Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for License Amendment To Byproduct Materials License No. 06-30667-02, for Termination of the License and Unrestricted Release of Curagen Corporation's Facility In Branford, Connecticut, 71974-71976 [E7-24600]
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mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
71974
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 19, 2007 / Notices
to: Chief, Rulemaking, Directives and
Editing Branch, Division of
Administrative Services, Office of
Administration, Mailstop T–6D59, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555–0001.
Comments may be hand-delivered to
the NRC at 11545 Rockville Pike, Room
T–6D59, Rockville, Maryland, between
7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on Federal
workdays. Electronic comments may be
submitted to the NRC by e-mail at
ShearonHarrisEIS@nrc.gov. All
comments received by the Commission,
including those made by Federal, State,
local agencies, Native American Tribes,
or other interested persons, will be
made available electronically at the
Commission’s PDR in Rockville,
Maryland, and through ADAMS.
The NRC staff will hold a public
meeting to present an overview of the
draft plant-specific supplement to the
GEIS and to accept public comments on
the document. The public meeting will
be held on January 30, 2008, at the New
Horizons Fellowship, 820 East Williams
Street, Apex, North Carolina 27502.
There will be two identical meetings to
accommodate interested parties. The
first meeting will convene at 1:30 p.m.
and will continue until 4:30 p.m., as
necessary. The second meeting will
convene at 7 p.m. and will continue
until 10 p.m., as necessary. Both
meetings will be transcribed and will
include: (1) A presentation of the
contents of the draft plant-specific
supplement to the GEIS, and (2) the
opportunity for interested government
agencies, organizations, and individuals
to provide comments on the draft report.
Additionally, the NRC staff will host
informal discussions one hour prior to
the start of each meeting at the same
location. No comments on the draft
supplement to the GEIS will be accepted
during the informal discussions. To be
considered, comments must be provided
either at the transcribed public meetings
or in writing. Persons may pre-register
to attend or present oral comments at
the meeting by contacting Mr. Samuel
Hernandez, the NRC Environmental
Project Manager at 1–800–368–5642,
extension 4049, or by e-mail at
ShearonHarrisEIS@nrc.gov no later than
January 23, 2008. Members of the public
may also register to provide oral
comments within 15 minutes of the start
of each session. Individual, oral
comments may be limited by the time
available, depending on the number of
persons who register. If special
equipment or accommodations are
needed to attend or present information
at the public meeting, the need should
be brought to Mr. Hernandez’s attention
no later than January 23, 2008, to
VerDate Aug<31>2005
21:40 Dec 18, 2007
Jkt 214001
provide the NRC staff adequate notice to
determine whether the request can be
accommodated.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Hernandez, Reactor Projects Branch 1,
Division of License Renewal, Office of
Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail
Stop O–11F1, Washington, DC 20555–
0001. Mr. Hernandez may be contacted
at the aforementioned telephone
number or e-mail address.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 10th day
of December 2007.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Louise Lund,
Branch Chief, Reactor Projects Branch 1,
Division of License Renewal, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E7–24648 Filed 12–18–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket No. 030–36257]
Notice of Availability of Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for License
Amendment To Byproduct Materials
License No. 06–30667–02, for
Termination of the License and
Unrestricted Release of Curagen
Corporation’s Facility In Branford,
Connecticut
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Issuance of Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for License
Amendment.
AGENCY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Dennis Lawyer, Health Physicist,
Commercial and R&D Branch, Division
of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I,
475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia,
Pennsylvania; telephone 610–337–5366;
fax number 610–337–5393; or by e-mail:
drl1@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. 06–
30667–02. This license is held by
CuraGen Corporation (the Licensee), for
its facility located at 322 East Main
Street, in Branford, Connecticut (the
Facility). Issuance of the amendment
would authorize release of the Facility
for unrestricted use and termination of
the NRC license. The Licensee requested
this action in a letter dated July 31,
PO 00000
Frm 00104
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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 July 31, 2007, license
amendment request, resulting in release
of the Facility for unrestricted use and
the termination of its NRC materials
license. License No. 06–30667–02 was
issued on April 8, 2003, pursuant to 10
CFR Part 30, and has been amended
periodically since that time. This
license authorized the Licensee to use
unsealed byproduct material at the
Facility for purposes of conducting
research and development activities on
laboratory bench tops, incubators, and
in hoods.
The Facility is comprised of a 52,000
square foot building on 3.5 acres of land
and consists of general office space and
laboratories. Use of licensed materials
was confined to 300 square feet of the
building known as Area 311B. The
Facility is located in a mixed
residential/commercial area. Within the
Facility, the radionuclides of concern
were hydrogen-3 and carbon-14 because
their half-lives are greater than 120
days.
In October 2004, the Licensee ceased
licensed activities at the Facility and
initiated survey and decontamination
actions there. Based on the Licensee’s
historical knowledge of the site and the
conditions of the Facility, 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 Facility and provided
information to the NRC to demonstrate
that it meets the criteria in Subpart E of
10 CFR Part 20 for unrestricted release
and for license termination.
Need for the Proposed Action
The Licensee has ceased conducting
licensed activities at the Facility, and
E:\FR\FM\19DEN1.SGM
19DEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 19, 2007 / Notices
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
seeks the unrestricted use of its Facility
and the termination of its NRC materials
license. Termination of its license
would end the Licensee’s obligation to
pay annual license fees to the NRC.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed
Action
The historical review of licensed
activities conducted at the Facility
shows that such activities involved use
of the following radionuclides with halflives 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 of the Facility
affected by these radionuclides.
The Licensee conducted final status
surveys on July 2–3, 2007. The final
status survey report was attached to the
Licensee’s amendment request letter
dated July 31, 2007. The Licensee
elected to demonstrate compliance with
the radiological criteria for unrestricted
release as specified in 10 CFR 20.1402
by 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 there 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, 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 at the Facility. 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 Facility.
No such hazards or impacts to the
environment were identified. The NRC
VerDate Aug<31>2005
21:40 Dec 18, 2007
Jkt 214001
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 Facility for unrestricted
use and the termination of the NRC
materials license is in compliance with
10 CFR 20.1402. Based on its review,
the staff considered the impact of the
residual radioactivity at the Facility 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 the
Facility meets the requirements of 10
CFR 20.1402 for unrestricted release and
for license termination. 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
Connecticut Department of
Environmental Protection for review on
November 6, 2007. On November 30,
2007,the State of Connecticut,
Department of Environmental Protection
responded by electronic 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
PO 00000
Frm 00105
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
71975
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. NUREG–1757, ‘‘Consolidated
NMSS Decommissioning Guidance;’’
2. Title 10 Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 20, Subpart E,
‘‘Radiological Criteria for License
Termination;’’
3. Title 10, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 51, ‘‘Environmental
Protection Regulations for Domestic
Licensing and Related Regulatory
Functions;’’
4. NUREG–1496, ‘‘Generic
Environmental Impact Statement in
Support of Rulemaking on Radiological
Criteria for License Termination of NRCLicensed Nuclear Facilities;’’ and
5. CurGen Corporation’s Termination
Request dated July 31, 2007
[ML072280511].
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
E:\FR\FM\19DEN1.SGM
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71976
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 19, 2007 / Notices
II. Environmental Assessment
reproduction contractor will copy
documents for a fee.
Dated at 475 Allendale Road, King of
Prussia this 11th day of December.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
James P. Dwyer,
Chief, Commercial and R&D Branch, Division
of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I.
[FR Doc. E7–24600 Filed 12–18–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket No. 030–14680]
Notice of Availability of Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for License
Amendment to Byproduct Materials
License No. 29–00117–06, for
Unrestricted Release of Merck & Co.,
Inc.’s Facility In Branchburg Township,
NJ
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Issuance of Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for License
Amendment.
AGENCY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
Dennis Lawyer, Health Physicist,
Commercial and R&D Branch, Division
of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I,
475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia,
Pennsylvania; telephone 610–337–5366;
fax number 610–337–5393; or by e-mail:
drl1@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. 29–
00117–06. This license is held by Merck
& Co., Inc. (the Licensee), for its
Branchburg Farm, located at 203 River
Road in Branchburg Township, New
Jersey (the Facility). Issuance of the
amendment would authorize release of
the Facility for unrestricted use. The
Licensee requested this action in a letter
dated August 24, 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.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
21:40 Dec 18, 2007
Jkt 214001
Identification of Proposed Action
The proposed action would approve
the Licensee’s August 24, 2007, license
amendment request, resulting in release
of the Facility for unrestricted use.
License No. 29–00117–06 was issued on
January 22, 1990, pursuant to 10 CFR
Part 30, and has been amended
periodically since that time. This
license authorized the Licensee to use
unsealed byproduct material at the
Facility for purposes of conducting
research and development activities on
laboratory bench tops and in hoods,
animal studies and instrument
calibration. The proposed action
pertains only to the cessation of
licensed activities at the Facility. The
license authorizes use of licensed
material at other locations that will not
be affected by this action and the license
will thus not be terminated if the
proposal is approved.
The Facility is situated on 223 acres,
and consists of office, laboratory, and
animal areas. Within the Facility, use of
licensed materials was confined to
Building 71 and Building 91. The area
of use totaled 29,000 square feet. The
Facility is located in a residential area.
Within the Facility, the radionuclides of
concern were hydrogen-3 and carbon-14
because the half-life of these isotopes is
greater than 120 days.
In January 2007, the Licensee ceased
licensed activities at the Facility and
initiated survey and decontamination
actions there. Based on the Licensee’s
historical knowledge of the site and the
conditions of the Facility, 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 Facility and provided
information to the NRC to demonstrate
that it meets 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 at the Facility, and
seeks the unrestricted use of its Facility.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed
Action
The historical review of licensed
activities conducted at the Facility
shows that such activities involved use
of the following radionuclides with halflives greater than 120 days: hydrogen-3
PO 00000
Frm 00106
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
and carbon-14. Prior to performing the
final status survey, the Licensee
conducted decontamination activities,
as necessary, in the areas of the Facility
affected by these radionuclides.
The Licensee conducted final status
surveys on April 9–11, May 1, and May
22, 2007. This survey covered 13
laboratories and an incinerator used
within Building 71 and 91. The final
status survey report was attached to the
Licensee’s amendment request dated
August 24, 2007. The Licensee elected
to demonstrate compliance with the
radiological criteria for unrestricted
release as specified in 10 CFR 20.1402
by 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 there 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, 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 at the Facility. 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 Facility.
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 Facility for unrestricted
use and the termination of the NRC
materials license is in compliance with
10 CFR 20.1402. Based on its review,
the staff considered the impact of the
E:\FR\FM\19DEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 243 (Wednesday, December 19, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71974-71976]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-24600]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 030-36257]
Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of
No Significant Impact for License Amendment To Byproduct Materials
License No. 06-30667-02, for Termination of the License and
Unrestricted Release of Curagen Corporation's Facility In Branford,
Connecticut
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Issuance of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for License Amendment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dennis Lawyer, Health Physicist,
Commercial and R&D Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region
I, 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania; telephone 610-
337-5366; fax number 610-337-5393; or by e-mail: drl1@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. 06-
30667-02. This license is held by CuraGen Corporation (the Licensee),
for its facility located at 322 East Main Street, in Branford,
Connecticut (the Facility). Issuance of the amendment would authorize
release of the Facility for unrestricted use and termination of the NRC
license. The Licensee requested this action in a letter dated July 31,
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 July 31, 2007,
license amendment request, resulting in release of the Facility for
unrestricted use and the termination of its NRC materials license.
License No. 06-30667-02 was issued on April 8, 2003, pursuant to 10 CFR
Part 30, and has been amended periodically since that time. This
license authorized the Licensee to use unsealed byproduct material at
the Facility for purposes of conducting research and development
activities on laboratory bench tops, incubators, and in hoods.
The Facility is comprised of a 52,000 square foot building on 3.5
acres of land and consists of general office space and laboratories.
Use of licensed materials was confined to 300 square feet of the
building known as Area 311B. The Facility is located in a mixed
residential/commercial area. Within the Facility, the radionuclides of
concern were hydrogen-3 and carbon-14 because their half-lives are
greater than 120 days.
In October 2004, the Licensee ceased licensed activities at the
Facility and initiated survey and decontamination actions there. Based
on the Licensee's historical knowledge of the site and the conditions
of the Facility, 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 Facility
and provided information to the NRC to demonstrate that it meets the
criteria in Subpart E of 10 CFR Part 20 for unrestricted release and
for license termination.
Need for the Proposed Action
The Licensee has ceased conducting licensed activities at the
Facility, and
[[Page 71975]]
seeks the unrestricted use of its Facility and the termination of its
NRC materials license. Termination of its license would end the
Licensee's obligation to pay annual license fees to the NRC.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The historical review of licensed activities conducted at the
Facility 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 of the
Facility affected by these radionuclides.
The Licensee conducted final status surveys on July 2-3, 2007. The
final status survey report was attached to the Licensee's amendment
request letter dated July 31, 2007. The Licensee elected to demonstrate
compliance with the radiological criteria for unrestricted release as
specified in 10 CFR 20.1402 by 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 there 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, 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 at the Facility. 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 Facility. 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 Facility for
unrestricted use and the termination of the NRC materials license is in
compliance with 10 CFR 20.1402. Based on its review, the staff
considered the impact of the residual radioactivity at the Facility 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 the Facility meets the
requirements of 10 CFR 20.1402 for unrestricted release and for license
termination. 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
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection for review on
November 6, 2007. On November 30, 2007,the State of Connecticut,
Department of Environmental Protection responded by electronic 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. NUREG-1757, ``Consolidated NMSS Decommissioning Guidance;''
2. Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 20, Subpart E,
``Radiological Criteria for License Termination;''
3. Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 51, ``Environmental
Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory
Functions;''
4. NUREG-1496, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement in Support
of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of NRC-
Licensed Nuclear Facilities;'' and
5. CurGen Corporation's Termination Request dated July 31, 2007
[ML072280511].
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
[[Page 71976]]
reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee.
Dated at 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia this 11th day of
December.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
James P. Dwyer,
Chief, Commercial and R&D Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety,
Region I.
[FR Doc. E7-24600 Filed 12-18-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
