[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 156 (Friday, August 14, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52733-52734]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-16647]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 040-38417; EAXX-429-00-000-1784158908; NRC-2026-3631]
DISA Technologies, Inc.; 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
approval of a premobilization notification (PMN) under source materials
license SUA-1605, which the NRC issued to DISA Technologies, Inc.
(DISA) in 2025 for the operation of its high-pressure slurry ablation
(HPSA) technology to remediate abandoned uranium mine (AUM) waste. If
the NRC approves the PMN, DISA could conduct HPSA operations at the
Mary Ann AUM waste pile site (Mary Ann site) in Montrose County,
Colorado. The NRC staff is issuing an environmental assessment (EA) and
finding of no significant impact (FONSI) associated with the proposed
approval. This EA tiers from the NRC staff's 2025 generic EA for the
license issuance and the 2026 generic EA for the use of flocculant in
the HPSA process.
DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on
July 30, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2026-3631 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-2026-3631. 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 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]. The EA is available in ADAMS under Accession
No. ML26222A129.
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. Background
The NRC is making available to the public the ``Environmental
Assessment, DISA Premobilization Notification for High-Pressure Slurry
Ablation Operations at the Mary Ann Abandoned Uranium Mine Waste Pile
Site, Montrose County, Colorado.''
II. Introduction
The NRC is considering the approval of DISA's PMN for HPSA
operations at the Mary Ann site. DISA needs NRC approval to proceed
with mobilizing HPSA equipment to operate at the Mary Ann site. The PMN
provides information about the site and proposed HPSA operations
required in condition 19 of DISA's license.
As required by 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
has prepared an EA documenting its evaluation. The NRC concluded that
DISA's proposed operations at the Mary Ann site would have no
significant impacts and are consistent with the assessments in the
NRC's generic 2025 EA for license issuance (ADAMS Accession No.
ML25265A212) and the 2026 generic supplemental EA for flocculant use
(ADAMS Accession No. ML26196A294).
A summary of the EA follows. Based on the results of the EA, the
NRC has determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for
the license amendment and is issuing a FONSI.
III. Summary of the Generic Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed action is approval of DISA's plans to conduct HPSA
operations at the Mary Ann site. The Mary Ann site is located in
Montrose County, Colorado, at the base of the Monogram and Davis Mesas,
southwest of Paradox Valley. The site is approximately 6,500 feet above
sea level. The license area is 1.72 acres, and the disturbed area would
be approximately 0.86 acres.
DISA identified radiological background levels for the Mary Ann
site, as described further in the EA. DISA will compare the results of
surveys after HPSA operations to these background measurements to
determine compliance with NRC requirements.
At the Mary Ann site, DISA plans to process approximately 1,656
cubic meters of AUM waste, weighing 4,217 tons. Approximately 1,839
tons of fines concentrates (material containing the concentrated
uranium and thorium) would result from HPSA processing.
DISA will use a rock crusher to pre-crush all or part of the rock
pile before mobilizing the HPSA equipment. The crushed rock will likely
be stockpiled,
[[Page 52734]]
and DISA will install air monitoring equipment and use water as a dust
suppressant. Secondary containment will be constructed to ensure that
any spilled water is contained within the restricted area.
DISA will also establish a radiologically restricted area,
contamination survey areas, radiation safety controls, restricted area
controls, equipment laydown areas, and air monitoring stations. The
restricted area will include the HPSA treatment equipment, fines
concentrates storage area, Mary Ann AUM waste pile, and the crushed
rock stockpile.
The HPSA process would require the use of 5,000 gallons of water
per day. In addition, DISA will use approximately 276 kg of an anionic,
polyacrylamide flocculant for the estimated 1,839 tons of fines
concentrates. Assuming approximately 10,000 gallons of water remain at
the end of HPSA operations, an estimated 193 grams of flocculant would
be present in this water that could be discharged via sprinkler to the
Mary Ann site ground surface as irrigation water. Any discharged water
must meet NRC, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), State of Colorado, and
local requirements.
The fines concentrates will be stored temporarily within restricted
area in containers that are suitable for storage and transportation.
Approximately one truckload per day of fines concentrates containers
will be transported offsite per day to a permitted facility, such as
DISA's planned storage facility Naturita, Colorado. Currently, the
State of Colorado is reviewing an application from DISA for a storage
facility.
After the HPSA treatment is completed, equipment will be
decontaminated, released for unrestricted use based on contamination
surveys, and transported offsite.
DISA will leave the Mary Ann site with the deposited coarse
material in a condition that meets NRC requirements in the license and
in 10 CFR part 20 for unrestricted release (25 millirem above natural
background). Disturbed areas will be seeded and irrigated with treated
water from the HPSA unit assuming it meets treatment standards or water
that is transported onsite.
Other Permits and Approvals
DISA has submitted a Plan of Operations to the BLM for review. DISA
has also submitted a mine permit application to the Colorado Division
of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety (CDRMS). This mine permit
application includes a stormwater management plan that must be approved
by CDRMS.
The Need for the Proposed Action
The purpose of the proposed action is to enable DISA to conduct
licensed activities at the Mary Ann AUM waste pile. In accordance with
DISA's license, the NRC needs to approve a PMN for operations at a site
before DISA may mobilize to that site.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff reviewed DISA's Mary Ann PMN for consistency with the
NRC's 2025 and 2026 generic EAs. In addition, the NRC staff assessed
DISA's proposed use of a crushed rock stockpile and the disposition of
coarse material onsite after HPSA operations conclude. Based on these
reviews, the NRC staff determined that the potential environmental
impacts of HPSA operations at the Mary Ann site would not be
significant. The NRC staff determined that further consultation under
Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is not needed because
proposed operations at the Mary Ann site would have no effect on
threatened or endangered species.
The NRC designated the BLM as the lead agency to fulfill the NRC's
and the BLM's collective responsibilities under Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act. The BLM's Section 106 process is
described in BLM's EA for its approval of the Plan of Operations for
the Mary Ann Pile site (available on BLM's website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/Documents/?id=D5ADB72E-2543-F111-88B4-001DD8084607&spid=19cf9b0a-3f43-f111-88b4-001dd8084607#).
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed license amendment, the NRC
considered the no-action alternative. Under the no-action alternative,
the NRC would not authorize DISA to proceed with HPSA operations at the
Mary Ann site. The Mary Ann site would remain unaltered, and the
potential impacts would be associated with leaving the waste pile in
place as it exists today.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC provided a draft of this EA to the State of Colorado. No
comments were received.
IV. Finding of No Significant Impact
Based on its review, in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR
part 51, the NRC has determined that granting approval for HPSA
operations at the Mary Ann site would not significantly affect the
quality of the human environment and that site conditions, proposed
operations, and potential impacts at the site are consistent with the
assumptions and potential impacts assessed in the 2025 and 2026 generic
EAs, with the exception of the use of a crushed rock stockpile. In the
EA, the NRC staff assessed the potential impacts of the crushed rock
stockpile and the management of coarse material resulting from the HPSA
process. The NRC staff determined the impacts would not be significant
given DISA's compliance with NRC, Bureau of Land Management, and State
of Colorado requirements. In accordance with 10 CFR 51.31, the NRC
concludes that the proposed action does not warrant the preparation of
an environmental impact statement, and, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, a
FONSI is appropriate.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.
Dated: August 12, 2026.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert Sun,
Chief, Environmental Review Materials Branch, Division of Spent Fuel
Storage, and Transportation, Office of Nuclear Material Safety, and
Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2026-16647 Filed 8-13-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P