[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 111 (Friday, June 8, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26708-26709]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-12350]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 40-8584; NRC-2015-0025]
Kennecott Uranium Corporation; Sweetwater Uranium Project
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact;
issuance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
renewal of Source Material License SUA-1350 issued to Kennecott Uranium
Corporation (KUC) for continued operations at the Sweetwater Uranium
Project (SUP) in Sweetwater County, Wyoming (Docket No. 40-8584). The
NRC has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no
significant impact (FONSI) for this licensing action.
DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on
June 8, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2015-0025 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-2015-0025. 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 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: Ashley Waldron, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-7317; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is considering renewal of Source Material License SUA-1350
issued to Kennecott Uranium Corporation (KUC) for continued operations
at the SUP site located in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. As required by
part 51 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR),
``Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and
Related Regulatory Functions,'' the NRC performed an EA. Based on the
results of the EA, 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 authorize KUC to operate a conventional
uranium mill at the SUP for an additional ten years. The licensee's
application dated July 24, 2014, is available at ADAMS Package
Accession No. ML14251A113.
Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action would allow KUC to recover uranium at the SUP.
The licensee would process the recovered uranium into yellowcake on
site at the SUP. Yellowcake is a type of uranium concentrate powder
obtained from leach solutions in an intermediate step in the processing
of uranium ores that is used to produce various products, including
fuel for commercially-operated nuclear power reactors.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff has assessed the potential environmental impacts from
operations and decommissioning at the SUP. The NRC staff assessed the
impacts of the proposed action on land use; historical and cultural
resources; visual and scenic resources; climatology, meteorology and
air quality; geology, minerals, and soils; water resources; ecological
resources; socioeconomics; noise; traffic and transportation; public
and occupational health and safety; and waste management. The NRC staff
concluded that the renewal of Source Material License SUA-1350
authorizing KUC to continue operations for ten years at the
[[Page 26709]]
SUP would not significantly affect the quality of the human
environment. Approval of the proposed action would not result in
increased radiological risk to public health or the environment.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed action, the 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
license SUA-1350, and KUC would commence decommissioning activities.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on March 26, 2018, the NRC
staff consulted with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the
Wyoming State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), and the Wyoming
Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) regarding the proposed
action. The FWS stated that no federally listed or proposed endangered
or threatened species occur within the area affected by the proposed
action. The SHPO notified NRC that it had no comments related to the
historic and cultural resources on the proposed license renewal. The
WDEQ stated that it had no comments on the draft EA.
Additional Information
The NRC staff conducted an environmental review in accordance with
10 CFR part 51, which implements the requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA). The results of the
NRC's environmental review can be found in the final EA (ADAMS
Accession No. ML18135A206). Based on the results of this environmental
assessment, the NRC has determined not to prepare an EIS for license
renewal of the SUP and is instead issuing a FONSI.
After weighing the impacts of the license renewal and comparing to
the no-action alternative, the NRC staff, in accordance with 10 CFR
51.91(d), sets forth its NEPA recommendation regarding the proposed
action (granting the request for renewal of license SUA-1350). Unless
safety issues mandate otherwise, the NRC staff's recommendation related
to the environmental aspects of the proposed action is that an NRC
license renewal be issued.
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
license renewal of SUP would not significantly affect the quality of
the human environment. Based on the EA, the NRC staff determined that
approval of the proposed action would not result in a significantly
increased radiological risk to public health or the environment. 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.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, on June 5, 2018.
For the 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. 2018-12350 Filed 6-7-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P