parts into timepieces. These activities were
typically performed on bench tops. No outdoor areas were affected by
the use of licensed materials. Licensed activities ceased completely in
November 2001, and the licensee requested release of the facilities for
unrestricted use. Based on the licensee's historical knowledge of the
site and the condition of the facilities, the licensee determined that
only routine decontamination activities, in accordance with licensee
radiation safety procedures, were required. The licensee surveyed the
facility and provided documentation that the facility meets the license
termination criteria specified in Subpart E of 10 CFR Part 20,
``Radiological Criteria for License Termination.''

The Proposed Action

The proposed action is to terminate NRC Radioactive Materials
License Number 55-14065-03 and release the licensee's facilities in
Christiansted, St. Croix, for unrestricted use. By letters dated
November 30, 2001, February 11, 2002, and July 18, 2003, Unitime
Industries provided survey results which demonstrate that the
Christiansted, St. Croix facility is in compliance with the
radiological criteria for license termination in Subpart E of 10 CFR
Part 20, ``Radiological Criteria for License Termination.'' No further
actions will be required on the part of the licensee to remediate the
facility.

Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action

The purpose of the proposed action is to release the building
located at Parcel 1C, Estate Diamond, Plots 8 and 9, in Christiansted,
St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, for unrestricted use and to terminate
the Unitime Industries materials license. The need for the proposed
action is to comply with NRC regulations and the Timeliness Rule. The
licensee does not plan to perform any activities with licensed
materials at this location. Maintaining the area under a license would
reduce options for future use of the property and cause Unitime
Industries to continue leasing a building for which it has no more use.
NRC is fulfilling its responsibilities under the Atomic Energy Act to
make a decision on a proposed license amendment for release of
facilities for unrestricted use that ensures protection of the public
health and safety and environment.

Alternative to the Proposed Action

The only alternative to the proposed action of terminating the
license and releasing the Christiansted, St. Croix facility will result
in violation of NRC's Timeliness Rule (10 CFR 30.36), which requires
licensees to decommission their facilities when licensed activities
cease. The licensee does not plan to perform any activities with
licensed materials at these locations. Maintaining the areas under a
license would also reduce options for future use of the property.

The Affected Environment and Environmental Impacts

The Unitime building is a one story block building. Work with
radioactive materials was done on work benches located within several
rooms in the building. Watch parts and finished watches were stored in
a safe. The building is located within an industrial park.
The NRC staff has reviewed the surveys performed by Unitime
Industries to demonstrate compliance with the 10 CFR 20.1402 license
termination criteria and has performed a confirmatory survey. Based on
its review and the results of the confirmatory survey, the staff has

[[Page 52431]]

determined that the affected environment and environmental impacts
associated with the decommissioning of the Unitime facility 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 Facilities'' (NUREG-1496). The staff also
finds that the proposed release for unrestricted use of the Unitime
Industries facility is in compliance with 10 CFR 20.1402,
``Radiological Criteria for Unrestricted Use.'' The NRC has found no
other activities in the area that could result in cumulative impacts.

Agencies and Persons Contacted and Sources Used

This EA was prepared entirely by the NRC staff. The U. S. Fish and
Wildlife Service was contacted and responded by letter dated October
16, 2002, with no opposition to the proposed action. The U.S. Virgin
Island's Department of Planning and Natural Resources was also
contacted and responded by letter dated October 18, 2002, with no
objection.

Conclusion

Based on its review, the NRC staff has concluded that the proposed
action complies with 10 CFR Part 20. NRC has prepared this EA in
support of the proposed license termination to release the Unitime
facility located at Parcel 1C, Estate Diamond, Plots 8 and 9, in
Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, for unrestricted use. On
the basis of the EA, NRC has concluded that the environmental impacts
from the proposed action are not expected to be significant and has
determined that preparation of an environmental impact statement for
the proposed action is not required.

List of Preparers

Orysia Masnyk Bailey, Materials Licensing/Inspection Branch 1,
Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Health Physicist.

List of References

1. NRC License No. 55-14065-03 inspection and licensing records.
2. Unitime Industries, Inc. ``Termination of License for Activities
and Storage'' Letter from E. Rebmann and B. Buksch to NRC dated
November 30, 2001. (ML022060401)
3. Unitime Industries, Inc. ``Request for Additional Documents''
Letter from E. Rebmann to NRC dated February 11, 2002. (ML020450333)
4. License amendment request and supporting documentation dated
July 18, 2003. (ML032030481)
5. NRC Inspection Report No. 55-14065-03/2003-001, dated March 11,
2003. (ML030720115)
6. NRC Inspection Report No. 55-14065-03/2003-001, Supplemental
Information dated April 8, 2003. (ML031060560)
7. Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 20, Subpart E,
``Radiological Criteria for License Termination.''
8. Federal Register Notice, Volume 65, No. 114, page 37186, dated
Tuesday, June 13, 2000, ``Use of Screening Values to Demonstrate
Compliance With The Federal Rule on Radiological Criteria for License
Termination.''
9. NRC. NUREG-1757 ``Consolidated NMSS Decommissioning Guidance,''
Final Report dated September 2002.
10. NRC. NUREG 1496 ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement in
Support of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License Termination
of NRC-Licensed Nuclear Facilities,'' Final Report dated July 1997.
11. Virgin Islands State Historic Preservation Office. ``Request
for Comments Regarding Cultural and Historical Resources at Unitime
Industries, Inc. Parcel 1C, Estate Diamond, Plots 8 and (,
Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S.V.I.'' Letter from D. E. Plaskett, Esq.
To NRC dated October 18, 2002. ( ML023080328)
12. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. ``Request for comments
regarding endangered wildlife, plant and marine resources at a site in
U.S. Virgin Islands'' Letter from C. A. Diaz to NRC dated October 16,
2002. (ML022950399)

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

Based upon the EA, the staff concludes that the proposed action
will not have a significant impact on the quality of the human
environment. Accordingly, the staff has determined that preparation of
an environmental impact statement is not warranted.

IV. Further Information

The references listed above are available for public inspection and
may also be copied for a fee at the NRC's Public Document Room, located
at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852.
These documents are also available for public review through ADAMS, the
NRC's electronic reading room, at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Any questions with respect to this action should be
referred to Orysia Masnyk Bailey, Materials Licensing/Inspection Branch
1, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Region II, Suite 23T85, 61 Forsyth Street, SW., Atlanta,
Georgia, 30303. Telephone 404-562-4739.

Dated at Atlanta, Georgia, the 15th day of August, 2003.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Douglas M. Collins,
Director, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region II.
[FR Doc. 03-22396 Filed 9-2-03; 8:45 am]
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