Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for License Amendment to Byproduct Materials License No. 37-17860-02, to Incorporate Revision Four of the Decommissioning Plan for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Radiation Protection's Quehanna Facility in Karthaus, PA, 59839-59842 [E6-16738]
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 196 / Wednesday, October 11, 2006 / Notices
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Wednesday, November 1
Assistant Director’s Report.
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Possible items for Spring 2007 Meeting.
Reports on current efforts of Working Group
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Susanne Bolton,
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[FR Doc. 06–8577 Filed 10–10–06; 8:45 am]
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Agenda
Monday, November 13, 2006
7:45 a.m.–8:45 a.m.
Closed—Executive session.
8:45 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Open—Review of the Materials Research
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[DOCKET NO. 030–29288]
Notice of Availability of Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for License
Amendment to Byproduct Materials
License No. 37–17860–02, to
Incorporate Revision Four of the
Decommissioning Plan for the
Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection, Bureau of
Radiation Protection’s Quehanna
Facility in Karthaus, PA
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Issuance of Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for License
Amendment.
AGENCY:
BILLING CODE 7555–01–M
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
In accordance with the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–
463 as amended), the National Science
Foundation announces the following
meeting:
59839
Dated: October 6, 2006.
Vicky D’Onofrio,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 06–8644 Filed 10–6–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7533–01–M
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
James Kottan, Senior Health Physicist,
Decommissioning Branch, Division of
Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I, 475
Allendale Road, King of Prussia, PA
19406; telephone (610) 337–5214; fax
number (610) 337–5269; or by e-mail:
jjk@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is considering the
issuance of a license amendment to
Byproduct Materials License No. 37–
17860–02. This license is held by the
Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection, Bureau of
Radiation Protection (PADEP, BRP) (the
Licensee), for its Quehanna Facility (the
Facility), located in Karthaus,
Pennsylvania. Issuance of the
amendment would incorporate revision
four of the Decommissioning Plan (DP)
into the license to allow completion of
decommissioning activities at the site
and eventual unrestricted release of the
Facility.
The Quehanna Facility is located near
Karthaus, Clearfield County,
Pennsylvania, in the Quehanna Wild
Area of the Moshannon State Forest.
The site is approximately seven acres in
size, and the area is heavily wooded and
sparsely populated. The land in the
vicinity of the Facility is used for
recreational activities, including hiking,
camping, and hunting. The site contains
one large building, several smaller
buildings, asphalt parking lots and
driveways, a septic system leach field
used for sanitary sewer waste, and an
approximately one acre pond. The main
building was constructed to house a
pool reactor and associated laboratories,
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59840
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 196 / Wednesday, October 11, 2006 / Notices
hot cells, and offices. Auxiliary
buildings included the waste water
treatment building with associated
underground tanks and piping and the
water storage building.
The Facility was constructed in 1957
after the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania enacted legislation for the
location of a research facility at the
Quehanna site. The Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania anticipated that the
project would be a contributor to the
economy in the area. The facility was to
be operated by Curtiss-Wright
Corporation. Plans for the facility
included development of nuclear jet
engines, and research in nucleonics,
metallurgy, and other areas. In 1958, the
AEC issued a license to the CurtissWright Corporation to operate a pool
reactor at the facility. The license also
included use of the hot cells and
laboratories.
In September 1960, Curtiss-Wright
Corporation donated the Facility to the
Pennsylvania State University (PSU).
PSU planned to use the reactor for
training and research and leased the hot
cells to Martin-Marietta Corporation.
Beginning in 1962 Martin-Marietta
Corporation used the hot cells to
manufacture thermoelectric generators,
known as SNAP generators. The SNAP
generators contained Sr-90, with as
much as 80,000 Curies per generator. In
1967, Martin-Marietta Corporation
terminated its lease for use of the hot
cells after performing a partial
decontamination. However, licensable
quantities of Sr-90 contamination
remained in the hot cells and associated
facilities. Martin-Marietta Corporation
was the last user of Sr-90 at the facility.
Also in 1967, PSU returned the site
back to the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth then
leased the site to NUMEC, a subsidiary
of the Atlantic-Richfield Corporation.
NUMEC used the reactor pool, after
removal and shipment of the reactor
components and nuclear fuel, as a
storage pool for a large (approximately
one million Curies) Co-60 irradiator.
The irradiator was used for various
projects, including food irradiation,
sterilization, and irradiation of polymerimpregnated hardwood.
In 1978, a group of Atlantic-Richfield
Corporation employees purchased the
wood irradiation process, including the
Co-60 pool irradiator. The new company
was named Permagrain Products
Corporation (Permagrain), and this
company was issued NRC Byproduct
Materials License No. 37–17860–01.
Permagrain also assumed responsibility
for the radioactive material left on site
by the previous tenants. In 1998 NRC
Byproduct Materials License No. 37–
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17860–02 was issued to Permagrain for
the radioactive material remaining on
site from past operations. In December
2002, Permagrain initiated bankruptcy
proceedings, and NRC Byproduct
Materials License No. 37–17860–02 was
transferred to PADEP, BRP. In 2003, the
Co-60 in the irradiator was removed
from the pool and shipped to a licensed
disposal site, and in 2004 Permagrain’s
NRC Byproduct Materials License No.
37–17860–01 was terminated.
No information is available regarding
decontamination of the site by previous
tenants, Martin-Marietta Corporation,
and Atlantic-Richfield Corporation. In
the early 1990s, the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania contracted with Canberra,
Inc. to perform a site characterization.
The characterization determined that
the radioactive contaminants of concern
were Co-60 and Sr-90. In 1998, a DP for
the site was submitted to the NRC, and
decommissioning of the site began. A
revision to the DP was submitted to the
NRC in 2003, and decommissioning of
the site continued under this revision to
the DP. In February 2005 a Final Status
Survey Report (FSSR) was submitted to
the NRC for review. The FSSR indicated
that the site met the release criteria
specified in the NRC approved DP.
A subsequent confirmatory survey by
the NRC in May 2005 indicated that the
site did not meet the release criteria
specified in the NRC approved DP. An
investigation by the licensee determined
that the site failed to meet the release
criteria, because Sr-90 had leached to
the surface of the concrete resulting in
contamination levels in excess of the
release limits. This finding indicated
that concrete thought to contain only
surface contamination was
volumetrically contaminated. Therefore,
the previous criteria for release of the
site for unrestricted use, which were
based on surface contamination only,
were no longer applicable.
In a letter dated March 9, 2006, the
Licensee submitted revision four of the
DP which included dose based criteria
for unrestricted release of the site in
accordance with 10 CFR 20, Subpart E,
taking into account the volumetrically
contaminated concrete. The Licensee’s
March 9, 2006 license amendment
request was noticed in the Federal
Register on May 22, 2006 (71 FR 29357).
This Federal Register notice also
provided an opportunity for a hearing
on this licensing action. No hearing
requests were received. The NRC has
prepared an Environmental Assessment
(EA) in support of this proposed action
in accordance with the requirements of
Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR), Part 51 (10 CFR Part 51). Based
on the EA, the NRC has concluded that
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a Finding of No Significant Impact
(FONSI) is appropriate with respect to
the proposed action. The amendment
will be issued to the Licensee following
the publication of this FONSI and EA in
the Federal Register.
II. Environmental Assessment
Identification of Proposed Action
The proposed action would approve
the Licensee’s March 9, 2006 license
amendment request to incorporate
revision four of the DP into the license
resulting in final decommissioning of
the Facility and subsequent release of
the Facility and surrounding site for
unrestricted use. In addition to granting
the licensee’s license amendment
request, the proposed action would also
grant, pursuant to 10 CFR 30.11(a), an
exemption to the Onyx Greentree
Landfill, LLC (located in Kersey,
Pennsylvania) from 10 CFR Part 30
licensing requirements. This disposal
facility will receive the lowcontaminated above-grade demolition
material generated during the Facility
and site remediation activities. 10 CFR
30.11(a) provides that the Commission
may, upon application by an interested
person, ‘‘or upon its own initiative,
grant such exemptions’’ from the 10
CFR Part 30 requirements ‘‘as it
determines are authorized by law and
will not endanger life or property or the
common defense and security and are
otherwise in the public interest.’’ Under
the exemption granted to the Onyx
Greentree Landfill, any lowcontaminated demolition material from
the Facility and site would, upon its
receipt at the Onyx Greentree Landfill,
no longer be subject to NRC regulation
and would no longer be NRC licensed
material.
Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action is to approve
revision four of the DP so that the
Licensee may complete Facility
decommissioning activities. Completion
of decommissioning activities will
reduce residual radioactivity at the
Quehanna site and Facility. NRC
regulations require licensees to begin
timely decommissioning of their sites,
or any separate buildings that contain
residual radioactivity, upon cessation of
licensed operational activities, in
accordance with 10 CFR 30.36(d).
Additionally, due to the fact that the site
is located in the Quehanna Wild Area of
the Moshannon State Forest, the
Licensee plans to eventually restore and
return the land to beneficial unrestricted
use. The proposed licensing action will
support such an ultimate goal. NRC is
fulfilling its responsibilities under the
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Atomic Energy Act and the National
Environmental Policy Act to make a
decision on a proposed license
amendment for decommissioning that
ensures protection of the public health
and safety and the environment.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed
Action
The affected environment was
described in the Introduction section of
this EA. The NRC staff has reviewed the
license amendment request for the
PADEP, BRP Quehanna site in Karthaus,
Pennsylvania and examined the impacts
of this license amendment request.
Potential impacts include water
resource impact (e.g., water may be used
for dust control) , air quality impacts
from dust emissions, temporary local
traffic impacts resulting from
transporting demolition debris to a
landfill, beneficial local economic
effects due to the creation of jobs to
perform the decommissioning, human
health impacts, noise impacts from
equipment operation, scenic quality
impacts, and waste management
impacts. The resultant dose arising from
granting the related exemption would be
less than one mrem per year.
Based on its review, the staff has
determined that no surface water or
ground water impacts are expected from
the dismantlement, deconstruction, and
decontamination activities.
Additionally, the staff has determined
that significant air quality, noise, land
use, and off-site radiation exposure
impacts are also not expected. No
significant air quality impacts are
anticipated because of the
contamination controls that will be
implemented by PADEP, BRP during
dismantlement and deconstruction. In
addition, the environmental impacts
associated with dismantlement and
deconstruction and the decontamination
activities are bounded by impacts
evaluated by NUREG–0586, ‘‘Final
Generic Environmental Impact
Statement on the Decommissioning of
Nuclear Facilities,’’ (GEIS). Generic
impacts for this type of dismantlement
and deconstruction and
decontamination process were
previously evaluated and described in
the GEIS, which concludes that the
environmental consequences are small.
The risk to human health from the
transportation of all radioactive material
in the U.S. was evaluated in NUREG–
0170, ‘‘Final Environmental Statement
on the Transportation of Radioactive
Materials by Air and Other Modes.’’ The
principal radiological environmental
impact during normal transportation is
direct radiation exposure to nearby
persons from radioactive material in the
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16:53 Oct 10, 2006
Jkt 211001
package. The average annual individual
dose from all radioactive material
transportation in the U.S. was
calculated to be approximately 0.5
mrem, well below the 10 CFR 20.1301
limit of 100 mrem for a member of the
public. Additionally, PADEP, BRP
estimates that approximately 2,800
cubic yards of low-contaminated
demolition material waste will leave the
site over the course of the
decommissioning project for disposal at
Onyx Greentree Landfill (a non-NRC
licensed landfill). The trucks will travel
on local roads then on Commonwealth
highways to their intended destinations.
This proposed action will not
significantly increase the probability or
consequences of accidents, no changes
are being made in the types of any
effluents that may be released off site,
and there is no significant increase in
occupational or public radiation
exposure. Thus, waste management and
transportation impacts from the
building dismantlement and
deconstruction will not be significant.
Occupational health was also
considered in the ‘‘Final Environmental
Impact Statement on the Transportation
of Radioactive Material by Air and
Other Modes.’’ The Department of
Transportation (DOT) regulations in 49
CFR 177.842(g) require that the
radiation dose may not exceed 0.02 mSv
(2 mrem) per hour in any position
normally occupied by an individual in
a motor vehicle. Shipment of these
materials would not affect the
assessment of environmental impacts or
the conclusions in the ‘‘Final
Environmental Impact Statement on the
Transportation of Radioactive Material
by Air and Other Modes.’’
The Staff also finds that the proposed
license amendment will meet the
radiological criteria for unrestricted
release as specified in 10 CFR 20.1402.
The Licensee demonstrated this through
the development of derived
concentration guideline limits (DCGLs)
for its Facility. The Licensee conducted
site specific dose modeling using
parameters specific to the Facility that
adequately bounded the potential dose.
This included dose modeling for three
scenarios: building surfaces, remaining
concrete, and soil. The building surface
scenario was based on the disposal of
the above-grade structure demolition
debris in an industrial landfill, and the
concrete and soil dose modeling were
based on a hunting camp scenario.
PADEP, BRP will maintain an
appropriate level of radiation protection
staff, procedures, and capabilities, and,
through its Radiation Safety Officer, will
implement an acceptable program to
keep exposure to radioactive materials
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59841
as low as reasonably achievable
(ALARA). Work activities are not
anticipated to result in radiation
exposures to the public in excess of 10
percent of the 10 CFR 20.1301 limits.
The NRC also evaluated whether
cumulative environmental impacts
could result from an incremental impact
of the proposed action when added to
other past, present, or reasonably
foreseeable future actions in the area.
The proposed NRC approval of the
license amendment request, when
combined with known effects on
resource areas at the site, including
further site remediation, are not
anticipated to result in any cumulative
impacts at the site.
Environmental Impacts of the
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
The only alternative to the proposed
action of decommissioning the Facility
is no action. The no action alternative
is not acceptable because it conflicts
with 10 CFR 30.36(d) which requires
that decommissioning of byproduct
material facilities be completed and
approved by the NRC after licensed
activities cease. The no action
alternative would keep radioactive
material on site without disposal.
Maintaining the buildings on site would
provide negligible, if any,
environmental benefit, but would
greatly reduce options for future use of
the site, including restoring the site to
its wild state.
Conclusion
The NRC staff has concluded that the
proposed action is consistent with NRC
guidance and regulations. Because the
proposed action will not significantly
impact the quality of the human
environment, the NRC staff concludes
that the proposed action is the preferred
alternative.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC staff prepared this EA with
input from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service in its letter dated August 22,
2006. The Fish and Wildlife Service
indicated, in its letter, that on the basis
of current information, no current
Federally identified or proposed
threatened or endangered species under
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
jurisdiction are known to occur in the
site project area. Additionally, NRC had
contacted the Pennsylvania Historical
and Museum Commission, Bureau for
Historical Preservation, in June 2003
regarding preparation of an EA for a
previous licensing action for this
Facility. At that time the Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commission,
Bureau for Historical Preservation stated
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 196 / Wednesday, October 11, 2006 / Notices
that ‘‘there are no National Register
eligible or listed historical or
archaeological properties in the area of
the proposed project and your
responsibility for consultation with the
State Historic Preservation Office for
this project, under Section 106, is
complete.’’ Therefore, no further
consultation is required under Section
106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act for this EA.
NRC provided a draft of this EA to
PADEP, BRP for review. On July 27,
2006, PADEP, BRP responded by e-mail.
PADEP, BRP agreed with the
conclusions of the EA, and otherwise
had no substantive comments.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC staff has prepared this EA in
support 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.
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IV. Further Information
Documents related to this action,
including the application for license
amendment and supporting
documentation, 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
Document Access and Management
System (ADAMS), which provides text
and image files of NRC’s public
documents. The documents related to
this action are listed below, along with
their ADAMS accession numbers.
1. Amendment request with revision
four of the DP (ML060790152);
2. The Licensee’s March 9, 2006,
license amendment request was noticed
in the Federal Register on May 22, 2006
(71 FR 29357). This Federal Register
notice also provided an opportunity for
a hearing on this licensing action;
3. NUREG–0170, ‘‘Final
Environmental Impact Statement on the
Transportation of Radioactive Material
by Air and Other Modes;’’
4. NUREG–0586, ‘‘Final Generic
Environmental Impact Statement on the
Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities;’’
5. NUREG–1748, ‘‘Environmental
Review Guidance for Licensing Actions
Associated with NMSS Programs;’’
6. NUREG–1757, ‘‘Consolidated
NMSS Decommissioning Guidance;’’
7. Title 10 Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 20, Subpart E,
‘‘Radiological Criteria for License
Termination;’’
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16:53 Oct 10, 2006
Jkt 211001
8. Title 10, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 51, ‘‘Environmental
Protection Regulations for Domestic
Licensing and Related Regulatory
Functions;’’
9. NUREG–1496, ‘‘Generic
Environmental Impact Statement in
Support of Rulemaking on Radiological
Criteria for License Termination of NRCLicensed Nuclear Facilities’’
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.
Dated at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania this
29th day of September 2006.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
James Kottan,
Acting Chief, Decommissioning Branch,
Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region
I.
[FR Doc. E6–16738 Filed 10–10–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
Sunshine Act Federal Register Notice
AGENCY HOLDING THE MEETINGS: Nuclear
Regulatory Commission.
DATE: Weeks of October 9, 16, 23, 30,
November 6, 13, 2006.
PLACE: Commissioner’ Conference
Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
Maryland.
STATUS: Public and Closed.
MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED:
Week of October 9, 2006
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
12:55 p.m.
Affirmation Sessions (Public Meeting)
(Tentative), a. Entergy Nuclear
Vermont Yankee, LLC and Entergy
Nuclear Operations, Inc., (Pilgrim
Nuclear Power Station and Vermont
Yankee Nuclear Power Station),
Massachusetts Attorney General’s
Petition for Backfit Order
(Tentative).
Licenses (COLS) (morning session).
1:30 p.m.
Briefing on Status of New Reactor
Issues—Combined Operating
Licenses (COLS) (afternoon
session). (Public Meetings) (Contact:
Dave Matthews, 301–415–1199).
These meetings will be Webcast live
at the Web address—https://
www.nrc.gov.
Friday, October 20, 2006
2:30 p.m.
Meeting with Advisory Committee on
Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) (Public
Meeting) (Contact: John Larkins,
301–415–7360).
This meeting will be Webcast live at
the Web address—https://www.nrc.gov.
Week of October 23, 2006—Tentative
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
9:30 a.m.
Briefing on Transshipment and
Domestic Shipment Security of
Radioactive Material Quantities of
Concern (RAMQC) (Closed—Ex. 3)
(morning session).
1:30 p.m.
Briefing on transshipment and
Domestic Shipment Security of
Radioactive Material Quantities of
Concern (RAMQC) (Closed—Ex. 3 &
9) (afternoon session).
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
9:30 a.m.
Briefing on Institutionalization and
Integration of Agency Lessons
Learned (Public Meeting) (Contact:
John Lamb, 301–415–1727).
This meeting will be Webcast live at
the Web address—https://www.nrc.gov.
1:30 p.m.
Briefing on Resolution of GSI–191,
Assessment of Debris Accumulation
on PWR Sump Performance (Public
Meeting) (Contact: Michael L. Scott,
301–415–0565).
This meeting will be Webcast live at
the Web address—https://www.nrc.gov.
Week of October 30, 2006—Tentative
There are no meetings scheduled for
the week of October 30, 2006.
Week of November 6, 2006—Tentative
Monday, October 16, 2006
9:30 a.m.
Briefing on Status of New Reactor
Issues—Combined Operating
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
9:30 a.m.
Briefing on Digital Instrumentation
and Control (Public Meeting)
(Contact: Paul Rebstock, 301–415–
3295).
This meeting will be Webcast live at
the Web address—https://www.nrc.gov.
Thursday, November 9, 2006
9:30 a.m.
Week of October 16, 2006—Tentative
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 11, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59839-59842]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-16738]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[DOCKET NO. 030-29288]
Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of
No Significant Impact for License Amendment to Byproduct Materials
License No. 37-17860-02, to Incorporate Revision Four of the
Decommissioning Plan for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection, Bureau of Radiation Protection's Quehanna Facility in
Karthaus, PA
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Issuance of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for License Amendment.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Kottan, Senior Health Physicist,
Decommissioning Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I,
475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, PA 19406; telephone (610) 337-
5214; fax number (610) 337-5269; or by e-mail: jjk@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the
issuance of a license amendment to Byproduct Materials License No. 37-
17860-02. This license is held by the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection, Bureau of Radiation Protection (PADEP, BRP)
(the Licensee), for its Quehanna Facility (the Facility), located in
Karthaus, Pennsylvania. Issuance of the amendment would incorporate
revision four of the Decommissioning Plan (DP) into the license to
allow completion of decommissioning activities at the site and eventual
unrestricted release of the Facility.
The Quehanna Facility is located near Karthaus, Clearfield County,
Pennsylvania, in the Quehanna Wild Area of the Moshannon State Forest.
The site is approximately seven acres in size, and the area is heavily
wooded and sparsely populated. The land in the vicinity of the Facility
is used for recreational activities, including hiking, camping, and
hunting. The site contains one large building, several smaller
buildings, asphalt parking lots and driveways, a septic system leach
field used for sanitary sewer waste, and an approximately one acre
pond. The main building was constructed to house a pool reactor and
associated laboratories,
[[Page 59840]]
hot cells, and offices. Auxiliary buildings included the waste water
treatment building with associated underground tanks and piping and the
water storage building.
The Facility was constructed in 1957 after the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania enacted legislation for the location of a research
facility at the Quehanna site. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
anticipated that the project would be a contributor to the economy in
the area. The facility was to be operated by Curtiss-Wright
Corporation. Plans for the facility included development of nuclear jet
engines, and research in nucleonics, metallurgy, and other areas. In
1958, the AEC issued a license to the Curtiss-Wright Corporation to
operate a pool reactor at the facility. The license also included use
of the hot cells and laboratories.
In September 1960, Curtiss-Wright Corporation donated the Facility
to the Pennsylvania State University (PSU). PSU planned to use the
reactor for training and research and leased the hot cells to Martin-
Marietta Corporation. Beginning in 1962 Martin-Marietta Corporation
used the hot cells to manufacture thermoelectric generators, known as
SNAP generators. The SNAP generators contained Sr-90, with as much as
80,000 Curies per generator. In 1967, Martin-Marietta Corporation
terminated its lease for use of the hot cells after performing a
partial decontamination. However, licensable quantities of Sr-90
contamination remained in the hot cells and associated facilities.
Martin-Marietta Corporation was the last user of Sr-90 at the facility.
Also in 1967, PSU returned the site back to the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth then leased the site to NUMEC, a
subsidiary of the Atlantic-Richfield Corporation. NUMEC used the
reactor pool, after removal and shipment of the reactor components and
nuclear fuel, as a storage pool for a large (approximately one million
Curies) Co-60 irradiator. The irradiator was used for various projects,
including food irradiation, sterilization, and irradiation of polymer-
impregnated hardwood.
In 1978, a group of Atlantic-Richfield Corporation employees
purchased the wood irradiation process, including the Co-60 pool
irradiator. The new company was named Permagrain Products Corporation
(Permagrain), and this company was issued NRC Byproduct Materials
License No. 37-17860-01. Permagrain also assumed responsibility for the
radioactive material left on site by the previous tenants. In 1998 NRC
Byproduct Materials License No. 37-17860-02 was issued to Permagrain
for the radioactive material remaining on site from past operations. In
December 2002, Permagrain initiated bankruptcy proceedings, and NRC
Byproduct Materials License No. 37-17860-02 was transferred to PADEP,
BRP. In 2003, the Co-60 in the irradiator was removed from the pool and
shipped to a licensed disposal site, and in 2004 Permagrain's NRC
Byproduct Materials License No. 37-17860-01 was terminated.
No information is available regarding decontamination of the site
by previous tenants, Martin-Marietta Corporation, and Atlantic-
Richfield Corporation. In the early 1990s, the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania contracted with Canberra, Inc. to perform a site
characterization. The characterization determined that the radioactive
contaminants of concern were Co-60 and Sr-90. In 1998, a DP for the
site was submitted to the NRC, and decommissioning of the site began. A
revision to the DP was submitted to the NRC in 2003, and
decommissioning of the site continued under this revision to the DP. In
February 2005 a Final Status Survey Report (FSSR) was submitted to the
NRC for review. The FSSR indicated that the site met the release
criteria specified in the NRC approved DP.
A subsequent confirmatory survey by the NRC in May 2005 indicated
that the site did not meet the release criteria specified in the NRC
approved DP. An investigation by the licensee determined that the site
failed to meet the release criteria, because Sr-90 had leached to the
surface of the concrete resulting in contamination levels in excess of
the release limits. This finding indicated that concrete thought to
contain only surface contamination was volumetrically contaminated.
Therefore, the previous criteria for release of the site for
unrestricted use, which were based on surface contamination only, were
no longer applicable.
In a letter dated March 9, 2006, the Licensee submitted revision
four of the DP which included dose based criteria for unrestricted
release of the site in accordance with 10 CFR 20, Subpart E, taking
into account the volumetrically contaminated concrete. The Licensee's
March 9, 2006 license amendment request was noticed in the Federal
Register on May 22, 2006 (71 FR 29357). This Federal Register notice
also provided an opportunity for a hearing on this licensing action. No
hearing requests were received. The NRC has prepared an Environmental
Assessment (EA) in support of this proposed action in accordance with
the requirements of Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part
51 (10 CFR Part 51). Based on the EA, the NRC has concluded that a
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate with respect to
the proposed action. The amendment will be issued to the Licensee
following the publication of this FONSI and EA in the Federal Register.
II. Environmental Assessment
Identification of Proposed Action
The proposed action would approve the Licensee's March 9, 2006
license amendment request to incorporate revision four of the DP into
the license resulting in final decommissioning of the Facility and
subsequent release of the Facility and surrounding site for
unrestricted use. In addition to granting the licensee's license
amendment request, the proposed action would also grant, pursuant to 10
CFR 30.11(a), an exemption to the Onyx Greentree Landfill, LLC (located
in Kersey, Pennsylvania) from 10 CFR Part 30 licensing requirements.
This disposal facility will receive the low-contaminated above-grade
demolition material generated during the Facility and site remediation
activities. 10 CFR 30.11(a) provides that the Commission may, upon
application by an interested person, ``or upon its own initiative,
grant such exemptions'' from the 10 CFR Part 30 requirements ``as it
determines are authorized by law and will not endanger life or property
or the common defense and security and are otherwise in the public
interest.'' Under the exemption granted to the Onyx Greentree Landfill,
any low-contaminated demolition material from the Facility and site
would, upon its receipt at the Onyx Greentree Landfill, no longer be
subject to NRC regulation and would no longer be NRC licensed material.
Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action is to approve revision four of the DP so that
the Licensee may complete Facility decommissioning activities.
Completion of decommissioning activities will reduce residual
radioactivity at the Quehanna site and Facility. NRC regulations
require licensees to begin timely decommissioning of their sites, or
any separate buildings that contain residual radioactivity, upon
cessation of licensed operational activities, in accordance with 10 CFR
30.36(d). Additionally, due to the fact that the site is located in the
Quehanna Wild Area of the Moshannon State Forest, the Licensee plans to
eventually restore and return the land to beneficial unrestricted use.
The proposed licensing action will support such an ultimate goal. NRC
is fulfilling its responsibilities under the
[[Page 59841]]
Atomic Energy Act and the National Environmental Policy Act to make a
decision on a proposed license amendment for decommissioning that
ensures protection of the public health and safety and the environment.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The affected environment was described in the Introduction section
of this EA. The NRC staff has reviewed the license amendment request
for the PADEP, BRP Quehanna site in Karthaus, Pennsylvania and examined
the impacts of this license amendment request. Potential impacts
include water resource impact (e.g., water may be used for dust
control) , air quality impacts from dust emissions, temporary local
traffic impacts resulting from transporting demolition debris to a
landfill, beneficial local economic effects due to the creation of jobs
to perform the decommissioning, human health impacts, noise impacts
from equipment operation, scenic quality impacts, and waste management
impacts. The resultant dose arising from granting the related exemption
would be less than one mrem per year.
Based on its review, the staff has determined that no surface water
or ground water impacts are expected from the dismantlement,
deconstruction, and decontamination activities. Additionally, the staff
has determined that significant air quality, noise, land use, and off-
site radiation exposure impacts are also not expected. No significant
air quality impacts are anticipated because of the contamination
controls that will be implemented by PADEP, BRP during dismantlement
and deconstruction. In addition, the environmental impacts associated
with dismantlement and deconstruction and the decontamination
activities are bounded by impacts evaluated by NUREG-0586, ``Final
Generic Environmental Impact Statement on the Decommissioning of
Nuclear Facilities,'' (GEIS). Generic impacts for this type of
dismantlement and deconstruction and decontamination process were
previously evaluated and described in the GEIS, which concludes that
the environmental consequences are small. The risk to human health from
the transportation of all radioactive material in the U.S. was
evaluated in NUREG-0170, ``Final Environmental Statement on the
Transportation of Radioactive Materials by Air and Other Modes.'' The
principal radiological environmental impact during normal
transportation is direct radiation exposure to nearby persons from
radioactive material in the package. The average annual individual dose
from all radioactive material transportation in the U.S. was calculated
to be approximately 0.5 mrem, well below the 10 CFR 20.1301 limit of
100 mrem for a member of the public. Additionally, PADEP, BRP estimates
that approximately 2,800 cubic yards of low-contaminated demolition
material waste will leave the site over the course of the
decommissioning project for disposal at Onyx Greentree Landfill (a non-
NRC licensed landfill). The trucks will travel on local roads then on
Commonwealth highways to their intended destinations. This proposed
action will not significantly increase the probability or consequences
of accidents, no changes are being made in the types of any effluents
that may be released off site, and there is no significant increase in
occupational or public radiation exposure. Thus, waste management and
transportation impacts from the building dismantlement and
deconstruction will not be significant.
Occupational health was also considered in the ``Final
Environmental Impact Statement on the Transportation of Radioactive
Material by Air and Other Modes.'' The Department of Transportation
(DOT) regulations in 49 CFR 177.842(g) require that the radiation dose
may not exceed 0.02 mSv (2 mrem) per hour in any position normally
occupied by an individual in a motor vehicle. Shipment of these
materials would not affect the assessment of environmental impacts or
the conclusions in the ``Final Environmental Impact Statement on the
Transportation of Radioactive Material by Air and Other Modes.''
The Staff also finds that the proposed license amendment will meet
the radiological criteria for unrestricted release as specified in 10
CFR 20.1402. The Licensee demonstrated this through the development of
derived concentration guideline limits (DCGLs) for its Facility. The
Licensee conducted site specific dose modeling using parameters
specific to the Facility that adequately bounded the potential dose.
This included dose modeling for three scenarios: building surfaces,
remaining concrete, and soil. The building surface scenario was based
on the disposal of the above-grade structure demolition debris in an
industrial landfill, and the concrete and soil dose modeling were based
on a hunting camp scenario.
PADEP, BRP will maintain an appropriate level of radiation
protection staff, procedures, and capabilities, and, through its
Radiation Safety Officer, will implement an acceptable program to keep
exposure to radioactive materials as low as reasonably achievable
(ALARA). Work activities are not anticipated to result in radiation
exposures to the public in excess of 10 percent of the 10 CFR 20.1301
limits.
The NRC also evaluated whether cumulative environmental impacts
could result from an incremental impact of the proposed action when
added to other past, present, or reasonably foreseeable future actions
in the area. The proposed NRC approval of the license amendment
request, when combined with known effects on resource areas at the
site, including further site remediation, are not anticipated to result
in any cumulative impacts at the site.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
The only alternative to the proposed action of decommissioning the
Facility is no action. The no action alternative is not acceptable
because it conflicts with 10 CFR 30.36(d) which requires that
decommissioning of byproduct material facilities be completed and
approved by the NRC after licensed activities cease. The no action
alternative would keep radioactive material on site without disposal.
Maintaining the buildings on site would provide negligible, if any,
environmental benefit, but would greatly reduce options for future use
of the site, including restoring the site to its wild state.
Conclusion
The NRC staff has concluded that the proposed action is consistent
with NRC guidance and regulations. Because the proposed action will not
significantly impact the quality of the human environment, the NRC
staff concludes that the proposed action is the preferred alternative.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC staff prepared this EA with input from the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service in its letter dated August 22, 2006. The Fish and
Wildlife Service indicated, in its letter, that on the basis of current
information, no current Federally identified or proposed threatened or
endangered species under U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service jurisdiction
are known to occur in the site project area. Additionally, NRC had
contacted the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Bureau for
Historical Preservation, in June 2003 regarding preparation of an EA
for a previous licensing action for this Facility. At that time the
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Bureau for Historical
Preservation stated
[[Page 59842]]
that ``there are no National Register eligible or listed historical or
archaeological properties in the area of the proposed project and your
responsibility for consultation with the State Historic Preservation
Office for this project, under Section 106, is complete.'' Therefore,
no further consultation is required under Section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act for this EA.
NRC provided a draft of this EA to PADEP, BRP for review. On July
27, 2006, PADEP, BRP responded by e-mail. PADEP, BRP agreed with the
conclusions of the EA, and otherwise had no substantive comments.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC staff has prepared this EA in support 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.
IV. Further Information
Documents related to this action, including the application for
license amendment and supporting documentation, 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 Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), which
provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. The documents
related to this action are listed below, along with their ADAMS
accession numbers.
1. Amendment request with revision four of the DP (ML060790152);
2. The Licensee's March 9, 2006, license amendment request was
noticed in the Federal Register on May 22, 2006 (71 FR 29357). This
Federal Register notice also provided an opportunity for a hearing on
this licensing action;
3. NUREG-0170, ``Final Environmental Impact Statement on the
Transportation of Radioactive Material by Air and Other Modes;''
4. NUREG-0586, ``Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement on
the Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities;''
5. NUREG-1748, ``Environmental Review Guidance for Licensing
Actions Associated with NMSS Programs;''
6. NUREG-1757, ``Consolidated NMSS Decommissioning Guidance;''
7. Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 20, Subpart E,
``Radiological Criteria for License Termination;''
8. Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 51, ``Environmental
Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory
Functions;''
9. NUREG-1496, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement in Support
of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of NRC-
Licensed Nuclear Facilities''
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.
Dated at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania this 29th day of
September 2006.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
James Kottan,
Acting Chief, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials
Safety, Region I.
[FR Doc. E6-16738 Filed 10-10-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
