[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 38 (Monday, February 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8302-8303]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-03789]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 30-08478; NRC-2018-0033]
National Institutes of Health
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 issuing an
environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact
(FONSI) for an exemption request by the National Institutes of Health
(NIH). The NIH requested an exemption from the NRC transportation
regulations that require NRC licensees to follow the U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT) hazardous material regulations.
[[Page 8303]]
DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on
February 20, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2018-0033 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-2018-0033. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Jennifer Borges; telephone: 301-287-
9127; 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 (if it is available
in ADAMS) is provided the first time that it is mentioned in this
document. In addition, for the convenience of the reader, the ADAMS
accession numbers are provided in a table in the ``Availability of
Documents'' section of 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: Bernard White, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-6577; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is reviewing a request from NIH (or applicant), dated
January 19, 2017 (ADAMS Accession No. ML17306A532), for an exemption in
accordance with section 71.12 of title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR). If approved, the action would exempt NIH from the
Department of Transportation requirements incorporated in 10 CFR 71.5
for a one-time movement of an irradiator from one building to another
on the NIH campus. Therefore, as required by 10 CFR 51.21 and 51.30(a),
the NRC staff developed an EA (ADAMS Accession No. ML18036A042) to
evaluate the proposed federal action.
The exemption request by NIH would facilitate the movement of an
irradiator 0.3 miles through a private parking lot, across a public
road, and through another private parking lot to reach its destination.
The irradiator will be lifted and moved using a forklift.
Since the movement by NIH will be accomplished using a motor
vehicle operated by a Federal government employee solely for
noncommercial Federal government purposes, according to 49 CFR
171.1(d)(5), the activity is not subject to DOT's hazardous material
regulations. However, since NIH holds an NRC license under 10 CFR part
30, NIH is subject to 10 CFR 71.5, ``Transportation of licensed
material.'' The regulations in 10 CFR 71.5 require an NRC licensee to
comply with the DOT regulations in 49 CFR parts 107, 171 through 180,
and 390 through 397, whether or not the DOT regulations are applicable
to a shipment of licensed material.
II. Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action
The EA defines the NRC's proposed action (i.e., to grant NIH's
exemption request from 10 CFR 71.5) and the purpose of and need for the
proposed action. The EA also evaluates the potential environmental
impacts of the proposed action and alternatives to the proposed action,
followed by the NRC's conclusion. Alternatives to the proposed action
considered include: The no-action alternative (i.e., not granting the
requested exemption); utilizing another route that does not cross a
public road; and changing the destination of the irradiator. None of
the alternatives is feasible or meets the purpose and need of the
proposed action. Therefore, the proposed action is the preferred
alternative.
The EA evaluates the potential environmental impacts of granting
the exemption from the regulations in 10 CFR 71.5, so that the movement
of the irradiator will not be subject to the DOT's hazardous material
regulations. The only potential impacts from the proposed movement of
the irradiator would be radiological impacts associated with an
accident scenario. The analysis in the EA shows that the radiological
impacts (direct, indirect, or cumulative) would be no greater than
those for a transport of the irradiator if it were accomplished in
accordance with the DOT regulations. Any non-radiological impacts, such
as impacts to noise, visual/scenic, or socioeconomic environment, would
be no greater than those for any other transport that meets all of the
DOT regulations.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC provided the State of Maryland and the DOT a draft copy of
this EA for a 30-day review on January 17, 2018 (ADAMS Accession Nos.
ML18025B814 and ML18025B815). The State of Maryland did not respond and
the NRC did not receive any comments on the draft EA and FONSI from DOT
(ADAMS Accession No. ML18033A079).
The NRC staff has determined that the exemption from the
requirements in 10 CFR 71.5 would have no impact on historic and
cultural resources or ecological resources and, therefore, no
consultations are necessary under Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act and Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act,
respectively.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC staff has prepared an EA and FONSI in support of the
proposed action. The EA is available at ADAMS Accession No.
ML18036A042. The NRC staff has concluded that the proposed action,
granting an exemption to NIH from the transportation requirements in 10
CFR 71.5 for this one-time movement of an irradiator, will not
significantly impact the quality of the human environment, and that the
proposed action is the preferred alternative. On the basis of the
environmental assessment, 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
environmental impact statement for the proposed action.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 20th day of February 2018.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John McKirgan,
Chief, Spent Fuel Licensing Branch, Division of Spent Fuel Management,
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2018-03789 Filed 2-23-18; 8:45 am]
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