Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for the Kiski Valley Water Pollution Control Authority (KVWPCA) Site in Leechburg, PA, 925-928 [05-151]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 3 / Wednesday, January 5, 2005 / Notices
security review of publicly available
documents to ensure that potentially
sensitive information is removed from
the Agencywide Documents and
Management System (ADAMS) database
accessible through the NRC’s Web site.
Interested members of the public should
check the NRC’s Web pages for updates
on the availability of documents
through the ADAMS system. Copies of
the referenced documents are available
for review and/or copying at the NRC
Public Document Room after
resumption of public access to ADAMS.
The NRC Public Document Room (PDR)
Reference staff can be contacted at 1–
800–397–4209, 301–415–4737 or by email to pdr@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 21st day
of December, 2004.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Christopher M. Regan,
Senior Project Manager, Licensing Section,
Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 05–149 Filed 1–4–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket No. 72–1]
Notice of Issuance of Amendment to
Materials License SNM–2500, General
Electric Morris Operation Docket No.
72–1
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
AGENCY:
Notice of issuance of license
amendment.
ACTION:
Christopher M. Regan, Senior Project
Manager, Spent Fuel Project Office,
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and
Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555.
Telephone: (301) 415–1179; fax number:
(301) 415–8555; e-mail: cmr1@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC or the Commission)
has issued Amendment 12 to Special
Nuclear Materials License No. SNM–
2500 held by the General Electric
Company (GE) for the possession,
storage, and transfer of spent fuel at the
Morris Operation Independent Spent
Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI), located
in Grundy County, Illinois. The
amendment is effective as of the date of
issuance.
17:49 Jan 04, 2005
Jkt 205001
By application dated July 30, 2004, as
supplemented August 9, 2004, GE
requested an amendment to revise the
license (SNM–2500) and the Technical
Specifications (TS) of SNM–2500 for the
Morris Operation ISFSI. The changes
would be made to reflect the current
condition of the fuel stored and only
that equipment necessary for its safe
storage. The major changes include
revisions to information regarding the
spent fuel inventory, deletion of the
requirement for ventilation exhaust
vacuum, deletion of the requirement to
have certain instrumentation operative
for equipment that is no longer in
service, a change in the methods to
verify pool water quality, revision to the
description of the company
organization, and removal of ‘‘receipt’’
from the license which effectively will
not permit the Morris Operation ISFSI
to accept shipment of any additional
spent fuel.
III. Finding
This amendment complies with the
standards and requirements of the
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended
(the Act), and the Commission’s rules
and regulations. The Commission has
made appropriate findings as required
by the Act and the Commission’s rules
and regulations in 10 CFR Chapter I,
which are set forth in the license
amendment. This amendment satisfied
the criteria specified in 10 CFR
51.22(c)(11) for a categorical exclusion
from the requirements to perform an
environmental assessment or to prepare
an environmental impact statement.
IV. Hearing
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
VerDate jul<14>2003
II. Background
In accordance with 10 CFR
72.46(b)(2), a determination has been
made that the amendment does not
present a genuine issue as to whether
public health and safety will be
significantly affected. Therefore, the
publication of a notice of proposed
action and an opportunity for hearing or
a notice of hearing is not warranted.
Notice is hereby given of the right of
interested persons to request a hearing
on whether the action should be
rescinded or modified.
Further Information: As of October 25,
2004, the NRC initiated an additional
security review of publicly available
documents to ensure that potentially
sensitive information is removed from
the Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System (ADAMS) database
accessible through the NRC’s Web site.
Interested members of the public should
check the NRC’s Web pages for updates
on the availability of documents
PO 00000
Frm 00149
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
925
through the ADAMS system. Copies of
the referenced documents are available
for review and/or copying at the NRC
Public Document Room after
resumption of public access to ADAMS.
The NRC Public Document Room (PDR)
Reference staff can be contacted at 1–
800–397–4209, 301–415–4737 or by email to pdr@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 21st day
of December 2004.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Christopher M. Regan,
Senior Project Manager, Licensing Section,
Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 05–150 Filed 1–4–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
Notice of Availability of Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for the Kiski Valley
Water Pollution Control Authority
(KVWPCA) Site in Leechburg, PA
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and
finding of no significant impact.
AGENCY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kenneth Kalman, Project Manager,
Decommissioning Directorate, Division
of Waste Management and
Environmental Protection, Office of
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD
20852. Telephone: (301) 415–6664; fax
number: (301) 415–5397; e-mail:
KLK@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) has decided to take
no further action on the Kiski Valley
Water Pollution Control Authority
(KVWPCA) site in Leechburg,
Pennsylvania. In accordance with the
requirements of Title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (10 CFR) part 51,
the NRC published a Draft
Environmental Assessment (EA) in
support of this action in the Federal
Register (69 FR 56102) requesting
comments on the proposed action and
Draft EA. The NRC did not receive any
comments. Based on the EA, the NRC
has concluded that a Finding of No
Significant Impact is appropriate.
II. Environmental Assessment
In 1994, KVWPCA made plans to
remove the ash from the lagoon at the
E:\FR\FM\05JAN1.SGM
05JAN1
926
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 3 / Wednesday, January 5, 2005 / Notices
KVWPCA site. Over the course of site
closure, the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Resources notified NRC
that elevated uranium concentrations
had been found in an ash sample from
the KVWPCA site. Subsequent analyses
revealed that subsurface uranium
contamination was present at
concentrations of up to 34 becquerels
per gram (Bq/g) [923 picocuries per
gram(pCi/g)] total uranium, and that the
material was enriched to approximately
4% uranium-235. Further
characterization revealed that the
volume of the contaminated ash is
approximately 9,000 cubic meters
(320,000 cubic feet) and that the total
uranium inventory is approximately 32–
41 gigabecquerels (0.85–1.1 Ci),
resulting in an average total uranium
concentration of approximately 3.0 Bq/
g (80 pCi/g). The contaminated ash is
highly heterogeneous and the highest
levels of contamination are found over
a relatively small area, at a depth of 2
to 3 meters (m) [7 to 10 feet (ft)].
Radionuclides other than uranium are
also present, but at much lower
concentrations.
The contamination is believed to have
resulted from the reconcentration of
uranium-contaminated effluents
released from the sanitary sewers and
laundry drains of the Babcock & Wilcox
(B&W) Apollo facility. During its
operation, the B&W Apollo facility
conducted fuel manufacturing and
fabrication. Upon successful completion
of its decommissioning activities, the
NRC terminated the B&W Apollo site’s
license on April 14, 1997. There is no
evidence suggesting that the discharges
from the B&W Apollo facility exceeded
permissible levels in effect during
operation.
Since 1994, NRC, KVWPCA, and the
Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection (PADEP) have
engaged in numerous interactions on
the decommissioning of the KVWPCA
site. By letter dated November 7, 2003,
NRC staff informed KVWPCA that it
would conduct a dose assessment to
determine what actions should be taken
at the KVWPCA site. The NRC letter
dated November 7, 2003, also noted that
PADEP has taken the position that
under Pennsylvania’s Solid Waste
Management Act, the ash in the lagoon
should be removed and properly
disposed of per the Commonwealth’s
jurisdiction over the material as solid
waste. Therefore, the NRC staff’s dose
assessment included scenarios for
leaving the ash on site as well as
scenarios for removing the ash.
NRC staff conducted dose assessments
for a range of potential scenarios. These
scenarios include a removal scenario, in
VerDate jul<14>2003
17:49 Jan 04, 2005
Jkt 205001
which the contaminated ash is
excavated and removed to an offsite
disposal facility, and an onsite no-action
scenario, in which the lagoon is
abandoned in place with no remedial
actions performed. The onsite scenarios
included a reasonably foreseeable future
land use case and a pair of less likely
cases used as assessment tools to bound
the uncertainty associated with future
land use. In all of the scenarios, doses
from the groundwater pathway are
expected to be significantly limited by
the relatively non-leachable form of
uranium in the ash as determined by
leaching tests.
It is likely that the contaminated ash
will be removed from the lagoon, and
that the site will continue to be used as
a waste water treatment plant. Thus, the
critical group in the removal scenario is
the workers who excavate the
contaminated ash and are exposed
through inhalation of resuspended fine
contaminated ash particles and direct
irradiation. In addition, to address the
possibility that the ash may be removed
to a RCRA-permitted landfill, potential
impacts of more aggressive leachate
chemistry (low or high pH conditions)
on uranium mobility were considered
and the range of doses to a hypothetical
individual residing near the landfill was
qualitatively evaluated.
The dose to workers who excavate
and remove the ash is expected to be
approximately 0.15 mSv (15 mrem). As
any removal operation would take
considerably less than one year, this
constitutes the total annual dose in the
year of removal. Doses to ash removal
workers are dominated by the inhalation
of uranium-234 and uranium-238 along
with a small additional dose from
external exposure. Doses to the ash
removal workers are limited by the
relatively low average concentration of
these isotopes, the limited exposure
time during excavation of the ash, and
the limited respirability of the ash
particles.
Three cases of the onsite no-action
scenario, in which the ash is assumed
to be left in place without any remedial
action, were also evaluated. These
include a recreational use case, in
which the property is converted into a
riverside park; an agricultural use case;
and an intrusion case, in which it is
assumed that a volume of ash is
excavated for the construction of a
basement and the excavated ash is
spread on the land surface. These cases,
while less likely, were evaluated
because they are useful assessment
tools. As they comprise a range of future
land use and include all exposure
pathways, they can be used to bound
other scenarios and, therefore, provide
PO 00000
Frm 00150
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
an evaluation of the uncertainty
associated with future land use.
In the event that the contaminated ash
remains onsite with no remedial action
taken, the assumption of a recreational
exposure case results in a annual dose
of approximately 0.01 mSv (1 mrem)
over the next few centuries, eventually
rising to approximately 0.02 mSv (2
mrem) at 1000 years. This result is
approximately an order of magnitude
lower than either the agricultural case or
the intrusion case because no crop
intake is assumed in the recreational
case.
The results of analysis of the
agricultural case indicate that the peak
annual dose within the 1000-year
compliance period is predicted to be
less than 0.2 mSv (20 mrem) and to
occur at 1000 years after the present
time. Results of the analysis of the
intrusion case indicate that the peak
mean annual dose within the 1000-year
compliance period is also expected to be
less than 0.2 mSv (20 mrem) and to
occur at 1000 years after the present
time.
In the agricultural and intrusion
cases, it was assumed that a person
would install a well or cultivated field
at a random location within the 4000 m2
(1 acre) site. In the unrealistic case that
a farmer were to occupy the site and
place a home in the most contaminated
200 m2 (0.05 acre) area on the site, the
peak annual dose would be expected to
be well below the public dose limit and
thus this scenario is not given further
consideration in the staff’s evaluation.
Regardless of whether the ash is left
in place or excavated and removed
pursuant to Pennsylvania State law, the
NRC staff concludes that the doses for
all scenarios meet the NRC’s criteria for
unrestricted use. Therefore, no further
remedial action under NRC authority is
required. The staff’s dose assessment is
presented in greater detail in SECY–04–
0102, ‘‘The Results of the Staff’s
Evaluation of Potential Doses to the
Public from Materials at the KVWPCA
site in Leechburg, Pennsylvania’’.
Proposed Action
NRC proposes to take no further
regulatory action regarding the
KVWPCA site.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed
Action
The purpose of the proposed action is
to allow the KVWPCA site in Leechburg,
Pennsylvania, to be made available for
unrestricted use. This can be justified by
demonstrating that the site meets the
NRC criteria for unrestricted use.
Should the proposed action be
approved, under Pennsylvania’s Solid
E:\FR\FM\05JAN1.SGM
05JAN1
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 3 / Wednesday, January 5, 2005 / Notices
Waste Management Act, PADEP could
require that the ash in the lagoon be
removed and disposed of as solid waste.
the site. The NRC staff has found no
other activities in the area that could
result in cumulative impacts.
Alternative to the Proposed Action
Based on its dose assessment, the
NRC staff found the KVWPCA site to be
acceptable for release for unrestricted
use. The only alternative to the
proposed action would be to make no
determination regarding the need for
NRC action at the site. This would leave
the KVWPCA site subject to potential
unnecessary regulation by NRC. NRC
has determined that the site meets the
NRC’s criteria for unrestricted use and
that no further action by NRC is
necessary. The no action alternative is
not acceptable because KVWPCA does
not plan to conduct any activities that
would require NRC oversight.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The Affected Environment and
Environmental Impacts
The site is located in the central
portion of the Appalachian Plateau
physiographic province. The Allegheny
River and its tributaries such as the
Kiskimenetas River drain the majority of
the region. The KVWPCA site drains
into the Kiskimenetas River.
The ash lagoon occupies
approximately one acre of the 36-acre
KVWPCA site. The bottom of the lagoon
basin was excavated into the native silty
clay of the bench terrace of the
Kiskimenetas River. The lagoon is 2 to
3 meters deep. Land use within the
vicinity of the site consists of mediumsized rural residences, small farms, and
light industrial areas.
The NRC staff has reviewed the
Closure Plan for the KVWPCA site and
as discussed earlier, the NRC staff has
conducted a dose assessment using sitespecific data. Based on its review and
analyses, the staff has determined that
the affected environment and
environmental impacts associated with
the release for unrestricted use of the
KVWPCA site are bounded by the
impacts evaluated by the ‘‘Generic
Environmental Impact Statement in
Support of Rulemaking on Radiological
Criteria for License Termination of NRCLicensed Nuclear Facilities’’ (NUREG–
1496). The staff also finds that the
proposed release for unrestricted use of
the KVWPCA site is in compliance with
10 CFR 20.1402, ‘‘Radiological Criteria
for Unrestricted Use.’’ The proposed
action will result in no physical change
to the site. Therefore, NRC expects no
significant impact of a non-radiological
nature. However, by NRC taking no
action, PADEP will have the ability to
exercise its authority to require the
material to be removed from the site,
which will result in physical change to
VerDate jul<14>2003
17:49 Jan 04, 2005
Jkt 205001
This EA was prepared by the NRC
staff. The State Office of Historical
Preservation, the State Fish and Wildlife
Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service were not contacted because
release of the KVWPCA site for
unrestricted use would not affect
historical or cultural resources, nor
would it affect threatened or endangered
species. The NRC staff consulted with
PADEP on an ongoing basis. No other
sources were used beyond those
referenced in this EA.
Conclusions
The NRC staff concludes that the
proposed action meets the NRC’s
criteria for unrestricted use under the
License Termination Rule, 10 CFR part
20, subpart E. NRC has prepared this EA
in support of the proposal to take no
further action in regard to the KVWPCA
site. On the basis of the EA, NRC has
concluded that the environmental
impacts from the proposed action are
expected to be insignificant and has
determined that an environmental
impact statement for the proposed
action is not necessary.
List of Preparers
Kenneth Kalman, Project Manager,
Division of Waste Management and
Environmental Protection.
List of References
1. November 7, 2003 Letter from
Kenneth Kalman to Robert Kossack,
‘‘Nuclear Regulatory Commission Staff
Intent to Conduct Dose Assessment of
the Kiski Valley Water Pollution Control
Authority Site. (ADAMS
ML032880386).
2. Kenneth Kalman (2004) The Results
of the Staff’s Evaluation of Potential
Doses to the Public from Materials at the
Kiski Valley Water Pollution Control
Authority site in Leechburg,
Pennsylvania. (SECY–04–0102). U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office
of Nuclear Material Safety and
Safeguards, June 22, 2004. (ADAMS
ML041110312).
3. Chester Environmental (1994).
Closure Plan for Incinerator Ash
Lagoon, Kiski Valley Water Pollution
Control Authority, Westmoreland
County, Pennsylvania. Chester
Environmental. Pittsburgh, PA, July
1994. (ADAMS ML003693188).
4. Chester Engineers (1997) Ash
Lagoon Closure: Kiski Valley Water
Pollution Control Authority. Chester
PO 00000
Frm 00151
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
927
Engineers, Pittsburgh, PA. February
1998. (ADAMS ML003683061).
5. Generic Environmental Impact
Statement in Support of Rulemaking on
Radiological Criteria for License
Termination of NRC-Licensed Nuclear
Facilities (NUREG–1496). Volumes 1–3
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research,
July 1997. (ADAMS ML042310492,
ML042320379, and ML042330385).
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The staff has prepared an EA in
support of the proposed license
amendment to terminate the license and
release the site for unrestricted use. The
staff has found that the radiological
environmental impacts from the
proposed amendment are bounded by
the impacts evaluated by NUREG 1496,
Volumes 1–3, ‘‘Generic Environmental
Impact Statement in Support of
Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for
License termination of NRC-Licensed
Facilities’’ (ML042310492,
ML042320379, and ML042330385). The
staff has also found that the nonradiological impacts are not significant.
On the basis of the EA, NRC has
concluded that there are no significant
environmental impacts from the
proposed amendment and has
determined not to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
IV. Further Information
Documents related to this action, are
available electronically at the NRC’s
Electronic Reading Room at https://
www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.
From this site, you can access the NRC’s
Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System (ADAMS), which
provides text and image files of NRC’s
public documents. The ADAMS
accession numbers for the documents
related to this notice are cited in the list
of references, under EA Summary. If
you do not have access to ADAMS or if
there are problems in accessing the
documents located in ADAMS, contact
the NRC Public Document Room (PDR)
Reference staff at 1–800–397–4209, 301–
415–4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov.
These documents may also be viewed
electronically on the public computers
located at the NRC’s PDR, O–1–F21,
One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR
reproduction contractor will copy
documents for a fee.
Please note that on October 25, 2004,
the NRC suspended public access to
ADAMS, and initiated an additional
security review of publicly available
documents to ensure that potentially
sensitive information is removed from
the ADAMS database accessible through
E:\FR\FM\05JAN1.SGM
05JAN1
928
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 3 / Wednesday, January 5, 2005 / Notices
the NRC’s Web site. Interested members
of the public may obtain copies of the
referenced documents for review and/or
copying by contacting the Public
Document Room pending resumption of
public access to ADAMS.
Dated in Rockville, Maryland this 29th day
of December, 2004. For the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission.
Daniel Gillen,
Deputy Director, Decommissioning
Directorate Division of Waste Management
and Environmental Protection, Office of
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 05–151 Filed 1–4–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
OVERSEAS PRIVATE INVESTMENT
CORPORATION
A written summary of the hearing will
be compiled, and such summary will be
made available, upon written request to
OPIC’s Corporate Secretary, at the cost
of reproduction.
Contact Person for Information:
Information on the hearing may be
obtained from Connie M. Downs at (202)
336–8438, via facsimile at (202) 218–
0136, or via e-mail at cdown@opic.gov.
Dated: January 3, 2005.
Connie M. Downs,
OPIC Corporate Secretary.
[FR Doc. 05–256 Filed 1–3–05; 12:10 pm]
BILLING CODE 3210–01–M
OVERSEAS PRIVATE INVESTMENT
CORPORATION
January 19, 2005, Public Hearing
January 19, 2005, Annual Public
Hearing
Time and Date: 1 p.m., Wednesday,
January 19, 2005.
Place: Offices of the Corporation,
Twelfth Floor Board Room, 1100 New
York Avenue, NW., Washington, DC.
Status: Hearing Open to the public at
1 p.m.
Purpose: Public hearing in
conjunction with each meeting of
OPIC’s Board of Directors, to afford an
opportunity for any person to present
views regarding the activities of the
Corporation.
Procedures: Individuals wishing to
address the hearing orally must provide
advance notice to OPIC’s Corporate
Secretary no later than 5 p.m.,
Thursday, January 13, 2005. The notice
must include the individual’s name,
title, organization, address, and
telephone number, and a concise
summary of the subject matter to be
presented.
Oral presentations may not exceed ten
(10) minutes. The time for individual
presentations may be reduced
proportionately, if necessary, to afford
all participants who have submitted a
timely request to participate, an
opportunity to be heard.
Participants wishing to submit a
written statement for the record must
submit a copy of such statement to
OPIC’s Corporate Secretary no later than
5 p.m. Thursday, January 13, 2005. Such
statements must be typewritten, doublespaced, and may not exceed twenty-five
(25) pages.
Upon receipt of the required notice,
OPIC will prepare an agenda for the
hearing identifying speakers, setting
forth the subject on which each
participant will speak, and the time
allotted for each presentation. The
agenda will be available at the hearing.
Time and Date: 2 p.m., Wednesday,
January 19, 2005.
Place: Offices of the Corporation.
Twelfth Floor Board Room, 1100 New
York Avenue, NW., Washington, DC.
Status: Hearing open to the public at
2 p.m.
Purpose: Annual public hearing to
afford an opportunity for any person to
present views regarding the activities of
the Corporation.
Procedures: Individuals wishing to
address the hearing orally must provide
advance notice to OPIC’s Corporate
Secretary no later than 5 p.m.,
Thursday, January 13, 2005. The notice
must include the individual’s name,
organization, address, and telephone
number, and a concise summary of the
subject matter to be presented.
Oral presentations may not exceed ten
(10) minutes. The time for individual
presentations may be reduced
proportionately, if necessary, to afford
all participants who have submitted a
timely request to participate, an
opportunity to be heard.
Participants wishing to submit a
written statement for the record must
submit a copy of such statement to
OPIC’s Corporate Secretary no later than
5 p.m., Thursday, January 13, 2005.
Such statements must be typewritten,
double-spaced and may not exceed
twenty-five (25) pages.
Upon receipt of the required notice,
OPIC will prepare an agenda for the
hearing identifying speakers, setting
forth the subject on which each
participant will speak, and the time
allotted for each presentation. The
agenda will be available at the hearing.
A written summary of the hearing will
be compiled, and such summary will be
made available, upon written request to
VerDate jul<14>2003
17:49 Jan 04, 2005
Jkt 205001
PO 00000
Frm 00152
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
OPIC’s Corporate Secretary, at the cost
of reproduction.
Contact Person for Information:
Information on the hearing may be
obtained from Connie M. Downs at (202)
336–8438, via facsimile at (202) 218–
0136, or via e-mail at cdown@opic.gov.
Supplementary Information: OPIC is a
U.S. Government agency which
provides, on a commercial basis,
political risk insurance and financing in
friendly developing countries and
emerging democracies for
environmentally sound projects which
confer positive developmental benefits
upon the project country while creating
employment in the U.S. OPIC is
required by section 231A(c) of the
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as
amended (‘‘The Act’’) to hold at least
one public hearing each year.
Dated: January 3, 2005.
Connie M. Downs,
OPIC Corporate Secretary.
[FR Doc. 05–257 Filed 1–3–05; 12:10 pm]
BILLING CODE 3210–01–M
POSTAL SERVICE
Board of Governors; Sunshine Act
Meeting
Tuesday, January 11,
2005; 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.
PLACE: Washington, DC, at U.S. Postal
Service Headquarters, 475 L’Enfant
Plaza, SW., in the Benjamin Franklin
Room.
STATUS: January 11—8:30 a.m. (Open);
9:30 a.m. (Closed).
MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED:
DATE AND TIMES:
Tuesday, January 11—8:30 a.m. (Open)
1. Minutes of the Previous Meeting,
December 7, 2004.
2. Remarks of the Postmaster General
and CEO.
3. Committee Reports.
4. Consideration of Board Resolution
on Capital Funding.
5. Annual Report on Government in
the Sunshine Act Compliance.
6. Fiscal Year 2004 Comprehensive
Statement on Postal Operations,
including the Preliminary Fiscal Year
2006 Annual Performance Plan—GPRA.
7. Capital Investment.
a. Southern Maine Processing and
Distribution Center.
8. Election of Chairman and Vice
Chairman of the Board of Governors
9. Tentative Agenda for the February
16–17, 2005, meeting in Sarasota,
Florida.
Tuesday, January 11—9:30 a.m. (Closed)
1. Financial Update.
E:\FR\FM\05JAN1.SGM
05JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 5, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 925-928]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-151]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of
No Significant Impact for the Kiski Valley Water Pollution Control
Authority (KVWPCA) Site in Leechburg, PA
AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth Kalman, Project Manager,
Decommissioning Directorate, Division of Waste Management and
Environmental Protection, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and
Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 11555 Rockville Pike,
Rockville, MD 20852. Telephone: (301) 415-6664; fax number: (301) 415-
5397; e-mail: KLK@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has decided to take no
further action on the Kiski Valley Water Pollution Control Authority
(KVWPCA) site in Leechburg, Pennsylvania. In accordance with the
requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR)
part 51, the NRC published a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) in
support of this action in the Federal Register (69 FR 56102) requesting
comments on the proposed action and Draft EA. The NRC did not receive
any comments. Based on the EA, the NRC has concluded that a Finding of
No Significant Impact is appropriate.
II. Environmental Assessment
In 1994, KVWPCA made plans to remove the ash from the lagoon at the
[[Page 926]]
KVWPCA site. Over the course of site closure, the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Resources notified NRC that elevated
uranium concentrations had been found in an ash sample from the KVWPCA
site. Subsequent analyses revealed that subsurface uranium
contamination was present at concentrations of up to 34 becquerels per
gram (Bq/g) [923 picocuries per gram(pCi/g)] total uranium, and that
the material was enriched to approximately 4% uranium-235. Further
characterization revealed that the volume of the contaminated ash is
approximately 9,000 cubic meters (320,000 cubic feet) and that the
total uranium inventory is approximately 32-41 gigabecquerels (0.85-1.1
Ci), resulting in an average total uranium concentration of
approximately 3.0 Bq/g (80 pCi/g). The contaminated ash is highly
heterogeneous and the highest levels of contamination are found over a
relatively small area, at a depth of 2 to 3 meters (m) [7 to 10 feet
(ft)]. Radionuclides other than uranium are also present, but at much
lower concentrations.
The contamination is believed to have resulted from the
reconcentration of uranium-contaminated effluents released from the
sanitary sewers and laundry drains of the Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) Apollo
facility. During its operation, the B&W Apollo facility conducted fuel
manufacturing and fabrication. Upon successful completion of its
decommissioning activities, the NRC terminated the B&W Apollo site's
license on April 14, 1997. There is no evidence suggesting that the
discharges from the B&W Apollo facility exceeded permissible levels in
effect during operation.
Since 1994, NRC, KVWPCA, and the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection (PADEP) have engaged in numerous interactions
on the decommissioning of the KVWPCA site. By letter dated November 7,
2003, NRC staff informed KVWPCA that it would conduct a dose assessment
to determine what actions should be taken at the KVWPCA site. The NRC
letter dated November 7, 2003, also noted that PADEP has taken the
position that under Pennsylvania's Solid Waste Management Act, the ash
in the lagoon should be removed and properly disposed of per the
Commonwealth's jurisdiction over the material as solid waste.
Therefore, the NRC staff's dose assessment included scenarios for
leaving the ash on site as well as scenarios for removing the ash.
NRC staff conducted dose assessments for a range of potential
scenarios. These scenarios include a removal scenario, in which the
contaminated ash is excavated and removed to an offsite disposal
facility, and an onsite no-action scenario, in which the lagoon is
abandoned in place with no remedial actions performed. The onsite
scenarios included a reasonably foreseeable future land use case and a
pair of less likely cases used as assessment tools to bound the
uncertainty associated with future land use. In all of the scenarios,
doses from the groundwater pathway are expected to be significantly
limited by the relatively non-leachable form of uranium in the ash as
determined by leaching tests.
It is likely that the contaminated ash will be removed from the
lagoon, and that the site will continue to be used as a waste water
treatment plant. Thus, the critical group in the removal scenario is
the workers who excavate the contaminated ash and are exposed through
inhalation of resuspended fine contaminated ash particles and direct
irradiation. In addition, to address the possibility that the ash may
be removed to a RCRA-permitted landfill, potential impacts of more
aggressive leachate chemistry (low or high pH conditions) on uranium
mobility were considered and the range of doses to a hypothetical
individual residing near the landfill was qualitatively evaluated.
The dose to workers who excavate and remove the ash is expected to
be approximately 0.15 mSv (15 mrem). As any removal operation would
take considerably less than one year, this constitutes the total annual
dose in the year of removal. Doses to ash removal workers are dominated
by the inhalation of uranium-234 and uranium-238 along with a small
additional dose from external exposure. Doses to the ash removal
workers are limited by the relatively low average concentration of
these isotopes, the limited exposure time during excavation of the ash,
and the limited respirability of the ash particles.
Three cases of the onsite no-action scenario, in which the ash is
assumed to be left in place without any remedial action, were also
evaluated. These include a recreational use case, in which the property
is converted into a riverside park; an agricultural use case; and an
intrusion case, in which it is assumed that a volume of ash is
excavated for the construction of a basement and the excavated ash is
spread on the land surface. These cases, while less likely, were
evaluated because they are useful assessment tools. As they comprise a
range of future land use and include all exposure pathways, they can be
used to bound other scenarios and, therefore, provide an evaluation of
the uncertainty associated with future land use.
In the event that the contaminated ash remains onsite with no
remedial action taken, the assumption of a recreational exposure case
results in a annual dose of approximately 0.01 mSv (1 mrem) over the
next few centuries, eventually rising to approximately 0.02 mSv (2
mrem) at 1000 years. This result is approximately an order of magnitude
lower than either the agricultural case or the intrusion case because
no crop intake is assumed in the recreational case.
The results of analysis of the agricultural case indicate that the
peak annual dose within the 1000-year compliance period is predicted to
be less than 0.2 mSv (20 mrem) and to occur at 1000 years after the
present time. Results of the analysis of the intrusion case indicate
that the peak mean annual dose within the 1000-year compliance period
is also expected to be less than 0.2 mSv (20 mrem) and to occur at 1000
years after the present time.
In the agricultural and intrusion cases, it was assumed that a
person would install a well or cultivated field at a random location
within the 4000 m2 (1 acre) site. In the unrealistic case
that a farmer were to occupy the site and place a home in the most
contaminated 200 m2 (0.05 acre) area on the site, the peak
annual dose would be expected to be well below the public dose limit
and thus this scenario is not given further consideration in the
staff's evaluation.
Regardless of whether the ash is left in place or excavated and
removed pursuant to Pennsylvania State law, the NRC staff concludes
that the doses for all scenarios meet the NRC's criteria for
unrestricted use. Therefore, no further remedial action under NRC
authority is required. The staff's dose assessment is presented in
greater detail in SECY-04-0102, ``The Results of the Staff's Evaluation
of Potential Doses to the Public from Materials at the KVWPCA site in
Leechburg, Pennsylvania''.
Proposed Action
NRC proposes to take no further regulatory action regarding the
KVWPCA site.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action
The purpose of the proposed action is to allow the KVWPCA site in
Leechburg, Pennsylvania, to be made available for unrestricted use.
This can be justified by demonstrating that the site meets the NRC
criteria for unrestricted use. Should the proposed action be approved,
under Pennsylvania's Solid
[[Page 927]]
Waste Management Act, PADEP could require that the ash in the lagoon be
removed and disposed of as solid waste.
Alternative to the Proposed Action
Based on its dose assessment, the NRC staff found the KVWPCA site
to be acceptable for release for unrestricted use. The only alternative
to the proposed action would be to make no determination regarding the
need for NRC action at the site. This would leave the KVWPCA site
subject to potential unnecessary regulation by NRC. NRC has determined
that the site meets the NRC's criteria for unrestricted use and that no
further action by NRC is necessary. The no action alternative is not
acceptable because KVWPCA does not plan to conduct any activities that
would require NRC oversight.
The Affected Environment and Environmental Impacts
The site is located in the central portion of the Appalachian
Plateau physiographic province. The Allegheny River and its tributaries
such as the Kiskimenetas River drain the majority of the region. The
KVWPCA site drains into the Kiskimenetas River.
The ash lagoon occupies approximately one acre of the 36-acre
KVWPCA site. The bottom of the lagoon basin was excavated into the
native silty clay of the bench terrace of the Kiskimenetas River. The
lagoon is 2 to 3 meters deep. Land use within the vicinity of the site
consists of medium-sized rural residences, small farms, and light
industrial areas.
The NRC staff has reviewed the Closure Plan for the KVWPCA site and
as discussed earlier, the NRC staff has conducted a dose assessment
using site-specific data. Based on its review and analyses, the staff
has determined that the affected environment and environmental impacts
associated with the release for unrestricted use of the KVWPCA site are
bounded by the impacts evaluated by the ``Generic Environmental Impact
Statement in Support of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License
Termination of NRC-Licensed Nuclear Facilities'' (NUREG-1496). The
staff also finds that the proposed release for unrestricted use of the
KVWPCA site is in compliance with 10 CFR 20.1402, ``Radiological
Criteria for Unrestricted Use.'' The proposed action will result in no
physical change to the site. Therefore, NRC expects no significant
impact of a non-radiological nature. However, by NRC taking no action,
PADEP will have the ability to exercise its authority to require the
material to be removed from the site, which will result in physical
change to the site. The NRC staff has found no other activities in the
area that could result in cumulative impacts.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
This EA was prepared by the NRC staff. The State Office of
Historical Preservation, the State Fish and Wildlife Service, and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were not contacted because release of
the KVWPCA site for unrestricted use would not affect historical or
cultural resources, nor would it affect threatened or endangered
species. The NRC staff consulted with PADEP on an ongoing basis. No
other sources were used beyond those referenced in this EA.
Conclusions
The NRC staff concludes that the proposed action meets the NRC's
criteria for unrestricted use under the License Termination Rule, 10
CFR part 20, subpart E. NRC has prepared this EA in support of the
proposal to take no further action in regard to the KVWPCA site. On the
basis of the EA, NRC has concluded that the environmental impacts from
the proposed action are expected to be insignificant and has determined
that an environmental impact statement for the proposed action is not
necessary.
List of Preparers
Kenneth Kalman, Project Manager, Division of Waste Management and
Environmental Protection.
List of References
1. November 7, 2003 Letter from Kenneth Kalman to Robert Kossack,
``Nuclear Regulatory Commission Staff Intent to Conduct Dose Assessment
of the Kiski Valley Water Pollution Control Authority Site. (ADAMS
ML032880386).
2. Kenneth Kalman (2004) The Results of the Staff's Evaluation of
Potential Doses to the Public from Materials at the Kiski Valley Water
Pollution Control Authority site in Leechburg, Pennsylvania. (SECY-04-
0102). U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards, June 22, 2004. (ADAMS ML041110312).
3. Chester Environmental (1994). Closure Plan for Incinerator Ash
Lagoon, Kiski Valley Water Pollution Control Authority, Westmoreland
County, Pennsylvania. Chester Environmental. Pittsburgh, PA, July 1994.
(ADAMS ML003693188).
4. Chester Engineers (1997) Ash Lagoon Closure: Kiski Valley Water
Pollution Control Authority. Chester Engineers, Pittsburgh, PA.
February 1998. (ADAMS ML003683061).
5. Generic Environmental Impact Statement in Support of Rulemaking
on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of NRC-Licensed
Nuclear Facilities (NUREG-1496). Volumes 1-3 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, July 1997. (ADAMS
ML042310492, ML042320379, and ML042330385).
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The staff has prepared an EA in support of the proposed license
amendment to terminate the license and release the site for
unrestricted use. The staff has found that the radiological
environmental impacts from the proposed amendment are bounded by the
impacts evaluated by NUREG 1496, Volumes 1-3, ``Generic Environmental
Impact Statement in Support of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for
License termination of NRC-Licensed Facilities'' (ML042310492,
ML042320379, and ML042330385). The staff has also found that the non-
radiological impacts are not significant. On the basis of the EA, NRC
has concluded that there are no significant environmental impacts from
the proposed amendment and has determined not to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
IV. Further Information
Documents related to this action, are available electronically at
the NRC's Electronic Reading Room at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
adams.html. From this site, you can access the NRC's Agencywide
Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and
image files of NRC's public documents. The ADAMS accession numbers for
the documents related to this notice are cited in the list of
references, under EA Summary. If you do not have access to ADAMS or if
there are problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact
the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209,
301-415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov.
These documents may also be viewed electronically on the public
computers located at the NRC's PDR, O-1-F21, One White Flint North,
11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR reproduction
contractor will copy documents for a fee.
Please note that on October 25, 2004, the NRC suspended public
access to ADAMS, and initiated an additional security review of
publicly available documents to ensure that potentially sensitive
information is removed from the ADAMS database accessible through
[[Page 928]]
the NRC's Web site. Interested members of the public may obtain copies
of the referenced documents for review and/or copying by contacting the
Public Document Room pending resumption of public access to ADAMS.
Dated in Rockville, Maryland this 29th day of December, 2004.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Daniel Gillen,
Deputy Director, Decommissioning Directorate Division of Waste
Management and Environmental Protection, Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 05-151 Filed 1-4-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
