Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Final Finding of No Significant Impact for the Issuance of Grants to Eligible Institutions of Higher Education in the United States, 34050-34052 [E8-13461]

Agencies

• NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 116 (Monday, June 16, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34050-34052]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-13461]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Final 
Finding of No Significant Impact for the Issuance of Grants to Eligible 
Institutions of Higher Education in the United States

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Issuance of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact for the issuance of grants to institutions of higher 
education in the United States, for scholarships, fellowships, faculty 
and curricula development in nuclear safety, nuclear security, nuclear 
environmental protection, and other fields that the Commission 
determines to be critical to the NRC's regulatory mission.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Morris, Deputy Associate 
Director, Professional Development Center, Office of Human Resources, 
Mail Stop W5-A6, Washington, DC 20555; Telephone number: 301-492-2303; 
FAX number: 301-492-2243; or by e-mail: james.morris@nrc.gov.

[[Page 34051]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction

    Section 243 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (AEA), 
authorizes the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) 
to create a scholarship and fellowship program to fund scholarships, 
fellowships, and stipends for the study of science, engineering, or 
another field of study that the NRC determines is a critical skill area 
related to its regulatory mission, to support faculty and curricular 
development in such fields, and to support other domestic educational, 
technical assistance, or training programs (including those of trade 
schools) in such fields.
    Section 31.b.(2) of the AEA authorizes the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission (NRC or Commission) to provide grants, loans, cooperative 
agreements, contracts, and equipment to institutions of higher 
education to support courses, studies, training, curricula, and 
disciplines pertaining to nuclear safety, security, or environmental 
protection, or any other field that the Commission determines to be 
critical to the regulatory mission of the Commission.
    The NRC is proposing to award grants, using funds available in 
fiscal year 2008, to eligible institutions of higher education in the 
United States as authorized by sections 31.b.(2) and 243 of the AEA. 
The NRC has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) as its evaluation 
of this proposed action in accordance with the requirements in 10 CFR 
Part 51. Based on the EA, the NRC has concluded that a Finding of No 
Significant Impact is appropriate to the proposed action.

II. Environmental Assessment

Identification of Proposed Action

    The NRC is proposing to fund five competitive grant programs. The 
goal of the five grant programs is to promote and strengthen teaching 
programs in nuclear safety, nuclear security, nuclear environmental 
protection, and other fields that the Commission determines to be 
critical to the NRC's regulatory mission, by through the award of 
grants for scholarships and fellowships and to enhance curricula and 
increase faculty teaching competencies. Under the first program, the 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Nuclear Education Grant Program, 
Fiscal Year 2008 (funding number HR-FN1207-EDU2), the NRC would make 
grant awards up to $4.7 million dollars in fiscal year 2008, to higher 
education institutions, accredited in the United States.
    The primary purpose of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 
Nuclear Education Grant Program is to support the educational 
infrastructure necessary for the nation to safely move forward with its 
nuclear energy initiatives. The goal of the program is to promote and 
strengthen teaching programs in nuclear safety, nuclear security, 
nuclear environmental protection, and other fields that the Commission 
determines to be critical to the NRC's regulatory mission at higher 
education institutions, by enhancing curricula and increasing faculty 
teaching competencies. Projects awarded grants under the proposed 
program may develop, revise, implement, or improve teaching 
competencies, subject matter expertise, and skills in serving students 
in significant nuclear programs. Applicants would be expected to 
identify innovative instructional approaches or techniques to enhance 
student learning, including distance educational and experiential 
learning. Curriculum development projects may create teaching resources 
such as course material, including teaching guides on specific nuclear 
topics. Such materials may use print or electronic formats, but the 
preparation of traditional textbooks would be ineligible for funding. 
Under the proposed grant program, projects must have an academic focus 
within the areas of nuclear safety, nuclear security, nuclear 
environmental protection, or the other fields the Commission has 
determined to be critical to the NRC's regulatory mission.
    Under the remaining four grant programs, the U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission Nuclear Scholarship/Fellowship Program 
Announcement of Opportunity, Fiscal Year 2008 (not yet announced); the 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Nuclear Education Program 
Scholarship and Fellowship Announcement of Opportunity, Fiscal Year 
2008 (funding number HR-FN208-NEDO1); the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission Nuclear Education Program Faculty Development Grants 
Announcement of Opportunity, Fiscal Year 2008 (funding number HR-FN208-
NEDO2); and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Nuclear Education 
Program Trade School Scholarship Announcement of Opportunity, Fiscal 
Year 2008 (funding number HR-FN208-NEDO3); the NRC would make grant 
awards up to $15.4 million dollars in fiscal year 2008 for 
undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships, trade school 
scholarships, and faculty development grants to support education in 
nuclear science and engineering, for the purpose of developing a 
workforce capable of supporting the design, construction, operation, 
and regulation of nuclear facilities and the safe handling of nuclear 
materials. Participation in the awards program would require recipients 
to serve in nuclear-related employment for each full or partial year of 
academic support. The employment may be with NRC, other Federal 
agencies, State agencies, Department of Energy laboratories, nuclear-
related industry, or academia in the recipients' sponsored fields of 
study.
    A more detailed description of the fiscal year 2008 NRC grant 
programs is available at https://www.grants.gov (find grant 
opportunities/browse by agency/U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission).

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action implements the congressional intent of sections 
31.b.(2) and 243 of the AEA, namely, to foster the study of science, 
engineering, or another field of study that the NRC determines is in a 
critical skill area related to its regulatory mission.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is specifically geared toward the development 
of teaching and educational programs in the nuclear field. As the 
proposed action is administrative in nature, it will have no 
significant effect on the quality of the human environment. The 
proposed action is not expected to result in: increased radiation doses 
to nuclear industry workers or members of the public; degradation of 
water quality or of the water supply; endangered or threatened species 
habitat destruction; increased effluents or changes in effluent 
pathways; increased noise; damage or reduced access to cultural 
resources; changes to local or regional socioeconomic conditions; 
increased traffic or other transportation effects; or increased 
competition for available resources. Moreover, the NRC will not issue 
awards to fund programs that include or involve activities directly 
affecting the environment, such as the construction of facilities; a 
major disturbance of the local environment brought about by blasting, 
drilling, excavating or other means; large-scale acquisitions of 
computer equipment; field work affecting the local environment (except 
field work which only involves noninvasive or non-harmful techniques 
such as taking water or soil samples or collecting non-protected 
species of flora and fauna); and the testing and release of radioactive 
material.

[[Page 34052]]

    Accordingly, the NRC finds 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 administrative nature of the proposed action, its 
environmental impacts are small or nonexistent. Therefore, the only 
alternative NRC considered is the ``no-action'' alternative, namely, 
not issuing any grant awards. The no-action alternative runs counter to 
the congressional intent expressed in section 31.b.(2) of the AEA, 
which authorizes the NRC to provide grants to support courses, studies, 
training, curricula, and disciplines pertaining to nuclear safety, 
security, or environmental protection, and in section 243 of the AEA, 
which authorizes the NRC to issue scholarships and fellowships to 
higher education institutions for the purpose of enabling students to 
pursue education in science, engineering, or another field of study 
that the NRC determines is in a critical skill area related to its 
regulatory mission.
    The ``no-action'' alternative would result in no change in current 
environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the proposed action 
and the alternative action are similar.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The NRC has determined that the proposed action is administrative 
in nature and will not affect listed species or critical habitat. 
Therefore, no consultation is required under Section 7 of the 
Endangered Species Act. The NRC 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 consultation is required 
under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

III. Final Finding of No Significant Impact

    On the basis of this environmental assessment, the NRC concludes 
that the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the 
quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the NRC has determined 
not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed 
action.

IV. Further Information

    For further information regarding the NRC Education Grants program, 
please visit the NRC Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/
grants.html. The public may access this document by using ADAMS on the 
NRC public Web site by using the following accession number 
ML081570477.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of June, 2008.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
James F. McDermott,
Director, Office of Human Resources.
[FR Doc. E8-13461 Filed 6-13-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P