[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 116 (Monday, June 16, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34050-34052]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-13461]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Final
Finding of No Significant Impact for the Issuance of Grants to Eligible
Institutions of Higher Education in the United States
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Issuance of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for the issuance of grants to institutions of higher
education in the United States, for scholarships, fellowships, faculty
and curricula development in nuclear safety, nuclear security, nuclear
environmental protection, and other fields that the Commission
determines to be critical to the NRC's regulatory mission.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Morris, Deputy Associate
Director, Professional Development Center, Office of Human Resources,
Mail Stop W5-A6, Washington, DC 20555; Telephone number: 301-492-2303;
FAX number: 301-492-2243; or by e-mail: [email protected].
[[Page 34051]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
Section 243 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (AEA),
authorizes the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission)
to create a scholarship and fellowship program to fund scholarships,
fellowships, and stipends for the study of science, engineering, or
another field of study that the NRC determines is a critical skill area
related to its regulatory mission, to support faculty and curricular
development in such fields, and to support other domestic educational,
technical assistance, or training programs (including those of trade
schools) in such fields.
Section 31.b.(2) of the AEA authorizes the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC or Commission) to provide grants, loans, cooperative
agreements, contracts, and equipment to institutions of higher
education to support courses, studies, training, curricula, and
disciplines pertaining to nuclear safety, security, or environmental
protection, or any other field that the Commission determines to be
critical to the regulatory mission of the Commission.
The NRC is proposing to award grants, using funds available in
fiscal year 2008, to eligible institutions of higher education in the
United States as authorized by sections 31.b.(2) and 243 of the AEA.
The NRC has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) as its evaluation
of this proposed action in accordance with the requirements in 10 CFR
Part 51. Based on the EA, the NRC has concluded that a Finding of No
Significant Impact is appropriate to the proposed action.
II. Environmental Assessment
Identification of Proposed Action
The NRC is proposing to fund five competitive grant programs. The
goal of the five grant programs is to promote and strengthen teaching
programs in nuclear safety, nuclear security, nuclear environmental
protection, and other fields that the Commission determines to be
critical to the NRC's regulatory mission, by through the award of
grants for scholarships and fellowships and to enhance curricula and
increase faculty teaching competencies. Under the first program, the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Nuclear Education Grant Program,
Fiscal Year 2008 (funding number HR-FN1207-EDU2), the NRC would make
grant awards up to $4.7 million dollars in fiscal year 2008, to higher
education institutions, accredited in the United States.
The primary purpose of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear Education Grant Program is to support the educational
infrastructure necessary for the nation to safely move forward with its
nuclear energy initiatives. The goal of the program is to promote and
strengthen teaching programs in nuclear safety, nuclear security,
nuclear environmental protection, and other fields that the Commission
determines to be critical to the NRC's regulatory mission at higher
education institutions, by enhancing curricula and increasing faculty
teaching competencies. Projects awarded grants under the proposed
program may develop, revise, implement, or improve teaching
competencies, subject matter expertise, and skills in serving students
in significant nuclear programs. Applicants would be expected to
identify innovative instructional approaches or techniques to enhance
student learning, including distance educational and experiential
learning. Curriculum development projects may create teaching resources
such as course material, including teaching guides on specific nuclear
topics. Such materials may use print or electronic formats, but the
preparation of traditional textbooks would be ineligible for funding.
Under the proposed grant program, projects must have an academic focus
within the areas of nuclear safety, nuclear security, nuclear
environmental protection, or the other fields the Commission has
determined to be critical to the NRC's regulatory mission.
Under the remaining four grant programs, the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission Nuclear Scholarship/Fellowship Program
Announcement of Opportunity, Fiscal Year 2008 (not yet announced); the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Nuclear Education Program
Scholarship and Fellowship Announcement of Opportunity, Fiscal Year
2008 (funding number HR-FN208-NEDO1); the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission Nuclear Education Program Faculty Development Grants
Announcement of Opportunity, Fiscal Year 2008 (funding number HR-FN208-
NEDO2); and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Nuclear Education
Program Trade School Scholarship Announcement of Opportunity, Fiscal
Year 2008 (funding number HR-FN208-NEDO3); the NRC would make grant
awards up to $15.4 million dollars in fiscal year 2008 for
undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships, trade school
scholarships, and faculty development grants to support education in
nuclear science and engineering, for the purpose of developing a
workforce capable of supporting the design, construction, operation,
and regulation of nuclear facilities and the safe handling of nuclear
materials. Participation in the awards program would require recipients
to serve in nuclear-related employment for each full or partial year of
academic support. The employment may be with NRC, other Federal
agencies, State agencies, Department of Energy laboratories, nuclear-
related industry, or academia in the recipients' sponsored fields of
study.
A more detailed description of the fiscal year 2008 NRC grant
programs is available at http://www.grants.gov (find grant
opportunities/browse by agency/U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission).
The Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action implements the congressional intent of sections
31.b.(2) and 243 of the AEA, namely, to foster the study of science,
engineering, or another field of study that the NRC determines is in a
critical skill area related to its regulatory mission.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The proposed action is specifically geared toward the development
of teaching and educational programs in the nuclear field. As the
proposed action is administrative in nature, it will have no
significant effect on the quality of the human environment. The
proposed action is not expected to result in: increased radiation doses
to nuclear industry workers or members of the public; degradation of
water quality or of the water supply; endangered or threatened species
habitat destruction; increased effluents or changes in effluent
pathways; increased noise; damage or reduced access to cultural
resources; changes to local or regional socioeconomic conditions;
increased traffic or other transportation effects; or increased
competition for available resources. Moreover, the NRC will not issue
awards to fund programs that include or involve activities directly
affecting the environment, such as the construction of facilities; a
major disturbance of the local environment brought about by blasting,
drilling, excavating or other means; large-scale acquisitions of
computer equipment; field work affecting the local environment (except
field work which only involves noninvasive or non-harmful techniques
such as taking water or soil samples or collecting non-protected
species of flora and fauna); and the testing and release of radioactive
material.
[[Page 34052]]
Accordingly, the NRC finds 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 administrative nature of the proposed action, its
environmental impacts are small or nonexistent. Therefore, the only
alternative NRC considered is the ``no-action'' alternative, namely,
not issuing any grant awards. The no-action alternative runs counter to
the congressional intent expressed in section 31.b.(2) of the AEA,
which authorizes the NRC to provide grants to support courses, studies,
training, curricula, and disciplines pertaining to nuclear safety,
security, or environmental protection, and in section 243 of the AEA,
which authorizes the NRC to issue scholarships and fellowships to
higher education institutions for the purpose of enabling students to
pursue education in science, engineering, or another field of study
that the NRC determines is in a critical skill area related to its
regulatory mission.
The ``no-action'' alternative would result in no change in current
environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the proposed action
and the alternative action are similar.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC has determined that the proposed action is administrative
in nature and will not affect listed species or critical habitat.
Therefore, no consultation is required under Section 7 of the
Endangered Species Act. The NRC 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 consultation is required
under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
III. Final Finding of No Significant Impact
On the basis of this environmental assessment, the NRC concludes
that the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the
quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the NRC has determined
not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed
action.
IV. Further Information
For further information regarding the NRC Education Grants program,
please visit the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/grants.html. The public may access this document by using ADAMS on the
NRC public Web site by using the following accession number
ML081570477.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of June, 2008.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
James F. McDermott,
Director, Office of Human Resources.
[FR Doc. E8-13461 Filed 6-13-08; 8:45 am]
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