Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Decommissioning of the Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corporation, New Field, New Jersey, 78232-78234 [E6-22239]

Download as PDF 78232 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 249 / Thursday, December 28, 2006 / Notices SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES I. Introduction On June 27, 2005, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received a license application from Pa’ina Hawaii, LLC, that, if approved, would authorize the use of sealed radioactive sources in an underwater irradiator for the production and research irradiation of food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical products. The proposed irradiator would be located immediately adjacent to Honolulu International Airport on Palekona Street near Lagoon Drive. The irradiator would primarily be used for phytosanitary treatment of fresh fruit and vegetables bound for the mainland from the Hawaiian Islands and similar products being imported to the Hawaiian Islands as well as irradiation of cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. The irradiator would also be used by the applicant to conduct research and development projects, and irradiate a wide range of other materials as specifically approved by the NRC on a case-by-case basis. The NRC has completed its initial evaluation of the proposed irradiator against the requirements found in the NRC’s regulations at Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 36, ‘‘Licenses and Radiation Safety Requirements for Irradiators,’’ (i.e., 10 CFR Part 36). Typically, the licensing of irradiators is categorically excluded from detailed environmental review as described in the NRC regulations at 10 CFR 51.22(c)(14)(vii). However, the NRC staff entered into a settlement agreement with Concerned Citizens of Honolulu, the interveners in the adjudicatory hearing to be held on the license application. The settlement agreement included a provision for the NRC staff to prepare this draft EA and hold a public comment meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii prior to making a final decision. The complete draft EA is available on the NRC’s Web site: https://www.nrc.gov/ materials.html and by selecting ‘‘Pa’ina Irradiator’’ in the Quick Links box. Copies are also available by contacting Matthew Blevins as noted above. II. EA Summary The purpose of the license request (i.e., the proposed action) is to authorize Pa’ina Hawaii to use sealed radioactive sources in a pool irradiator to be located adjacent to the Honolulu International Airport, Honolulu, Hawaii. Pa’ina’s license request was previously noticed in the Federal Register on August 2, 2005 (70 FR 44396) with a notice of an opportunity to request a hearing. The staff has prepared the draft EA in support of its review of the license VerDate Aug<31>2005 20:03 Dec 27, 2006 Jkt 211001 application. The staff considered impacts to such areas as public and occupational health, transportation of the sources, socioeconomics, ecology, water quality, and the effects of aviation accidents and natural phenomena. During routine operations the dose rate at the surface of the irradiator pool is expected to be well below 1 millirem/ hour. Considering the location of personnel and operational practices of the irradiator, it is unlikely that an employee could receive more than the occupational dose limit which is 5,000 millirem/year. The expected dose rates outside the building are expected to be indistinguishable from naturally occurring background radiation, therefore it is unlikely that a member of the public could receive more than public dose limit which is 100 millirem/ year. For the shipment of the radioactive sources, the maximum dose is also expected to be very small: 0.04 mrem/ year. The staff also considered alternative treatments such as fumigation with methyl bromide and heat treatments. The staff completed consultations under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. In addition the staff is providing interested members of the public, the applicant, and State officials with an opportunity to comment on the draft EA. The complete draft EA is available on the NRC’s Web site: https://www.nrc.gov/ materials.html and by selecting ‘‘Pa’ina Irradiator’’ in the Quick Links box. Copies are also available by contacting Matthew Blevins as noted above. III. Finding of No Significant Impact The NRC staff has concluded that the proposed action will comply with the licensing requirements found in 10 CFR Part 20, ‘‘Standards for Protection Against Radiation’’ and 10 CFR Part 36, ‘‘Licenses and Radiation Safety Requirements for Irradiators.’’ Occupational and public exposure to radiation will be significantly less than the limits in 10 CFR Part 20. The NRC staff has prepared this draft EA in support of the proposed action to issue a license to Pa’ina Hawaii for the possession and use of sealed radioactive sources in an underwater irradiator for the production and research irradiation of food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical products. On the basis of this EA, NRC has concluded that there are no significant environmental impacts and the license application does not warrant the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement. Accordingly, it has been determined that a Finding of No Significant Impact is appropriate. PO 00000 Frm 00105 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 IV. Further Information Documents related to this action, including the application for 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 ADAMS accession numbers for the documents related to this notice are: Pa’ina License Application; ML052060372; NRC Draft Environmental Assessment, ML063470231. If you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC’s 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, O1–F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee. Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 21st day of December, 2006. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Gregory Suber, Acting Section Chief, Environmental Review Branch, Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection, Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs. [FR Doc. E6–22241 Filed 12–27–06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Decommissioning of the Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corporation, New Field, New Jersey Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI). AGENCY: SUMMARY: Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corporation (SMC) submitted a decommissioning plan (DP) (ML053190212) on October 21, 2005, that proposes radiological remedial actions that would allow the material license to be amended to a long term control license for the SMC facility located in New Field, New Jersey. By a letter dated January 26, 2006, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) notified SMC that the DP was being E:\FR\FM\28DEN1.SGM 28DEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 249 / Thursday, December 28, 2006 / Notices rejected due to technical deficiencies. On June 30, 2006, SMC submitted a supplement (ML061980092) to its DP. In a letter dated October 18, 2006, the NRC accepted the DP for review. The NRC, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and its regulations in 10 CFR Part 51, announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The EIS will examine the potential environmental impacts of the proposed decommissioning plan for the SMC facility. The public scoping process required by NEPA begins with publication of this NOI and continues until January 31, 2007. Written comments submitted by mail should be postmarked by that date to ensure consideration. Comments mailed after that date will be considered to the extent practical. ADDRESSES: Members of the public are invited and encouraged to submit comments to the Chief, Rulemaking, Directives, and Editing Branch, Mail Stop: T6-D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555– 0001. Please note Docket No. 40–7102 when submitting comments. Commentors are also encouraged to send comments electronically to ShieldalloyEIS@nrc.gov, or by facsimile to (301) 415–5397, ATTN.: Gregory Suber. DATES: For general or technical information associated with the license review of the SMC decommissioning plan, please contact: Ken Kalman at (301) 415–6664. For general information on the NRC NEPA process, or the environmental review process related to the SMC decommissioning plan, please contact Gregory Suber at (301) 415–1124. Information and documents associated with the SMC project, including the SMC decommissioning plan and supplement (submitted on October 21, 2005 and June 30, 2006 respectively), are available for public review through our electronic reading room: https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/ adams.html. Documents may also be obtained from NRC’s Public Document Room at U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Headquarters, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 1.0 Background SMC submitted a decommissioning plan and an environmental report for its Newfield, New Jersey facility to the NRC on October 21, 2005. The NRC will VerDate Aug<31>2005 20:03 Dec 27, 2006 Jkt 211001 evaluate the potential environmental impacts associated with SMC facility in parallel with the review of the decommissioning plan. This environmental evaluation will be documented in draft and final Environmental Impact Statements in accordance with NEPA and NRC’s implementing regulations at 10 CFR Part 51. 2.0 SMC Newfield Facility The SMC operated a ferrocolumbium manufacturing process at its facility in New Field, NJ. Raw materials included ores which contained licensable quantities of 10 CFR Part 40 source material (natural uranium and thorium.) In 2001, SMC notified the NRC of its intent to decommission the plant because principal activities authorized by the license (SMB–743) had ceased. SMC proposes decommissioning part of the site for unrestricted release and maintaining a portion of the site under a long term control license. 3.0 Alternatives to be Evaluated No-Action—For the no-action alternative, the NRC would not approve the decommissioning plan. The site would remain subject to the present source material license. This alternative serves as a baseline for comparison. Proposed action—The proposed action involves approving the decommissioning plan and amending the license to allow long-term storage of source material at SMC’s site located in New Field, NJ. Under SMC’s proposal, part of the site would be released for unrestricted use while part would be maintained under a long term control license. Other alternatives not listed here may be identified through the scoping process. 4.0 Environmental Impact Areas To Be Analyzed The following areas have been tentatively identified for analysis in the EIS: —Land Use: Plans, policies and controls; —Transportation: Transportation modes, routes, quantities, and risk estimates; —Geology and Soils: Physical geography, topography, geology and soil characteristics; Water Resources: Surface and groundwater hydrology, water use and quality, and the potential for degradation; Ecology: Wetlands, aquatic, terrestrial, economically and recreationally important species, and threatened and endangered species; PO 00000 Frm 00106 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 78233 Air Quality: meteorological conditions, ambient background, pollutant sources, and the potential for degradation; —Noise: ambient, sources, and sensitive receptors; Historical and Cultural Resources: historical, archaeological, and traditional cultural resources; Visual and Scenic Resources: landscape characteristics, manmade features and viewshed; Socioeconomics: demography, economic base, labor pool, housing, transportation, utilities, public services/ facilities, education, recreation, and cultural resources; Environmental Justice: potential disproportionately high and adverse impacts to minority and low-income populations; Public and Occupational Health: potential public and occupational consequences from construction, routine operation, transportation, and credible accident scenarios (including natural events); Waste Management: types of wastes expected to be generated, handled, and stored; and Cumulative Effects: impacts from past, present and reasonably foreseeable actions at, and near the site(s). This list is not intended to be all inclusive, nor is it a predetermination of potential environmental impacts. The list is presented to facilitate comments on the scope of the EIS. Additions to, or deletions from this list may occur as a result of the public scoping process. 5.0 Scoping Meeting One purpose of this NOI is to encourage public involvement in the EIS process, and to solicit public comments on the proposed scope and content of the EIS. The NRC held a public scoping meeting in Newfield, New Jersey, to solicit both oral and written comments from interested parties. Approximately 150 people attended the meeting. Scoping is an early and open process designed to determine the range of actions, alternatives, and potential impacts to be considered in the EIS, and to identify the significant issues related to the proposed action. It is intended to solicit input from the public and other agencies so that the analysis can be more clearly focused on issues of genuine concern. The principal goals of the scoping process are to: —Ensure that concerns are identified early and are properly studied; —Identify alternatives that will be examined; —Identify significant issues that need to be analyzed; E:\FR\FM\28DEN1.SGM 28DEN1 78234 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 249 / Thursday, December 28, 2006 / Notices —Eliminate unimportant issues; and —Identify public concerns. The scoping meeting began with NRC staff providing a description of the NRC’s role and mission. NRC staff gave a brief overview of the licensing process followed by a brief description of the environmental review process. The bulk of the meeting was reserved for attendees to make oral comments. 6.0 Scoping Comments Written comments should be mailed to the address listed above in the ADDRESSES Section. The NRC staff will make the scoping summary and project-related materials available for public review through our electronic reading room: https:// www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. The scoping meeting summaries and project-related materials will also be available on the NRC’s SMC Web page: https://www.nrc.gov/materials/fuelcycle-fac/smcfacility.html (case sensitive). 7.0 The NEPA Process sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES The EIS for the SMC facility will be prepared according to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the NRC’s NEPA Regulations at 10 CFR Part 51. After the scoping process is complete, the NRC and its contractor will prepare a draft EIS. A 45-day comment period on the draft EIS is planned, and public meetings to receive comments will be held approximately three weeks after distribution of the draft EIS. Availability of the draft EIS, the dates of the public comment period, and information about the public meetings will be announced in the Federal Register, on NRC’s SMC Web page, and in the local news media when the draft EIS is distributed. The final EIS will incorporate public comments received on the draft EIS. Signed in Rockville, MD. this 20th day of December 2006. For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Gregory F. Suber, Acting Branch Chief, Environmental and Performance Assessment Branch, Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection, Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs. [FR Doc. E6–22239 Filed 12–27–06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P VerDate Aug<31>2005 20:03 Dec 27, 2006 Jkt 211001 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Advisory Committee On Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Subcommittee Meeting On Power Uprates; Revised A portion of the ACRS Subcommittee meeting on Power Uprates (Browns Ferry Unit 1) scheduled to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 16– 17, 2007 at 11545 Rockville Pike, Room T–2B3, Rockville, Maryland will be closed to discuss information that is proprietary to General Electric, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and their contractors pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b (c)(4). All other items pertaining to the meeting remain the same as published previously in the Federal Register on Thursday, December 21, 2006, 71 FR 76707. Further information regarding this meeting can be obtained by contacting the Designated Federal Official, Mr. Ralph Caruso (Telephone: 301–415– 8065) between 7:15 a.m. and 5 p.m. (ET). Dated: December 21, 2006. Michael R. Snodderly, Branch Chief, ACRS/ACNW. [FR Doc. E6–22244 Filed 12–27–06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Consolidated Decommissioning Guidance; Notice of Availability Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Notice of availability. AGENCY: SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is announcing the availability of two volumes of NUREG– 1757, ‘‘Consolidated Decommissioning Guidance.’’ The first volume is ‘‘Consolidated Decommissioning Guidance: Decommissioning Process for Materials Licensees’’ (NUREG–1757, Vol. 1, Rev. 2), which provides guidance for planning and implementing the termination of materials licenses. The second volume, ‘‘Consolidated Decommissioning Guidance: Characterization, Survey, and Determination of Radiological Criteria’’ (NUREG–1757, Vol. 2, Rev. 1), provides guidance for compliance with the radiological criteria for termination of licenses. The guidance is intended for use by NRC staff and licensees. It is also available to Agreement States and the public. ADDRESSES: NUREG–1757 is available for inspection and copying for a fee at PO 00000 Frm 00107 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 the Commission’s Public Document Room, NRC’s Headquarters Building, 11555 Rockville Pike (First Floor), Rockville, Maryland. The Public Document Room is open from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays. NUREG– 1757 is also available electronically on the NRC Web site at: https:// www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doccollections/nuregs/staff/sr1757/, and from the ADAMS Electronic Reading Room on the NRC Web site at: https:// www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Duane W. Schmidt, Mail Stop T–7E18, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555–0001. Telephone: (301) 415–6919; e-mail: dws2@nrc.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In September 2003, NRC staff consolidated and updated the policies and guidance of its decommissioning program in a three-volume NUREG series, NUREG– 1757, ‘‘Consolidated Decommissioning Guidance.’’ This NUREG series provides guidance on: planning and implementing license termination under NRC’s License Termination Rule (LTR), in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Part 20, Subpart E; complying with the radiological criteria of the LTR for license termination; and complying with the requirements for financial assurance and recordkeeping for decommissioning and timeliness in decommissioning of materials facilities. The staff periodically updates NUREG– 1757, so that it reflects current NRC decommissioning policy. In September 2005, the staff issued, for public comment, Draft Supplement 1 to NUREG–1757, which contained proposed updates to the three volumes of NUREG–1757 (70 FR 56940; September 29, 2005). Draft Supplement 1 included new and revised decommissioning guidance that addresses some issues with implementation of the LTR. These issues include restricted use and institutional controls, onsite disposal of radioactive materials, selection and justification of exposure scenarios based on reasonably foreseeable future land use, intentional mixing of contaminated soil, and removal of material after license termination. The staff also developed new and revised guidance on other issues, including engineered barriers. The staff received stakeholder comments on Draft Supplement 1 and prepared responses to these comments. The stakeholder comments and the NRC staff responses are located on NRC’s decommissioning Web site, at https:// E:\FR\FM\28DEN1.SGM 28DEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 249 (Thursday, December 28, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78232-78234]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-22239]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Decommissioning of the Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corporation, New 
Field, New Jersey

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corporation (SMC) submitted a 
decommissioning plan (DP) (ML053190212) on October 21, 2005, that 
proposes radiological remedial actions that would allow the material 
license to be amended to a long term control license for the SMC 
facility located in New Field, New Jersey. By a letter dated January 
26, 2006, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) notified SMC 
that the DP was being

[[Page 78233]]

rejected due to technical deficiencies. On June 30, 2006, SMC submitted 
a supplement (ML061980092) to its DP. In a letter dated October 18, 
2006, the NRC accepted the DP for review. The NRC, in accordance with 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and its regulations in 10 
CFR Part 51, announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS). The EIS will examine the potential environmental 
impacts of the proposed decommissioning plan for the SMC facility.

DATES: The public scoping process required by NEPA begins with 
publication of this NOI and continues until January 31, 2007. Written 
comments submitted by mail should be postmarked by that date to ensure 
consideration. Comments mailed after that date will be considered to 
the extent practical.

ADDRESSES: Members of the public are invited and encouraged to submit 
comments to the Chief, Rulemaking, Directives, and Editing Branch, Mail 
Stop: T6-D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001. Please note Docket No. 40-7102 when submitting comments. 
Commentors are also encouraged to send comments electronically to 
ShieldalloyEIS@nrc.gov, or by facsimile to (301) 415-5397, ATTN.: 
Gregory Suber.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general or technical information 
associated with the license review of the SMC decommissioning plan, 
please contact: Ken Kalman at (301) 415-6664. For general information 
on the NRC NEPA process, or the environmental review process related to 
the SMC decommissioning plan, please contact Gregory Suber at (301) 
415-1124.
    Information and documents associated with the SMC project, 
including the SMC decommissioning plan and supplement (submitted on 
October 21, 2005 and June 30, 2006 respectively), are available for 
public review through our electronic reading room: https://www.nrc.gov/
reading-rm/adams.html. Documents may also be obtained from NRC's Public 
Document Room at U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Headquarters, 11555 
Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1.0 Background

    SMC submitted a decommissioning plan and an environmental report 
for its Newfield, New Jersey facility to the NRC on October 21, 2005. 
The NRC will evaluate the potential environmental impacts associated 
with SMC facility in parallel with the review of the decommissioning 
plan. This environmental evaluation will be documented in draft and 
final Environmental Impact Statements in accordance with NEPA and NRC's 
implementing regulations at 10 CFR Part 51.

2.0 SMC Newfield Facility

    The SMC operated a ferrocolumbium manufacturing process at its 
facility in New Field, NJ. Raw materials included ores which contained 
licensable quantities of 10 CFR Part 40 source material (natural 
uranium and thorium.) In 2001, SMC notified the NRC of its intent to 
decommission the plant because principal activities authorized by the 
license (SMB-743) had ceased. SMC proposes decommissioning part of the 
site for unrestricted release and maintaining a portion of the site 
under a long term control license.

3.0 Alternatives to be Evaluated

    No-Action--For the no-action alternative, the NRC would not approve 
the decommissioning plan. The site would remain subject to the present 
source material license. This alternative serves as a baseline for 
comparison.
    Proposed action--The proposed action involves approving the 
decommissioning plan and amending the license to allow long-term 
storage of source material at SMC's site located in New Field, NJ. 
Under SMC's proposal, part of the site would be released for 
unrestricted use while part would be maintained under a long term 
control license.
    Other alternatives not listed here may be identified through the 
scoping process.

4.0 Environmental Impact Areas To Be Analyzed

    The following areas have been tentatively identified for analysis 
in the EIS:
--Land Use: Plans, policies and controls;
--Transportation: Transportation modes, routes, quantities, and risk 
estimates;
--Geology and Soils: Physical geography, topography, geology and soil 
characteristics;

     Water Resources: Surface and groundwater hydrology, water use and 
quality, and the potential for degradation;
     Ecology: Wetlands, aquatic, terrestrial, economically and 
recreationally important species, and threatened and endangered 
species;
     Air Quality: meteorological conditions, ambient background, 
pollutant sources, and the potential for degradation;

--Noise: ambient, sources, and sensitive receptors;

     Historical and Cultural Resources: historical, archaeological, and 
traditional cultural resources;
     Visual and Scenic Resources: landscape characteristics, manmade 
features and viewshed;
     Socioeconomics: demography, economic base, labor pool, housing, 
transportation, utilities, public services/facilities, education, 
recreation, and cultural resources;
     Environmental Justice: potential disproportionately high and 
adverse impacts to minority and low-income populations;
     Public and Occupational Health: potential public and occupational 
consequences from construction, routine operation, transportation, and 
credible accident scenarios (including natural events);
     Waste Management: types of wastes expected to be generated, 
handled, and stored; and
     Cumulative Effects: impacts from past, present and reasonably 
foreseeable actions at, and near the site(s).
    This list is not intended to be all inclusive, nor is it a 
predetermination of potential environmental impacts. The list is 
presented to facilitate comments on the scope of the EIS. Additions to, 
or deletions from this list may occur as a result of the public scoping 
process.

5.0 Scoping Meeting

    One purpose of this NOI is to encourage public involvement in the 
EIS process, and to solicit public comments on the proposed scope and 
content of the EIS. The NRC held a public scoping meeting in Newfield, 
New Jersey, to solicit both oral and written comments from interested 
parties. Approximately 150 people attended the meeting.
    Scoping is an early and open process designed to determine the 
range of actions, alternatives, and potential impacts to be considered 
in the EIS, and to identify the significant issues related to the 
proposed action. It is intended to solicit input from the public and 
other agencies so that the analysis can be more clearly focused on 
issues of genuine concern. The principal goals of the scoping process 
are to:
--Ensure that concerns are identified early and are properly studied;
--Identify alternatives that will be examined;
--Identify significant issues that need to be analyzed;

[[Page 78234]]

--Eliminate unimportant issues; and
--Identify public concerns.
    The scoping meeting began with NRC staff providing a description of 
the NRC's role and mission. NRC staff gave a brief overview of the 
licensing process followed by a brief description of the environmental 
review process. The bulk of the meeting was reserved for attendees to 
make oral comments.

6.0 Scoping Comments

    Written comments should be mailed to the address listed above in 
the ADDRESSES Section.
    The NRC staff will make the scoping summary and project-related 
materials available for public review through our electronic reading 
room: https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. The scoping meeting 
summaries and project-related materials will also be available on the 
NRC's SMC Web page: https://www.nrc.gov/materials/fuel-cycle-fac/
smcfacility.html (case sensitive).

7.0 The NEPA Process

    The EIS for the SMC facility will be prepared according to the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the NRC's NEPA 
Regulations at 10 CFR Part 51.
    After the scoping process is complete, the NRC and its contractor 
will prepare a draft EIS. A 45-day comment period on the draft EIS is 
planned, and public meetings to receive comments will be held 
approximately three weeks after distribution of the draft EIS. 
Availability of the draft EIS, the dates of the public comment period, 
and information about the public meetings will be announced in the 
Federal Register, on NRC's SMC Web page, and in the local news media 
when the draft EIS is distributed. The final EIS will incorporate 
public comments received on the draft EIS.

    Signed in Rockville, MD. this 20th day of December 2006.
    For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Gregory F. Suber,
Acting Branch Chief, Environmental and Performance Assessment Branch, 
Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection, Office of 
Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs.
[FR Doc. E6-22239 Filed 12-27-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
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