[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 222 (Wednesday, November 18, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72115-72117]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-29425]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-609; NRC-2013-0235]
Northwest Medical Isotopes, LLC
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Intent to conduct scoping process and prepare an environmental
impact statement; public meeting and request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will conduct a
scoping process to gather the information necessary to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate the environmental
impacts for construction, operation, and decommissioning of the
proposed Northwest Medical Isotopes, LLC (NWMI) radioisotope production
facility. The NRC is seeking stakeholder input on this action and has
scheduled a public meeting.
DATES: Submit comments by January 4, 2016. Comments received after this
date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the Commission
is able to ensure consideration only for comments received on or before
this date.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2013-0235. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of
this document.
Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey, Office of Administration,
Mail Stop: OWFN-12-H08, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555-0001.
For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy Martinez, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-2719; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments
A. Obtaining Information
Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2013-0235 when contacting the NRC
about the availability of information regarding this document. You may
access information related to this document, which the NRC possesses
and is publicly available, by any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2013-0235.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and
then
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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
environmental report (ER) is available in ADAMS under Accession Nos.
ML15086A265, ML15086A268, ML15086A269, ML15086A270, and ML15086A271,
respectively.
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.
B. Submitting Comments
Please include Docket ID NRC-2013-0235 in the subject line of your
comment submission, in order to ensure that the NRC is able to make
your comment submission available to the public in this docket.
The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact
information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your
comment submission. The NRC posts all comment submissions at http://www.regulations.gov as well as entering the comment submissions into
ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to remove
identifying or contact information.
If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to
remove such information before making the comment submissions available
to the public or entering the comment submissions into ADAMS.
II. Discussion
On November 7, 2014, NWMI filed with the NRC, pursuant to Section
103 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and part 50 of title
10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), a portion (part one) of
an application for a construction permit for a medical radioisotope
production facility at the Discovery Ridge Research Park in Columbia,
Missouri. By letter dated February 5, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML15086A262), NWMI withdrew and resubmitted this portion of their
construction permit application (ADAMS Accession No. ML15086A261) to
include a discussion of connected actions in their ER in response to a
letter from the NRC (ADAMS Accession No. ML14349A501). A separate
notice of receipt and availability for part one of the application was
published in the Federal Register on April 21, 2015 (80 FR 22227). A
notice of acceptance for docketing for part one of the application was
published in the Federal Register on June 8, 2015 (80 FR 32418).
By letter dated July 20, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No. ML15210A182),
NMWI submitted part two of the construction permit application which
includes the Integrated Safety Analysis Summary and the remaining
sections of the construction permit application as required by 10 CFR
50.34(a). A separate notice of receipt and availability for part 2 of
the application and a separate notice of acceptance for docketing of
part 2 of the application will be published in the Federal Register.
An exemption from certain requirements of 10 CFR 2.101(a)(5) was
granted by the Commission on October 7, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML13238A333), in response to a letter from NWMI dated August 9, 2013
(ADAMS Accession No. ML13227A295), allowing for NWMI to submit its
construction permit application in two parts.
III. Request for Comments
This notice informs the public of the NRC's intention to prepare an
EIS related to the review of the construction permit application and to
provide the public an opportunity to participate in the environmental
scoping process, as defined in 10 CFR 51.29.
The regulations in 36 CFR 800.8, ``Coordination with the National
Environmental Policy Act,'' allows agencies to use their National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) process to fulfill the
requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act
(NHPA). Therefore, pursuant to 36 CFR 800.8(c), the NRC intends to use
its process and documentation for the preparation of the EIS on the
proposed action to comply with Section 106 of the NHPA in lieu of the
procedures set forth at 36 CFR 800.3 through 36 CFR 800.6.
The NRC intends to gather the information necessary to prepare an
EIS to evaluate the environmental impacts for construction, operation,
and decommissioning of the proposed NWMI radioisotope production
facility. The proposed construction will include space for 10 CFR part
70 operational activities. Possible alternatives to the proposed action
(construction and operation of the proposed NWMI facility) include no
action, alternative sites, and alternative technologies to produce
radioisotopes. This notice is being published in accordance with NEPA
and the NRC's regulations found at 10 CFR part 51.
The NRC will first conduct a scoping process for the EIS and, as
soon as practicable thereafter, will prepare a draft EIS for public
comment. Participation in the scoping process by members of the public
and local, State, Tribal, and Federal government agencies is
encouraged. The scoping process for the EIS will be used to accomplish
the following:
a. Define the proposed action, which is to be the subject of the
EIS;
b. Determine the scope of the EIS and identify the significant
issues to be analyzed in depth;
c. Identify and eliminate from detailed study those issues that are
peripheral or that are not significant;
d. Identify any environmental assessments and other ElSs that are
being or will be prepared that are related to, but are not part of, the
scope of the EIS being considered;
e. Identify other environmental review and consultation
requirements related to the proposed action;
f. Indicate the relationship between the timing of the preparation
of the environmental analyses and the Commission's tentative planning
and decision-making schedule;
g. Identify any cooperating agencies and, as appropriate, allocate
assignments for preparation, and schedules for completing the EIS to
the NRC and any cooperating agencies; and
h. Describe how the EIS will be prepared and include any contractor
assistance to be used. The NRC invites the following entities to
participate in scoping:
a. The applicant, NWMI;
b. Any Federal agency that has jurisdiction by law or special
expertise with respect to any environmental impact involved or that is
authorized to develop and enforce relevant environmental standards;
c. Affected State and local government agencies, including those
authorized to develop and enforce relevant environmental standards;
d. Any affected Indian tribe;
e. Any person who requests or has requested an opportunity to
participate in the scoping process; and
f. Any person who has petitioned or intends to petition for leave
to intervene.
IV. Public Meeting
In accordance with 10 CFR 51.26, the scoping process for an EIS may
include a public scoping meeting to help identify significant issues
related to a proposed activity and to determine the
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scope of issues to be addressed in an EIS. The NRC has decided to hold
a public meeting for the NWMI environmental review on December 8, 2015.
The meeting will begin with an open house from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m.,
followed by an NRC presentation and opportunity to hear public comments
from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m., as necessary. The public meeting will be at
the Holiday Inn Columbia-East, 915 Port Way, Columbia, MO 65201.
The meeting will be transcribed and will include: (1) An overview
by the NRC staff of the NEPA environmental review process, the proposed
scope of the EIS, and the proposed review schedule; and (2) the
opportunity for interested government agencies, organizations, and
individuals to submit comments or suggestions on the environmental
issues or the proposed scope of the EIS. Additionally, the NRC staff
will host informal discussions during the open house one hour prior to
the start of each session at the same location. No formal comments on
the proposed scope of the EIS will be accepted during the informal
discussions. To be considered, comments must be provided either at the
transcribed public meeting or in writing, as discussed in the ADDRESSES
section of this notice.
Persons may register to attend or present oral comments at the
meeting on the scope of the NEPA review by contacting the NRC
Environmental Project Manager, Nancy Martinez, by telephone at 800-368-
5642, ext. 2719, or by email at [email protected], no later than
December 1, 2015. Members of the public may also register to speak at
the meeting within 15 minutes of the start of the meeting. Individual
oral comments may be limited by the time available, depending on the
number of persons who register. Members of the public who have not
registered may also have an opportunity to speak if time permits.
Public comments will be considered in the scoping process for the EIS.
Please contact Nancy Martinez no later than December 1, 2015, if
accommodations or special equipment are needed to attend or present
information at the public meeting so that the NRC staff can determine
whether the request can be accommodated.
Participation in the scoping process for the EIS does not entitle
participants to become parties to the proceeding to which the EIS
relates. Matters related to participation in any hearing are outside
the scope of matters to be discussed at this public meeting. The notice
of acceptance for docketing of the application and a description of the
hearing process will be published separately in the Federal Register.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 12th day of November, 2015.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
David J. Wrona,
Chief, Environmental Review and Guidance Update Branch, Division of
License Renewal, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2015-29425 Filed 11-17-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P