[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 237 (Tuesday, December 14, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71104-71105]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-26962]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 030-04858; NRC-2021-0148]


Dow Corning Corporation; Building DC-3

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 
approval of an amendment to Materials License 21-08362-08, issued on 
June 28, 2021 and held by Dow Corning Corporation, to approve the 
Decommissioning Plan for Building DC-3 and its adjacent areas, located 
at 2200 West Salzburg Road in Auburn, Michigan. If approved, the 
licensee would be allowed to implement the proposed Decommissioning 
Plan for decontamination and remediation of the affected areas of the 
DC-3 Building site, in order to meet the NRC's criteria for 
unrestricted use. As part of its review, the NRC conducted an 
assessment of the environmental impacts of the proposed decommissioning 
action. This notice provides details regarding the NRC's environmental 
assessment (EA) and the corresponding finding of no significant impact 
(FONSI).

DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on 
December 14, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2021-0148 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 https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2021-0148. Address 
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; 
telephone: 301-415-0624; 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 https://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]. For the convenience of the reader, 
instructions about obtaining materials referenced in this document are 
provided in the ``Availability of Documents'' section.
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents, by appointment, at the NRC's PDR, Room P1 B35, One White 
Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. To make 
an appointment to visit the PDR, please send an email to 
[email protected] or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between 
8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (ET), Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael M. LaFranzo, Region III, U.S. 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone: 
630-829-9865, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    The NRC is considering issuance of an amendment to Materials 
License 21-08362-08, issued to Dow Corning Corporation for operation of 
the Building DC-3, located at 2200 West Salzburg Road, in Bay County, 
Michigan. The amendment would approve the proposed Decommissioning Plan 
for the decontamination and remediation of the affected areas of the 
DC-3 Building site, to meet the NRC's criteria for unrestricted use. 
Therefore, as required by Section 51.30 of title 10 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Environmental assessment,'' 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 
Decommissioning Plan Approval and is issuing a FONSI.

II. Environmental Assessment

Description of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is to amend Materials License 21-08362-08 to 
incorporate the appropriate and acceptable derived concentration 
guideline levels into the license and to decontaminate and remediate 
the affected areas of the DC-3 Building sufficiently to enable 
unrestricted use of the facility. The proposed action will allow Dow 
Corning Corporation to decommission the DC-3 building in accordance 
with NRC regulations.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated July 24, 2018, as supplemented by letter(s) dated 
September 10, 2018 and April 22, 2019.

Need for the Proposed Action

    The amendment is needed so the licensee can decommission the DC-3 
Building site in accordance with 10 CFR 30.36, ``Expiration and 
termination of licenses and decommissioning of sites and separate 
buildings or outdoor areas,'' and therefore reduce the residual 
radioactivity to a level that permits release of the facility for 
unrestricted use.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC staff has assessed the potential environmental impacts from 
Dow Corning Corporation decommissioning activities. The NRC staff has 
assessed the impacts of the proposed action on land use, historical and 
cultural resources; visual and scenic resources; water resources; 
climatology, meteorology and air quality; socioeconomics; noise; 
ecology; geology and soil; traffic and transportation; public and 
occupational health and safety; and waste management, and the approval 
of the proposed action would not result in an 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). 
With respect to the DC-3 Building site, the no-action alternative would 
mean that the licensee would not be allowed to conduct decommissioning 
work.
    The no-action alternative is not acceptable because it would put 
the licensee in violation of the NRC's Timeliness Rule regulations 
specified in 10 CFR 30.36. The Timeliness Rule requires licensees to 
decommission and release a licensed site, building, or portions 
thereof, for unrestricted use in a timely manner when licensed 
activities have permanently ceased.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On April 28, 2021, the NRC staff consulted with Michigan Department 
of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, regarding the environmental 
impact of

[[Page 71105]]

the proposed action. The state official concurred with the EA and 
FONSI.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    The NRC staff determined that the proposed action complies with the 
requirements of Subpart E of 10 CFR part 20, ``Radiological Criteria 
for License Termination.'' Decommissioning of the site to the proposed 
derived concentration guideline levels will result in reduced residual 
contamination levels in the facility, enabling release of the facility 
for unrestricted use. No significant radiologically contaminated 
effluents are expected during the decommissioning. Occupational doses 
to decommissioning workers are expected to be low and well within the 
limits of 10 CFR part 20. No radiation exposure to any member of the 
public is expected, and public exposure will therefore also be less 
than the applicable public exposure limits of 10 CFR part 20.
    On the basis of the 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 and a FONSI is appropriate.

IV. Availability of Documents

    The documents identified in the following table are available to 
interested persons through ADAMS, as indicated.

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                   Document                       ADAMS accession No.
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Dow Corning Corporation--EA and FONSI, dated   ML21300A167
 October 27, 2021.
Decommissioning Notification for Dow Corning,  ML18228A804
 dated July 24, 2018.
The Dow Corning Corporation Notification to    ML18253A233
 Cease Principal Activities, dated September
 10, 2018.
Dow Corning Corporation/The Dow Chemical       ML19114A482 (non-public,
 Company re Decommissioning, dated April 22,    withheld pursuant to 10
 2019.                                          CFR Sec.   2.390).
Dow Corning Corporation, Licensee Response to  ML20105A239 (non-public,
 NRC request for Information, dated April 14,   withheld pursuant to 10
 2020.                                          CFR Sec.   2.390).
Dow Corning Corporation--Licensee Response to  ML21082A187
 NRC Request for Information for
 Decommissioning Plan, dated February 28,
 2012.
Dow Corning Corporation--Licensee Response to  ML21049A026
 NRC Request for Information for
 Decommissioning Plan, dated February 15,
 2021.
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    Dated: December 8, 2021.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Michael M. LaFranzo,
Senior Health Physicist, Materials Control, ISFSI and Decommissioning, 
Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region III.
[FR Doc. 2021-26962 Filed 12-13-21; 8:45 am]
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