[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 237 (Tuesday, December 10, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 99314-99316]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-28929]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 70-3103; NRC-2024-0176]
Louisiana Energy Services, LLC, dba Urenco USA; National
Enrichment Facility; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice; issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering an
amendment of Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) License No. SNM-2010,
issued to Louisiana Energy Services, LLC, dba Urenco USA (UUSA) for the
operation of the Urenco USA uranium enrichment facility in Eunice, New
Mexico. The amended license would increase the allowed enrichment of
uranium-235 (U-235) from the current limit of 5.5 weight percent U-235
(referred to as low-enriched uranium or LEU) to less than 10 weight
percent U-235 (referred to as LEU+). For this proposed action, the NRC
staff is issuing an environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no
significant impact (FONSI).
DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on
December 10, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2024-0176 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-2024-0176. 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: Christine Pineda, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-6789; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is considering an amendment of Urenco USA's license SNM-
2010 for the operation of the Urenco USA uranium enrichment facility in
Eunice, New Mexico. If approved, the amendment would increase the
allowed enrichment of
[[Page 99315]]
uranium-235 (U-235) from the current limit of 5.5 weight percent U-235
(referred to as low-enriched uranium or LEU) to less than 10 weight
percent U-235 (referred to as LEU+). As required in section 51.21 of
title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Criteria for
and identification of licensing and regulatory actions requiring
environmental assessments,'' the NRC developed an EA for the proposed
license amendment. Based on the results of the EA summarized in this
notice, the NRC has determined not to prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) for the amendment and is issuing a FONSI.
Urenco USA also submitted a separate request for an amendment to
approve the use of the enrichment facility's recycling systems to
process (or clean) components exposed to LEU+ to enable their reuse.
The NRC accepted that application on November 26, 2024, and is
conducting a technical review. The NRC will publish a separate
environmental assessment for that proposed licensing action.
II. Summary of Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed NRC action is to authorize Urenco USA to produce,
store, and handle enriched uranium hexafluoride (UF6) at an
enrichment of less than 10 weight percent U-235 at the UUSA enrichment
facility. This would be an increase from the currently authorized limit
of 5.5 weight percent U-235. Under the proposed action, UUSA would use
the existing facilities and equipment. There would be no construction
of new facilities or modifications to existing buildings. The
amendment, if granted, would not allow the shipment or transportation
of LEU+ product offsite.
The proposed action is limited only to the processes, systems and
components needed to produce, handle and store LEU+ at the UUSA site.
The facility's gaseous effluent vent system (GEVS) would be used to
collect potentially contaminated gaseous effluents in areas where LEU+
would be produced, handled and stored. The GEVS treats effluents
through a filter system before releasing them to the atmosphere through
a continuously-monitored vent stack. Material and components exposed to
LEU+ that are removed from production process systems authorized for
LEU+ would be segregated and stored in analyzed, inside storage
locations.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated November 30, 2023, as supplemented by letter dated
August 1, 2024.
Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed amendment, if approved, would enable Urenco USA to
produce enriched U-235 to support industry pursuit of the use of LEU+
in applications such as accident tolerant fuel and extended fuel cycle
fuels. Domestic nuclear commercial reactor operators and designers are
pursuing advancements in fuel and enrichment alongside the development
of reactor designs that include increasing U-235 enrichment.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff assessed the potential environmental impacts from the
proposed enrichment increase on land use; historic and cultural
resources; visual and scenic resources; climatology, meteorology and
air quality; geology and soils; water resources; ecological resources;
socioeconomics; noise; traffic and transportation; public and
occupational health and safety; and waste management. The NRC staff
determined that the proposed action would not affect most resource
areas and would not have significant impacts on air quality,
transportation, public and occupational health and safety, and waste
management. Impacts would remain bounded by the impacts assessed in the
NRC's 2015 EA for the expansion of the facility. Occupational dose
estimates associated with the proposed action would continue to be as
low as reasonably achievable and fall 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. The
annual release of uranium would be less than 260 microcuries per year,
well below the conservative estimate in the NRC's 2015 EA of 29.7
million becquerel (800 microcuries) per year that the NRC determined
would result in a small fraction of the NRC public dose limit of 1
millisievert per year (100 millirem per year) in 10 CFR 20.1301(a)(1).
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
The alternative considered in this EA is the no-action alternative.
Under the no-action alternative, the NRC would deny Urenco USA's
request to allow increased enrichment to less than 10 weight percent U-
235, and the limit would remain at 5.5 weight percent. The potential
environmental impacts of denying the request would be unchanged from
the current facility impacts and the impacts as assessed in the NRC's
2015 EA for the expansion of the facility. Under this alternative, the
nuclear industry would likely continue to pursue higher enriched
UF6 for power reactors, and the increased enrichment would
most likely be produced at another facility, resulting in similar
environmental impacts.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with NRC policy, on November 5, 2024, the NRC staff
provided a draft of the EA to the State of New Mexico for review. The
NRC received no comments from the State.
Under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the NRC's
approval of the proposed increase in the U-235 enrichment limit would
constitute a Federal undertaking. In reviewing UUSA's application, the
NRC staff concluded the proposed action to increase enrichment of
enriched UF6 is not a type of activity that has the
potential to cause effects on any historic properties that may be
present. Therefore, following 36 CFR 800.3(a)(1), the NRC has no
further obligations under Section 106 of the NHPA.
Similarly, under the Endangered Species Act the staff determined
that even if endangered or candidate species are present in the
vicinity of the Urenco USA facility, the proposed increase in the
enrichment limit would not affect such species or their habitats. The
proposed action would not result in construction or land disturbance
and operations would continue inside existing buildings. Therefore, the
NRC has determined that no further consultation is required under
Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC staff reviewed the proposed action in accordance with the
requirements of 10 CFR part 51. The NRC staff concludes that approval
of Urenco USA's proposed action to produce, store, and handle enriched
UF6 at enrichment of less than 10 weight percent U-235 at
the enrichment facility would not significantly affect the quality of
the human environment. As described in section 3 of the EA, approval of
the proposed action will not result in changes to land use; no
construction or soil disturbance will take place; no visible changes to
the facility or the viewshed will occur; and no staffing changes are
anticipated that would affect socioeconomic indicators. Urenco USA
would store LEU+-exposed, reusable materials and cascade components
inside a designated, approved storage area until further
[[Page 99316]]
disposition. The NRC does not expect significant radiological or non-
radiological impacts from approval of the proposed action, and impacts
would remain bounded by the impacts assessed in the NRC's 2015 EA for
the expansion of the facility. Occupational dose estimates associated
with the proposed action would continue to be as low as reasonably
achievable and fall 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. Therefore, the NRC staff
has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.31, preparation of an
environmental impact statement is not required for this proposed
action, and pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, a finding of no significant
impact is appropriate. In accordance with 10 CFR 51.32(a)(4), this
FONSI incorporates the EA summarized in this notice by reference.
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 description ADAMS accession No.
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Environmental Assessment for Proposed License ML24331A260
Amendment to Allow Urenco USA to Enrich
Uranium to Less than 10 Weight Percent U-
235, dated December 2024.
UUSA License Amendment Request for Changes to ML23334A122
License Conditions and Raise Enrichment
Limit to Less Than 10 Weight Percent for
LEU+ Production Systems (LAR-23-02), dated
November 30, 2023.
LAR-23-02 Enclosure 3--Safety Analysis Report ML23334A125
Markups.
LAR-23-02 Enclosure 8--Environmental ML23334A130
Information.
UUSA Responses to NRC Request for Additional ML24214A302
Information, Enclosure 2: UUSA Responses to
Human Factors Engineering and Environmental
RAIs, dated August 1, 2024.
NRC Environmental Assessment for the Proposed ML15072A016
Louisiana Energy Services, Urenco USA
Uranium Enrichment Facility Capacity
Expansion in Lea County, New Mexico, dated
March 2015.
NRC Email to New Mexico Environment ML24331A236
Department re: Request for State Review of
Draft EA, dated November 5, 2024.
UUSA License Amendment Request to Raise ML24242A197
Enrichment Limit to the Licensed Limit for
LEU+ Recycling and Support Systems (LAR-24-
01), dated August 29, 2024.
LAR-24-01 Enclosure 3--Safety Analysis Report ML24242A200
Markups.
LAR-24-01 Enclosure 6--Environmental ML24242A203
Information.
NRC Letter to UUSA re: Acceptance of LAR-24- ML24327A210
01 for Technical Review, dated November 26,
2024.
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Dated: December 4, 2024.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert Sun,
Chief, Environmental Project Management, Branch 2, Division of
Rulemaking, Environmental, and Financial Support, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety, and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2024-28929 Filed 12-9-24; 8:45 am]
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