[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 191 (Thursday, October 2, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56852-56853]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-24982]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 40-8698]


Finding of No Significant Impact and Notice of Availability of 
the Environmental Assessment Concerning the License Amendment Request 
for Consideration of the Proposed Reclamation Plan for the Plateau 
Resources Limited Shootaring Canyon Uranium Project

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of availability; environmental assessment and finding of 
no significant impact.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick Weller, 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) 415-7287 
and e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received, by 
letter dated October 24, 2002, a request from Plateau Resources Limited 
(PRL) to (1) amend Source Materials License SUA-1371 for the Shootaring 
Canyon Uranium Project to change its status from ``operational'' to 
``reclamation;'' and (2) review and approve PRL's proposed reclamation 
plan for this facility.
    Pursuant to the requirements of 10 CFR part 51 (Environmental 
Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory 
Functions), the NRC has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) to 
evaluate the environmental impacts associated with decommissioning and 
reclamation of the Shootaring Canyon facility. Based on this 
evaluation, the NRC has concluded that a Finding of No Significant 
Impact (FONSI) is appropriate for the proposed licensing action.

II. Summary of the Environmental Assessment

    The EA was prepared to evaluate the environmental impacts 
associated with PRL's decommissioning and reclamation plan. In the 
conduct of its evaluation, the NRC considered the following: (1) PRL's 
reclamation plan, as supplemented and revised, (2) information 
contained in prior environmental evaluations of the Shootaring Canyon 
facility, (3) information in Shootaring Canyon environmental monitoring 
reports, and (4) information derived from NRC site visits and 
inspections of the Shootaring Canyon site and from communications with 
PRL, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, the Utah State 
Historic Preservation Office, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the 
U.S. Bureau of Land Management (Henry Mountains Field Station), and the 
U.S. National Park Service (Glen Canyon National Recreational Area). In 
preparing the EA, the NRC evaluated the potential impacts to cultural 
resources, threatened and endangered species, surface waters, and 
groundwater at the Shootaring Canyon site. Additionally, the NRC 
evaluated the potential impacts to members of the public from 
construction activities associated with decommissioning and 
reclamation. Lastly, the NRC evaluated the potential radiological 
impacts to members of the public from the cleanup and disposal of the 
radioactive wastes generated during uranium recovery operations. The 
results of the staff's evaluation are documented in an EA which is 
available for public inspection and/or copying in the NRC's Public 
Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records (PARS) component 
of NRC's document

[[Page 56853]]

system (ADAMS). The safety aspects of the decommissioning and 
reclamation plan are discussed separately in a Technical Evaluation 
Report that will accompany the agency's final licensing action on PRL's 
request to amend Source Materials License SUA-1371.

III Finding of No Significant Impact

    Pursuant to 10 CFR part 51, the NRC has prepared the EA, summarized 
above, concerning the decommissioning and reclamation of the Shootaring 
Canyon Uranium Project located in Garfield County, Utah. On the basis 
of the EA, the NRC has concluded that this licensing action would not 
have any significant effect on the quality of the environment, and, 
therefore, an environmental impact statement is not required. The NRC 
has concluded that the approval of PRL's decommissioning and 
reclamation plan will not cause any significant impacts on the 
environment and is protective of human health. The NRC has concluded 
that decommissioning and reclamation of the Shootaring Canyon facility 
will not result in any adverse impacts to regional surface and 
groundwater. A groundwater monitoring program will be maintained 
throughout site reclamation and following site closure to ensure that 
groundwater is adequately protected during long-term custody of the 
site. The NRC has also concluded that the waste impoundment at the site 
will be designed in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR part 40, 
appendix A, to provide reasonable assurance of effective control of 
radiological hazards for 1,000 years, to the extent reasonably 
achievable, and, in any case, for at least 200 years.

IV. Further Information

    The EA for this proposed action, as well as the licensee's request, 
as supplemented and revised, are available electronically for public 
inspection in the NRC's Public Document Room or from the Publicly 
Available Records (PARS) component of NRC's document system (ADAMS). 
ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. The ADAMS Accession Numbers for the licensee's 
request, as supplemented and revised, are:
    ML023050449, ML023050465, ML023080393, ML023090051, ML023090054, 
ML023090059, ML023090062, ML023090067, ML023090070, (October 24, 2002); 
ML030640211 (February 24, 2003); ML031200325 (April 24, 2003); and 
ML032541114, ML032541131 (September 5, 2003). The ADAMS Accession 
Number for the EA is: ML032530553. Documents can also 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.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 25th day of September, 2003.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Rick Weller,
Senior Project Manager, Fuel Cycle Facilities Branch, Division of Fuel 
Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and 
Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 03-24982 Filed 10-1-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P