[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 24, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74653-74654]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-31686]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 70-143]


Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.; Notice of Receipt of Amendment 
Request and Opportunity To Request a Hearing for Oxide Conversion 
Building and Effluent Processing Building in the Blended Low-Enriched 
Uranium Complex

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of amendment request and opportunity to 
request a hearing.

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DATES: A request for a hearing must be filed on or before January 23, 
2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, please 
contact Michael A. Lamastra, 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 T-8-A-33, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001. Telephone (301) 415-8139; fax number: (301) 
415-5955; e-mail; [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received, by 
letter dated October 23, 2003, a request from Nuclear Fuel Services, 
Inc. (NFS), to amend its NRC Special Nuclear Materials License SNM-124, 
to authorize processing operations in the Oxide Conversion Building 
(OCB) and the Effluent Processing Building (EPB) at the Blended Low-
Enriched Uranium (BLEU) Complex. The request is the third of three 
license amendment requests planned to support operations associated 
with downblending and conversion of high-enriched uranium materials to 
low-enriched uranium oxides.
    NFS is currently manufacturing high-enriched nuclear reactor fuel 
at its facility in Erwin, Tennessee. NFS is constructing a new complex 
at the Erwin site to manufacture low-enriched nuclear reactor fuel. NFS 
is requesting this amendment to authorize operations that will convert 
liquid uranyl nitrate solutions into solid uranium oxide powder as part 
of the process for downblending and conversion of high-enriched uranium 
materials into low-enriched uraniumoxide. After the material is 
converted to uranium oxide powder, it will be transferred to another 
facility for fabrication of reactor fuel assemblies.

[[Page 74654]]

    The October 23, 2003, amendment application contains a proprietary 
Integrated Safety Analysis (ISA) Summary for the OCB and EPB 
operations. By letter dated November 14, 2003, NFS provided a non-
proprietary version of the ISA Summary. By letters dated October 24, 
2003, NFS provided revisions to its Emergency Plan and its Fundamental 
Nuclear Material Control Plan to incorporate the new operations. By 
letter dated November 3, 2003, NFS provided a revision to its Physical 
Security Plan for Special Nuclear Material of Low Strategic 
Significance. These submittals comprise the content of the license 
amendment application.
    This application will be reviewed by the staff for conformance with 
10 CFR parts 20, 51, 70, 73, and 74, using NUREG-1520, ``Standard 
Review Plan for the Review of a License Application for a Fuel Cycle 
Facility'' and other applicable agency regulations and guidance. If NRC 
approves the request, the approval will be documented in an amendment 
to NRC Special Nuclear Materials License SNM-124. However, before 
approving the request, NRC will need to make the findings required by 
the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and NRC regulations. These 
findings will be documented in a Safety Evaluation Report and either an 
Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact 
(FONSI), or an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
    By letter dated June 28, 2002, the NRC issued an EA/FONSI to 
support the first amendment request for this project. This action was 
noticed in the Federal Register on July 9, 2002 (67 FR 45555). The NRC 
staff may use this assessment for additional information in developing 
the EA/FONSI or EIS for this action.

II. Notice of Opportunity To Request a Hearing

    NRC also provides notice that this is a proceeding on an 
application for an amendment of a license falling within the scope of 
10 CFR part 2, Subpart L, ``Informal Hearing Procedures for 
Adjudications in Materials and Operator Licensing Proceedings.'' 
Pursuant to Sec.  2.1205(a), any person whose interest may be affected 
by this proceeding may file a request for a hearing. In accordance with 
Sec.  2.1205(d), a request for hearing must be filed within 30 days of 
the publication of this notice in the Federal Register. The request for 
a hearing must be filed with the Office of the Secretary, either:
    A. By delivery to the Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff of the 
Office of the Secretary at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, 
Rockville, MD 20852-2738, between 7:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., on Federal 
workdays; or
    B. By mail or telegram addressed to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, Attention: Rulemaking and 
Adjudications Staff. Because of continuing disruptions in the delivery 
of mail to United States Government offices, it is requested that 
requests for hearing be transmitted to the Secretary of the Commission 
either by means of facsimile transmission to 301-415-1101, or by e-mail 
to [email protected].
    In accordance with 10 CFR 2.1205(f), each request for a hearing 
must also be served, by delivering it personally or by mail, to:
    A. The applicant, Nuclear Fuel Services, 1205 Banner Hill Road, 
Erwin, Tennessee 37650-9718. A copy of the request for hearing should 
also be sent to the attorney for the licensee, Daryl Shapiro, c/o Shaw 
Pittman, L.L.P., 2300 N Street, NW., Washington, DC 20037; and
    B. The NRC staff, by delivery to the Office of the General Counsel, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852-2738, between 7:45 a.m. and 4:15 
p.m., on Federal workdays, or by mail addressed to the Office of the 
General Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555. Because of continuing disruptions in the delivery of mail to 
United States Government offices, it is requested that requests for 
hearing be transmitted to the Office of the General Counsel either by 
means of facsimile transmission to 301-415-3725, or by e-mail to 
[email protected].
    In addition to meeting other applicable requirements of 10 CFR part 
2 of the NRC's regulations, a request for a hearing filed by a person 
other than an applicant must describe in detail:
    A. The interest of the requestor in the proceeding:
    1. How that interest may be affected by the results of the 
proceeding, including the reasons why the requestor should be permitted 
a hearing, with particular reference to the factors set out in Sec.  
2.1205(h);
    2. The requestor's areas of concern about the licensing activity 
that is the subject matter of the proceeding; and
    3. The circumstances establishing that the request for a hearing is 
timely in accordance with Sec.  2.1205(d).

III. Further Information

    In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRC's ``Rules of Practice,'' 
details with respect to this action, including the application for the 
amendment and supporting documentation, are available electronically 
for public inspection and copying 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. 
These documents may also be viewed electronically on the public 
computers located at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), O1-F21, One 
White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR 
reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee. The documents 
include:
    A. NFS License Amendment Request dated October 23, 2003.
    1. Cover Letter (ADAMS accession number ML033350258).
    2. Attachment 1, Page Changes to License SNM-124 (ADAMS accession 
number ML033420721).
    B. Non-proprietary ISA Summary dated November 14, 2003, Cover 
Letter and Attachment (ADAMS accession number ML033380535).
    C. Environmental Assessment for First License Amendment dated June 
28, 2002 (ADAMS accession number ML021790068).
    Attachments II and III of the NFS license amendment request dated 
October 23, 2003, contain proprietary information and are being 
withheld from the public pursuant to 10 CFR 2.790. The Physical 
Safeguards Plan and the Fundamental Nuclear Material Control Plan also 
are deemed proprietary information and are being withheld from the 
public pursuant to 10 CFR 2.790(d). In addition, the Emergency Plan 
Revisions are sensitive, homeland security information, and are not 
publicly available.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 17th day of December 2003.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Gary S. Janosko,
Chief, Fuel Cycle Facilities Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety, and 
Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 03-31686 Filed 12-23-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P