[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 210 (Wednesday, November 1, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75076-75078]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-24060]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 70-1113; NRC-2023-0179]
Global Nuclear Fuel--Americas; Wilmington Nuclear Fuel
Fabrication Facility
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 reviewing the
amendment submitted by the Global Nuclear Fuel--Americas (GNF-A) of
Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) License SNM-1097 for the Wilmington
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nuclear fuel fabrication facility located near Wilmington, North
Carolina. The NRC has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for
this proposed license amendment in accordance with its regulations.
Based on the EA, the NRC has concluded that a finding of no significant
impact (FONSI) is appropriate. The NRC is also conducting a safety
evaluation of the proposed license amendment.
DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on
November 1, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2023-0179 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-2023-0179. 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 reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, at 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: 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: Jean Trefethen, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-0867; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is reviewing a license amendment request (LAR) for license
SNM-1097 for the GNF-A nuclear fuel fabrication facility located near
Wilmington, North Carolina (ADAMS Accession No. ML22175A070). The
licensee, GNF-A, is requesting authorization to possess and use special
nuclear material to fabricate fuel using uranium enriched with up to 8
weight (wt) percent uranium 235 (U-235), also referred to as low
enriched uranium plus.
The NRC staff has prepared a final EA as part of its review of this
license amendment request in accordance with the requirements of part
51 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR),
``Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and
Related Regulatory Functions.'' Based on the final EA, the NRC has
determined that an environmental impact statement (EIS) is not required
for this proposed action and a FONSI is appropriate. The NRC is also
conducting a safety evaluation of the proposed license amendment
pursuant to 10 CFR part 70, and the results will be documented in a
separate Safety Evaluation Report (SER). If GNF-A's license amendment
request is approved, the NRC will issue the license amendment following
publication of this final EA and FONSI and the SER in the Federal
Register.
II. Final Environmental Assessment Summary
GNF-A is requesting changes to amend license SNM-1097 for the GNF-A
nuclear fuel fabrication facility to possess and use special nuclear
material to fabricate fuel using uranium enriched with up to 8 wt
percent U-235. The NRC has assessed the potential environmental impacts
of the proposed action and the no-action alternative. The results of
the NRC's environmental review can be found in the final EA (ADAMS
Accession No. ML23291A150). The NRC staff performed its environmental
review in accordance with the requirements in 10 CFR part 51. In
conducting the environmental review, the NRC considered information in
the LAR; communications with the North Carolina State Historic
Preservation Office (SHPO); as well as information provided by the
North Carolina State Clearinghouse.
Approval of GNF-A's proposed LAR would authorize GNF-A to possess
and use U-235 enriched up to 8 percent instead of the current limit of
up to 5 percent in fabrication of fuel for nuclear power production
facilities. The licensee would continue to perform fuel fabrication
activities inside the current buildings and would not conduct any
construction or land disturbance activities associated with the
proposed action. Additionally, the proposed action would not change
staffing level, or the number of shipments of special nuclear material
or quantity of waste generated at the site. Liquid and air effluents,
from all operations are anticipated to remain below the regulatory
limits in 10 CFR part 20. Therefore, the NRC staff finds that there
would be no impacts to the following resources areas: land use, geology
and soils, water resources, ecology, meteorology, climate, air quality,
noise, transportation, visual and scenic resources, and socioeconomic
resources.
As discussed in this EA, no significant radiological or non-
radiological impacts are expected to result from approval of the
proposed action. Occupational dose estimates associated with the
proposed action are expected to be as low as reasonably achievable and
within the limits identified in 10 CFR 20.1201. Approval of the
proposed action is not expected to result in measurable radiation
exposure to a member of the public. Approval of the LAR would not
result in construction or land disturbance activities. Therefore, 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.
Furthermore, the NRC staff determined that this LAR does not have
the potential to cause effects on historic properties, assuming those
were present; therefore, in accordance with 36 CFR 800.3(a)(1), no
consultation is required under Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act. The NRC staff consulted with the North Carolina SHPO
via email dated December 22, 2022, (ADAMS Accession No. ML22349A694).
The North Carolina SHPO responded via email dated January 17, 2023,
(ADAMS Accession No. ML23032A372), indicating that it concurred with
the NRC's determination that if historic properties were present there
would be no effects. The NRC staff, with the assistance of the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service Information for Planning and Consultation
project planning tool, determined that the proposed action would have
``no effect'' on listed species and/or critical habitat given that the
proposed action does not include construction or ground-disturbing
activities.
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III. Finding of No Significant Impact
Based on its review of the proposed action in the EA, in accordance
with the requirements in 10 CFR part 51, the NRC has concluded that the
proposed action, amending NRC license SNM-1097 for the GNF-A nuclear
fuel fabrication facility, located near Wilmington North Carolina, will
not significantly affect the quality of the human environment.
Therefore, the NRC has determined, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.31, that
preparation of an EIS is not required for the proposed action and a
FONSI is appropriate.
Dated: October 27, 2023.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Michelle S. Rome,
Chief, Environmental Review Materials Branch, Division of Rulemaking,
Environment, and Financial Support, Office of Nuclear Material Safety,
and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2023-24060 Filed 10-31-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P