[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 82 (Monday, April 29, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18089-18092]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-08531]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 030-29462; NRC-2019-0106]
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact;
Department of the Navy
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
[[Page 18090]]
ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact;
issuance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering an
exemption to License 45-23645-01NA, to exempt the Department of the
Navy (Navy) from certain reporting requirements involving the use and
storage of radioactive sealed source devices used for a helicopter in-
flight blade inspection system (IBIS) during military exercises and
maneuvers. The NRC has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) and
finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for this licensing action.
DATES: April 29, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2019-0106 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-2019-0106. Address
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov 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 ``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.
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: Richard Struckmeyer, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-5477; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
NRC staff has evaluated the environmental impacts of an exemption
and associated license amendment (ADAMS Accession No. ML17305B127) that
would remove the requirements in section 20.1802 of title 10 of the
Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Control of material not in
storage,'' for the helicopter in-flight blade inspection system (IBIS)
during military exercises and maneuvers; and 10 CFR 20.2201, ``Reports
of theft or loss of licensed byproduct material,'' when these devices
are lost when they are used during military exercises or maneuvers.
This EA has been prepared pursuant to the NRC regulations in 10 CFR
part 51, which implement the requirements of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969.
The NRC has established a license category known as a Master
Materials License (MML). An MML can be issued only to a Federal
organization that successfully meets the criteria stated in 10 CFR
30.33 (and 10 CFR 40.32 or 10 CFR 70.31, as appropriate), and can
demonstrate to NRC, through its diverse licensing activities,
experience in complex radiation-program centralized management,
inspection, education, qualification, training, and experience as
outlined in NUREG-1556, Volume 10, Rev. 1, ``Consolidated Guidance
About Materials Licenses: Program-Specific Guidance About Master
Materials Licenses'' (ADAMS Accession No. ML16181A111) that it is able
to administer effectively a licensing program.
The Navy holds MML No. 45-23645-01NA from NRC, which allows the
Navy to possess and use sealed sources. The Navy and Marine Corps use
the Navy's MML for IBIS devices in their possession.
The IBIS devices provide in-flight warning of blade failure on
various models of helicopters. One device is located on the root of
each blade attached to the rotor. The IBIS detects a decrease in
pressure in the blades of a CH-53 model helicopter. Any cracks in the
blades will result in a decrease in air pressure in the blade. Such
cracks could result in structural failure in the blade, thereby
resulting in a potentially dangerous operational situation for the
helicopter, such as a hard landing and/or injury to the craft and/or
personnel up to, and including, death.
Each device contains approximately 500 microcuries (18.5 MBq) of
strontium-90 (Sr-90) in the form of a rolled metal foil, encased in a
small stainless steel protective cylinder about the size of the press
button on a ballpoint pen. The external radiation level of the IBIS is
0.8 mR/hr at 3 inches in the normal (shielded) mode, and 75 mR/hr at 12
inches in the failure (extended) mode.
The source capsule is designed to minimize any hazards to personnel
in shipping, storing, installing, or testing the IBIS. The Sr-90 source
material is sealed either in a metallic foil ring or a ceramic
``doughnut'' inside the steel capsule. The source is locked inside the
IBIS unless the helicopter blade loses pressure, or when the ``self-
test'' button is depressed, causing the source to pop out of its
shielded recess.
Currently, the Navy possess approximately 2,700 of these IBIS
devices. The Navy has reported a loss of 9 devices since 2008. Because
the Navy uses IBIS in both wartime and simulated military battlefield
exercises and ordered maneuvers, in the air, on land, and at sea, it is
anticipated that the loss rate of these devices will remain constant
for the next 5 years or beyond. As the deployment of IBIS-free
helicopter models continues, the numbers of losses will decrease as the
older models are replaced. The U.S. Marine Corps plans to have all
helicopters that use IBIS replaced with IBIS-free models by Fiscal Year
2027. The two Navy squadrons have similar replacement goals.
II. Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action
In accordance with 10 CFR part 51, this EA (1) presents information
and analysis for determining whether to issue a FONSI or to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS); (2) fulfills NRC's compliance
with NEPA when no EIS is necessary; and (3) facilitates preparation of
an EIS if one is necessary. Should NRC issue a FONSI, no EIS would be
prepared and NRC would issue a license condition to the Navy exempting
them from meeting the requirements in 10 CFR 20.1802 and 20.2201 when
the Navy uses authorized radioactive sealed source devices for IBIS
during planned military exercises or maneuvers, as described herein.
This EA applies to consideration of amendments to licenses held by the
Navy as discussed in this document.
The proposed action would grant an exemption and associated license
amendment to the Navy from 10 CFR 20.1802, ``Control of material not in
storage,'' when the Navy employs these devices during exercises or
maneuvers; and 10 CFR 20.2201, ``Reports of theft or loss of licensed
byproduct material,'' when these devices are lost when they are used
during military exercises or
[[Page 18091]]
maneuvers. The Navy license will be amended to incorporate this
exemption.
The exemption would not apply to devices used at times other than
during exercises or maneuvers, or lost under other conditions, nor
would it apply to stolen devices. Additionally, the Navy licensees
would continue to implement their established existing programs for
tracking military assets and storage records for these devices, and
would still be required to maintain its annual inventory of these
devices.
Need for the Proposed Action
Although the Navy has established an effective tracking and control
program for these devices, losses have occurred, and losses could still
reasonably occur because of the unique circumstances associated with
the use of such devices by the Navy and Marine Corps during military
exercises and maneuvers.
Given the scope and nature of the Navy exercises, constant control
and surveillance over such devices during military exercises and
maneuvers may not always be possible or practical. To ensure constant
control could be hazardous to some military personnel. According to
Navy reports, the majority of the losses have occurred during military
exercises and, with just one possible exception, on U.S. Government-
controlled property, or at sea, over rivers, heavily wooded areas, or
desert locations that are not heavily populated, if at all.
Although a member of the public who finds an IBIS device could be
at risk to localized parts of the body from exposure to the Sr-90
source, this risk is mitigated by several factors: The extremely low
probability of finding the device in remotely populated areas; the
label on the device stating that it contains radioactive material; and
the amount of time spent in close proximity to the device. The extreme
case would consist of a person finding the device, ignoring the
labeling, and carrying it for an extended period of time. The proposed
exemption requested by the Navy would have no impact on this possible
risk because it only modifies the reporting requirements for such a
lost source where the Navy is generally unaware of the precise timing,
location, or circumstances of the loss event. The finder's risk would
be affected only by whether the IBIS device came into close contact to
the finder, and not by the timing of a lost device report.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
Because of the potential radiological risk if a member of the
public finds an IBIS device, isolated lapses in control and
accountability of these devices are of concern the Commission. However,
the U.S. Navy has established a safe operational record with these
devices. The principal users of IBIS are the Navy and Marines, which
utilize IBIS devices on aircraft (helicopters) for crew safety. These
aircraft are deployed on training and actual maneuvers from various
bases and commands. These devices are occasionally lost during flights
or crashes and are often not recoverable.
The Navy uses IBIS devices containing a nominal 500 microcuries of
Sr-90. Sr-90 decays with a half-life of 28.8 years to Y-90. Y-90 has a
half-life of 64.1 hours; therefore about 450 hours (about 19 days)
after production of a pure Sr-90 source, the Y-90 daughter is in
secular equilibrium with its parent Sr-90. (Secular equilibrium exists
when the half-life of the parent is much greater than the half-life of
the daughter, and is reached after about 7 half-lives of the daughter).
Sr-90 and its daughter product, Y-90, are beta emitting radionuclides.
Y-90 also produces a very low yield (0.01%, or 1 photon per 10,000
decays) of 1.7 MeV photons.
The NRC performed an analysis with respect to the use of Strontium-
90 in beta transmission devices in accordance with the general license
regulations in 10 CFR 31.5. The model, computer codes used, and
assumptions made in the exemption analysis for such devices are
presented in section 4.2 of NUREG-1717, ``Systematic Radiological
Assessment of Exemptions for Source and Byproduct Materials'' (ADAMS
Accession No. ML011980433). Although the IBIS devices are not
generally-licensed products, and perform a different function, the
accident analyses in NUREG-1717 are a useful analog due to their
similarity to beta transmission devices. These analyses indicate that
the most severe consequences (i.e., greatest potential for dose) would
result from an accident involving a fire that releases the entire Sr-
90/Y-90 content of an IBIS device into the surrounding atmospheric
environment.
NUREG-1717, Table A.1.4, provides radiation dose-to-source ratios
(DSRs) for inhalation, submersion, and resuspension resulting from a
transportation accident involving fire. Radiation doses are estimated
using the effective dose equivalent (EDE) based on the International
Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) 26 approach. The DSRs are
1.1 x 10-9 rem/[micro]Ci, 8.8 x 10-12 rem/
[micro]Ci, and 1.3 x 10-8 rem/[micro]Ci, respectively. These
DSRs take into account the release fraction (the fraction of the
radioactivity in the device that is released as a result of the
accident). They also assume that a bystander would be exposed for 30
minutes and would not stand in the plume of smoke from a fire. For a
release of 500 [micro]Ci, the resulting doses to a member of the public
would be 0.55 [micro]rem, 4.4 x 10-3 [micro]rem, and 6.5
[micro]rem, respectively.
The affected environment for the proposed action, as well as for
the alternative to the proposed action, is considered to be the
immediate vicinity of the loss of a device, primarily in remote areas.
Loss or loss of control of a device may, but would not necessarily lead
to a release of radioactive material to the environment because the
radioactive material is contained in a robust metal housing. However,
release of radioactive material could occur in the relatively rare
event of a helicopter crash followed by fire.
These devices are normally tracked from central locations under the
supervision of the licensee's staff and are used on Navy and Marine
helicopters that may be stationed throughout the world. However, this
exemption is only applicable to devices used during military exercises
or maneuvers. The Navy currently informs NRC of lost devices that occur
both in the U.S. and overseas, including some losses that occur in
areas outside NRC's jurisdiction.
Based upon the above, the NRC staff finds that the proposed
licensing exemption will not impact the quality of water resources,
since the radioactive source quantities are very small and are not
soluble in water, and at issue is only an exemption to reporting
requirements. The staff finds that the proposed exemption will not
significantly impact geology, soils, air quality, demography, biota,
and cultural and historic resources, under either normal or accident
use scenarios because of the circumstances of use of the material, and
the narrow reporting scope of the requested exemption. The NRC staff
has reviewed the historical performance of this type of device and the
potential for future deployment and concluded that no significant
cumulative impacts are anticipated.
In addition, the NRC staff finds that the proposed action will not
affect listed or proposed threatened or endangered species or critical
habitat. The NRC staff has determined that the proposed action is not
the type that has the potential to cause effects on historic
properties. Therefore, no further consultation with the regulatory
authority responsible for overseeing section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act was found necessary.
We conclude that no significant impacts on the public health, under
[[Page 18092]]
normal or accident conditions, are expected as a result of granting
this exemption with respect to reporting requirements to the Navy.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered not
issuing the requested exemptions (no-action alternative).
The impact of the no-action alternative would be similar to the
proposed action. Based on the review of the circumstances surrounding
losses of the IBIS devices, the NRC believes that both the burden to
the licensee of reporting and the expenditure of NRC and MML resources
performing reactive inspections after reports of loss of control of
these devices do not enhance their safe use.
The impact of implementing the no-action alternative will be the
same as the proposed action with respect to public health because the
proposed action and alternative address device loss reporting
requirements only. Impacts on water, geology, soils, air quality,
demography, biota, and historic resources would therefore be similar or
same.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on November 29, 2018, the
staff consulted with the U.S. Navy MML National Radiation Program
Oversight Committees regarding the environmental impact of the proposed
action. State consultation is not necessary, given that the requested
exemption would apply to the Navy's national (and some international)
operations, are not focused on any particular state, and further, are
generally limited to federally-controlled facilities and properties.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC is considering the issuance of an exemption and associated
license amendment to the Navy in the form of a license condition that
would exempt the Navy from the requirements contained in 10 CFR
20.1802, ``Control of material not in storage,'' when the Navy employs
these devices during exercises or maneuvers and 10 CFR 20.2201,
``Reports of theft or loss of licensed byproduct material,'' when these
devices are lost when they are used during military exercises or
maneuvers.
On the basis of this environmental assessment, the NRC staff
concludes that the proposed action, issuing the requested exemptions
concerning certain reporting requirements, 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 23rd day of April, 2019.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Kevin Williams,
Deputy Director, Division of Materials Safety, Security, State, and
Tribal Programs, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2019-08531 Filed 4-26-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P