Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for License Amendment to Byproduct Materials License No. 21-00182-03, for Unrestricted Release of the Pharmacia & Upjohn Company's Facilities in Kalamazoo, MI, 67609-67611 [E7-23159]
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 229 / Thursday, November 29, 2007 / Notices
• Update on S&E Indicators ‘‘Digest.’’
• Science and Engineering Indicators
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Summary.
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket No. 030–04781]
Committee on Strategy and Budget
(CSB)
Notice of Availability of Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for License
Amendment to Byproduct Materials
License No. 21–00182–03, for
Unrestricted Release of the Pharmacia
& Upjohn Company’s Facilities in
Kalamazoo, MI
Open Session: 10 a.m.–10:45 a.m.
AGENCY:
• Approval of CSB Minutes, October
3, 2007.
• Committee Chairman’s Remarks.
• Recommendations on NSF Average
Award Size, Duration, and Proposal
Success Rate.
• Discussion of the Number of
Proposal Submissions by a Single
Institution or Principal Investigator.
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Closed Session: 10:45 a.m.–11a.m.
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Request.
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Resources (EHR)
Open Session: 11a.m.–12 p.m.
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Board STEM Education Guidance.
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and Engineering Indicators.
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Generation of STEM Innovators.
• Board Executive Officer’s Report.
Plenary Executive Closed
Closed Session: 1 p.m.–1:05 p.m.
• Approval of October 2007 Minutes.
Plenary Closed
Closed Session: 1:05 p.m.–1:30 p.m.
• Approval of October 2007 Minutes.
• Awards and Agreements.
• Closed Committee Reports.
Plenary Open
rmajette on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES
Open Session: 1:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
• Approval of October 2007 Minutes.
• Resolution to Close February 2008
Meeting.
• Chairman’s Report.
• Director’s Report.
• Open Committee Reports.
Michael P. Crosby,
Executive Officer and Board Office Director.
[FR Doc. E7–23174 Filed 11–28–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555–01–P
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Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Issuance of Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for License
Amendment.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
William Snell, Senior Health Physicist,
Decommissioning Branch, Division of
Nuclear Materials Safety, Region III,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
2443 Warrenville Road, Lisle, Illinois
60532; telephone: (630) 829–9871; fax
number: (630) 515–1259; or by e-mail at
wgs@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. 21–
00182–03. This license is held by
Pharmacia & Upjohn Company, LLC (the
Licensee), a subsidiary of Pfizer, Inc.,
and governs licensed activities at its
7000 Portage Road, Kalamazoo,
Michigan site. Issuance of the
amendment would authorize release of
Building 172 and the adjoining North
Tank Farm (the Facilities) for
unrestricted use. Licensed activities will
continue at other site locations.
The Licensee requested this action in
a letter dated August 22, 2007. 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 August 22, 2007, license
amendment request, resulting in release
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
67609
of the Facilities for unrestricted use.
License No. 21–00182–03 was issued on
April 24,1958, pursuant to 10 CFR part
30, and has been amended periodically
since that time. This license authorizes
the Licensee to use byproduct materials
for activities involving research and
development. Amendment 21 issued on
July 31, 1984, authorized the
incineration of licensed materials in
Building 172. The principal types of
waste burned in the incinerator in
Building 172 included pathologic
wastes, trash, returned pharmaceuticals,
organic process residues, waste solvents
and laboratory chemicals. Some of this
incinerated waste was contaminated
with low levels of radioactive materials.
The Facilities are situated on a 1728
acre pharmaceutical complex consisting
of multiple chemical and compound
manufacturing structures including
offices and pharmaceutical
manufacturing facilities. Building 172 is
a one story building of about 8500
square feet that is 24 feet in height
which contains the incinerator,
operating controls, emissions controls,
office areas, and waste receipt, transfer
and shipping areas. The incinerator is a
rotary kiln that is 12 feet long and 51⁄2
feet in diameter with a secondary
combustion chamber that is 19 feet long
and about 8 feet in diameter. The
adjoining North Farm Area consists of
three 10,000 gallon steel and carbon
tanks used to store liquids prior to
incineration. The pharmaceutical
complex is located in a mixed
residential, agricultural and commercial
area.
The licensee ceased using the 10,000
gallon tanks to receive or store
radioactive liquids in 1996 and ceased
using the incinerator in Building 172 in
December 2006. A facility historical site
assessment and scoping surveys were
performed in January 2007, while
demolition and final status surveys of
the Facilities were initiated in June
2007. Based on the Licensee’s historical
knowledge of the site and the conditions
of the Facilities, the Licensee
determined that only routine
decontamination activities, in
accordance with their NRC-approved,
operating radiation safety procedures,
were required. The Licensee was not
required to submit a decommissioning
plan to the NRC because worker cleanup
activities and procedures are consistent
with those approved for routine
operations. The Licensee conducted
surveys of the Facilities in June and July
2007 and provided information to the
NRC to demonstrate that they meet the
criteria in Subpart E of 10 CFR part 20
for unrestricted release.
E:\FR\FM\29NON1.SGM
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67610
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 229 / Thursday, November 29, 2007 / Notices
Need for the Proposed Action
The Licensee has ceased conducting
licensed activities in the Facilities and
seeks their unrestricted use.
rmajette on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed
Action
The historical review of the relevant
licensed activities shows that such
activities involved use of the following
radionuclides with half-lives greater
than 120 days: Hydrogen-3 and carbon14. Prior to performing the final status
survey, the Licensee conducted
decontamination activities, as
necessary, in the areas affected by these
radionuclides.
The Licensee completed final status
surveys in July 2007 covering all areas
of the Facilities. The final status survey
report was attached to the Licensee’s
amendment request dated August 22,
2007. The Licensee elected to
demonstrate compliance with the
radiological criteria for unrestricted
release as specified in 10 CFR 20.1402
using the screening approach described
in NUREG–1757, ‘‘Consolidated NMSS
Decommissioning Guidance,’’ Volume
2. The Licensee used the radionuclidespecific derived concentration guideline
levels (DCGLs), developed by the NRC,
which comply with the dose criterion in
10 CFR 20.1402. These DCGLs define
the maximum amount of residual
radioactivity on building surfaces,
equipment, and materials, and in soils,
that will satisfy the NRC requirements
in Subpart E of 10 CFR part 20 for
unrestricted release. The Licensee’s
final status survey results were below
these DCGLs and are in compliance
with the As Low As Reasonably
Achievable (ALARA) requirement of 10
CFR 20.1402. The NRC thus finds that
the Licensee’s final status survey results
are acceptable.
Based on its review, the staff has
determined that the affected
environment and any environmental
impacts associated with the proposed
action 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) Volumes 1–3 (ML042310492,
ML042320379, and ML042330385). The
staff finds there were no significant
environmental impacts from the use of
radioactive material in Building 172 and
the adjoining North Farm Area. The
NRC staff reviewed the docket file
records and the final status survey
report to identify any non-radiological
hazards that may have impacted the
environment surrounding the Facilities.
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14:52 Nov 28, 2007
Jkt 211001
No such hazards or impacts to the
environment were identified. The NRC
has identified no other radiological or
non-radiological activities in the area
that could result in cumulative
environmental impacts.
The NRC staff finds that the proposed
release of the Facilities for unrestricted
use is in compliance with 10 CFR
20.1402, including the impact of
residual radioactivity at previouslyreleased site locations of use. Based on
its review, the staff considered the
impact of the residual radioactivity from
the Facilities and concluded that the
proposed action will not have a
significant effect on the quality of the
human environment.
Environmental Impacts of the
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
Due to the largely administrative
nature of the proposed action, its
environmental impacts are small.
Therefore, the only alternative the staff
considered is the no-action alternative,
under which the staff would leave
things as they are by simply denying the
amendment request. This no-action
alternative is not feasible because it
conflicts with 10 CFR 30.36(d),
requiring that decommissioning of
byproduct material facilities be
completed and approved by the NRC
after licensed activities cease. The
NRC’s analysis of the Licensee’s final
status survey data confirmed that
Building 172 and the adjoining North
Farm Area meet the requirements of 10
CFR 20.1402 for unrestricted release.
Additionally, denying the amendment
request would result in no change in
current environmental impacts. The
environmental impacts of the proposed
action and the no-action alternative are
therefore similar, and the no-action
alternative is accordingly not further
considered.
Conclusion
The NRC staff has concluded that the
proposed action is consistent with the
NRC’s unrestricted release criteria
specified in 10 CFR 20.1402. 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
NRC provided a draft of this
Environmental Assessment to the
Michigan Department of Environmental
Quality (DEQ) for review on October 31,
2007. On November 6, 2007, Mr. Bob
Skowronek, Chief, Radioactive Materials
Unit, with the Michigan DEQ,
responded by e-mail. The State agreed
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
with the conclusions of the EA, and
otherwise had no comments.
The NRC staff has determined that the
proposed action is of a procedural
nature, and will not affect listed species
or critical habitat. Therefore, no further
consultation is required under Section 7
of the Endangered Species Act. The
NRC staff has also determined that the
proposed action is not the type of
activity that has the potential to cause
effects on historic properties. Therefore,
no further consultation is required
under Section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act.
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 Finding of No Significant Impact
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. Dee L. Clement, Pfizer, Inc., letter
to William Snell, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Region III,
dated August 22, 2007 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML072360479);
2. NRC Inspection Report No. 030–
04781/07–01(DNMS) (NRC Form 591M)
dated June 29, 2007 (ADAMS Accession
No. ML071840206);
3. Title 10 Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 20, Subpart E,
‘‘Radiological Criteria for License
Termination;’’
4. Title 10 Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 51, ‘‘Environmental
Protection Regulations for Domestic
Licensing and Related Regulatory
Functions;’’
5. NUREG–1496, ‘‘Generic
Environmental Impact Statement in
Support of Rulemaking on Radiological
Criteria for License Termination of NRCLicensed Nuclear Facilities;’’
6. NUREG–1757, ‘‘Consolidated
NMSS Decommissioning Guidance.’’
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 229 / Thursday, November 29, 2007 / Notices
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 Lisle, Illinois, this 16th day of
November 2007.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Patrick L. Louden,
Chief, Decommissioning Branch, Division of
Nuclear Materials Safety, Region III.
[FR Doc. E7–23159 Filed 11–28–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket No. 030–34325]
Notice of Availability of Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for Amendment of a
Materials Permit in Accordance With
Byproduct Materials License No. 03–
23853–01va, for Unrestricted Release
of a Department of Veterans Affairs’
Facility in Coatesville, PA
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Issuance of Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for License
Amendment.
AGENCY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
rmajette on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES
William Snell, Senior Health Physicist,
Decommissioning Branch, Division of
Nuclear Materials Safety, Region III,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
2443 Warrenville Road, Lisle, Illinois
60532; telephone: (630) 829–9871; fax
number: (630) 515–1259; or by e-mail at
wgs@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is considering the
amendment of a materials permit held
under Master Byproduct Materials
License No. 03–23853–01VA. The
license is held by the Department of
Veterans Affairs (the Licensee). The
permit pertains to its VA Medical Center
facility located at 1400 Black Horse Hill
Road, Coatesville, Pennsylvania (the
Facility). Issuance of the amendment
would authorize release of the Facility’s
Building 11 for unrestricted use and
VerDate Aug<31>2005
14:52 Nov 28, 2007
Jkt 211001
termination of the permit. The Licensee
requested this action in a letter dated
June 28, 2007. 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 June 28, 2007, materials
permit amendment request, resulting in
release of Building 11 for unrestricted
use. License No. 03–23853–01VA was
issued on March 17, 2003, pursuant to
10 CFR Parts 30 and 35, and has been
amended periodically since that time.
This license authorizes the Licensee to
use byproduct materials at Licensee
facilities, as authorized by permits
issued by the Licensee’s National
Radiation Safety Committee for: Medical
use defined in 10 CFR part 35; research
and development as defined in 10 CFR
part 30; portable gauge use; and
veterinary use.
Building 11 is a three-story brick
building containing 65 rooms, is
approximately 40 by 200 feet in size,
and was used for research. The site is
located in a semi-rural area of mixed
residential and commercial land use.
Between 1964 and 1996, the VA
Medical Center in Coatesville possessed
numerous Atomic Energy Commission
and NRC licenses. Use of licensed
materials at the Medical Center ceased
in 1995, and the last of the licenses was
terminated in 1996 and the site was
released for unrestricted use. Following
that action, 28 radioactive-labeled vials
were found in Building 11. Accordingly,
in February 2006, the Licensee issued a
new permit authorizing the Facility to
store these vials pending their disposal.
Based on the Licensee’s historical
knowledge of the site and the conditions
of Building 11, the Licensee determined
that only routine decontamination
activities in accordance with NRC
guidance were required to search for
any other radioactive materials and
conduct radiological surveys of Building
11. The Licensee was not required to
submit a decommissioning plan to the
NRC because worker cleanup activities
and procedures are consistent with
those approved for routine operations.
The Licensee conducted surveys of
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Sfmt 4703
67611
Building 11 on February 2, April 6,
September 28, and October 4, 2006, and
on March 9, 2007, and provided
information to the NRC to demonstrate
that the proposed action will meet the
criteria in Subpart E of 10 CFR part 20
for unrestricted release.
Need for the Proposed Action
The Licensee has ceased conducting
licensed activities in Building 11, and
seeks the unrestricted use of Building
11.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed
Action
The historical review of licensed
activities conducted in Building 11
shows that such activities involved use
of the following radionuclides with halflives greater than 120 days: hydrogen-3
(H–3) and carbon-14 (C–14). Prior to
performing the final status survey, the
Licensee conducted decontamination
activities, as necessary, in the areas of
Building 11 affected by these
radionuclides.
The Licensee completed final status
surveys on Building 11 on March 9,
2007. The surveys covered all areas of
Building 11. The final status survey
report was attached to the Licensee’s
amendment request dated June 28, 2007.
The Licensee elected to demonstrate
compliance with the 10 CFR 20.1402
criteria for unrestricted release by using
release criteria for building surfaces
based on NRC Regulatory Guide 1.86,
‘‘Termination of Operating Licenses for
Reactors.’’ The criterion used is 5 × 103
disintegrations per minute per 100
square centimeters (dpm/100 cm2) for
H–3 and C–14. These values are much
more restrictive than the radionuclidespecific dose-based release criteria
described in NUREG–1757,
‘‘Consolidated NMSS Decommissioning
Guidance,’’ Volume 2, which are 1.2 ×
108 dpm/100 cm2 for H–3 and 3.7 × 106
dpm/100 cm2 for C–14. These values
define the maximum amount of residual
radioactivity on building surfaces,
equipment, and materials that will
satisfy the NRC requirements in Subpart
E of 10 CFR part 20 for unrestricted
release. The Licensee’s final status
survey results were below these values
and are in compliance with the As Low
As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA)
requirement of 10 CFR 20.1402. The
NRC thus finds that the Licensee’s final
status survey results are acceptable.
Based on its review, the staff has
determined that the affected
environment and any environmental
impacts associated with the proposed
action are bounded by the impacts
evaluated by the ‘‘Generic
Environmental Impact Statement in
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 229 (Thursday, November 29, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67609-67611]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-23159]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 030-04781]
Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of
No Significant Impact for License Amendment to Byproduct Materials
License No. 21-00182-03, for Unrestricted Release of the Pharmacia &
Upjohn Company's Facilities in Kalamazoo, MI
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Issuance of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for License Amendment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Snell, Senior Health
Physicist, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials
Safety, Region III, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 2443
Warrenville Road, Lisle, Illinois 60532; telephone: (630) 829-9871; fax
number: (630) 515-1259; or by e-mail at wgs@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. 21-
00182-03. This license is held by Pharmacia & Upjohn Company, LLC (the
Licensee), a subsidiary of Pfizer, Inc., and governs licensed
activities at its 7000 Portage Road, Kalamazoo, Michigan site. Issuance
of the amendment would authorize release of Building 172 and the
adjoining North Tank Farm (the Facilities) for unrestricted use.
Licensed activities will continue at other site locations.
The Licensee requested this action in a letter dated August 22,
2007. 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 August 22, 2007,
license amendment request, resulting in release of the Facilities for
unrestricted use. License No. 21-00182-03 was issued on April 24,1958,
pursuant to 10 CFR part 30, and has been amended periodically since
that time. This license authorizes the Licensee to use byproduct
materials for activities involving research and development. Amendment
21 issued on July 31, 1984, authorized the incineration of licensed
materials in Building 172. The principal types of waste burned in the
incinerator in Building 172 included pathologic wastes, trash, returned
pharmaceuticals, organic process residues, waste solvents and
laboratory chemicals. Some of this incinerated waste was contaminated
with low levels of radioactive materials.
The Facilities are situated on a 1728 acre pharmaceutical complex
consisting of multiple chemical and compound manufacturing structures
including offices and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities. Building
172 is a one story building of about 8500 square feet that is 24 feet
in height which contains the incinerator, operating controls, emissions
controls, office areas, and waste receipt, transfer and shipping areas.
The incinerator is a rotary kiln that is 12 feet long and 5\1/2\ feet
in diameter with a secondary combustion chamber that is 19 feet long
and about 8 feet in diameter. The adjoining North Farm Area consists of
three 10,000 gallon steel and carbon tanks used to store liquids prior
to incineration. The pharmaceutical complex is located in a mixed
residential, agricultural and commercial area.
The licensee ceased using the 10,000 gallon tanks to receive or
store radioactive liquids in 1996 and ceased using the incinerator in
Building 172 in December 2006. A facility historical site assessment
and scoping surveys were performed in January 2007, while demolition
and final status surveys of the Facilities were initiated in June 2007.
Based on the Licensee's historical knowledge of the site and the
conditions of the Facilities, the Licensee determined that only routine
decontamination activities, in accordance with their NRC-approved,
operating radiation safety procedures, were required. The Licensee was
not required to submit a decommissioning plan to the NRC because worker
cleanup activities and procedures are consistent with those approved
for routine operations. The Licensee conducted surveys of the
Facilities in June and July 2007 and provided information to the NRC to
demonstrate that they meet the criteria in Subpart E of 10 CFR part 20
for unrestricted release.
[[Page 67610]]
Need for the Proposed Action
The Licensee has ceased conducting licensed activities in the
Facilities and seeks their unrestricted use.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The historical review of the relevant licensed activities shows
that such activities involved use of the following radionuclides with
half-lives greater than 120 days: Hydrogen-3 and carbon-14. Prior to
performing the final status survey, the Licensee conducted
decontamination activities, as necessary, in the areas affected by
these radionuclides.
The Licensee completed final status surveys in July 2007 covering
all areas of the Facilities. The final status survey report was
attached to the Licensee's amendment request dated August 22, 2007. The
Licensee elected to demonstrate compliance with the radiological
criteria for unrestricted release as specified in 10 CFR 20.1402 using
the screening approach described in NUREG-1757, ``Consolidated NMSS
Decommissioning Guidance,'' Volume 2. The Licensee used the
radionuclide-specific derived concentration guideline levels (DCGLs),
developed by the NRC, which comply with the dose criterion in 10 CFR
20.1402. These DCGLs define the maximum amount of residual
radioactivity on building surfaces, equipment, and materials, and in
soils, that will satisfy the NRC requirements in Subpart E of 10 CFR
part 20 for unrestricted release. The Licensee's final status survey
results were below these DCGLs and are in compliance with the As Low As
Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) requirement of 10 CFR 20.1402. The NRC
thus finds that the Licensee's final status survey results are
acceptable.
Based on its review, the staff has determined that the affected
environment and any environmental impacts associated with the proposed
action 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) Volumes 1-3 (ML042310492, ML042320379, and ML042330385).
The staff finds there were no significant environmental impacts from
the use of radioactive material in Building 172 and the adjoining North
Farm Area. The NRC staff reviewed the docket file records and the final
status survey report to identify any non-radiological hazards that may
have impacted the environment surrounding the Facilities. No such
hazards or impacts to the environment were identified. The NRC has
identified no other radiological or non-radiological activities in the
area that could result in cumulative environmental impacts.
The NRC staff finds that the proposed release of the Facilities for
unrestricted use is in compliance with 10 CFR 20.1402, including the
impact of residual radioactivity at previously-released site locations
of use. Based on its review, the staff considered the impact of the
residual radioactivity from the Facilities and concluded that the
proposed action will not have a significant effect on the quality of
the human environment.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
Due to the largely administrative nature of the proposed action,
its environmental impacts are small. Therefore, the only alternative
the staff considered is the no-action alternative, under which the
staff would leave things as they are by simply denying the amendment
request. This no-action alternative is not feasible because it
conflicts with 10 CFR 30.36(d), requiring that decommissioning of
byproduct material facilities be completed and approved by the NRC
after licensed activities cease. The NRC's analysis of the Licensee's
final status survey data confirmed that Building 172 and the adjoining
North Farm Area meet the requirements of 10 CFR 20.1402 for
unrestricted release. Additionally, denying the amendment request would
result in no change in current environmental impacts. The environmental
impacts of the proposed action and the no-action alternative are
therefore similar, and the no-action alternative is accordingly not
further considered.
Conclusion
The NRC staff has concluded that the proposed action is consistent
with the NRC's unrestricted release criteria specified in 10 CFR
20.1402. 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
NRC provided a draft of this Environmental Assessment to the
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for review on
October 31, 2007. On November 6, 2007, Mr. Bob Skowronek, Chief,
Radioactive Materials Unit, with the Michigan DEQ, responded by e-mail.
The State agreed with the conclusions of the EA, and otherwise had no
comments.
The NRC staff has determined that the proposed action is of a
procedural nature, and will not affect listed species or critical
habitat. Therefore, no further consultation is required under Section 7
of the Endangered Species Act. The NRC staff has also determined that
the proposed action is not the type of activity that has the potential
to cause effects on historic properties. Therefore, no further
consultation is required under Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act.
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 Finding of No Significant
Impact 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. Dee L. Clement, Pfizer, Inc., letter to William Snell, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Region III, dated August 22, 2007 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML072360479);
2. NRC Inspection Report No. 030-04781/07-01(DNMS) (NRC Form 591M)
dated June 29, 2007 (ADAMS Accession No. ML071840206);
3. Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 20, Subpart E,
``Radiological Criteria for License Termination;''
4. Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 51, ``Environmental
Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory
Functions;''
5. NUREG-1496, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement in Support
of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of NRC-
Licensed Nuclear Facilities;''
6. NUREG-1757, ``Consolidated NMSS Decommissioning Guidance.''
[[Page 67611]]
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 Lisle, Illinois, this 16th day of November 2007.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Patrick L. Louden,
Chief, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety,
Region III.
[FR Doc. E7-23159 Filed 11-28-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
