[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 249 (Monday, December 30, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 106612-106615]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-30982]
[[Page 106612]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-238; NRC-2024-0207]
United States Department of Transportation Maritime
Administration; Nuclear Ship Savannah; Environmental Assessment and
Finding of No Significant Impact
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice; issuance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering a
license amendment request to approve the License Termination Plan (LTP)
of License No. NS-1 for the Nuclear Ship Savannah (NSS) located at Pier
13, Canton Marine Terminal, in Baltimore, Maryland. If approved, the
amendment would add a condition to the NSS license reflecting the NRC's
approval of the LTP and establishing criteria for determining when
changes to the LTP require prior NRC approval. The NRC staff has
prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for this proposed license
amendment in accordance with NRC regulations. Based on the EA, the NRC
has concluded that a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) is
appropriate. Therefore, in accordance with NRC regulations, preparation
of an environmental impact statement (EIS) is not warranted for the
proposed action. The NRC staff also is conducting a safety evaluation
of the proposed license amendment.
DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on
December 30, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2024-0207 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-2024-0207. Address
questions about Docket IDs 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: Diana Diaz Toro, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-0930, email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is considering issuance of a license amendment request to
approve the LTP for NSS, located at Pier 13, Canton Marine Terminal, in
Baltimore, Maryland, as part of the United States Department of
Transportation Maritime Administration's (MARAD) part 50 of title 10 of
the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Domestic Licensing of
Production and Utilization Facilities,'' License No. NS-1. If granted,
the license amendment would add a condition to the NSS license
reflecting the NRC's approval of MARAD's LTP and establishing criteria
for determining when changes to the LTP require prior NRC approval. As
required by 10 CFR part 51, ``Environmental Protection Regulations for
Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions,'' the NRC staff
prepared an EA.
Based on the EA, the NRC staff has determined that an EIS is not
required for this proposed action and a FONSI is appropriate. The NRC
staff is also conducting a safety evaluation of the proposed license
renewal request pursuant to 10 CFR part 50 and the results will be
documented in a separate safety evaluation report.
II. Summary of Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed action is the review and approval, if appropriate, of
MARAD's LTP for NSS located in Pier 13, Canton Marine Terminal, in
Baltimore, Maryland. If approved by the NRC, the NSS license will be
amended by adding a license condition that documents approval of the
LTP and stipulating the changes that MARAD can make to the LTP without
prior NRC approval. If the NRC approves the LTP, MARAD would implement
the LTP to complete NSS decommissioning activities. Once
decommissioning is complete, MARAD plans to submit a request to the NRC
to terminate the license.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action
The purpose and need for the proposed action is to authorize MARAD
to complete decommissioning of NSS to meet the unrestricted use
criteria as specified in 10 CFR 20.1402, ``Radiological criteria for
unrestricted use.'' If the NRC approves the LTP, MARAD would complete
decommissioning of NSS, followed by a request to terminate the NSS
license. Upon NRC's termination of the license, MARAD would proceed to
disposition the ship (e.g., preservation, shipbreaking, or artificial
reefing) consistent with the process established in the Programmatic
Agreement (PA) executed in accordance with the National Historic
Preservation Act (NHPA).
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff has assessed the potential environmental impacts of
the proposed action. The results of the NRC's environmental review can
be found in the EA. The NRC staff performed its environmental review in
accordance with the requirements in 10 CFR part 51. The NRC staff
relied on the NRC's NUREG-0586, Supplement 1, ``Generic Environmental
Impact Statement on Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities''
(Decommissioning GEIS), as appropriate. In the Decommissioning GEIS,
the NRC previously evaluated the potential environmental impacts of
nuclear reactor decommissioning from the time that a licensee certifies
it has permanently ceased power operations until the license is
terminated. While NSS is not a nuclear power plant in the traditional
sense, the ship was powered by an 80-megawatt thermal (MWth)
pressurized water reactor (PWR). Therefore, some of the analyses and
conclusions in the Decommissioning GEIS are applicable to the
decommissioning of the ship.
NSS ceased operations in 1970 and the 80 MWth PWR was
defueled in 1971. In 1972, the spent fuel elements were shipped to the
U.S. Department of
[[Page 106613]]
Energy's Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina. In 1976 the NRC
license was changed to a possession-only license.
The ship was operated as a museum from 1981 to 1994 at the Patriots
Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. In
1983, the ship was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
and in 1991 it was designated as a National Historic Landmark for
exhibiting exceptional value in illustrating the nuclear, maritime,
transportation, and political heritages of the United States. The ship
was moved to Baltimore, Maryland in 2008.
The license boundary for NSS is defined as the hull of the ship,
therefore everything outside of the ship itself is considered off-site
area. The site contains no soils or groundwater. There are no
residences within 1.6 kilometers (km) (1 mile [mi]), however, NSS is
berthed within the Port of Baltimore, a large industrial facility
supporting over 15,000 direct jobs. There are two communities within
3.2 km (2 mi) of NSS with residences, medical facilities, schools, and
parks. There are no nearby off-site wells or potable water sources.
Because MARAD's decommissioning, license termination, and final
disposition involve dismantlement and remediation activities, including
removal of some systems, structures, and components of the ship's
nuclear power plant, MARAD determined that these activities would have
an adverse effect per 36 CFR 800, ``Protection of Historic
Properties.'' In March 2023, MARAD executed a PA to minimize harm to
landmarks, to the maximum extent possible, consistent with under
section 110(f) of the NHPA. The purpose of the PA is to facilitate
preservation of NSS during decommissioning. The PA was signed by
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the NRC, and the Maryland
State Historic Preservation Officer. The NRC is a signatory to the PA
and, accordingly, has satisfied its obligations under the NHPA. The PA
includes several concurring parties, including the National Park
Service, Smithsonian Institution, on behalf of the National Museum of
American History, the Steamship Historical Society of America, the N/S
Savannah Association, the National Museum of Nuclear Science and
History, and the Health Physics Society.
As part of the license termination plan, the ship itself would not
be dismantled, and license termination activities would be conducted,
to the greatest extent practicable, within the ship's license site
boundary (e.g., onboard the ship). To minimize impacts to adjacent
facilities and the environment and to avoid changes to the license
boundary, MARAD separates and packages waste onboard NSS for subsequent
transport of the waste for disposal at a permitted facility.
Chapter 3 of the LTP describes the activities that MARAD has
completed as well as the remaining decommissioning activities. MARAD
has dismantled the reactor auxiliary systems and components outside of
the reactor compartment and disposed of it as low-level radiological
waste (LLRW) in 2022. MARAD has completed the removal of major
components including the control rod drive tower, port and starboard
steam generator tubes and tube sheets, and the reactor pressure vessel
head and internal components. In 2023, MARAD removed the lower section
of the pressurizer and shipped it offsite as LLRW. MARAD plans to
retain the remaining portions of the pressurizer as well as the
containment vessel and secondary shield. Primary ship structures such
as the decks, bulkheads, and contaminated liquid storage tanks will be
decontaminated and remediated to meet the criteria for unrestricted
use. After decontamination, the final status survey will be performed
to verify that residual radioactivity has been reduced to meet the
radiological criteria for unrestricted use in 10 CFR 20.1402.
The license termination activities would not impact the water
quality of the port where the ship is moored as all waste is handled
onsite to avoid impacting adjacent lands and water quality. Compliance
with all Federal, State, and local permits pertaining to water quality
throughout decommissioning activities ensures that surface water
impacts are either minimal or evaluated in an appropriate environmental
review. During current ship operations, anticipated discharges would
consist of stormwater and condensate from the heating, ventilation and
air conditioning system. MARAD has consulted with the Maryland
Department of the Environment to ensure all liquid discharges from the
ship are within state limits. The Maryland Department of the
Environment concluded NSS did not require a permit, thus, MARAD does
not have a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.
Wastewater was collected in drums during decommissioning activities and
shipped and disposed of offsite.
MARAD has been conducting remediation throughout the
decommissioning process based on the results of radiological surveys.
Routine radiological surveys along with historical survey data indicate
that minimal contamination has been identified to date. MARAD's
occupational exposure as of September 30, 2023, is approximately
0.02168 person-Sv (2.168 person-rem) and the estimated exposure from
all remaining activities would be approximately 0.02178 person-Sv
(2.178 person-rem). MARAD does not anticipate any radioactive releases
to unrestricted areas during the remaining decommissioning activities.
The non-radiological hazards are typical of decommissioning activities,
such as operation of heavy equipment, falling objects, or fires. MARAD
would implement operating procedures and safety measures in accordance
with Occupational Safety Health Administration regulations.
Accordingly, no significant radiological or non-radiological impacts
are expected to result from approval of the LTP. Therefore, the NRC
staff does not anticipate impacts to public or workers' health and
safety from radiological and non-radiological hazards, air quality, and
transportation beyond those discussed in the Decommissioning GEIS,
which concluded that the impact level for these issues was SMALL.
Additionally, the NRC staff finds that impacts to off-site land use,
geology and soils, water quality (surface and groundwater), visual
resources, noise, socioeconomics, and waste management would be SMALL
and not be significant. As discussed in section 3.8 of the EA, the NRC
staff determined that impacts to terrestrial and aquatic ecology from
the proposed license termination activities would be SMALL and not
significant. Also, there would be no disproportionately high and
adverse impacts on minority and low-income populations as a result of
license termination activities at NSS.
The NRC staff determined that the proposed action would have no
effect on any Federally listed species under the Endangered Species Act
(ESA) because no Federally listed species are expected to occur within
the action area as the action area does not provide suitable habitat
for the listed species. Therefore, the NRC staff concludes that the
proposed action would have no effect on any Federally listed, proposed,
or candidate species. No critical habitats occur within the action
area. Shortnose sturgeons are known to be present in Chesapeake Bay,
however, they are unlikely to be present in the vicinity of the ship.
Federal agencies are not required to consult with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service if they determine that an action will have no effect
on Federally listed species or critical habitats. Thus, the ESA does
not require
[[Page 106614]]
consultation on the proposed license termination activities at NSS. The
NRC staff considers its obligations under ESA section 7 to be fulfilled
for the proposed action.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
The NRC staff also assessed the potential environmental impacts of
alternatives to the proposed action, including alternative sites and
the no-action alternative.
MARAD evaluated the environmental impacts of decommissioning NSS at
three different ports: Baltimore, Maryland; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
and Hampton Roads, Virginia. All three sites are in industrial areas
along a deep-water waterfront with restricted access. Decommissioning
activities would be similar regardless of the location; therefore, most
of the environmental impacts anticipated at the Philadelphia or
Hamptons Roads locations would not be significantly different from the
environmental impacts discussed in the EA for the Port of Baltimore.
The Port of Baltimore was selected as the location for decommissioning
NSS using the DECON method because the ship is currently docked there,
therefore selecting any other location would require MARAD to tow the
ship to the new location, which could result in additional potential
environmental impacts.
The no-action alternative would consist of the NRC's denial of
MARAD's LTP. Decommissioning and onsite maintenance activities would
continue at the site. MARAD would not be able to request license
termination until a revised LTP was submitted and approved by the NRC.
Under this scenario, until MARAD resubmits an updated LTP, berthing of
NSS at the Port in Baltimore would likely continue, including
maintenance activities. Environmental impacts would neither
significantly increase nor decrease because of the additional time,
except for the costs associated with continuing to maintain the ship in
a protective storage condition.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
On August 22, 2024, the NRC staff submitted the draft EA to the
State of Maryland for their review and comment. On September 30, 2024,
the State of Maryland provided comments regarding: (i) National Ambient
Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) designation (attainment/nonattainment
status) for the State of Maryland, (ii) air emissions from NAAQS-
criteria pollutants, (iii) and coastal effects in accordance with the
Coastal Zone Management Act. The NRC staff addressed all comments from
the State of Maryland in the final EA.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
In accordance with the requirements in 10 CFR part 51, the NRC
staff has concluded that the proposed action will not significantly
affect the quality of the human environment. Therefore, the NRC staff
has determined, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.31, ``Determinations based on
environmental assessment,'' that preparation of an EIS is not required
for the proposed action, and pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, ``Finding of no
significant impact,'' a FONSI is appropriate. Consistent 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 ADAMS, as indicated.
[[Page 106615]]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Document description ADAMS accession No.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MARAD's Docket No. 50-238; License No. NS-1; N.S. Savannah, Submittal of ML082810182.
Finding of No Significant Impact and Environmental Assessment, transmitted to
NRC on October 3, 2008.
MARAD's Docket No. 50-238; License No. NS-1; N.S. Savannah, Supplemental ML24145A128.
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact, CR-137,
transmitted to NRC on May 21, 2024.
MARAD's Programmatic Agreement among the U.S. Department of Transportation, ML24191A138 (Package).
Maritime Administration, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservation, and the Maryland State Historic
Preservation Officer for the Decommissioning and Disposition of the Nuclear
Ship Savannah, Baltimore, Maryland, dated March 17, 2023.
MARAD's Docket No. 50-238; License No. NS-1; N.S. Savannah, License Amendment ML23298A041.
Request No. LAR 2023-01. Submittal and Request for Approval of the License
Termination Plan, dated October 23, 2023.
MARAD's Docket No. 50-238; License No. NS-1; N.S. Savannah, License Amendment ML24183A271.
Request No. LAR 2023-01, Response to Requests for Additional Information,
dated June 27, 2024.
MARAD's Docket No. 50-238; License No. NS-1; N.S. Savannah, License Amendment ML24292A030.
Request No. LAR 2023-01, Response to Second Request for Additional
Information, dated October 16, 2024.
NRC's NUREG-0586, Supplement 1, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement on ML023470304, ML023470323,
Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities,'' dated November 2002 ML023500187, ML023500211,
ML023500223.
Environmental Assessment for the License Termination Plan for the Nuclear Ship ML24351A024.
Savannah in Baltimore, Maryland, dated December 2024.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dated: December 20, 2024.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert Sun,
Chief, Environmental Project Management, Branch 2, Division of
Rulemaking, Environment, and Financial Support, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2024-30982 Filed 12-27-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P