[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 125 (Thursday, June 29, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37124-37129]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-10267]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 70-0036]
Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of
No Significant Impact Related to Issuance of Amendment No. 52 to
Materials License No. SNM-00033, Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC
Hematite Former Fuel Fabrication Facility Located in Festus, MO, Site
(TAC No. L52641)
AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding
of No Significant Impact.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy M. Snyder, Senior Project Manager,
Decommissioning Directorate, Division of Waste Management and
Environmental Protection, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and
Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, M.S. T7 E-18,
Rockville, MD, 20852-2738. Telephone: (301) 415-8580; Fax number: (301)
415-5398; e-mail: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
amending Nuclear Materials License Number SNM-00033 issued to
Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC (WEC) to authorize the dismantlement
and demolition of Buildings 101, 110, 115, 120, 230, 231, 235, 240,
245, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, 260, and 261 down to building slabs and
foundations at grade at the WEC Hematite Former Fuel Fabrication
Facility in Festus, Missouri. This consideration is being supported by
this Environmental Assessment (EA) and a separate Safety Evaluation
Report (SER). In a letter dated October 5, 2004 (ML042860234), WEC
submitted a request to NRC to amend Materials License Number SNM-00033
to obtain authorization to dismantle and demolish Buildings 101, 110,
115, 120, 230, 231, 235, 240, 245, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, 260, and
261 down to building slabs and foundations at grade. In its request,
WEC noted that it wants the flexibility to not demolish all the non-
process buildings, if it later decides to keep these buildings for
reuse. The licensee's October 5, 2004, license amendment request
(ML051310063) was noticed in the Federal Register on November 16, 2004
(69 FR 67187). That Federal Register notice also provided an
opportunity for a hearing on this licensing action, and no hearing
requests were submitted. NRC has prepared this EA in support of its
consideration of the amendment request and in accordance with the
requirements of 10 CFR part 51. This EA evaluates the potential
environmental impacts of WEC's request. Based on this EA, the staff has
concluded that a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is
appropriate.
II. Environmental Assessment
Background
From the mid 1950s until 2001, the Hematite site was involved in
production and manufacturing of nuclear fuel. The majority of the
buildings were constructed during 1956 through 1974 with final
construction in 1989. There are currently no fuel manufacturing
activities at the site. Building 101 (Tile Barn) housed the former
Emergency Operations Center during plant operations and was later used
for the storage of both clean and contaminated equipment. Building 110
houses the security and some administrative office spaces. Building 115
housed the plant diesel emergency generator and fire pumps. Building
120 (Wood Barn) was used for storing both clean and contaminated
equipment. Building 230 was used for the fuel assembly operations. The
building surfaces have no known levels of contamination above the level
for unrestricted use. Building 230 currently houses administrative
offices. Building 231 was used as a warehouse to store shipping
containers. Building 235 was used as a vault to store depleted,
natural, and enriched uranium. Building 240 contained a laboratory and
maintenance area, a recycle recovery area, and a waste incinerator.
Past operations in this building also included the conversion of high
enriched uranium using a wet conversion process and recovery. A portion
of the building was used for recycle and recovery operations and high-
enriched material operations. Another portion of the building was used
for the incinerator and housed low-enriched powder operations,
including ammonium diurinate and oxidation/reduction furnaces. Building
245 (Well House) was used for treating
[[Page 37125]]
potable water by chlorination. Building 252 (South Vault) is a
reinforced concrete structure with six bays and was used for storage of
low-enriched uranium. Building 253 contains offices, various site
utilities, a former uranium storage facility, former processing areas
and decontamination facilities. Contained within Building 253 is
Building 250, which was formerly a stand-alone structure. Building 250
became room 250-1, and in 1958, rooms 250-2 and 250-3 were added to
Building 250. Building 250 was used for the storage of fuel feed stock.
Nuclear fuel was manufactured in Buildings 254 (Pellet Plant) and 255
(Erbia Plant). Buildings 256-1 (Pellet Drying) was initially used for a
warehouse space and later was used for pellet drying. Building 256-2
(Workhouse) was used as the main warehouse for shipping pellets and
receiving supply. Building 260 was used for a conversion process.
Building 261 was used for storage of unused limestone and contained a
preheat furnace.
Since there is known contamination under the process buildings and
the licensee has not yet characterized the soil under the process and
non-process buildings, the licensee will not be able to release the
non-process buildings that it does not demolish under this proposed
licensing action for unrestricted use. Furthermore, building foundation
and subsurface soil removal are not covered under this proposed
licensing action nor the current license.
In accordance with a previously issued amendment to Materials
License Number SNM-00033, the licensee has been performing limited
decommissioning for the purpose of reducing residual radioactivity and
other industrial contaminants from internal building equipment and
components for the process buildings. WEC completed this work in March
2006. The NRC performed an EA, using NUREG-1748 as guidance, to
evaluate these limited decommissioning activities. The EA and
associated SER for limited decommissioning of the equipment and
materials in the buildings, waste removal, and limited site
characterization activities form the basis for NRC granting license
amendment 42 to Materials License Number SNM-00033. In addition, WEC
has produced an engineering evaluation/cost analysis and a work plan to
comply with Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act (CERCLA) for the building demolition. These documents can
be found on the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Web
site at http://www.mdnr.mo.gov. In addition, WEC has made these
documents available at the Festus, Missouri Public Library.
The radioactive contamination at WEC's Hematite, Missouri site
consists of soils, and building and equipment surfaces contaminated
with uranium, fission products, and by-product material from licensed
operations that occurred from the mid 1950s until 2001. The groundwater
is contaminated with uranium, technicium, and volatile organic
compounds (VOCs). At this point in time, only the VOCs in the
groundwater have migrated offsite. Remediation of this groundwater
contamination will be the subject of a separate NRC action that
addresses subsurface remediation.
As stated above, WEC submitted a request to NRC in 2004 for
authorization to dismantle and demolish designated buildings at its
site. By letters dated June 28, 2005 (ML051720051), December 23, 2005
(ML053330179), and March 2, 2006 (ML06540109), the NRC staff
transmitted requests for additional information (RAIs) related to the
proposed building demolition and dismantlement. In letters dated July
22, 2005 (ML052140426), January 31, 2006 (ML060330438) and March 17,
2006 (ML060800265), WEC responded to the RAIs. NRC found these
responses to the RAIs acceptable.
Site Local and Physical Description
The WEC Hematite site is located approximately \3/4\ of a mile
northeast of the unincorporated town of Hematite and approximately 35
miles south of the City of St. Louis, Missouri. The site is primarily
surrounded by suburban and residential communities in Jefferson County,
Missouri. Jefferson County is predominantly rural and characterized by
rolling hills with many sizeable woodland tracts. The land area is
classified as 51% forest, 33% agricultural, and approximately 16%
urban, suburban, commercial, and unused or undeveloped. The primary
land within a five-mile radius of the facility consists of deciduous
forest, pasture and residential areas. Residential land use is centered
in the communities of Festus/Crystal City to the northeast, Horine to
the north, and Hillsboro to the northwest. Other land uses include row
crop and urban/residential. Land use classifications are based on the
National Land Cover Dataset. The plant facilities are located on a
central site tract of approximately 10 to 20 acres. The entire site is
approximately 220 acres. Much of the northern portion of the property
is wooded. Surface water bodies on the site include the East Lake,
located on the eastern end of the site, the Site Pond, located west of
the site buildings, Joachim Creek along the southern site boundary,
Northeast Site Creek and Site Creek. The Hematite facility is located
on the north, northeast flank of the Precambrian age St. Francis
Mountains uplift, which created the Ozark Dome. A full description of
the site and its characteristics is provided in the WEC Environmental
Report for Building Demolition at the Hematite Facility which was
submitted in conjunction with the license amendment request for
dismantlement and demolition of the buildings. The nearby community of
Hematite has expressed interest in future development of the site.
However, as of April 2006, no definite future plans have been developed
for the site.
Regulatory Requirements
10 CFR part 70, ``Domestic Licensing of Special Nuclear Material''
applies to the decommissioning of the Hematite Former Fuel Fabrication
Facility. Termination of licenses and decommissioning are addressed in
Sec. 70.38. However, this proposed action will not result in license
termination. It will only address building demolition. Financial
assurance requirements are found in Sec. 70.25 and 70.38. Completeness
and accuracy of the radiation safety records and information provided
to NRC are addressed in Sec. 70.9. Section 2.1205 discusses the
public's opportunities to request hearings on licensing actions. 10 CFR
part 20, subpart E, sets forth radiological criteria for license
termination in Sec. 20.1402, 20.1403, and 20.1404. The requirements
for final status surveys are contained in Sec. 20.1501(a); 10 CFR part
51, ``Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and
Related Regulatory Functions,'' and 10 CFR part 71, ``Packaging and
Transportation of Radioactive Material'' (part 71 requires that
licensees or applicants who transport licensed material, or who may
offer such material to a carrier for transportation, must comply with
the applicable requirements of the Department of Transportation that
are found in 49 CFR parts 170 through 189).
The Proposed Action
The proposed action is to amend NRC Materials License Number SNM-
00033 to allow the dismantlement and demolition of the buildings 101,
110, 115, 120, 230, 231, 235, 240, 245, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, 260,
and 261 down to building slabs and foundations at grade. No work will
be performed on sub-grade soil, the building slabs/
[[Page 37126]]
foundations, or sub-grade structures and systems. WEC states in its
application that the demolition of concrete buildings will be performed
as determined by an engineering evaluation. WEC plans to perform an
engineering evaluation of the demolition of the concrete masonry unit
(CMU) structures and concrete buildings, and use dismantlement and
demolition techniques, such as cutting and shearing to demolish the
buildings. Manual jack-hammers, equipment mounted jack-hammers (hoe
ram), skid-steer loader, or shears will be used to remove/dismantle and
to size reduce concrete or CMU structures. The CMU walls may also be
brought down using pushover techniques. Steel reinforcement bars will
be torch-cut, sheared, or saw-cut as required for dismantlement,
leveling, or size reduction purposes. The only potential waste streams
from the facility will result from the building dismantlement and
demolition process. Wastes that are anticipated are: (1) Debris; (2)
dust; (3) rubble and (4) water. Based on characterization data, WEC
proposes to segregate and analyze the waste as required by the disposal
facility site's waste acceptance criteria. WEC proposes that debris
will be characterized, and will meet free release criteria for
radiological and hazardous contamination, and will be shipped to an
approved waste disposal facility for disposal. If the debris does not
meet free release criteria, then it will be packaged accordingly and
shipped to an approved waste disposal facility for disposal.
Need for the Proposed Action
The NRC regulations require licensees to begin timely
decommissioning of their sites, or any separate buildings, that contain
residual radioactivity, upon cessation of licensed operations, in
accordance with Sec. 70.38(d). The purpose of the proposed action is
to reduce residual radioactivity at WEC's Hematite site. Additionally,
although no definite future use plans have been developed for the site
at this time, due to potential commercial value of the site property,
the licensee plans to eventually return the land to unrestricted use in
accordance with Sec. 20.1402. The proposed licensing action is a step
toward this goal. If this proposed licensing action is not granted, the
licensee will not be able to fully address surface and subsurface
contamination under buildings, which will prolong the overall cleanup
of the site. The NRC is fulfilling its responsibilities under the
Atomic Energy Act, as amended, and the National Environmental Policy
Act to make a decision on this proposed license amendment for building
dismantlement and demolition that will ensure adequate protection of
the public health, safety and the environment.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
The proposed action is to decontaminate the buildings with
dismantlement and demolition down to building slabs and foundations at
grade. There are three alternatives to the proposed action of
dismantlement and demolition of the buildings: (1) To take no further
action; (2) to decontaminate the buildings without dismantlement and
demolition; and (3) to decontaminate the buildings with dismantlement
and demolition to include removal of the slabs and foundations.
Alternative one, the no-action alternative, is not consistent with
Sec. 70.38(d), requiring that decommissioning of special nuclear
material facilities be completed and approved by the NRC after licensed
activities cease. The no-action alternative would keep radioactive
material on site without disposal. The second alternative would involve
maintaining the buildings on site due to known and potential subsurface
soil contamination under the process building. This would provide
negligible, if any, environmental benefit and would greatly reduce
options for future unrestricted use of the site. Alternative 3 would
result in exposing the subsurface contamination, that was contained
under the buildings, to the open environment. Specifically, exposing
the subsurface would expose workers and visitors to radiological and
potential non-radiological hazards in the subsurface soil. As discussed
earlier, the licensee has not yet fully evaluated the subsurface
contamination under the buildings. Potentially contaminated materials
could be released into the surrounding environment via effluents or
airborne particles. Shipping the subsurface contaminated material off-
site for disposal could also potentially expose workers and others to
the material before, during, and after shipment to a waste disposal
facility. The environmental impact could potentially put workers and
the surrounding environment at risk, and therefore, is not an
environmentally sound option at this time. Therefore, these
alternatives are not considered to be reasonable and are not analyzed
further in the EA.
The licensee's proposed action is described in detail in the
proposed building dismantlement and demolition license amendment
application. This action is preferred over the alternative actions
because the proposed action has little, if any, impact on the
environment. Once the buildings are dismantled and demolished down to
the slabs and foundations at grade, all radiological materials will be
confined to either the slabs and foundations or the subsurface.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff has reviewed the license amendment request for the
WEC facility in Hematite and examined the impacts of this license
amendment request. Potential impacts include impacts to water resources
(e.g., water may be used for dust control), impacts to air quality from
dust emissions, temporary impacts to local traffic resulting from
transporting the building debris offsite, beneficial local economic
effects due to the creation of jobs to perform dismantlement and
demolition, dose impacts, noise impacts from equipment operation,
scenic quality impacts, and waste management impacts. There may be
minor impacts to surface water resources at the Hematite facility as a
result of water runoff that could occur during the building
dismantlement and demolition process. According to the licensee's
amendment request, the runoff, whether as a result of natural
precipitation or from water used to control fugitive dust emission,
will be managed by WEC Hematite erosion and sediment control management
plan. Any discharge will be in compliance with Material License Number
SNM-00033 and the WEC Hematite National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) permit issued and managed by the State of Missouri.
There will be no significant surface and no subsurface soil
disturbances as the buildings will be removed down to the grade and
concrete slab level. There are no flood plains or wetlands present
within the central site tract where the building demolition will take
place. The central site tract soil consists primarily of relatively
impermeable soil. WEC has committed to using best practices to manage
all potential impacts during building dismantlement and demolition.
Overall, it is anticipated that there will be no significant impact on
surface water or groundwater.
Additionally, the staff has determined that significant air
quality, noise, land use, economic and off-site radiation exposure
impacts are not expected. No significant air quality impacts are
anticipated because of the contamination controls and dust suppression
techniques that will be implemented by WEC during building
dismantlement and demolition. WEC license amendment request describes
[[Page 37127]]
the work to be performed and its strategy for controlling radiation
diffuse emissions and discharge. WEC has committed to have procedures
for performing building dismantlement and demolition that will include
guidance for controlling emissions and run-off. The staff determined
that no significant economic impact will result from the creation of
jobs to perform dismantlement and demolition because the work should
take a small amount of time to complete.
The staff evaluated the temporary local traffic impacts resulting
from transporting the building debris and wastes offsite due to the
licensee's proposed request. WEC ceased fuel production operations at
the Hematite Facility and has no future plans for operating the site as
a nuclear fuel processing facility. WEC states that clean debris will
be containerized, transported, and disposed of at a licensed facility.
The risk to human health from the transportation of all radioactive
material in the U.S. was evaluated in NUREG-0170, ``Final Environmental
Statement on the Transportation of Radioactive Materials by Air and
Other Modes.'' The principal radiological environmental impact during
normal transportation is minimal direct radiation exposure to transport
workers and nearby persons from radioactive material in the package.
The average annual individual dose from all radioactive material
transportation in the U.S. was calculated as approximately 0.5 mrem per
year, well below the Sec. 20.1301 limit of 100 mrem per year for a
member of the public. WEC estimates that 2 to 3 truck loads of
demolition waste will leave the site per working day compared to an
average daily traffic flow of approximately 2,570 vehicles per day
(2002 data) on State Route P. The trucks will then travel on State
Route A, a two-lane rural/suburban highway which connects to State
Route P approximately 2 miles east of the site. State Route A enters
the western edge of Festus, Missouri. Interstate 55, a major north-
south freeway, is located approximately 3.5 miles east of the site and
intersects with State Route A in Festus, Missouri. This four-lane
interstate freeway connects to Interstate Highways 270, 44, and 70 in
the St. Louis, Missouri area, approximately 35 miles north of the site.
The annual average daily traffic count for I-55 near Festus was 35,347
vehicles per day (2002 data). There are no public transit systems, such
as bus or light rail available in the immediate vicinity of the site.
The trucks, once entering the above Interstate Highways, will then
travel to their intended destinations. Based on the Environmental
Report for Building Demolition at the Hematite Facility, the licensee
states that it anticipates that debris from the dismantled buildings
would likely be transported by truck to the Envirocare Facility in
Clive, Utah or to the Radiological Assistance, Consulting and
Engineering (RACE) Facility in Memphis, Tennessee. The proposed
transportation of waste from the building, dismantlement, and
demolition is not anticipated to result in significant impacts.
Monitoring
The license amendment request submitted by WEC described the
effluent/environmental monitoring that will take place during building
dismantlement and demolition. This description included not only the
routine effluent/environmental monitoring program that WEC presently
has in place, but also that additional air monitoring (local demolition
project-specific perimeter air monitors) shall be performed during the
demolition activities.
Work activities are not anticipated to result in radiation
exposures to individual members of the public in excess of ten percent
of the Sec. 20.1301 limits. However, WEC's environmental monitoring
program must implement the requirements of its Radioactive Materials
License, Chapter 3, Radiation Protection, and Chapter 5, Environmental
Protection. WEC has acknowledged that building demolition activities
will require that building stack monitoring be terminated and has
committed to shift compliance monitoring to air monitoring devices
located around the site to assure that all pathways for release of
radioactive material are monitored. WEC has updated its technical basis
for its Environmental Monitoring Program to address building
dismantlement and demolition activities. Moreover, WEC has stated it
will modify and supplement approved environmental monitoring plans,
policies, and procedures that support the license, before and during
the proposed work, as necessary, to support building dismantlement and
demolition.
Perimeter monitors to measure air borne radiation levels are to be
established as close to the demolition activities as possible and again
at the boundary of the work area. Currently, three onsite remote air
monitoring samples are collected continuously and the results are
analyzed weekly. During the demolition activities, the licensee has
committed to use a minimum of three area monitors. The locations for
the air samplers will be chosen considering meteorological conditions
relative to the dismantlement and demolition activities to ensure that
maximum airborne concentrations are collected. The air sampling data
will be used by WEC to demonstrate that any effluent from the proposed
building dismantlement and demolition will be in accordance with 10 CFR
part 20 requirements.
Additionally, WEC has indicated in its application that it will
evaluate the existing building characterization data and pre-demolition
characterization data for each building it plans to dismantle and/or
demolish prior to building demolition to verify the radiological
conditions and controls that WEC incorporated in implementing building
demolition procedures remain appropriate.
On February 26, 2006, staff asked WEC additional questions
regarding the radiological status of the buildings with respect to
Nuclear Criticality Safety (NCS). Staff evaluated the data and
determined that there is no NCS concern for the building demolition
activities because the total residual mass of UO2 in the
buildings (i.e., 5 kg UO2) is less than the favorable
geometry mass limit in the license application (i.e., 16 kg
UO2). Also, NRC staff determined that the licensee is not
required to have a criticality accident alarm system for building
demolition because the conservative estimate of mass of U235
in the buildings (i.e., 250 grams U235) is less than the
action limit in Sec. 70.24 (i.e., 700 grams of U235). Thus,
NRC has reasonable assurance of NCS during building demolition
activities. Work activities are not anticipated to result in radiation
exposures to individual members of the public in excess of ten percent
of the Sec. 20.1301 limits. In addition, the staff agrees that the
Environmental Monitoring plan is appropriate for the proposed
activities and it is not anticipated to result in significant impacts
to public health, safety, and the environment.
Cumulative Impacts
The NRC has evaluated whether cumulative environmental impacts
could result from an incremental impact of the proposed action when
added to other past, present, or reasonably foreseeable future actions
in the area. The proposed NRC approval of the License Amendment
Request, when combined with known effects on resource areas at the
site, including future further site remediation, are not anticipated to
result in any cumulative impacts at the site.
[[Page 37128]]
Mitigation Measures
The license amendment request submitted by WEC contains mitigation
measures to further ensure that the requested licensing action will not
have any adverse environmental impact. WEC plans to implement
procedural controls, such as the use of less aggressive dismantlement
and demolition techniques, including cutting and shearing, to minimize
the generation of fugitive emissions. Other engineering controls,
including water sprays, will also be utilized to control fugitive
emissions and visible dust, if needed. In addition, WEC has agreed to
perform the mitigative measures that have been proposed by the Missouri
State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) regarding the historical
impact of the proposed action. WEC will provide erosion and sediment
control, as necessary, in accordance with best management practices,
regulatory guidance, and good engineering practices. This will include
structural features, stabilization, and storm water management. The
controls may be temporary or permanent.
Agencies and Individuals Consulted
The NRC staff prepared a draft EA and sent it to the Missouri SHPO,
by letter datedNovember 4, 2004, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(FWS), by letter dated November 9, 2004. The Missouri SHPO, in its
response letter dated January 4, 2005, noted that ``In order for the
project to move forward, it is acceptable to our office that
Westinghouse and NRC proceed with the project, in accordance with the
draft MOA (Memorandum of Agreement).'' The FWS, in its response letter
dated December 10, 2004, indicated that ``our evaluation and search of
existing information indicates no federally listed, proposed, or
candidate species or critical habitat occurs on or near the project
site. This fulfills your consultation requirements under section 7 of
the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended''.
The staff provided a draft of this EA to the MDNR for review. In
its letter dated April 20, 2005, which commented on draft EA, the MDNR
responded by stating it agreed with the proposed alternative, but made
no other comments about the draft EA. However, this letter from the
MDNR also mentions the MNDR's January 2005 letter to WEC. The MDNR's
letter to WEC identified concerns related to monitoring and mitigation.
Staff addressed environmental monitoring concerns through the RAI
process, noted above and found WEC's responses acceptable. The staff
then developed a Final Draft of this EA and provided it to MDNR for its
review and comment by letter dated April 28, 2006 (ML061170223). By
letter dated, May 11, 2006, MDNR concurred with the conclusions in the
Final Draft of this EA (ML061170282).
Conclusion
NRC has prepared this EA in support of the proposed license
amendment to approve the building demolition and dismantlement of site
buildings down to building slabs and foundations at grade at the
Hematite Facility in Festus, MO. 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 (EIS) is not needed for the proposed
action. Approval of the license amendment will not cause significant
impacts on the health and safety of the public or on the environment
due to mitigation measures that WEC is committing to use. The NRC staff
has concluded that radiological exposures to workers will be low and
well within the limits specified in 10 CFR part 20. Dismantlement and
demolition of the buildings, as proposed by the amendment request, will
result in an overall reduction of radioactive material at the WEC
Hematite which will reduce the long term potential for release of
radiological contamination to the environment. No significant
radiologically contaminated effluents are expected during building
dismantlement and demolition. No significant effluent releases of
radiological material or other releases are expected.
List of Preparers
This Environmental Assessment was prepared entirely by the
following NRC staff:
Amy Snyder, Senior Project Manager, Decommissioning Directorate,
Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection, Office of
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS), Decommissioning Issues.
Alicia Mullins, Environmental Project Managers, Division of Waste
Management and Environmental Protection, NMSS, Environmental Issues.
Sources Used
1. NRC Materials License No. SNM-00033.
2. WEC's October 5, 2004, license amendment request was noticed
in the Federal Register on November 16, 2004 (69 FR 67187). This
Federal Register notice also provided an opportunity for a hearing
on this licensing action (See ADAMS Accession No. ML043000467).
3. The application for the license amendment and supporting
documentation are available for review at the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) Public Electronic Reading Room at
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. (See ADAMS Accession No.
ML042860234, ML042880279, and ML050250347).
4. NUREG-0170, 1977. Final Environmental Impact Statement on the
Transportation of Radioactive Material by Air and Other Modes, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC.
5. NUREG-0586, 1988. Final Generic Environmental Impact
Statement on the Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC.
6. NUREG-1496, 1977. Generic Environmental Impact Statement in
Support of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License
Termination of NRC-Licensed Nuclear Facilities Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC, July.
7. NUREG-1748, 2003. Environmental Review Guidance for Licensing
Actions Associated with NMSS Programs Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC, August.
8. REGULATORY GUIDE-1.86, 1974. Termination of Operating
Licenses for Nuclear Reactors, Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC, June.
9. NRC letter to Missouri Historic Preservation Office, to
Allison Dubbert from Amir Kouhestani, dated November 4, 2004
(ML043070004).
10. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services letter to Amir Kouhestani,
dated November 11, 2004 (ML043520384).
11. WEC, January 4, 2005. ``Demolition Permit Application for
Demolition of the Buildings'', Jefferson County Building Commission,
Hillsboro, Missouri.
12. State of Missouri Department of Natural Resources, letter to
Amir Kouhestani from Mark A. Miles, dated January 4, 2005
(ML050130140).
13. Asbestos Abatement Registration Form for WEC filed with the
Missouri Department of Public Health.
14. State of Missouri Department of Natural Resources, letter to
Amir Kouhestani from Ben L. Moore, dated January 18, 2005,
(ML050310161).
15. State of Missouri Department of Natural Resources, letter to
Henry A. Sepp, dated January 18, 2005 (ML050310182).
16. NRC Draft EA, letter to Honorable Doyle Childers, dated
March 2, 2005.
17. State of Missouri Department of Natural Resources, letter to
Daniel Gillen from Doyle Childers, dated April 20, 2005.
18. United States Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife
Services, letter to Amir Kouhestani from Charles M. Scott, dated
December 10, 2004 (ML043520384).
19. NRC, RAI letters to WEC, dated June 28, 2005 (ML051720051),
December 23, 2005 (ML053330179), and March 2, 2006 (ML060540109).
20. WEC, Response to RAI letters to NRC, dated July 22, 2005
(ML052140426), January 31, 2006 [ML060330438], and March 17, 2006
(ML060800265).
21. WEC, Submittal of Technical Report to NRC, DO-05-001,
Environmental Report for
[[Page 37129]]
Hematite Site Decommissioning, dated August 31, 2005 (ML052580255).
22. NRC, Final Draft EA letter to State of Missouri Department
of Natural Resources, to Ben Moore, from Amy M. Snyder, letter dated
April 28, 2006 (ML061170223).
23. State of Missouri Department of Natural Resources, letter to
Amy M. Snyder from Ben L. Moore, dated May 11, 2006 (ML061560372).
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
On the basis of this EA, NRC has concluded that there are no
significant environmental impacts and the license amendment does not
warrant the preparation of an EIS. Accordingly, it has been determined
that a FONSI is appropriate.
IV. 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
Document 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's Public
Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or
by e-mail to [email protected]. These documents may also be viewed
electronically on the public computers located at the NRC's PDR, O-
1F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852.
The PDR reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 14th day of June 2006.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Andrew Persinko,
Acting Deputy Director, Decommissioning Directorate, Division of Waste
Management and Environmental Protection, Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. E6-10267 Filed 6-28-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P