[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 24 (Monday, February 6, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6102-6104]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-1043]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 030-11789]


Notice of Environmental Assessment Related to the Issuance of a 
License Amendment to Byproduct Material License No. 24-00196-07, for 
Unrestricted Release of a Facility for Saint Louis University, St. 
Louis, MO

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Issuance of environmental assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact for license amendment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: George M. McCann, Senior Health 
Physicist, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials 
Safety, Region III, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 2443 
Warrenville Road, Lisle, Illinois 60532-4352; telephone: (630) 829-
9856; or by e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 
is considering the issuance of an amendment to NRC Byproduct Materials 
License No. 24-00196-07, which is held by Saint Louis University 
(licensee). The amendment would authorize the unrestricted release of 
the licensee's former Radioactive Waste Storage Facility, located at 
1008 South Spring Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri. The NRC has prepared an 
Environmental Assessment in support of this action in accordance with 
the requirements of 10 CFR part 51. Based on the Environmental 
Assessment, the NRC has determined that a Finding of No Significant 
Impact is appropriate. The amendment to Saint Louis University's 
license will be issued following the publication of this Environmental 
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact.

I. Environmental Assessment

Identification of Proposed Action

    The proposed action would approve St. Louis University's request to 
amend its license and release the licensee's former waste storage 
facility for unrestricted use in accordance with 10 CFR part 20, 
subpart E. The proposed action is in accordance with the Saint Louis 
University's request to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to 
amend its NRC Byproduct Material License by letters dated October 31, 
2005 (ADAMS Accession No. ML060180319), and January 13, 2006 (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML060170694). Saint Louis University is licensed as an

[[Page 6103]]

NRC broad scope licensee and was first licensed to use byproduct 
materials for broad scope uses on January 19, 1976. The licensee is 
authorized to use byproduct materials for broad scope activities 
involving medical research, diagnostic and therapeutic medical 
procedures, laboratory studies and educational programs. The licensee 
is authorized to possess and use curie quantities of byproduct 
materials atomic number 1 through 83, inclusive.
    The licensee's Radioactive Waste Storage Facility located at 1008 
South Spring Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri, was designed to receive and 
process the licensee's research and laboratory wastes for disposal to 
authorized recipients. The use of the Radioactive Waste Storage 
Facility for waste processing activities was first authorized for use 
by the NRC in License No. 24-00196-07, Amendment No. 25, dated March 
19, 1999. According to the licensee, use and storage of radioactive 
material in the Radioactive Waste Storage Facility ceased on August 12, 
2005.
    The licensee conducted surveys of the facility and provided this 
information to the NRC to demonstrate that the radiological conditions 
of former waste processing and storage areas, and offices located in 
the Radioactive Waste Storage Facility are consistent with radiological 
criteria for unrestricted use in 10 CFR part 20, subpart E. No 
radiological remediation activities are required to complete the 
proposed action. The NRC completed a closeout inspection and survey of 
the licensee's activities, which are the subject of this license 
amendment, on January 18, 2006 (NRC Inspection Report No. 030-11789/05-
002 (DNMS) (ADAMS Accession No. ML060200576)), to conduct independent 
radiological surveys and to verify the licensee's survey findings.

Need for the Proposed Action

    The licensee is requesting this license amendment because it no 
longer plans to use the Radioactive Waste Storage Facility for NRC-
licensed activities at Saint Louis University. The NRC is fulfilling 
its responsibilities under the Atomic Energy Act to make a decision on 
the proposed action for decommissioning that ensures that residual 
radioactivity is reduced to a level that is protective of the public 
health and safety and the environment, and allows the Radioactive Waste 
Storage Facility to be released for unrestricted use.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC staff reviewed the information provided and surveys 
performed by the licensee to demonstrate that the release of the 
Radioactive Waste Storage Facility located at 1008 South Spring Avenue, 
St. Louis, Missouri, are consistent with the radiological criteria for 
unrestricted use specified in 10 CFR 20.1402. The NRC performed a 
closeout inspection and survey to confirm the licensee's findings. 
Based on its review, the staff determined that there were no 
radiological impacts associated with the proposed action because no 
radiological remediation activities were required to complete the 
proposed action, and that the radiological criteria for unrestricted 
use in Sec.  20.1402 have been met.
    Based on its review, the staff determined that the radiological 
environmental impacts from the proposed action for the former 
Radioactive Waste Storage Facility are bounded by the ``Generic 
Environmental Impact Statement in Support of Rulemaking on Radiological 
Criteria for License Termination of NRC-Licensed Nuclear Facilities'' 
(NUREG-1496). Additionally, no non-radiological or cumulative impacts 
were identified. Therefore, the NRC has determined that the proposed 
action will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human 
environment.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    The only alternative to the proposed action of releasing the 
licensee's former Radioactive Waste Storage Facility for unrestricted 
use is to take no action. Under the no-action alternative, the 
licensee's facility would remain under an NRC license and would not be 
released for unrestricted use. Denial of the license amendment request 
would result in no change to current conditions at the University. The 
no-action alternative is not acceptable because it is inconsistent with 
10 CFR 30.36, which requires licensees who have ceased licensed 
activities to request termination of their radioactive material 
license. This alternative would impose an unnecessary regulatory burden 
in controlling access to the facility, and limit potential benefits 
from the future use of the facility.

Conclusion

    The NRC staff concluded that the proposed action is consistent with 
the NRC's unrestricted release criteria specified in 10 CFR 20.1402. 
Because the proposed action will not significantly impact the quality 
of the human environment, the NRC staff concludes that the proposed 
action is the preferred alternative.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The NRC staff has determined that the proposed action will not 
affect listed species or critical habitats. Therefore, no further 
consultation is required under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. 
Likewise, the NRC staff has determined that the proposed action is not 
a type of activity that has potential to cause effect on historic 
properties. Therefore, consultation under Section 106 of the National 
Historic Preservation Act is not required.
    The NRC consulted with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior 
Services. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, 
Division of Community and Public Health, Office of Emergency 
Coordination was provided the draft EA for comment on January 19, 2006. 
Mr. Keith Henke, Planner III, with the Missouri Office of Emergency 
Coordination, responded to the NRC by telephone on January 19, 2006, 
indicating that the State had no comments regarding the NRC 
Environmental Assessment for the release of the Saint Louis University 
facility.

II. Finding of No Significant Impact

    On the basis of the EA in support of the proposed license amendment 
to release the site for unrestricted use, the NRC has determined that 
the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the quality 
of the human environment. Thus, the NRC has not prepared an 
environmental impact statement for the proposed action.

III. Further Information

    Documents related to this action, including the application for 
amendment and supporting documentation, are available electronically at 
the NRC's Electronic Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. From this site, you can access the NRC's Agencywide 
Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and 
image files of NRC's public documents. If you do not have access to 
ADAMS, or if there are problems in accessing the documents located in 
ADAMS, contact the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1-
800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to [email protected]. The documents 
and ADAMS accession numbers related to this notice are:

1. Haenchen, Mark, M.S., J.D., Director and Radiation Safety Officer, 
Office of Environmental Safety & Services,

[[Page 6104]]

Saint Louis University, October 31, 2005 letter to the NRC requesting a 
license amendment for the release of the former Radioactive Waste 
Storage Facility (ML060180319).
2. Bachmann, Kenneth, M.S., Health Physicist, Saint Louis University 
consultant, letter dated January 13, 2006, to the NRC (ML060170694).
3. NRC Inspection Report No. 030-11789/05-002 (DNMS) dated January 20, 
2006 (ML060200576).
4. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ``Environmental Review Guidance 
for Licensing Actions Associated with NMSS Programs,'' NUREG-1748, 
August 2003.
5. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ``Environmental Review Guidance 
for Licensing Actions Associated with NMSS Programs,'' NUREG-1748, 
August 2003.
6. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ``Generic Environmental Impact 
Statement in Support of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License 
Termination of NRC-Licensed Nuclear Facilities,'' NUREG-1496, August 
1994.
7. NRC, NUREG-1757, ``Consolidated NMSS Decommissioning Guidance,'' 
Volumes 1-3, September 2003.

    Documents may also be viewed electronically on the public computers 
located at the NRC's PDR, O 1 F21, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR reproduction contractor 
will copy documents for a fee.

    Dated at Lisle, Illinois, this 27th day of January 2006.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Jamnes L. Cameron,
Chief, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, 
Region III.
[FR Doc. 06-1043 Filed 2-3-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P