Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for License Amendment to Byproduct Materials License No. 52-21502-01, for Termination of the License and Unrestricted Release of the Becton Dickinson Caribe Ltd.'s Facility in Cayey, Puerto Rico, 834-836 [E9-94]

Download as PDF 834 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 5 / Thursday, January 8, 2009 / Notices addressed to the Assistant Attorney General of the Environment and Natural Resources Division, and either e-mailed to pubcomment-ees.enrd@usdoj.gov or mailed to P.O. Box 7611, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20044–7611, and should refer to United States v. Estate of Joseph Vazzana, Sr., et al., Civil Action No. CV–04–0620, D.J. Ref. No. 90–11–3–07461. The proposed Supplemental Consent Judgment may be examined at the Office of the United States Attorney, Eastern District of New York, 271 Cadman Plaza East, 7th Floor, Brooklyn, New York 11201, and at the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region II, 290 Broadway, New York, New York 10007–1866. During the public comment period, the proposed Supplemental Consent Judgment may also be examined on the following Department of Justice Web site, https:// www.usdoj.gov/enrd/ Consent_Decrees.html. A copy of the proposed Supplemental Consent Judgment may be obtained by mail from the Consent Decree Library, P.O. Box 7611, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20044–7611 or by faxing or e-mailing a request to Tonia Fleetwood (tonia.fleetwood@usdoj.gov), fax no. (202) 514–0097, phone confirmation number (202) 514–1547. If requesting a copy of the proposed Supplemental Consent Judgment, please enclose a check in the amount of $7.25 (25 cents per page reproduction cost) payable to the U.S. Treasury or, if by email or fax, forward a check in that amount to the Consent Decree Library at the stated address. Henry Friedman, Assistant Section Chief, Environmental Enforcement Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division. [FR Doc. E9–68 Filed 1–7–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4410–15–P DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Executive Office for Immigration Review [OMB Number 1125–0008] Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The proposed information collection is published to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies. This proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register Volume 73, Number 215, page 65885– 65886, on November 5, 2008, allowing for a 60 day comment period. The purpose of this notice is to allow for an additional 30 days for public comment until February 9, 2009. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.10. Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the items contained in this notice, especially the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be directed to the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Department of Justice Desk Officer, Washington, DC 20530. Additionally, comments may also be submitted to OMB via facsimile to (202) 395–5806. Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of information are encouraged. Your comments should address one or more of the following four points: —Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; —Evaluate the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; —Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and —Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses. erowe on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES ACTION: Overview of This Information Collection The Department of Justice (DOJ), Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) will be submitting the (1) Type of Information Collection: Extension of a Currently Approved Collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Notice of Appeal from a Decision of an Adjudicating Official in a Practitioner Disciplinary Case. 30-day notice of information collection under review: Notice of Appeal from a Decision of an Adjudicating Official in a Practitioner Disciplinary Case. VerDate Nov<24>2008 13:57 Jan 07, 2009 Jkt 217001 PO 00000 Frm 00042 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 (3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the Department of Justice sponsoring the collection: Form EOIR–45, Executive Office for Immigration Review, United States Department of Justice. (4) Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as well as a brief abstract: Primary: A party who appeals a practitioner disciplinary decision by the adjudicating official to the Board of Immigration Appeals (Board). Other: None. Abstract: Once the adjudicating official issues a practitioner disciplinary decision, either party or both parties may appeal the decision to the Board for de novo review of the record, pursuant to 8 CFR 1003.106(c). (5) An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount of time estimated for an average respondent to respond/reply: It is estimated that 50 respondents will complete the form annually with an average of one hour per response. (6) An estimate of the total public burden (in hours) associated with the collection: There are an estimated 50 total burden hours associated with this collection annually. If additional information is required, contact: Lynn Bryant, Department Clearance Officer, United States Department of Justice, Justice Management Division, Policy and Planning Staff, Patrick Henry Building, Suite 1600, 601 D Street, NW., Washington, DC 20530. Dated: January 5, 2009. Lynn Bryant, Department Clearance Officer, PRA, United States Department of Justice. [FR Doc. E9–131 Filed 1–7–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4410–30–P NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. 030–20875] Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for License Amendment to Byproduct Materials License No. 52–21502–01, for Termination of the License and Unrestricted Release of the Becton Dickinson Caribe Ltd.’s Facility in Cayey, Puerto Rico AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Issuance of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for License Amendment. E:\FR\FM\08JAN1.SGM 08JAN1 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 5 / Thursday, January 8, 2009 / Notices FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Betsy Ullrich, Senior Health Physicist, Commercial and R & D Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I, 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania 19406; telephone (610) 337–5040; fax number (610) 337–5269; or by e-mail: Elizabeth.Ullrich@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. 52– 21502–01. This license is held by Becton Dickinson Caribe, Ltd. (the Licensee) for its Becton Dickinson Caribe Ltd. facility located at Parque ´ Industrial Rincon, Vicks Drive, Lot 6, in Cayey, Puerto Rico (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 May 19, 2008. 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. erowe on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES II. Environmental Assessment Identification of Proposed Action The proposed action would approve the Licensee’s May 19, 2008, license amendment request, resulting in release of the Facility for unrestricted use and the termination of its NRC materials license. License No. 52–21502–01 was issued on April 13, 1984, pursuant to 10 CFR Part 30, and has been amended periodically since that time. This license authorized the Licensee to use unsealed byproduct material for purposes of manufacturing of diagnostic test kits. The Facility is situated on 8.8 acres of land and consists of office, laboratory, and manufacturing areas. The Facility is located in a mixed industrial/ commercial area. Within the Facility, use of licensed materials was confined to Building 1 (96,821 square feet), of which the following areas were used for licensed activities: The Bactec Filling (9,188 square feet) and Bactec labeling (6,655 square feet) sections of the manufacturing area; the Bactec QC Laboratory (1655 square feet); the VerDate Nov<24>2008 13:57 Jan 07, 2009 Jkt 217001 current warehouse (20,419 square feet) and Bactec Sensor original warehouse (3,139 square feet); and sections of the Finished Goods Warehouse. In 2005, the Licensee ceased licensed activities and initiated a survey and decontamination of the Facility. 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 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: 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 during the period of February 25 through April 2, 2008. This survey covered the manufacturing, laboratory, and warehouse areas where licensed materials were used. The final status survey report was attached to the Licensee’s amendment request dated May 19, 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, PO 00000 Frm 00043 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 835 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) requirements 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 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, E:\FR\FM\08JAN1.SGM 08JAN1 836 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 5 / Thursday, January 8, 2009 / Notices 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 EA to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Department of Health for review on October 29, 2008. On December 8, 2008, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Department of Health responded by email. 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. erowe on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES 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 VerDate Nov<24>2008 13:57 Jan 07, 2009 Jkt 217001 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;’’ and 4. NUREG–1496, ‘‘Generic Environmental Impact Statement in Support of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of NRCLicensed Nuclear Facilities.’’ 5. Termination request letter dated May 19, 2008, with the ‘‘Radiological Final Status Survey Report’’ [ML081690148] 6. Deficiency response letter dated October 3, 2008 [ML082840721] 7. E-mail dated October 17, 2008 re: MDC calculations [ML082940566] with attachment spreadsheet [ML082940570] 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 Region I at 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, PA this 30th day of December 2008. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Pamela Henderson, Chief, Medical Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I. [FR Doc. E9–94 Filed 1–7–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [DOCKET NO. 52–033] Detroit Edison Company; Notice of Hearing, and Opportunity To Petition for Leave To Intervene and Order Imposing Procedures for Access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards Information and Safeguards Information for Contention Preparation on a Combined License for Fermi 3 Pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and the regulations in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 2, ‘‘Rules of Practice for Domestic Licensing PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Proceedings and Issuance of Orders,’’ 10 CFR Part 50, ‘‘Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities,’’ and 10 CFR Part 52, ‘‘Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants,’’ notice is hereby given that a hearing will be held, at a time and place to be set in the future by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC, the Commission) or designated by the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (Board). The hearing will consider the application dated September 18, 2008, filed by Detroit Edison Company, pursuant to Subpart C of 10 CFR Part 52, for a combined license (COL). The application, which was supplemented by letters dated October 27, 2008, November 11, 2008, and November 20, 2008, requests approval of a COL for the Fermi Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 3, to be located in Monroe County, Michigan. The application was accepted for docketing on November 25, 2008. The docket number established for this COL application is 52–033. The Fermi COL application references the application for certification of the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) design, which was initially submitted on August 24, 2005. The ESBWR design is the subject of an ongoing rulemaking under Docket Number 52–010. The hearing will be conducted by a Board that will be designated by the Chairman of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel or will be conducted by the Commission. Notice as to the membership of the Board will be published in the Federal Register at a later date. The NRC staff will complete a detailed technical review of the COL application and will document its findings in a safety evaluation report. The Commission will refer a copy of the application to the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) in accordance with 10 CFR 52.87, ‘‘Referral to the ACRS,’’ and the ACRS will report on those portions of the application that concern safety. The NRC staff will also prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, as required by 10 CFR 51.20(b)(2). Any person whose interest may be affected by this proceeding and who desires to participate as a party to this proceeding must file a written petition for leave to intervene in accordance with 10 CFR 2.309. Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding, subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to intervene, and have the opportunity to participate fully in the conduct of the hearing. A petition for leave to intervene must be filed no later than 60 days from the E:\FR\FM\08JAN1.SGM 08JAN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 5 (Thursday, January 8, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 834-836]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-94]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 030-20875]


Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of 
No Significant Impact for License Amendment to Byproduct Materials 
License No. 52-21502-01, for Termination of the License and 
Unrestricted Release of the Becton Dickinson Caribe Ltd.'s Facility in 
Cayey, Puerto Rico

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Issuance of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact for License Amendment.

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

[[Page 835]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Betsy Ullrich, Senior Health 
Physicist, Commercial and R & D Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials 
Safety, Region I, 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania 
19406; telephone (610) 337-5040; fax number (610) 337-5269; or by e-
mail: Elizabeth.Ullrich@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. 52-
21502-01. This license is held by Becton Dickinson Caribe, Ltd. (the 
Licensee) for its Becton Dickinson Caribe Ltd. facility located at 
Parque Industrial Rinc[oacute]n, Vicks Drive, Lot 6, in Cayey, Puerto 
Rico (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 May 19, 
2008. 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 May 19, 2008, 
license amendment request, resulting in release of the Facility for 
unrestricted use and the termination of its NRC materials license. 
License No. 52-21502-01 was issued on April 13, 1984, pursuant to 10 
CFR Part 30, and has been amended periodically since that time. This 
license authorized the Licensee to use unsealed byproduct material for 
purposes of manufacturing of diagnostic test kits.
    The Facility is situated on 8.8 acres of land and consists of 
office, laboratory, and manufacturing areas. The Facility is located in 
a mixed industrial/commercial area. Within the Facility, use of 
licensed materials was confined to Building 1 (96,821 square feet), of 
which the following areas were used for licensed activities: The Bactec 
Filling (9,188 square feet) and Bactec labeling (6,655 square feet) 
sections of the manufacturing area; the Bactec QC Laboratory (1655 
square feet); the current warehouse (20,419 square feet) and Bactec 
Sensor original warehouse (3,139 square feet); and sections of the 
Finished Goods Warehouse.
    In 2005, the Licensee ceased licensed activities and initiated a 
survey and decontamination of the Facility. 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 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: 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 during the period of February 25 through April 2, 2008. This 
survey covered the manufacturing, laboratory, and warehouse areas where 
licensed materials were used. The final status survey report was 
attached to the Licensee's amendment request dated May 19, 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) requirements 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,

[[Page 836]]

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 EA to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 
Department of Health for review on October 29, 2008. On December 8, 
2008, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Department of Health 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. 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;'' and
    4. NUREG-1496, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement in Support 
of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of NRC-
Licensed Nuclear Facilities.''
    5. Termination request letter dated May 19, 2008, with the 
``Radiological Final Status Survey Report'' [ML081690148]
    6. Deficiency response letter dated October 3, 2008 [ML082840721]
    7. E-mail dated October 17, 2008 re: MDC calculations [ML082940566] 
with attachment spreadsheet [ML082940570]
    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 Region I at 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, PA 
this 30th day of December 2008.
    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Pamela Henderson,
Chief, Medical Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I.
[FR Doc. E9-94 Filed 1-7-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
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