[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 188 (Friday, September 27, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59731-59732]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-23608]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 40-3392; NRC-2011-0143]


License Amendment Request for Closure of Calcium Fluoride Ponds 
at Honeywell Metropolis Works, Honeywell International, Inc.

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of availability of environmental assessment and finding 
of no significant impact.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
the issuance of a license amendment to Source Materials License SUA-526 
issued to Honeywell International, Inc. (Honeywell) for its Metropolis 
Works Facility (MWF) in Metropolis, Illinois. The license amendment 
would approve Honeywell's proposed Decommissioning Plan for Surface 
Impoundments B, C, D, and E at the MWF. The NRC has prepared an 
Environmental Assessment (EA) for this proposed action in accordance 
with its regulations. 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 following the 
publication of this document.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2011-0143 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may access publicly-available information related to this document 
using any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2011-0143. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-287-
3422; email: [email protected].
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may access publicly-available documents online in the NRC 
Library at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the 
search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and then select ``Begin Web-
based ADAMS Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's 
Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-
4737, or by email to [email protected]. The ADAMS accession numbers 
for the documents related to this notice are: (1) License Amendment 
Request Report NRC License Number SUB-526, Closure of Retention Ponds 
B, C, D, and E (ML103420434, ML103400458, ML103400459, and 
ML103400517); (2) Additional Information provided by Honeywell, 
February 13, 2012 (ML12060A115); and (3) Environmental Assessment and 
Finding of No Significant Impact (ML12338A057).
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary T. Adams, Senior Environmental 
Engineer; Conversion, De-conversion, and MOX Branch; Division of Fuel 
Cycle Safety and Safeguards; Office of Nuclear Material Safety and 
Safeguards; U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, 
telephone: 301-287-9146; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    By letter dated November 22, 2010, the NRC received a license 
amendment application from Honeywell Metropolis Works (Honeywell, MTW, 
or the licensee), pertaining to its proposed closure plan for four 
ponds located on the MTW plant site. Honeywell holds NRC License No. 
SUB-526, which authorizes the licensee to possess and use source 
material at its uranium conversion facility located in Metropolis, 
Illinois. Honeywell seeks an amendment to license SUB-526, pursuant to 
Section 40.44 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 
to approve the closure of the calcium fluoride ponds in-place, by 
stabilization of the contents and construction of a cover system over 
the stabilized ponds. After the closure plan is successfully 
implemented, Honeywell will seek release of the ponds area from SUB-526 
for unrestricted use in accordance with 10 CFR 20.1402, ``Radiological 
criteria for unrestricted use.''
    On July 7, 2011, the NRC issued a notice of amendment request and 
opportunity to request a hearing (76 FR 39918) on the license amendment 
request. No requests for hearing were received. An Environmental Report 
was included in the license amendment request. The NRC relied upon the 
information provided in the license amendment request; additional 
information provided by Honeywell on February 13, 2012; and other 
sources identified in the environmental assessment (EA) in preparing 
the EA. A draft of the EA was sent to the Illinois Emergency Management 
Agency, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency for review.

II. Environmental Assessment Summary

    As required by 10 CFR 51.30, the EA describes the proposed action 
and four alternatives to the proposed action, including a no-action 
alternative; describes the need for the proposed action; and assesses 
the environmental impacts of the proposed action and alternatives. The 
EA evaluates environmental impacts in the following resource areas: 
Land use; transportation; geology, soils and seismology; hydrology; 
ecological resources; air quality, meteorology, climatology; noise; 
historic and cultural resources; visual and scenic resources; 
demography and socioeconomics; public health; and waste management. The 
EA concluded that the impacts on all of these resource areas are small, 
based on significance criteria set forth in NUREG-1748, ``Environmental 
Review Guidance for Licensing Actions Associated with NMSS Programs'' 
(Adams Accession No. ML032450279). The EA also includes a list of 
agencies and persons consulted, and identification of sources used in 
preparing the EA.

[[Page 59732]]

    In accordance with 10 CFR 51.31(a), upon completion of the EA, and 
consideration of the small environmental impacts on the environmental 
resource areas, the NRC Deputy Director of the Division of Fuel Cycle 
Safety and Safeguards has determined that a finding of no significant 
impact is appropriate.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    On the basis of the EA, the NRC has concluded that there are no 
significant environmental impacts from the proposed action, and that 
the issuance of a license amendment to approve the ponds 
decommissioning plan does not warrant the preparation of an 
Environmental Impact Statement. Accordingly, the NRC has determined 
that a Finding of No Significant Impact is appropriate.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 20th day of September 2013.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
James W. Andersen,
Deputy Director, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office 
of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2013-23608 Filed 9-26-13; 8:45 am]
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