[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 207 (Friday, October 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73886-73887]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-23695]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 030-02278; NRC-2023-0147]


Curators of the University of Missouri; South Farm

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 a 
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and accompanying Environmental 
Assessment (EA) for the unrestricted release of the Curators of the 
University of Missouri South Farm site located in Columbia, Missouri. 
Based on the analysis in the EA, the NRC staff has concluded that there 
would be no significant impacts to environmental resources from the 
proposed unrestricted release and, therefore, a FONSI is appropriate.

DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on 
October 27, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2023-0147 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-2023-0147. 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, at 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: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies 
of publicly available documents, is open by appointment. 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 
a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (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

    By letter dated November 9, 2018, the Curators of the University of 
Missouri requested the removal from License 24-00513-32 of the South 
Farm site located in Columbia, Missouri. The South Farm site, 
approximately 60 m by 23 m (200 ft by 75 ft), was operated as a 
chemical waste disposal facility, including the radiological component, 
between 1969 and 1972. As required by section 51.30 of title 10 of the 
Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Environmental Assessment,'' the 
NRC prepared an EA that documents the NRC staff's independent 
evaluation of the potential environmental impacts associated with the 
unrestricted release of the South Farm site. Based on the analysis in 
the EA, the NRC staff has concluded that there would be no significant 
impacts to environmental resources from the Curators of the University 
of Missouri proposal and, therefore, a FONSI is appropriate.

II. Environmental Assessment

Description of the Proposed Action

    By application dated November 9, 2018, as supplemented by letters 
dated

[[Page 73887]]

May 8, 2020, November 9, 2020, April 19, 2022, and May 19, 2022, the 
licensee proposed the unrestricted release and removal from License 24-
00513-32 of the South Farm site. The site is approximately 60 m by 23 m 
(200 ft by 75 ft) and was operated as a chemical waste disposal 
facility between 1969 and 1972. The chemical waste disposed of at the 
South Farm site also included a radiological component.

Need for the Proposed Action

    Approval of the proposed action would permit additional remediation 
of the site (soil) for non-radiological constituents at a later time 
and allow the NRC to fulfill its responsibilities under the Atomic 
Energy Act of 1954, as amended (AEA), to ensure protection of the 
public health and safety and the environment by verifying that the site 
meets the requirements for unrestricted release in 10 CFR 20.1402, 
``Radiological criteria for unrestricted use.''

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC's evaluation of the proposed action is that the South Farm 
site will have minimal impacts on the environment to include future 
land use, geology and soils, water resources, ecology, air quality, and 
noise and will comply with NRC's unrestricted release criteria pursuant 
to 10 CFR part 20, ``Standards for Protection Against Radiation.''

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). An 
alternate approach is not to release the area for unrestricted use. The 
consequences could significantly limit the ability of the Curators of 
the University of Missouri to remediate the site for non-radiological 
constituents at a later time and allow the NRC to fulfill its 
responsibilities under the AEA to ensure protection of the public 
health and safety and the environment.

Alternative Use of Resources

    The proposed action does not involve any different environmental 
resources beyond those considered in the final environmental statement.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    Between May 9, 2020, and May 19, 2022, the NRC staff consulted with 
the State of Missouri's Radiological Control Department regarding the 
environmental impact of the proposed action. The State of Missouri's 
Radiological Control Department made comments which were addressed by 
NRC staff. On May 19, 2022, the State indicated that they did not have 
additional comments for consideration.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    The NRC staff has concluded that the proposed licensing action, to 
release the South Farm disposal area as designated by the Curators of 
the University of Missouri for unrestricted use, would not 
significantly affect the quality of the human environment. The NRC 
staff considered the impacts on land use, transportation, geology and 
soils, water resources, ecology, air quality, noise, historical and 
cultural resources, visual and scenic resources, socioeconomic 
resources, public and occupational health, and waste management and 
concluded that radiological doses to members of the public would be 
below applicable limits in 10 CFR part 20. On the basis of the EA, the 
NRC finds that there are no significant environmental impacts from the 
action, and that preparation of an environmental impact statement is 
not warranted. Accordingly, the NRC has determined that a FONSI is 
appropriate. In accordance with 10 CFR 51.32(a)(4), this FONSI 
incorporates the EA set forth in this notice by reference.

IV. Availability of Documents

    The documents identified in the following table are available to 
interested persons through one or more of the following methods, as 
indicated.

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             Document description                 ADAMS accession No.
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Curators of the University of Missouri--       ML18318A032.
 Columbia--Decommissioning Amendment Request--
 Partial Site Release of South Farm, dated
 November 9, 2018.
Request for Comments on Draft Environmental    ML20127H882 (non-public,
 Assessment and Safety Evaluation Report for    withheld pursuant to 10
 Proposed Decommissioning Project at South      CFR 2.390).
 Farm site, Curators of the University of
 Missouri--Columbia of Missouri, dated May 8,
 2020.
Request for Comments on Draft Environmental    ML20329A267 (non-public,
 Assessment and Safety Evaluation Report for    withheld pursuant to 10
 Proposed Decommissioning Project at South      CFR 2.390).
 Farm Site, Curators of the University of
 Missouri--Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, and
 the Dose Assessment for the South Farm--
 License No. 24-00513-32, dated November 9,
 2020.
Comment Resolution on Draft Environmental      ML21299A026 (non-public,
 Assessment and Safety Evaluation Report for    withheld pursuant to 10
 the Proposed Decommissioning Project at        CFR 2.390).
 South Farm Site, Curators of the University
 of Missouri--Columbia; Columbia, Missouri,
 and the Dose Assessment for South Farm--
 License Number 24-00513-32, dated April 19,
 2022.
Response to Comment Resolution on Draft        ML22146A346.
 Environmental Assessment and Safety
 Evaluation Report for the Proposed
 Decommissioning Project at South Farm Site,
 Curators of the University of Missouri--
 Columbia; Columbia, Missouri, and the Dose
 Assessment for South Farm--License Number 24-
 00513-32, dated May 19, 2022.
Environmental Assessment for Release of South  ML23279A056.
 Farm Site at Curators of the University of
 Missouri, Columbia, Missouri; Materials
 License 24[dash]0051332, Docket 030-02278.
Safety Evaluation Report for Release of South  ML23278A150.
 Farm Site at the Curators of the University
 of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri; Materials
 License 24-00513-32, Docket 030-02278.
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    Dated: October 23, 2023.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Michael M. LaFranzo,
Senior Health Physicist, Decommissioning, Reactors, ISFSI and Health 
Physics Branch, Division of Radiological Safety and Security, Region 
III.
[FR Doc. 2023-23695 Filed 10-26-23; 8:45 am]
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