Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for License Amendment to Byproduct Materials License No. 21-01443-06, for Unrestricted Release of the Warner-Lambert Facility in Ann Arbor, MI, 53052-53054 [E8-21274]
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53052
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 178 / Friday, September 12, 2008 / Notices
These matters are exempt under 5 U.S.C.
552b(c)(6) of the Government in the Sunshine
Act.
Dated: September 9, 2008.
Susanne Bolton,
Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. E8–21244 Filed 9–11–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket No. 040–08502]
Notice of Availability of Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for License
Amendment Request To Revert to
Operating Status From Restoration
and Decommissioning Status, Cogema
Mining Inc., Christensen and Irigaray
Ranch Facilities, Johnson and
Campbell Counties, WY
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
Ron
C. Linton, Project Manager, Uranium
Recovery Licensing Branch, Division of
Waste Management and Environmental
Protection, Office of Federal and State
Materials and Environmental
Management Programs, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555. Telephone: 301–415–7777;
fax number: 301–415–5369; e-mail:
ron.linton@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ebenthall on PROD1PC60 with NOTICES
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
I. Introduction
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) is issuing a license amendment to
source Materials License No. SUA–1341
issued to Cogema Mining, Inc.
(COGEMA) (the licensee), to authorize a
return to uranium production
operations and the recovery of uranium
by in situ leach (ISL) extraction
techniques as previously licensed by the
NRC at its Christensen and Irigaray
Ranch Facilities, Johnson and Campbell
Counties, Wyoming. NRC has prepared
an Environmental Assessment (EA) in
support of this amendment in
accordance with the requirements of 10
CFR Part 51. Based on the EA, the NRC
has concluded that a Finding of No
Significant Impact (FONSI) is
appropriate. The amendment will be
issued following the publication of this
Notice.
II. EA Summary
On April 3, 2007, COGEMA requested
that NRC approve an amendment to
authorize a return to uranium
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:18 Sep 11, 2008
Jkt 214001
production operations and the recovery
of uranium by ISL extraction techniques
at the licensee’s Christensen and
Irigaray Ranch facilities in Johnson and
Campbell Counties, Wyoming.
Specifically, COGEMA’s source
materials license will be amended to
allow for the resumption of uranium
recovery operations by the injection of
lixiviant with license conditions that are
essentially the same as those contained
in the last operational license, SUA–
1341, Amendment 3. COGEMA’s
request for the proposed amendment
was noticed in the Federal Register on
March 17, 2008, with a notice of an
opportunity to request a hearing. The
Federal Register notice of an
opportunity to request a hearing was
also posted on NRC’s public Web site
under ‘‘Hearing Opportunities and
License Applications.’’ No hearing
requests were received.
The staff has prepared the EA in
support of the proposed license
amendment. The NRC staff found that
the type of impacts would be similar to
those that already exist and that have
been evaluated in previous
environmental reviews. The staff
reviewed impacts to land use,
transportation, geology and soils,
ecology, air quality, noise, cultural and
historical resources, visual and scenic
resources, socioeconomic resources,
public and occupational health, and
waste management. All impacts were
found to be low with the exception of
some moderate short-term visual
impacts to the Pumpkin Buttes which
have been determined by the Bureau of
Land Management to be a Native
American traditional cultural property.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
On the basis of the EA, NRC has
concluded that there are no significant
environmental impacts from the
proposed amendment, and that
preparation of an environmental impact
statement is not warranted.
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: ML071020274, Letter
from T. Hardgrove, COGEMA Mining,
Re: Request for Amendment to License
PO 00000
Frm 00109
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
SUA–1341 for Restart of Irigaray/
Christensen Ranch Facilities;
ML082110026, Environmental
Assessment Regarding the License
Amendment Request to Return to
Operating Status from Decommissioning
Status Cogema Mining, Inc. Irigaray and
Christensen Ranch Projects Wyoming. 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.resource@nrc.gov.
These documents may also be viewed
electronically on the public computers
located at the NRC’s Public Document
Room (PDR), O 1 F21, One White Flint
North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
Maryland 20852. The PDR reproduction
contractor will copy documents for a
fee.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 8th day
of September 2008.
For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Keith I. McConnell,
Deputy Director, Decommissioning and
Uranium Recovery, Licensing Directorate,
Division of Waste Management, and
Environmental Protection, Office of Federal
and State Materials and Environmental
Management Programs.
[FR Doc. E8–21275 Filed 9–11–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket No. 030–04794]
Notice of Availability of Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for License
Amendment to Byproduct Materials
License No. 21–01443–06, for
Unrestricted Release of the WarnerLambert Facility in Ann Arbor, MI
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
AGENCY:
Issuance of Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for License
Amendment.
ACTION:
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
william.snell@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
E:\FR\FM\12SEN1.SGM
12SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 178 / Friday, September 12, 2008 / Notices
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) proposing to
terminate Byproduct Materials License
No. 21–01443–06. This license is held
by Warner-Lambert, LLC (the Licensee),
which is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Pfizer, Inc., for its facilities located at
2800 Plymouth Road and 1600 Huron
Parkway in Ann Arbor, Michigan (the
Facilities). Termination of the license
would authorize release of the Facilities
for unrestricted use. The Licensee
requested this action in a letter dated
June 3, 2008 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML081610504). 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 license will be
terminated 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 3, 2008, license
termination request, resulting in release
of the Facilities for unrestricted use.
License No. 21–01443–06 was issued on
April 20, 1959, pursuant to 10 CFR Part
30, and has been amended periodically
since that time. The license authorizes
the use of byproduct materials for
conducting research and development.
The Facilities comprise a campus of
research laboratories and offices of more
than two million square feet of floor
area on approximately 50 acres of
property located in a commercial and
residential area. The Licensee ceased
using licensed materials in the Facilities
in May 2007, and has conducted final
status surveys of the Facilities. The
results of these surveys along with other
supporting information were provided
to the NRC to demonstrate that the
criteria in Subpart E of 10 CFR Part 20
for unrestricted release have been met.
ebenthall on PROD1PC60 with NOTICES
Need for the Proposed Action
The licensee has ceased conducting
licensed activities at the Facilities, and
seeks the unrestricted use of its
Facilities.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed
Action
The historical review of licensed
activities conducted at the Facilities
shows that such activities involved use
of the following radionuclides with half-
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:18 Sep 11, 2008
Jkt 214001
lives greater than 120 days: hydrogen-3,
carbon-14, sodium-22, chlorine-36,
calcium-45, calcium-47, iron-55, cobalt60, nickel-63, zinc-65, strontium-90,
antimony-125, barium-133, and cesium137. Prior to performing the final status
survey, the Licensee conducted
decontamination activities, as
necessary, in the areas of the Facilities
affected by these radionuclides.
The Licensee conducted onsite final
status surveys on the Facilities from
February 24 to April 23, 2008. The final
status survey report was attached to the
Licensee’s amendment request dated
June 3, 2008. 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, 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
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
termination of the license and release of
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
53053
the Facilities for unrestricted use is in
compliance with 10 CFR 20. Based on
its review, the staff considered the
impact of the residual radioactivity at
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 the Facilities 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 July 23,
2008. By response dated July 24, 2008,
the State agreed with the conclusions of
the EA, and otherwise provided 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
E:\FR\FM\12SEN1.SGM
12SEN1
53054
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 178 / Friday, September 12, 2008 / Notices
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.
ebenthall on PROD1PC60 with NOTICES
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. Carol Lentz, Pfizer, Inc., letter to
Patricia Pelke, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, June 3, 2008 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML081610504);
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’’;
5. NUREG–1757, ‘‘Consolidated
NMSS Decommissioning Guidance.’’
6. By response dated July 24, 2008,
the State had no comments.
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 29th day of
August 2008.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:18 Sep 11, 2008
Jkt 214001
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Christine Lipa,
Chief, Decommissioning Branch, Division of
Nuclear Materials Safety, Region III.
[FR Doc. E8–21274 Filed 9–11–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
Issued at Rockville, Maryland, this 8th day
of September 2008.
E. Roy Hawkens,
Chief Administrative Judge, Atomic Safety
and Licensing Board Panel.
[FR Doc. E8–21278 Filed 9–11–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES
TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
[Docket No. 50–443–LA; ASLBP No. 08–
872–02–LA–BD01]
FPL Energy Seabrook LLC;
Establishment of Atomic Safety and
Licensing Board
Pursuant to delegation by the
Commission dated December 29, 1972,
published in the Federal Register, 37 FR
28,710 (1972), and the Commission’s
regulations, see 10 CFR 2.104, 2.300,
2.303, 2.309, 2.311, 2.318, and 2.321,
notice is hereby given that an Atomic
Safety and Licensing Board (Board) is
being established to preside over the
following proceeding:
FPL Energy Seabrook LLC
(Seabrook Station, Unit 1)
This proceeding involves a license
amendment request from FPL Energy
Seabrook LLC proposing a revision to
the Technical Specifications for
Seabrook Station, Unit 1 in Rockingham
County, New Hampshire. In response to
an August 26, 2008 Notice of
Consideration of Issuance of
Amendments to Facility Operating
Licenses, Proposed No Significant
Hazards Consideration Determination,
and Opportunity for a Hearing (73 FR
50,356, 50,361), a request for hearing
has been submitted by Thomas Saporito
on behalf of himself and Saporito
Energy Consultants.
The Board is comprised of the
following administrative judges:
William J. Froehlich, Chairman,
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board
Panel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555–
0001.
E. Roy Hawkens, Atomic Safety and
Licensing Board Panel, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555–0001.
Thomas S. Elleman, Atomic Safety
and Licensing Board Panel, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555–0001.
All correspondence, documents, and
other materials shall be filed in
accordance with the NRC E-Filing rule,
which the NRC promulgated in August
2007 (72 FR 49,139).
PO 00000
Frm 00111
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Generalized System of Preferences
(GSP): Notice Regarding the 2008
Annual Review for Acceptance of
Product and Country Practices
Petitions
Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Office of the United
States Trade Representative (USTR)
received petitions in connection with
the 2008 GSP Annual Review to modify
the list of products that are eligible for
duty-free treatment under the GSP
program and to modify the GSP status
of certain GSP beneficiary developing
countries because of country practices.
This notice announces the product
petitions, other than those requesting
competitive need limitation (CNL)
waivers, and country practice petitions
accepted in previous GSP annual
reviews that continue to be under
review in the 2008 GSP Annual Review,
and sets forth the schedule for comment
and public hearings on these petitions,
for requesting participation in the
hearings, and for submitting pre-hearing
and post-hearing briefs. The list of
accepted petitions is available at:
https://www.ustr.gov/
Trade_Development/
Preference_Programs/GSP/
Section_Index.html. [2008 Annual
review].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Regina Teeter, GSP Program, Office of
the United States Trade Representative,
1724 F Street, NW., Room F–214,
Washington, DC 20508. The telephone
number is (202) 395–6971, fax number
is (202) 395–9481, and e-mail address is
Regina_Teeter@ustr.eop.gov.
DATES: The GSP regulations (15 CFR
Part 2007) provide the schedule of dates
for conducting an annual review unless
otherwise specified in a Federal
Register notice. The schedule for the
2008 annual review is set forth below.
Notification of any other changes will be
given in the Federal Register.
October 3, 2008—Due date for
submission of pre-hearing briefs and
requests to appear at the GSP
E:\FR\FM\12SEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 178 (Friday, September 12, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53052-53054]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-21274]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 030-04794]
Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of
No Significant Impact for License Amendment to Byproduct Materials
License No. 21-01443-06, for Unrestricted Release of the Warner-Lambert
Facility in Ann Arbor, 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 william.snell@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
[[Page 53053]]
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) proposing to terminate
Byproduct Materials License No. 21-01443-06. This license is held by
Warner-Lambert, LLC (the Licensee), which is a wholly owned subsidiary
of Pfizer, Inc., for its facilities located at 2800 Plymouth Road and
1600 Huron Parkway in Ann Arbor, Michigan (the Facilities). Termination
of the license would authorize release of the Facilities for
unrestricted use. The Licensee requested this action in a letter dated
June 3, 2008 (ADAMS Accession No. ML081610504). 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 license will be
terminated 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 3, 2008,
license termination request, resulting in release of the Facilities for
unrestricted use. License No. 21-01443-06 was issued on April 20, 1959,
pursuant to 10 CFR Part 30, and has been amended periodically since
that time. The license authorizes the use of byproduct materials for
conducting research and development.
The Facilities comprise a campus of research laboratories and
offices of more than two million square feet of floor area on
approximately 50 acres of property located in a commercial and
residential area. The Licensee ceased using licensed materials in the
Facilities in May 2007, and has conducted final status surveys of the
Facilities. The results of these surveys along with other supporting
information were provided to the NRC to demonstrate that the criteria
in Subpart E of 10 CFR Part 20 for unrestricted release have been met.
Need for the Proposed Action
The licensee has ceased conducting licensed activities at the
Facilities, and seeks the unrestricted use of its Facilities.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The historical review of licensed activities conducted at the
Facilities shows that such activities involved use of the following
radionuclides with half-lives greater than 120 days: hydrogen-3,
carbon-14, sodium-22, chlorine-36, calcium-45, calcium-47, iron-55,
cobalt-60, nickel-63, zinc-65, strontium-90, antimony-125, barium-133,
and cesium-137. Prior to performing the final status survey, the
Licensee conducted decontamination activities, as necessary, in the
areas of the Facilities affected by these radionuclides.
The Licensee conducted onsite final status surveys on the
Facilities from February 24 to April 23, 2008. The final status survey
report was attached to the Licensee's amendment request dated June 3,
2008. 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,
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 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 termination of the license
and release of the Facilities for unrestricted use is in compliance
with 10 CFR 20. Based on its review, the staff considered the impact of
the residual radioactivity at 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 the Facilities 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 July
23, 2008. By response dated July 24, 2008, the State agreed with the
conclusions of the EA, and otherwise provided 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
[[Page 53054]]
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. Carol Lentz, Pfizer, Inc., letter to Patricia Pelke, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, June 3, 2008 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML081610504);
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'';
5. NUREG-1757, ``Consolidated NMSS Decommissioning Guidance.''
6. By response dated July 24, 2008, the State had no comments.
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 29th day of August 2008.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Christine Lipa,
Chief, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety,
Region III.
[FR Doc. E8-21274 Filed 9-11-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
