Lost Creek ISR, LLC; Lost Creek In-Situ Recovery Project; New Source Material License Application; Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, 45656-45657 [E9-21285]
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 170 / Thursday, September 3, 2009 / Notices
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doccollections/. Electronic copies are also
available in ADAMS (https://
www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html),
under Accession No. ML091200294.
In addition, regulatory guides are
available for inspection at the NRC’s
Public Document Room (PDR) located at
11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
Maryland. The PDR’s mailing address is
USNRC PDR, Washington, DC 20555–
0001. The PDR can also be reached by
telephone at (301) 415–4737 or (800)
397–4205, by fax at (301) 415–3548, and
by e-mail to pdr.resource@nrc.gov.
Regulatory guides are not
copyrighted, and Commission approval
is not required to reproduce them.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 25th day
of August 2009.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Andrea D. Valentin,
Chief, Regulatory Guide Development Branch,
Division of Engineering, Office of Nuclear
Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. E9–21280 Filed 9–2–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket No. 40–9068; NRC–2008–0391]
Lost Creek ISR, LLC; Lost Creek InSitu Recovery Project; New Source
Material License Application; Notice of
Intent To Prepare a Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI).
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
1.0
Lost Creek ISR, LLC (LCI)
submitted an application for a new
source material license for the Lost
Creek In-Situ Recovery (ISR) Project to
be located in Sweetwater County,
Wyoming, approximately 70 miles
southeast of Lander, Wyoming and
approximately 40 miles northwest of
Rawlins, Wyoming. The application
proposes the construction, operation,
and decommissioning of ISR, also
known as in-situ leach, facilities and
restoration of the aquifer from which the
uranium is being extracted. LCI
submitted the application for the new
source material license to the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
by a letter dated March 31, 2008. A
notice of receipt and availability of the
license application, including the
Environmental Report (ER), and
opportunity to request a hearing was
published in the Federal Register on
July 10, 2008 (73 FR 39728). The
purpose of this notice of intent is to
SUMMARY:
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:27 Sep 02, 2009
Jkt 217001
inform the public that the NRC will be
preparing a site-specific Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS)
to the Generic Environmental Impact
Statement for In-Situ Leach Uranium
Milling Facilities (ISR GEIS) for a new
source material license for the Lost
Creek ISR Project, as required by 10 CFR
51.26(d). In addition, as outlined in 36
CFR 800.8, ‘‘Coordination with the
National Environmental Policy Act,’’ the
NRC plans to use the environmental
review process as reflected in 10 CFR
Part 51 to coordinate compliance with
Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
general information on the NRC NEPA
or the environmental review process
related to the Lost Creek ISR Project
application, please contact the NRC
Environmental Project Manager, Alan B.
Bjornsen, at (301) 415–1195 or
Alan.Bjornsen@nrc.gov.
Information and documents
associated with the Lost Creek ISR
Project, including the license
application, are available for public
review through our electronic reading
room: https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
adams.html and on the NRC’s Lost
Creek Site Web page: https://
www.nrc.gov/info-finder/materials/
uranium/apps-in-review/lost creek-newapp-review.html. Documents may also
be obtained from NRC’s Public
Document Room at the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission Headquarters,
11555 Rockville Pike (first floor),
Rockville, Maryland.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
LCI submitted the application for the
new source material license to the NRC
for ISR facilities by a letter dated March
31, 2008. A notice of receipt and
availability of the license application,
including the ER, and opportunity to
request a hearing was published in the
Federal Register on July 10, 2008 (73 FR
39728). No requests for hearing were
submitted.
The NRC originally planned to
document this environmental
evaluation in draft and final
Environmental Assessments (EAs).
However, during the development of the
final ISR GEIS, NRC decided to prepare
an SEIS that will tier off of the ISR GEIS
for applications to license new ISR
facilities. This environmental evaluation
for the Lost Creek ISR Project will now
be documented in draft and final SEISs
instead of an EA. While NRC regulations
do not require scoping under 10 CFR
Part 51 for SEISs, NRC staff met with
Federal (Bureau of Land Management—
PO 00000
Frm 00051
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Cheyenne, Casper, Rawlins; Bureau of
Indian Affairs—Fort Washakie; Fish &
Wildlife Service—Rawlins), State
(Wyoming Department of
Environmental Quality—Cheyenne,
Lander; State Engineer’s Office;
Wyoming Department of Game & Fish—
Lander; Governor’s Planning Office;
State Historic Preservation Office) and
local government agencies (Sweetwater
County Planning Department;
Sweetwater County Engineers’ Office;
Fremont County Planning Department;
Town of Bairoil) and public
organizations (Lander Chamber of
Commerce; Wyoming Community
Development Authority) in January of
2009 as part of a site visit to gather sitespecific information to assist in the
preparation of the Lost Creek ISR Project
environmental review. NRC also
contacted potentially interested Tribes
and local public interest groups via email and telephone to gather additional
information.
The NRC has begun evaluating the
potential environmental impacts
associated with the proposed ISR
facility in parallel with the review of the
license application. This environmental
evaluation will be documented in draft
and final SEISs in accordance with
NRC’s NEPA implementing regulations
contained in 10 CFR Part 51. The NRC
is required by 10 CFR 51.20(b)(8) to
prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) or a supplement to an
EIS for the issuance of a license to
possess and use source material for
uranium milling. The ISR GEIS and the
site-specific SEIS fulfills this regulatory
requirement. The purpose of the present
notice is to inform the public that the
NRC staff will prepare a site-specific
supplement to the ISR GEIS (NUREG–
1910) as part of the review of the
application.
2.0 Lost Creek ISR Facilities
The facilities, if licensed, would
include a central processing plant,
accompanying wellfields, and ion
exchange columns. The process
involves the dissolution of the watersoluble uranium from the mineralized
host sandstone rock by pumping
oxidants (oxygen or hydrogen peroxide)
and chemical compounds (sodium
bicarbonate) through a series of
production and extraction wells. The
uranium-rich solution is transferred
from the production wells to the central
processing plant for uranium
concentration using ion exchange
columns. Processing is conducted in the
central processing plant to produce a
yellowcake slurry that will be
transported to another ISR facility for
final processing into a dry yellowcake.
E:\FR\FM\03SEN1.SGM
03SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 170 / Thursday, September 3, 2009 / Notices
3.0
Alternatives To Be Evaluated
No-Action—The no-action alternative
would be not to issue the license. Under
this alternative, the NRC would not
approve the license application for the
proposed ISR facility. This serves as a
baseline for comparison.
Proposed action—The proposed
Federal action is to issue a license to use
or process source material at the
proposed ISR facility. The license
review process analyzes the
construction, operation, and
decommissioning of ISR facility and
restoration of the aquifer from which the
uranium is being extracted. The ISR
facility would be located in Sweetwater
County, Wyoming, approximately 70
miles southeast of Lander, Wyoming
and approximately 40 miles northwest
of Rawlins, Wyoming. The applicant
would be issued an NRC license under
the provisions of 10 CFR Part 40.
Other alternatives not listed here may
be identified through the environmental
review process.
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
4.0 Environmental Impact Areas To
Be Analyzed
The following areas have been
tentatively identified for analysis in the
SEIS:
• Land Use: Plans, policies, and
controls;
• Transportation: Transportation
modes, routes, quantities, and risk
estimates;
• Geology and Soils: Physical
geography, topography, geology, and
soil characteristics;
• Water Resources: Surface and
groundwater hydrology, water use and
quality, and the potential for
degradation;
• Ecology: Wetlands, aquatic,
terrestrial, economically and
recreationally important species, and
threatened and endangered species;
• Air Quality: Meteorological
conditions, ambient background,
pollutant sources, and the potential for
degradation;
• Noise: Ambient, sources, and
sensitive receptors;
• Historical and Cultural Resources:
Historical, archaeological, and
traditional cultural resources;
• Visual and Scenic Resources:
Landscape characteristics, manmade
features and viewshed;
• Socioeconomics: Demography,
economic base, labor pool, housing,
transportation, utilities, public services/
facilities, and education;
• Environmental Justice: Potential
disproportionately high and adverse
impacts to minority and low-income
populations;
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:27 Sep 02, 2009
Jkt 217001
• Public and Occupational Health:
Potential public and occupational
consequences from construction,
routine operation, transportation, and
credible accident scenarios (including
natural events);
• Waste Management: Types of
wastes expected to be generated,
handled, and stored; and
• Cumulative Effects: Impacts from
past, present, and reasonably
foreseeable actions at and near the
site(s).
This list is not intended to be all
inclusive, nor is it a predetermination of
potential environmental impacts.
5.0 The NEPA Process
The SEIS for the Lost Creek ISR
Project will be prepared pursuant to the
NRC’s NEPA Regulations at 10 CFR Part
51. The NRC will continue its
environmental review of the application
and as soon as practicable, the NRC and
its contractor will prepare and publish
a draft SEIS. NRC currently plans to
have a 45-day public comment period
for the draft SEIS. Availability of the
draft SEIS and the dates of the public
comment period will be announced in
the Federal Register and the NRC Web
site: https://www.nrc.gov. The final SEIS
will include responses to public
comments received on the draft SEIS.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 25th day
of August 2009.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Patrice M. Bubar,
Deputy Director, Environmental Protection
and Performance Assessment Directorate,
Division of Waste Management and
Environmental Protection, Office of Federal
and State Materials and Environmental
Management Programs.
[FR Doc. E9–21285 Filed 9–2–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[NRC–2009–0386]
Notice of Availability of Revised Fuel
Cycle Oversight Process
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Request for public comment on
revision of the NRC’s fuel cycle
oversight program.
SUMMARY:
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) is proposing significant revisions
to its processes for overseeing the safety
and security of fuel cycle facilities. The
NRC plans to develop a revised
oversight process for fuel cycle facilities
that is more risk-informed, and
PO 00000
Frm 00052
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
45657
performance-based, resulting in more
objective, predictable, and transparent
results of licensee or certificate holder
assessments. (This notice will use
‘‘licensees’’ throughout, but in doing so
the intent is also to include ‘‘certificate
holders.’’) Current oversight consists
mainly of inspections, enforcement and
periodic assessments based on
inspection findings. NRC staff intends
that any revised oversight would not
establish any new regulatory
requirements. Rather, revised oversight
would improve inspection and
assessment so that NRC conclusions
would be more closely based on risk
and more understandable to members of
the public. Revised oversight could
potentially add objective measures of
performance, called performance
indicators, with criteria for measuring
acceptable performance. However,
development of performance indicators
may not be part of the initial revision to
the oversight process. Inspections
would focus in areas of highest risk that
are not well-measured by performance
indicators and on validating
performance indicator information.
Assessments would be based on more
objective criteria. Supplemental
inspections (those above and beyond the
number and type of inspections normal
for a well-performing plant) of licensees
whose performance shows indications
of decline, would also be based on
objective criteria. These principles are
currently applied by the NRC in the
oversight of power reactor safety and
security and is outlined in ‘‘Reactor
Oversight Process,’’ NUREG–1649,
(Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System [ADAMS]
Accession No. ML070890365).
Since 1999, the NRC has undertaken
several initiatives to examine and
improve the NRC’s oversight process for
fuel cycle facilities, including those
licensed or certified under Title 10 of
the Code of Federal Regulations (10
CFR) Part 40 (Domestic Licensing of
Source Material), Part 70 (Domestic
Licensing of Special Nuclear Material),
and Part 76 (Certification of Gaseous
Diffusion Plants). Although previous
efforts resulted in some revisions to
inspection and assessment procedures,
current NRC oversight could be
improved by more fully incorporating
into inspection and assessment the risk
insights of licensees’ integrated safety
analyses, where applicable (the
requirement to perform an integrated
safety analysis apply only to 10 CFR
Part 70 licensees). Integrated safety
analyses establish safety controls based
on analyses of potential hazards at a
facility.
E:\FR\FM\03SEN1.SGM
03SEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 170 (Thursday, September 3, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45656-45657]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-21285]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 40-9068; NRC-2008-0391]
Lost Creek ISR, LLC; Lost Creek In-Situ Recovery Project; New
Source Material License Application; Notice of Intent To Prepare a
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Lost Creek ISR, LLC (LCI) submitted an application for a new
source material license for the Lost Creek In-Situ Recovery (ISR)
Project to be located in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, approximately 70
miles southeast of Lander, Wyoming and approximately 40 miles northwest
of Rawlins, Wyoming. The application proposes the construction,
operation, and decommissioning of ISR, also known as in-situ leach,
facilities and restoration of the aquifer from which the uranium is
being extracted. LCI submitted the application for the new source
material license to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) by a
letter dated March 31, 2008. A notice of receipt and availability of
the license application, including the Environmental Report (ER), and
opportunity to request a hearing was published in the Federal Register
on July 10, 2008 (73 FR 39728). The purpose of this notice of intent is
to inform the public that the NRC will be preparing a site-specific
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to the Generic
Environmental Impact Statement for In-Situ Leach Uranium Milling
Facilities (ISR GEIS) for a new source material license for the Lost
Creek ISR Project, as required by 10 CFR 51.26(d). In addition, as
outlined in 36 CFR 800.8, ``Coordination with the National
Environmental Policy Act,'' the NRC plans to use the environmental
review process as reflected in 10 CFR Part 51 to coordinate compliance
with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the NRC
NEPA or the environmental review process related to the Lost Creek ISR
Project application, please contact the NRC Environmental Project
Manager, Alan B. Bjornsen, at (301) 415-1195 or Alan.Bjornsen@nrc.gov.
Information and documents associated with the Lost Creek ISR
Project, including the license application, are available for public
review through our electronic reading room: https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html and on the NRC's Lost Creek Site Web page: https://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/materials/uranium/apps-in-review/lost creek-
new-app-review.html. Documents may also be obtained from NRC's Public
Document Room at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Headquarters,
11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1.0 Background
LCI submitted the application for the new source material license
to the NRC for ISR facilities by a letter dated March 31, 2008. A
notice of receipt and availability of the license application,
including the ER, and opportunity to request a hearing was published in
the Federal Register on July 10, 2008 (73 FR 39728). No requests for
hearing were submitted.
The NRC originally planned to document this environmental
evaluation in draft and final Environmental Assessments (EAs). However,
during the development of the final ISR GEIS, NRC decided to prepare an
SEIS that will tier off of the ISR GEIS for applications to license new
ISR facilities. This environmental evaluation for the Lost Creek ISR
Project will now be documented in draft and final SEISs instead of an
EA. While NRC regulations do not require scoping under 10 CFR Part 51
for SEISs, NRC staff met with Federal (Bureau of Land Management--
Cheyenne, Casper, Rawlins; Bureau of Indian Affairs--Fort Washakie;
Fish & Wildlife Service--Rawlins), State (Wyoming Department of
Environmental Quality--Cheyenne, Lander; State Engineer's Office;
Wyoming Department of Game & Fish--Lander; Governor's Planning Office;
State Historic Preservation Office) and local government agencies
(Sweetwater County Planning Department; Sweetwater County Engineers'
Office; Fremont County Planning Department; Town of Bairoil) and public
organizations (Lander Chamber of Commerce; Wyoming Community
Development Authority) in January of 2009 as part of a site visit to
gather site-specific information to assist in the preparation of the
Lost Creek ISR Project environmental review. NRC also contacted
potentially interested Tribes and local public interest groups via e-
mail and telephone to gather additional information.
The NRC has begun evaluating the potential environmental impacts
associated with the proposed ISR facility in parallel with the review
of the license application. This environmental evaluation will be
documented in draft and final SEISs in accordance with NRC's NEPA
implementing regulations contained in 10 CFR Part 51. The NRC is
required by 10 CFR 51.20(b)(8) to prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) or a supplement to an EIS for the issuance of a license
to possess and use source material for uranium milling. The ISR GEIS
and the site-specific SEIS fulfills this regulatory requirement. The
purpose of the present notice is to inform the public that the NRC
staff will prepare a site-specific supplement to the ISR GEIS (NUREG-
1910) as part of the review of the application.
2.0 Lost Creek ISR Facilities
The facilities, if licensed, would include a central processing
plant, accompanying wellfields, and ion exchange columns. The process
involves the dissolution of the water-soluble uranium from the
mineralized host sandstone rock by pumping oxidants (oxygen or hydrogen
peroxide) and chemical compounds (sodium bicarbonate) through a series
of production and extraction wells. The uranium-rich solution is
transferred from the production wells to the central processing plant
for uranium concentration using ion exchange columns. Processing is
conducted in the central processing plant to produce a yellowcake
slurry that will be transported to another ISR facility for final
processing into a dry yellowcake.
[[Page 45657]]
3.0 Alternatives To Be Evaluated
No-Action--The no-action alternative would be not to issue the
license. Under this alternative, the NRC would not approve the license
application for the proposed ISR facility. This serves as a baseline
for comparison.
Proposed action--The proposed Federal action is to issue a license
to use or process source material at the proposed ISR facility. The
license review process analyzes the construction, operation, and
decommissioning of ISR facility and restoration of the aquifer from
which the uranium is being extracted. The ISR facility would be located
in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, approximately 70 miles southeast of
Lander, Wyoming and approximately 40 miles northwest of Rawlins,
Wyoming. The applicant would be issued an NRC license under the
provisions of 10 CFR Part 40.
Other alternatives not listed here may be identified through the
environmental review process.
4.0 Environmental Impact Areas To Be Analyzed
The following areas have been tentatively identified for analysis
in the SEIS:
Land Use: Plans, policies, and controls;
Transportation: Transportation modes, routes, quantities,
and risk estimates;
Geology and Soils: Physical geography, topography,
geology, and soil characteristics;
Water Resources: Surface and groundwater hydrology, water
use and quality, and the potential for degradation;
Ecology: Wetlands, aquatic, terrestrial, economically and
recreationally important species, and threatened and endangered
species;
Air Quality: Meteorological conditions, ambient
background, pollutant sources, and the potential for degradation;
Noise: Ambient, sources, and sensitive receptors;
Historical and Cultural Resources: Historical,
archaeological, and traditional cultural resources;
Visual and Scenic Resources: Landscape characteristics,
manmade features and viewshed;
Socioeconomics: Demography, economic base, labor pool,
housing, transportation, utilities, public services/facilities, and
education;
Environmental Justice: Potential disproportionately high
and adverse impacts to minority and low-income populations;
Public and Occupational Health: Potential public and
occupational consequences from construction, routine operation,
transportation, and credible accident scenarios (including natural
events);
Waste Management: Types of wastes expected to be
generated, handled, and stored; and
Cumulative Effects: Impacts from past, present, and
reasonably foreseeable actions at and near the site(s).
This list is not intended to be all inclusive, nor is it a
predetermination of potential environmental impacts.
5.0 The NEPA Process
The SEIS for the Lost Creek ISR Project will be prepared pursuant
to the NRC's NEPA Regulations at 10 CFR Part 51. The NRC will continue
its environmental review of the application and as soon as practicable,
the NRC and its contractor will prepare and publish a draft SEIS. NRC
currently plans to have a 45-day public comment period for the draft
SEIS. Availability of the draft SEIS and the dates of the public
comment period will be announced in the Federal Register and the NRC
Web site: https://www.nrc.gov. The final SEIS will include responses to
public comments received on the draft SEIS.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 25th day of August 2009.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Patrice M. Bubar,
Deputy Director, Environmental Protection and Performance Assessment
Directorate, Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection,
Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management
Programs.
[FR Doc. E9-21285 Filed 9-2-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
