[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 119 (Tuesday, June 24, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26836-26839]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-11510]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 30-30429; NRC-2025-0099]
ProTechnics, A Division of Core Laboratories LP; Alternate
Disposal Method for Well Logging Sand-Outs or Well Logging Returns
Containing Residual Amounts of NRC-Licensed Materials; 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 issuing a
finding of no significant impact (FONSI) and accompanying environmental
assessment (EA) for an alternate waste disposal method request from
ProTechnics, a division of Core Laboratories LP (ProTechnics), for the
disposal of well logging sand-outs or well logging returns containing
residual amounts of NRC-licensed materials into Class I disposal wells
in North Slope, Alaska. Based on the analysis in the EA, the NRC staff
has concluded that there would be no significant impacts to the
environment from ProTechnics' proposed exemption request and therefore,
a FONSI is appropriate.
DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on
June 24, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2025-0099 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-2025-0099. Address
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Bridget Curran;
telephone: 301-415-1003; email: [email protected]. For technical
questions, contact the individual(s) 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, Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roberto J. Torres, Region IV, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Arlington, Texas 76011-4511; telephone:
817-200-1189; email: [email protected], and 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 a license amendment for an alternate
disposal method, pursuant to part 20.2002 of title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations, ``Method for obtaining approval of
[[Page 26837]]
proposed disposal procedures,'' for residual radioactive material
possessed under NRC Byproduct Materials License No. 42-26928-01.
ProTechnics seeks NRC approval to allow the injection of well logging
sand-outs or well logging returns containing residual radioactive
tracer material (non-hazardous oil and gas industrial waste) into
specific Class I disposal wells located in the North Slope of Alaska.
These Class I disposal wells have been approved under permits to accept
non-hazardous industrial waste by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). Approval of this license amendment request would be based
upon the NRC's review and evaluation of the licensee's proposal,
current alternatives, and the NRC's radioactive waste disposal
regulations in 10 CFR part 20, ``Standards for Protection Against
Radiation''. The NRC staff has evaluated the potential environmental
impacts of the licensee's proposal and developed an Environmental
Assessment (EA) in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR part 51,
``Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and
Related Regulatory Functions''. As required by 10 CFR 51.21, ``Criteria
for and identification of licensing and regulatory actions requiring
environmental assessments,'' the NRC staff prepared an EA that
documents its independent evaluation of the potential environmental
impacts of the alternate disposal method in light of ProTechnics'
license amendment request. Based on the analysis in the EA, the NRC
staff has concluded that there would be no significant impacts to the
environment from ProTechnics' proposed alternate disposal method into
Class I wells in North Slope, Alaska, and therefore, a FONSI is
appropriate.
II. Summary of Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed action is to issue an amendment to Byproduct Materials
License No. 42-26928-01 for approval of an alternate waste disposal
method for well logging sand-outs or well logging returns containing
residual radioactive tracer beads produced as a result of fracturing
sand well logging operations. The licensee seeks approval to allow
fracturing sand-outs or well returns that are below the levels
considered to be ``Radioactive Waste'' in 40 CFR 144.3 and that are not
considered hazardous waste to be disposed of by injecting into Class I
industrial waste disposal wells in North Slope, Alaska. These Class I
wells have been approved under permits issued by the EPA to accept this
type of waste since EPA has jurisdiction for these wells in Alaska. The
radioactive tracer materials would be in the patented Zero-Wash bead
form. This method of disposal would be used as an alternative to
existing methods of disposal authorized by the NRC in the current
license issued to ProTechnics.
If approved, ProTechnics' 10 CFR 20.2002 alternate waste disposal
method authorization for use of Class I disposal wells in North Slope,
Alaska, would contain the following provisions: (1) the radioactive
concentration of waste must be less than 1,000 picocuries/gram; (2) the
half-life of the radioactive material being disposed of must be less
than or equal to 120 days and include only the following tracers:
scandium-46, bromine-82, zirconium-95, antimony-124, iodine-131,
iridium-192, or gold-198 in the form of the patented ``Zero-Wash''
product in sand-outs and well returns; (3) the Class I disposal well
accepting the non-hazardous oil and gas industrial waste that will be
generated in part by ProTechnics from well logging operations must be
permitted by the State, Territory, or Federal jurisdiction for which it
is located; and (4) ProTechnics must maintain a written agreement with
the Class I disposal well owner or operator to control access to the
well until the radioactivity has decayed to unrestricted release
levels.
Need for the Proposed Action
The purpose of the proposed action is to allow ProTechnics an
additional disposal alternative because some locations where tracer
operations are conducted do not allow the use of shallow pits and there
are no Class II wells nearby for disposal of well sand-outs or well
returns. This proposed action is needed to allow the continued use of
tracer beads in oil production in those areas. The use of radioactive
tracer beads increases the efficiency of oil and gas production and
reduces the cost of recovery to the well operators. The NRC is
fulfilling its responsibility under the Atomic Energy Act and the
National Environmental Policy Act to review the proposed action and
approve it only if it would ensure adequate protection of the public
health and safety and the environment.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff has assessed the potential environmental impacts from
ProTechnics' request for approval of an alternate disposal method. The
proposed action would authorize the disposal of specified NRC-licensed
material in EPA approved operating Class I disposal wells in North
Slope, Alaska, in which materials are injected below the water table.
Class I wells allow injection far below the lowermost underground
source of drinking water (USDW), with injection zones that typically
range from 1,700 feet to more than 10,000 feet in depth. The injection
zone is below and separated from USDWs by an impermeable ``cap'' rock
called the confining layer. The confining layer may be associated with
additional layers of permeable and impermeable rock and sediment to
separate the injection zone from USDWs. Owners and operators of Class I
wells in Alaska must meet specific requirements to hold an EPA permit.
These requirements address the siting, construction, operation,
monitoring and testing, reporting and recordkeeping, and closure of
Class I wells.
Before allowing Class I wells to operate, the EPA assesses the
potential socioeconomic and environmental impacts as part of their
review and permitting processes. Because the proposed action would
involve the use of existing EPA approved structures, the NRC staff
concludes that the proposed action would not result in significant
impacts on historic and cultural resources, ecological resources, land
use, or visual resources. In addition, due to the design of the
patented Zero-Wash product (no wash off of radioactive material) and
the crush strength of the Zero-Wash product (i.e., greater than 10,000
psi), the NRC staff concludes that the well logging sand-outs and well
logging returns would not contaminate USDW and, as required for the
permitting of Class I wells, would not migrate from the formation where
injected. Because the proposed action would only allow the use of pre-
existing Class I disposal wells, there would be no increased air
emissions, noise, or impacts on local or regional business conditions,
populations, or demographics. In general, Class I disposal wells are
not located in residential or business areas. Construction, permitting,
operating, and monitoring requirements are more stringent for Class I
waste disposal wells than for other Classes of injection wells.
Approximately 800 operational Class I wells exist in the U.S. (about 17
percent of Class I wells are hazardous waste disposal wells, while 53
percent of Class I wells provide for injection of non-hazardous
industrial waste). The proposed action could result in the use of non-
hazardous industrial waste Class I wells in North Slope, Alaska, that
are specifically permitted in 13 well
[[Page 26838]]
permits issued by the EPA's Region 10 to accept non-hazardous
industrial waste, depending on availability. These 13 Class I well
permit numbers are: AK1I001-B, AK1I002-C, AK1I003-C, AK1I005-C,
AK1I008-B, AK1I009-B, AK1I010-B, AK1I011-C, AK1I015-B, AK1I017-A,
AK1I019-A, AK1I024-A, and AK1I025-A. These permits can be found on the
EPA website at https://www.epa.gov/uic/uic-permits-issued-epa-region-10. The EPA has determined for all these 13 permits that the injection
zones for the Class I wells identified on these permits are in areas
that are not considered underground sources of drinking water (USDW).
Increased radiation exposure to the general public from
transporting waste containing residual radioactive tracer beads to the
disposal site would be negligible. There are two routes of exposure
possible, external and internal. The internal exposure route would be
from ingestion of the tracer material since the particle size is such
that it's not respirable. The material is not soluble in the body,
thereby reducing the residence time. At the concentrations expected, an
individual would need to ingest 200 pounds of the material to receive
1/10 of the regulatory annual limit of intake specified in 10 CFR part
20, B. The maximum radiation exposure level at a distance of one foot
from a vehicle transporting this waste would be on the order of 0.1
millirem per hour. The radiation level in the cab of the transport
vehicle would be on the order of 0.004 millirem per hour. Using an
average transport time of one hour and assuming the same driver would
transport all the expected disposals (10 per year), the exposure to the
driver of the vehicle would be 0.04 millirem. Due to the waste's low
radiation level and radioactive concentration, an accident causing the
release of the sand-outs or well returns from the transport vehicle
would result in minimal exposure to workers or members of the public
during the subsequent cleanup efforts (i.e., less than 0.04 millirem).
Tracer injection operations at the disposal wells are automated to
minimize the time required for personnel to be in the immediate area of
the injected material. Assuming an injection time of four hours per
disposal and an individual within one foot of the radioactive material
during the injection operation, the NRC staff expects that the total
exposure per year would not exceed four millirem from this operation.
The disposal site would be surveyed to verify that the site meets the
NRC criteria for unrestricted use in accordance with 10 CFR part 20
after each time the waste (well logging returns or sand-out material)
is injected into a Class I disposal well. Because ProTechnics uses
short-lived radionuclides in well logging operations, the residual
radioactive material concentrations that would be shipped for disposal
in Class I wells would be below the 1,000 picocuries/gram limit
proposed as a condition in the NRC license. There would be no increase
in the amounts or types of wastes or in the number of transport
vehicles on the highways due to this proposed disposal option. The
current practice of transporting well logging sand-outs or well returns
to a decay-in-storage facility, shallow disposal pit, or Class II
disposal well requires that at least one transport vehicle be used, and
this practice would continue. Procedures would continue to be in place
to handle any emergency situation arising from any incident involving
the handling or transportation of this material.
Where Class I disposal wells in North Slope, Alaska, are available,
the proposed action would result in reducing the use of other methods
of disposal that have a greater potential for worker and public
exposure. These methods include disposal in shallow earthen pits and
decay-in-storage facilities that require additional handling as
described in the EA.
Based on the discussion above, the NRC staff expects that the
environmental impacts resulting from the disposal of this material into
Class I disposal in North Slope, Alaska, would not be significant. The
NRC staff assumes that the EPA permitting process for the operation of
Class I waste disposal wells sufficiently addressed the potential
radiological and non-radiological environmental impacts of operating
these wells.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
An alternative to the proposed action is the no-action alternative.
Under the no-action alternative, the NRC would not grant ProTechnics'
approval of an alternate disposal method in Class I wells in North
Slope, Alaska. The no-action alternative would result in fewer options
for disposing of well logging sand-outs or well logging returns
containing radioactive tracer beads. This alternative would likely
result in no change to the frequency of use of currently in-use,
approved disposal methods such as shallow earthen pits and decay-in-
storage facilities. When compared to disposal in Class I industrial
waste wells, these methods involve a slightly higher risk of exposing
workers and members of the public to radioactive material. ProTechnics'
use of shallow earthen pits and decay-in-storage facilities requires
additional handling of the radioactive material, which slightly
increases the potential for exposure. For disposal in shallow earthen
pits, ProTechnics transports the sand-out material to the new pits,
covers the disposal pits with at least two feet of soil, and marks the
disposal sites in order to control access to the public. Storage in
leased decay-in-storage facilities occurs before unrestricted disposal
or burial in shallow earthen pits.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC staff has prepared this environmental assessment with input
from the Alaska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission and the EPA's
Division of Underground Injection Control (UIC). The EPA UIC confirmed
that the permitting review for each Class I well includes an
appropriate environmental review.
Because the proposed action would allow disposing of well logging
sand-outs or well returns containing residual amounts of NRC licensed
radioactive material in existing Class I wells deep underground, the
NRC has concluded that there is no potential to affect threatened or
endangered species. Therefore, consultation under Section 7 of the
Endangered Species Act is not necessary. Likewise, the NRC staff has
determined that the proposed undertaking is not a type of activity that
has the potential to affect historic properties, and therefore the NRC
has no further obligations under Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC staff has concluded that, given the depth, location and
mechanical barriers of EPA-approved Class I wells in North Slope,
Alaska, and ProTechnics' identified administrative items, there would
be no impacts to land use, transportation, geology and soils, surface
water and ground water, ecology, air quality, noise, historic and
cultural resources, socioeconomics, visual and scenic resources, and
waste management. Additionally, the NRC staff evaluated the potential
radiological impacts and found those to be minimal and not significant.
The NRC staff has prepared this EA to evaluate the potential
environmental impacts of the proposed action to approve ProTechnics'
alternate disposal method procedures for the disposal of well logging
sand-outs or well logging returns containing residual radioactive
[[Page 26839]]
tracer material (non-hazardous oil and gas industrial waste) into
specific Class I disposal wells located in the North Slope of Alaska.
Based on this EA, NRC has concluded that there are no significant
environmental impacts and the license amendment request does not
warrant the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement.
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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ADAMS Accession No. or
Document description Federal Register
notice
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``Radiological Criteria for License 62 FR 39058
Termination,'' 10 CFR Part 20, Subpart E, 66 FR 55789
published July 21, 1997, November 2, 2001, and 72 FR 49485.
August 28, 2007.
``Waste Disposal,'' 10 CFR Part 20, Subpart K 56 FR 23403
(56 FR 23403, published May 21, 1991, November 66 FR 55789
2, 2001, and October 1, 2007. 72 FR 55922.
NUREG-1757, Volume 1, Revision 2, ``Consolidated ML063000243.
Decommissioning Guidance, Decommissioning
Process for Materials Licensees, Final
Report,'' published September 2006.
NUREG-1748, ``Environmental Review Guidance for ML032450279.
Licensing Actions Associated with NMSS
Programs, Final Report,'' published August 2003.
``Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 68 FR 61472.
Significant Impact Related to Materials License
No. 42-26928-01, Core Laboratories, Inc. (dba
ProTechnics) of Houston, TX, License Amendment
Request for Approval of an Alternate Disposal
Method'' (Class II wells), published October
28, 2003.
License Amendment Request for ProTechnics' ML25051A343.
Division of Core Laboratories LP to allow
disposal of well logging returns containing
residual tracer material into Class I disposal
wells, dated February 19, 2025.
License Amendment Request for ProTechnics' ML23352A126.
Division of Core Laboratories LP to allow
disposal of well logging returns containing
residual tracer material into Class I disposal
wells, dated December 13, 2023.
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Dated: June 18, 2025.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert Sun,
Chief, Environmental Review Materials Branch, Division of Rulemaking,
Environmental, and Financial Support, Office of Nuclear Material
Safety, and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2025-11510 Filed 6-23-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P