[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 12 (Thursday, January 19, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6660-6662]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-01233]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-59; NRC-2017-0007]


Texas A&M University

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact; 
issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
the issuance of a license amendment to Facility Operating License No. 
R-23, held by the Texas A&M University (TAMU or the licensee) for the 
Aerojet General Nucleonics Model 201-Modified (AGN-201M) reactor 
facility located in the Zachry Engineering Center on the TAMU College 
Station Campus, Brazos County, Texas. The amendment would delete from 
the technical specifications (TSs) the Zachry Engineering Center 
location that constituted the reactor facility for the AGN-201M reactor 
and associated components. The reactor, associated components, and its 
special nuclear material (SNM) have been removed from the Zachry 
Engineering Center and temporarily stored at the Texas Engineering 
Experiment Station, in Brazos County, Texas, where TAMU operates 
another reactor. The license amendment would also delete the license 
conditions requiring a physical security plan (PSP) and TSs requiring 
procedures that implement the security plan and audits of the PSP and 
its implementing procedures as the SNM possession limit in the license 
is below the quantity of material that requires a security plan.
    If approved, removal of the Zachry Engineering Center from the TSs 
would allow the unrestricted use of the rooms where the AGN-201M 
reactor, its associated components and its byproduct and SNM were 
formerly located. The NRC is issuing an environmental assessment (EA) 
and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) associated with the 
proposed license amendment.

DATES: The EA and FONSI are available as of January 19, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2017-0007 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-2017-0007. 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].
     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: Patrick G. Boyle, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Rockville, MD 
20852; telephone: 301-415-3936; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction

    The NRC is considering the issuance of a license amendment to 
Facility Operating License No. R-23, held by TAMU, which would delete 
(1) part of TS 5.3, removing the Reactor Room, Control Room and 
Accelerator Room in the Zachry Engineering Center as a storage location 
for the AGN-201M reactor and associated components and allowing the 
unrestricted use of the Zachry Engineering Center that was the former 
location of the AGN-201M reactor; (2) license conditions 2.C.(3) and 
2.D, removing the requirement that the licensee maintain a PSP; and (3) 
TS 6.4.3.c and parts of TS 6.6.f, removing requirements for procedures 
that implement the PSP and audits of the PSP and implementing 
procedures. The facility is located in the Zachry Engineering Center on 
the TAMU campus, Brazos County, Texas.
    The licensee submitted its license amendment request by letter 
dated November 21, 2016 (ADAMS Accession No. ML16326A447), as 
supplemented by letters dated December 16 and 20, 2016 (ADAMS Accession 
Nos. ML16352A000, ML16351A502, and ML17011A079); and January 9 and 11, 
2017 (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML17010A057 and ML17012A069). The NRC staff 
prepared an EA to document its environmental findings related to the 
proposed license amendment in accordance with section 51.21 of title 10 
of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR). Based on the results of 
the environmental review conducted for this EA, the NRC staff did not 
identify any significant environmental impacts associated with the 
proposed action and is, therefore, issuing a FONSI in accordance with 
10 CFR 51.32.

II. Environmental Assessment

Facility Locations and Previous Actions

    The Zachry Engineering Center, located on the TAMU College Station 
Campus, in Brazos County, Texas housed the AGN-201M reactor as well as 
offices and laboratories in which radiological materials were used in 
support of reactor operations. The AGN-201M has a power rating of 5 
watts, thermal and uses a polyethylene and uranium dioxide plate type 
fuel with a uranium-235 enrichment of less than 20%. The reactor core 
is cooled by natural convection and therefore, the reactor does not 
have an external cooling loop. Texas A&M University purchased the AGN 
reactor in 1957 and moved it to the Zachry Engineering Center in 1972. 
The AGN-201M reactor was located on the ground floor in the

[[Page 6661]]

southwest portion of the building and has not been operated since 2014.
    TAMU operates a second reactor at the Nuclear Science Center, 
within the Texas Engineering Experiment Station, also located on the 
TAMU College Station Campus, in Brazos County, Texas.
    The NRC staff approved the SNM transfer and relocation of the AGN-
201M reactor and associated components in license amendments dated 
August 31, 2016 (ADAMS Accession No. ML16109A153), and November 11, 
2015 (ADAMS Accession No. ML15315A027), respectively. TAMU completed 
the transfer of SNM in the form of AGN-201M reactor fuel, control rods, 
and a plutonium beryllium start up source to the TAMU System, Nuclear 
Science Center Reactor Facility License No. R-83 and the remaining AGN-
201M reactor components containing byproduct material and trace 
quantities of SNM were relocated to the Texas Engineering Experiment 
Station on October 15, 2016.
    TAMU requested that the NRC amend the AGN-201M license to allow the 
unrestricted use of the Zachry Engineering Center, proposed changes to 
conditions and TSs in the license, and provided radiation survey 
results to support its amendment application.

Description of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would delete the Reactor Room, Control Room and 
Accelerator Room in the Zachry Engineering Center as a location for the 
storage of the AGN-201 reactor and associated components, allowing the 
unrestricted use of the Zachry Engineering Center that was the former 
location of the AGN-201M reactor. The proposed action would also delete 
license conditions that require a PSP, and delete TS 6.6.f. and 
6.4.3.c, which require PSP implementing procedures and audits of the 
PSP and its implementing procedures because SNM for the AGN-201M has 
been transferred to another NRC license and, hence, the license no 
longer authorizes possession of a quantity of SNM that requires a PSP 
under the regulations in 10 CFR 73.67. In order to remove the Zachry 
Engineering Center rooms constituting the reactor facility from the TSs 
and allow unrestricted use of those locations in accordance with 10 CFR 
20.1402, residual radioactivity that is distinguishable from background 
radiation at the reactor facility may not exceed 25 mrem (0.25 mSv) per 
year total effective dose equivalent (TEDE) to a member of the public 
and the residual radioactivity must be reduced to levels that are as 
low as reasonably achievable (ALARA).

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed (1) to remove from Facility Operating 
License No. R-23 and release the rooms that constitute the AGN-201M 
reactor facility at the Zachry Engineering Center, which would enable 
the rooms to be used for other purposes without radiological 
restrictions, and (2) to delete license conditions requiring the 
licensee to maintain a PSP and delete associated PSP procedural and 
audit requirements in the TSs.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC staff has completed its environmental review of the 
proposed action and concludes that the proposed action will not present 
any undue risk to public health and safety. After removal of the AGN-
201M reactor, associated components, and SNM, and their relocation to 
the Texas Engineering Experiment Station, TAMU conducted clean-up 
activities at the Zachry Engineering Center. TAMU developed a final 
status survey plan (ADAMS Accession No. ML16316A002), completed the 
final status survey of the Zachry Engineering Center rooms where the 
AGN-201M reactor, associated components, and SNM were previously 
located (ADAMS Accession No. ML17010A057) and found that the facility 
met the requirements for unrestricted use in 10 CFR part 20, subpart E. 
An NRC staff confirmatory survey was conducted during the week of 
November 14, 2016 (ADAMS Accession No. ML16355A083).
    The NRC staff is preparing a safety evaluation in connection with 
its review of the proposed action. Based on the clean-up activities 
carried out by the licensee, the NRC staff's review of TAMU's final 
status survey report and the results of the NRC staff confirmatory 
survey, the NRC staff has concluded, pursuant to 10 CFR 20.1402, that 
residual radioactivity at the site does not exceed 25 mrem (0.25 mSv) 
TEDE. In addition, since no residual radioactivity distinguishable from 
background was found at the site, ALARA has been met. Therefore, the 
Zachry Engineering Center rooms which constituted the reactor facility 
(as designated in TS 5.3) are suitable to be released for unrestricted 
use and can be removed from the TSs. TAMU also requests that the NRC 
delete license conditions requiring a PSP and associated PSP TSs 
because physical possession of the SNM for the AGN-201M reactor has 
been transferred to, and is being stored under, another NRC license and 
therefore a PSP is not required for the AGN-201M under 10 CFR 73.67. 
Further details of the NRC's safety review will be provided in the 
safety evaluation related to the license amendment that, if issued by 
the NRC, would authorize the proposed action.
    The proposed action does not authorize any effluent or material 
releases, does not change any release criteria set forth in the present 
regulations, and the results of the NRC confirmatory survey confirmed 
that any residual radioactivity at the Zachry Engineering Center 
facility comply with criteria for unrestricted release of a site set 
forth in 10 CFR 20.1402. No changes would occur in the types of any 
effluents that may be released offsite, and there would be no 
significant increase in the amount of any effluent released offsite. 
Thus there would be no significant increase in occupational or public 
radiation exposure. In addition, because all of the SNM has been 
removed from the Zachry Engineering Center, deletion of license 
conditions requiring a PSP and deletion of associated TSs is 
appropriate. Therefore, the proposed action would result in no 
significant radiological environmental impacts.
    With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed 
action does not authorize of involve any reactor facility construction 
activities and would not result in visual resource impacts, increases 
in noise or air emissions, or have any foreseeable impacts to historic 
properties, water resources, and aquatic or terrestrial resources. 
Similarly, the proposed action would result in no socioeconomic or 
environmental justice impacts. Therefore, there would be no significant 
non-radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed 
action.
    Accordingly, the NRC staff concludes that there would be no 
significant environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    As an alternative to the proposed action, the NRC staff considered 
the denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' 
alternative). Denial of the license amendment request would result in 
no change in current environmental impacts. The environmental impacts 
of the proposed action and the ``no action'' alternative would be 
similar.

Alternative Use of Resources

    The proposed action would not involve the use of any different

[[Page 6662]]

resources than those previously considered in the document ``Texas A&M 
University--Facility Operating License No. R-23,'' dated August 26, 
1957 (ADAMS Accession No. ML16085A206).

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The NRC staff did not enter into consultation with any other 
Federal agency or with the State of Texas regarding the environmental 
impact of the proposed action. However, on December 22, 2016, the NRC 
notified the Texas State official, Mrs. DeAnn Walker, Director, Office 
of the Governor Office of Budget and Policy, of the proposed action. 
The State official had no comments.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    The NRC is considering the issuance of a license amendment to 
Facility Operating License No. R-23, held by TAMU, which would delete 
(1) part of TS 5.3, removing the Reactor Room, Control Room and 
Accelerator Room in the Zachry Engineering Center as a storage location 
for the AGN-201M reactor and associated components and allowing the 
unrestricted use of the Zachry Engineering Center that was the former 
location of the AGN-201M reactor; (2) license conditions 2.C.(3) and 
2.D, removing the requirement that the licensee maintain a PSP; and (3) 
TS 6.4.3.c and parts of TS 6.6.f, removing requirements for procedures 
that implement the PSP and audits of the PSP and implementing 
procedures. The facility is located in the Zachry Engineering Center on 
the TAMU campus, Brazos County, Texas.
    On the basis of the EA included in Section II of this notice and 
incorporated by reference, the NRC staff finds that the proposed action 
will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human 
environment. The NRC staff's evaluation considered information provided 
in the licensee's application, as supplemented, and the NRC staff's 
review of related environmental documents. Section II above identifies 
the documents related to the proposed action and includes information 
on the availability of these documents. Accordingly, the NRC has 
determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the 
proposed action.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 13th day of January 2017.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Mirela Gavrilas,
Deputy Director, Division of Policy and Rulemaking, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2017-01233 Filed 1-18-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P