[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 19 (Monday, January 29, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4079-4080]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-01522]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 40-9091; NRC-2011-0148]
Strata Energy, Inc.; Ross Uranium In Situ Recovery Facility;
Source and Byproduct Materials License
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Final environmental assessment and finding of no significant
impact; issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering an
amendment of Source and Byproduct Materials License SUA-1601 to modify
a License Condition for the Strata Energy, Inc. (Strata) Ross In Situ
Recovery (ISR) Project. Specifically, Strata is requesting that NRC
approve a modification to License Condition 11.3(C) for Mine Units Nos.
1 and 2 (MU1 and MU2) that would reduce the number of monitoring wells
placed in the underlying aquifer. The NRC has prepared a final
environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact
(FONSI) for this licensing action.
[[Page 4080]]
DATES: The final EA and FONSI referenced in this document were
available on January 17, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2011-0148 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 website: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2011-0148. 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 via email to [email protected]. The
ADAMS accession number for each document referenced (if it is available
in ADAMS) is provided the first time that it is mentioned in this
document.
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: Jessie Muir Quintero, Office of
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-7476; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is considering amending License Condition 11.3(C) of
License SUA-1601 issued to Strata. As required by part 51 of title 10
of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), the NRC prepared a final
EA (ADAMS Accession No. ML17360A222). Based on the results of the final
EA, described as follows, the NRC has determined not to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) for the amendment, and is issuing
a FONSI.
II. Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would amend License Condition 11.3(C) of
Strata's Ross license. Strata's amendment request (ADAMS Accession No.
ML17103A262) would reduce the number of monitoring wells in the
designated underlying aquifer.
Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action would reduce Strata's burden of routine
monitoring of low-yielding wells.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC assessed the environmental impacts to ground water as a
result of amending License Condition 11.3 (C) and determined that there
would be no significant impact to ground-water quality. The NRC
determined the proposed changes to the License Condition--reduction in
the number of monitoring wells in the underlying aquifer within MU1 and
MU2--would still maintain Strata's ability to identify vertical
exclusions into the underlying aquifer at MU2 where the unit has the
potential to transmit water.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed action, the NRC staff considered
denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative).
The No-Action Alternative would mean that the NRC would not approve the
requested change to License Condition 11.3 (C). The No-Action
alternative would result in Strata operating the Ross project as
currently licensed, thus the impacts would be the same as those already
considered in the Ross Supplemental EIS and the EA prepared for License
Amendment No. 7 (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML14056A096 and ML17191A371,
respectively).
Agencies and Persons Consulted
On December 01, 2017, the NRC staff sent a copy of the draft EA to
the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for their review
and comment (ADAMS Accession No. ML17335A567). The Wyoming DEQ
responded on January 2, 2018, with no comments on the draft EA (ADAMS
Accession No. ML18003A749).
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
Based on its review of the proposed action, and in accordance with
the requirements in 10 CFR part 51, the NRC staff has determined that
amending License Condition 11.3(C) for the Ross ISR project would not
significantly affect ground-water quality. The NRC staff has determined
that pursuant to 10 CFR 51.31, preparation of an EIS is not required
for the proposed action and, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, a FONSI is
appropriate.
On the basis of the final EA, 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 EIS
for the proposed action.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 23rd day of January 2018.
For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Craig G. Erlanger,
Director, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety, Safeguards and Environmental
Review, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2018-01522 Filed 1-26-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P