[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 237 (Friday, December 12, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57783-57785]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-22692]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 40-8903; NRC-2025-1435]
Homestake Mining Company of California; Grants Reclamation
Project; 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 an
environmental assessment (EA) and a finding of no significant impact
(FONSI) regarding a request from Homestake Mining Company (HMC) of
California for approval of an amendment to NRC Materials License No.
SUA-1471 to amend the cover design of the large tailings piles (LTP) to
an evapotranspiration (ET) cover design at the Grants Reclamation
Project (GRP) in Cibola County, New Mexico. If approved, HMC would use
soil and rock material located on HMC-owned property to modify the
final cover design for the LTP needed for decommissioning and
reclamation of the site.
DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on
December 12, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2025-1435 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-2025-1435. 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/
[[Page 57784]]
adams.html. To begin the search, select ``Begin ADAMS Public 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: Amy Minor, Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555-0001; telephone: 816-200-1454; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
HMC is the holder of NRC Materials License No. SUA-1471 for the
GRP, a former conventional uranium mill near Grants, New Mexico. On
July 28, 2023, HMC submitted a request to the NRC for a license
amendment that would approve the modification of the approved cover
design for the LTP to an ET cover design and change to dates in three
license conditions to reflect the revised decommissioning schedule. As
required by part 51 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10
CFR), ``Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and
Related Regulatory Functions,'' the NRC performed an environmental
assessment. Based on the results of the EA that follows, the NRC has
determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the
amendment and is issuing a FONSI.
II. Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed Federal action is amending the license to approve a
revised ET cover design for the LTP and change three license conditions
to reflect the revised decommissioning schedule. HMC would obtain soil
and rock from the west and north borrow areas and from rock stockpiles
located west of the LTP to implement the ET cover design. HMC estimates
that 1,090,331.7 cubic meters (m\3\) (1,426,100 cubic yards [yd\3\]) of
soil and rock are needed for the proposed ET cover design, and that
approximately 2,953,643.7 m\3\ (3,230,144 yd\3\) of soil and rock are
available in the north and west borrow areas. An additional 344,101
m\3\ (450,067 yd\3\) of 3 centimeters (cm) (1.2 inches [in]) and 12 cm
(4.7 in) of rock is available in one rock stockpile. The second rock
stockpile would serve as a temporary laydown area for rocks being
replaced on the LTP. Excavation of the west borrow area would not
exceed a depth of 2.7 meters (m) (9 feet [ft]) below ground surface and
excavation of the north borrow area would not exceed a depth of 1.5 m
(5 ft) below ground surface. HMC would sort excavated soil and rock and
stockpile sorted material adjacent to each borrow area. HMC would
temporarily use unpaved haul roads between the north and west borrow
areas and the rock stockpiles. HMC estimates that the proposed action
would take less than six months to complete.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated July 28, 2024, as supplemented by additional
information dated July 12, 2024, October 4, 2024, and June 3, 2025.
Need for the Proposed Action
The purpose of and need for the agency action is to facilitate an
LTP ET cover design that protects human health and the environment from
actual or potential releases of LTP material. The proposed action, as
described in the revised license amendment request (LAR) and in
responses to the NRC staff's requests for additional information, is
HMC's preferred ET cover design to complete decommissioning and
reclamation of the GRP site.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff assessed the impacts of the proposed action and
concluded that, as detailed in the revised design, installing the
proposed LTP ET cover would limit surface water infiltration to the LTP
and radon emission from the LTP, as well as provide long-term erosional
stability to the LTP's cover. The NRC staff also concluded that the
proposed action would not have significant impacts on land use, visual
and scenic resources, the geologic environment, surface water
resources, air quality, noise, socioeconomic conditions, public and
occupational health, transportation, and waste generation and
management.
The NRC staff concluded, after consultation with the New Mexico
State Historic Preservation Office and Native American Tribes, that the
proposed action would not cause effects on resources that are eligible
for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and that no
Tribal cultural resources have been identified or are known to exist on
the site. HMC will plan land disturbance activities so that appropriate
fences and boundaries are maintained around eligible or undetermined
sites, and if cultural resources are uncovered during excavation
activities, an archaeologist will be contacted to conduct a survey of
the site to ensure features of significance are protected.
In consultation with the New Mexico Ecological Services Field
Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the New Mexico
Department of Game and Fish, the NRC staff concluded that the proposed
action may affect but is not likely to adversely affect six threatened,
endangered, or proposed terrestrial animal species, and would not
affect two threatened terrestrial plant species or critical habitats.
Aquatic or diverse riparian habitat and aquatic species are not present
in the proposed project area, and aquatic resources would not be
affected. Finally, the NRC staff found that the LTP cover modification
would not result in an increased radiological risk to public health or
the environment.
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).
Under the no-action alternative, the NRC would not approve the
modification of the LTP cover design or the license amendment request
because regulatory requirements have not been met. If the LAR were not
approved, the licensee would likely construct the approved cover design
under the current license conditions. The impacts from the no-action
alternative ultimately would be similar to the impacts of the proposed
action described in the EA. The NRC staff also considered offsite
relocation of the LTP as an alternative to the proposed action,
concluding the costs of relocating the pile would greatly outweigh
benefits.
State Consultation
In accordance with its stated policy, the staff consulted with the
New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), regarding the environmental
impact of the proposed action. On August 7, 2025, the state official
replied that NMED previously provided the NRC staff with comments
regarding the effective depth of the evaporative cover system,
compaction of near surface layers, erosion resistance over time and the
[[Page 57785]]
thickness of the top layer as a growth media. NMED had no additional
comments on the EA.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC staff has prepared this EA as part of its review of the
proposed action. On the basis of this EA, the NRC finds that there are
no significant environmental impacts from the proposed 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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Environmental Assessment for the ML25225A218.
Homestake Mining Company of
California Large Tailings Pile
Evapotranspiration Cover Design
License Amendment Request, dated
December 1, 2025.
Homestake Mining Co.--Grants ML23222A171 (package).
Reclamation Project--Request for
Amendment to SUA-1471 for the
Large Tailings Pile
Evapotranspiration Cover Design,
Request for License Amendment,
dated July 28, 2023.
Homestake Mining Co.--Response to ML24197A248.
NRC Request for Additional
Information Regarding the
Environmental Report in support
of the Proposed
Evapotranspiration Cover Design
License Amendment Request NRC
Docket No. 40-8903, License No.
SUA 1471, dated July 12, 2024.
Homestake Mining Co.--Response to ML24283A192.
NRC Request for Additional
Information Regarding the
Proposed Evapotranspiration Cover
Design License Amendment, dated
October 7, 2024.
Homestake Mining Co.--Response to ML25163A318 (package).
NRC Request for Additional
Information and Revised Design
Report, dated June 3, 2025.
Comments from Joseph Fox, NMED-- ML25223A125.
Draft Environmental Assessment:
Homestake Mining Company of
California Large Tailings Pile
Evapotranspiration Cover Design
License Amendment Request, dated
August 7, 2025.
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Dated: December 10, 2025.
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. 2025-22692 Filed 12-11-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P