[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 196 (Thursday, October 11, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57967-57968]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-20078]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 030-05154]


Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of 
No Significant Impact for License Amendment to Byproduct Materials 
License No. 24-13365-01, for Unrestricted Release of the ABC 
Laboratories Facilities in Columbia, MO

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Issuance of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact for License Amendment.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Snell, Senior Health 
Physicist, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials 
Safety, Region III, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 2443 
Warrenville Road, Lisle, Illinois 60532; telephone: (630) 829-9871; fax 
number: (630) 515-1259; or by e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the 
issuance of a license amendment to Byproduct Materials License No. 24-
13365-01. This license is held by ABC Laboratories (the Licensee), for 
facilities, located at 7200 E. ABC Lane, Columbia, Missouri. Issuance 
of the amendment would authorize release of Buildings C and G for 
unrestricted use. The Licensee requested this action in a letter dated 
June 5, 2007 (ADAMS Accession No. ML071630523). The NRC has prepared an 
Environmental Assessment (EA) in support of this proposed action in 
accordance with the requirements of Title 10, Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR), Part 51 (10 CFR Part 51). Based on the EA, the NRC 
has concluded that a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is 
appropriate with respect to the proposed action. The amendment will be 
issued to the Licensee following the publication of this FONSI and EA 
in the Federal Register.

II. Environmental Assessment

Identification of Proposed Action

    The proposed action would approve the Licensee's June 5, 2007 
license amendment request, resulting in release of Buildings C and G 
for unrestricted use. License No. 24-13365-01 was issued on August 5, 
1969, pursuant to 10 CFR Part 30, and has been amended periodically 
since that time. This license authorized the Licensee to use byproduct 
materials for activities involving research and development, 
possession, use, processing, and packaging incident to manufacture of 
radiochemicals, storage prior to distribution, and interim storage of 
radioactive waste prior to disposal.
    Buildings C and G are situated on a 56 acre site and are 2 of 13 
buildings. Building C was constructed in 1976 as a wood frame building 
on a concrete slab which was later converted to a metal sided building, 
and was used for animal studies mainly using carbon-14 or tritium 
tagged materials. Building G was constructed in 1980 as a wood frame 
building with steel roof on a concrete slab and was used to store 
primarily carbon-14 and tritium radioactive waste prior to disposal. 
The site is located in a mixed residential, agricultural and commercial 
area.
    The licensee ceased using licensed materials in Building C in March 
2006 and Building G in July 2006 and initiated surveys and 
decontamination of the buildings. Based on the Licensee's historical 
knowledge of the site and the conditions of the Facility, the Licensee 
determined that only routine decontamination activities, in accordance 
with their NRC-approved, operating radiation safety procedures, were 
required. The Licensee was not required to submit a decommissioning 
plan to the NRC because worker cleanup activities and procedures are 
consistent with those approved for routine operations. The Licensee 
conducted surveys of Building C in June 2006 and Building G in 
September 2006 and provided information to the NRC to demonstrate that 
they meet the criteria in Subpart E of 10 CFR Part 20 for unrestricted 
release.

Need for the Proposed Action

    The Licensee has ceased conducting licensed activities in Buildings 
C and G, and seeks the unrestricted use of Buildings C and G.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The historical review of licensed activities conducted in Buildings 
C and G shows that such activities involved use of the following 
radionuclides with half-lives greater than 120 days: hydrogen-3 and 
carbon-14. Prior to performing the final status survey, the Licensee 
conducted decontamination activities, as necessary, in the areas of 
Buildings C and G affected by these radionuclides.
    The Licensee completed final status surveys on Building C on June 
6, 2006, and on Building G on September 22, 2006. These surveys covered 
all areas of Building C and Building G. The final status survey report 
was attached to the Licensee's amendment request dated June 5, 2007. 
The Licensee elected to demonstrate compliance with the radiological 
criteria for unrestricted release as specified in 10 CFR 20.1402 using 
the screening approach described in NUREG-1757, ``Consolidated NMSS 
Decommissioning Guidance,'' Volume 2. The Licensee used the 
radionuclide-specific derived concentration guideline levels (DCGLs), 
developed there by the NRC, which comply with the dose criterion in 10 
CFR 20.1402. These DCGLs define the maximum amount of residual 
radioactivity on building surfaces, equipment, and materials, and in 
soils, that will satisfy the NRC requirements in Subpart E of 10 CFR 
Part 20 for unrestricted release. The NRC conducted independent 
radiological surveys of the Buildings C and G and identified no 
radiological contamination in Building C in excess

[[Page 57968]]

of background. (NRC Inspection Report 030-05154/07-001 (DNMS) dated 
April 19, 2007, ADAMS Accession No. ML071090194.) However, the NRC 
identified levels of radiological contamination in excess of the NRC's 
unrestricted use criteria on the floor of Building G. The licensee 
performed additional decontamination and re-surveyed of the floor of 
Building G in April 2007. The Licensee's final status survey results 
were below these DCGLs and are in compliance with the As Low As 
Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) requirement of 10 CFR 20.1402. The NRC 
thus finds that the Licensee's final status survey results are 
acceptable.
    Based on its review, the staff has determined that the affected 
environment and any environmental impacts associated with the proposed 
action 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 Nuclear Facilities'' 
(NUREG-1496) Volumes 1-3 (ML042310492, ML042320379, and ML042330385). 
The staff finds there were no significant environmental impacts from 
the use of radioactive material in Buildings C and G. The NRC staff 
reviewed the docket file records and the final status survey report to 
identify any non-radiological hazards that may have impacted the 
environment surrounding Buildings C and G. No such hazards or impacts 
to the environment were identified. The NRC has identified no other 
radiological or non-radiological activities in the area that could 
result in cumulative environmental impacts.
    The NRC staff finds that the proposed release of Buildings C and G 
for unrestricted use and the termination of the NRC materials license 
is in compliance with 10 CFR Part 20. Based on its review, the staff 
considered the impact of the residual radioactivity from Buildings C 
and G and concluded that the proposed action will not have a 
significant effect on the quality of the human environment.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    Due to the largely administrative nature of the proposed action, 
its environmental impacts are small. Therefore, the only alternative 
the staff considered is the no-action alternative, under which the 
staff would leave things as they are by simply denying the amendment 
request. This no-action alternative is not feasible because it 
conflicts with 10 CFR 30.36(d), requiring that decommissioning of 
byproduct material facilities be completed and approved by the NRC 
after licensed activities cease. The NRC's analysis of the Licensee's 
final status survey data confirmed that Buildings C and G meet the 
requirements of 10 CFR 20.1402 for unrestricted release. Additionally, 
denying the amendment request would result in no change in current 
environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the proposed action 
and the no-action alternative are therefore similar, and the no-action 
alternative is accordingly not further considered.

Conclusion

    The NRC staff has 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

    NRC provided a draft of this Environmental Assessment to the 
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) for review on 
September 7, 2007. On September 7, 2007, Mr. John Langston, Manager, 
Health Services Regulation, Division of Regulation and Licensure, with 
the Missouri DHSS responded by e-mail. The State agreed with the 
conclusions of the EA, and otherwise had no comments.
    The NRC staff has determined that the proposed action is of a 
procedural nature, and will not affect listed species or critical 
habitat. Therefore, no further consultation is required under Section 7 
of the Endangered Species Act. The NRC staff has also determined that 
the proposed action is not the type of activity that has the potential 
to cause effects on historic properties. Therefore, no further 
consultation is required under Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    The NRC staff has prepared this EA in support of the proposed 
action. On the basis of this EA, the NRC finds that there are no 
significant environmental impacts from the proposed action, and that 
preparation of an environmental impact statement is not warranted. 
Accordingly, the NRC has determined that a Finding of No Significant 
Impact is appropriate.

IV. Further Information

    Documents related to this action, including the application for 
license 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. The documents 
related to this action are listed below, along with their ADAMS 
accession numbers.
    1. G. S. Ward, ABC Laboratories, letter to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Region III, ATTN: Kevin Null, dated June 05, 2007 (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML071630523);
    2. S. C. Hecht, ABC Laboratories, letter to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Region III, ATTN: Bill Snell, dated August 20, 2007 (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML072360539);
    3. NRC Inspection Report No. 030-05154/07-001 (DNMS) dated April 
19, 2007 (ADAMS Accession No. ML071090194);
    4. Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 20, Subpart E, 
``Radiological Criteria for License Termination;''
    5. Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 51, ``Environmental 
Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory 
Functions;''
    6. NUREG-1496, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement in Support 
of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of NRC-
Licensed Nuclear Facilities;''
    7. NUREG-1757, ``Consolidated NMSS Decommissioning Guidance.''
    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]. These 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 September 2007.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Patrick Louden,
Chief, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, 
Region III.
 [FR Doc. E7-20078 Filed 10-10-07; 8:45 am]
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