[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 1 (Monday, January 4, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 101-102]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-33025]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-609; NRC-2013-0235]


Northwest Medical Isotopes, LLC

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Construction permit application; docketing.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has determined 
that the second and final part of the application for a construction 
permit, submitted by Northwest Medical Isotopes, LLC (NWMI) is 
acceptable for docketing. NWMI proposes to build a medical radioisotope 
production facility located in Columbia, Missouri.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2013-0235 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain 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-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.
     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 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 number for each document referenced in this document 
(if that document is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time 
that a document is referenced.
     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: Michael Balazik, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, telephone: 301-415-2856; email: 
[email protected]; U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001.

[[Page 102]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By letter dated July 20, 2015 (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML15210A114), NWMI filed with the NRC, pursuant to 
Section 103 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (AEA), and 
part 50 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), 
``Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities,'' the 
second and final part of its two-part application for a construction 
permit for a medical radioisotope production facility. If granted, the 
construction permit would allow NWMI to construct a production facility 
in Columbia, Missouri. On June 8, 2015, the NRC published in the 
Federal Register its acceptance of part one of NWMI's application for a 
construction permit (80 FR 32418).
    The NRC has completed its acceptance review of part two of NWMI's 
application for a construction permit for a production facility as 
defined in 10 CFR 50.2, ``Definitions.'' The NRC has determined that 
part two was submitted in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR 
2.101(a)(5), completes the information required by 10 CFR 50.34(a), and 
is acceptable for docketing. NWMI's construction permit application, in 
its entirety, has been placed under Docket No. 50-609. Please reference 
this docket number in all future correspondence.
    The NRC expects that NWMI will submit an application for 
fabricating low enriched uranium targets under 10 CFR part 70, 
``Domestic Licensing of Special Nuclear Materials,'' as stated in 
paragraph six (page 2) of NWMI's letter dated July 20, 2015.
    The NRC's staff has started a review of the NWMI construction 
permit application. The NRC's staff will provide NWMI with a schedule 
that identifies significant milestones and the expected review 
completion date. The schedule will include provisions for the NRC to 
request additional information, if necessary.
    A copy of the construction permit application will be referred to 
the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards for a review and report 
consistent with 10 CFR 50.58, ``Hearings and report of the Advisory 
Committee on Reactor Safeguards.''
    In support of the review of the NWMI construction permit 
application, a hearing will be conducted by the Commission or a Board 
designated by the Chief of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel 
in accordance with procedures in 10 CFR part 2, ``Agency Rules of 
Practice and Procedure.'' A future Federal Register notice (FRN) will 
announce the opportunity to petition for leave to intervene in a 
hearing on the application as well as the time and place of the 
hearing.
    Additionally, in accordance with 10 CFR part 51, ``Environmental 
Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory 
Functions,'' the NRC will also prepare an environmental impact 
statement for the proposed action. The environmental impact statement 
will evaluate the environmental impacts for construction, operation and 
decommissioning of NWMI's radioisotope production facility. This review 
will cover all activities at NWMI's radioisotope production facility, 
including those under 10 CFR parts 50 and 70.
    The docketing of the application does not predict whether the NRC 
will grant or deny the requested construction permit. If the NRC finds 
that NWMI's construction permit application meets the applicable 
standards of the AEA and the NRC's regulations, and that required 
notifications to other agencies and bodies have been made, the NRC will 
issue a construction permit for a production facility under 10 CFR part 
50, in the form and containing conditions and limitations that the NRC 
finds appropriate and necessary.
    This notice only addresses the start of a review to determine 
whether the NRC will issue a construction permit for the proposed NWMI 
facility. In order to operate and produce radioisotopes in its 
facility, a separate application must be submitted by NWMI for the 
NRC's review and approval, and, if docketed, would be the subject of a 
separate FRN.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24 day of December, 2015.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Michael F. Balazik,
Chief (Acting), Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch, Division 
of Policy and Rulemaking, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2015-33025 Filed 12-31-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P