Powertech (USA) Inc.; Dewey-Burdock Project; New Source Material License Application; Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, 3261-3262 [2010-955]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 20, 2010 / Notices
Mine: E4–1 Mine, MSHA I.D. No. 15–
18565, located in Perry County,
Kentucky.
Regulation Affected: 30 CFR 75.503
(Permissible electric face equipment;
maintenance).
Modification Request: The petitioner
requests a modification of the existing
standard to permit the E4–1 Mine to
increase the maximum length of trailing
cables supplying power to permissible
pumps in the mines. The petitioner
states that: (1) This petition will apply
only to trailing cables supplying threephase, 480-volt power for permissible
pumps; (2) the maximum length of the
480-volt power for permissible pump
will be 4,000 feet; (3) all circuit breakers
used to protect trailing cables exceeding
the pump approval length or Table 9 of
Part 18 will have an instantaneous trip
unit calibrated to trip at 75 percent of
phase to phase short-circuit current. The
trip setting of these circuit breakers will
be sealed or locked, and these circuit
breakers will have permanent legible
labels. Each label will identify the
circuit breaker as being suitable for
protecting the trailing cables, and the
labels will be maintained legible. In
instances where a 75 percent
instantaneous set point will not allow a
pump to start due to motor inrush, a
thermal magnetic breaker will be
furnished. The thermal rating of the
circuit breaker will be no greater than 75
percent of the available short-circuit
current and the instantaneous setting
will be adjusted one setting above the
motor inrush trip point. This setting
will also be sealed or locked; (4)
replacement instantaneous trip units
used to protect pump trailing cables
exceeding the length of Table 9 of Part
18 will be calibrated to trip at 75
percent of the available phase to phase
short circuit current and this setting will
be sealed or locked; (5) permanent
warning labels will be installed and
maintained on the cover(s) of the power
center to identify the location of each
sealed or locked short-circuit protection
device. These labels will warn miners
not to change or alter the short circuit
settings; (6) the pump circuits attached
to this petition have greater lengths than
approved or in Table 9. All future pump
installation with excessive cable lengths
will have a short-circuit survey
conducted and items 1–5 will be
implemented. A copy of each pump’s
short-circuit survey will be available at
the mine site for inspection; and (7) the
petitioner’s alternative method will not
be implemented until designated miners
have been trained to examine the
integrity of the seals or locks, verify the
short-circuit settings, and perform
proper procedures for examining
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:06 Jan 19, 2010
Jkt 220001
trailing cables for defects and damage.
The petitioner further states that within
60 days after the Proposed Decision and
Order becomes final, proposed revisions
for approved 30 CFR Part 48 training
plan at any of the listed mines will be
submitted to the Coal Mine Safety and
Health District Manager. The training
plan will include: (a) Training in the
mining methods and operating
procedures for protecting the trailing
cables against damage; (b) training in
proper procedures for examining the
trailing cables to ensure they are in safe
operating condition; (c) training in
hazards of setting the instantaneous
circuit breakers too high to adequately
protect the trailing cables; and (d)
training in how to verify that the circuit
interrupting device(s) protecting the
trailing cable(s) are properly set and
maintained; and (e) the procedures of 30
CFR 48.3 for approval of proposed
revisions to already approved training
plans will apply. The petitioner asserts
that the proposed alternative method
will at all times guarantee no less than
the same measure of protection to all
miners at Perry County Coal
Corporation than is provided the
existing standard.
Dated: January 14, 2010.
Patricia W. Silvey,
Director, Office of Standards, Regulations and
Variances.
[FR Doc. 2010–935 Filed 1–19–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510–43–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket No. 40–9075; NRC–2009–0575]
Powertech (USA) Inc.; Dewey-Burdock
Project; New Source Material License
Application; Notice of Intent To
Prepare a Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement
AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI).
SUMMARY: By letter dated August 10,
2009, Powertech (USA) (Powertech)
submitted to the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC) an
application for a new source material
license. The requested license, or the
proposed action, would authorize the
construction, operation, and
decommissioning of Powertech’s
proposed in-situ uranium recovery (ISR,
also known as in-situ leach) facilities,
and would require restoration of the
aquifer from which the uranium would
be extracted. A notice of receipt and
availability of the license application,
PO 00000
Frm 00069
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
3261
including the Environmental Report
(ER), and opportunity to request a
hearing was published in the Federal
Register on January 05, 2010 (75 FR
467–471).
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) regarding the proposed
action. The SEIS will tier off of the
Generic Environmental Impact
Statement for In-Situ Leach Uranium
Milling Facilities (ISR GEIS) that was
published in 2009. As outlined in 36
CFR 800.8, ‘‘Coordination with the
National Environmental Policy Act,’’ the
NRC plans to use the environmental
review process set forth in its 10 CFR
Part 51 regulations to coordinate
compliance with Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
general information on the NRC
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) process or the environmental
review process related to the DeweyBurdock Uranium Project application,
please contact the NRC Environmental
Project Manager, Haimanot Yilma, at
(301) 415–8029 or
haimanot.yilma@nrc.gov.
Information and documents
associated with the Dewey-Burdock
Uranium 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 DeweyBurdock Uranium Project web page:
https://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/
materials/uranium/apps-in-review/
dewey-burdock-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
Powertech submitted its application
for a 10 CFR Part 40 license by letter
dated August 10, 2009. 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
January 5, 2010 (75 FR 467471).
The NRC is required by 10 CFR
51.20(b)(8) to prepare an environmental
impact statement (EIS) or 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 will meet this
regulatory requirement. The purpose of
this NOI is to inform the public that the
E:\FR\FM\20JAN1.SGM
20JAN1
3262
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 20, 2010 / Notices
NRC staff, as part of its review of
Powertech’s application, is preparing a
draft SEIS for public comment that will
tier off of the ISR GEIS (NUREG–1910).
While NRC’s Part 51 regulations do not
require scoping for SEISs, the NRC staff
is planning to place ads in newspapers
serving communities near the proposed
site, requesting information and
comments from the public regarding the
proposed action. NRC staff may also use
relevant information gathered during
scoping for the GEIS to define the scope
of the SEIS. In preparing the SEIS, the
NRC staff is consulting with Bureau of
Land Management; Region 8
Environmental Protection Agency; U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service; U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers; South Dakota
Department of Environment and Natural
Resources; South Dakota State Historic
Preservation Office; potentially
interested Tribes and public interest
groups; South Dakota Game and Fish
Department; and the Forest Service.
The NRC has begun evaluating the
potential environmental impacts
associated with the proposed ISR
facility in parallel with the ongoing
safety review of the license application.
The environmental evaluation will be
documented in draft and final SEISs in
accordance with NEPA and NRC’s
implementing regulations contained in
10 CFR Part 51.
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
2.0
Dewey-Burdock ISR Facilities
The facilities, if licensed, would
include a central processing plant,
satellite facility, accompanying
wellfields (including injection and
production wells), and ion exchange
columns. The ISR 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
injection wells. The uranium-rich
solution is transferred from production
wells to either the central processing
plant or satellite facility for uranium
concentration using ion exchange
columns. Final processing is conducted
in the central processing plant to
produce yellowcake, which would be
sold to offsite facilities for further
processing and eventual use as
commercial fuel in nuclear power
reactors.
3.0
Alternatives To Be Evaluated
No-Action—The no-action alternative
would be to deny the license
application. Under this alternative, the
NRC would not issue the license. This
serves as a baseline for comparison.
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:06 Jan 19, 2010
Jkt 220001
Proposed action—The proposed
federal action is to issue a license
authorizing the possession and use of
source material at the proposed ISR
facilities. The license review process
analyzes the safety and environmental
issues related to the construction,
operation, and decommissioning of the
ISR facilities, and the restoration of the
aquifer from which the uranium would
be extracted. The ISR facilities would be
located near Edgemont, South Dakota in
Custer and Fall River Counties. 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
PO 00000
Frm 00070
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
• 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 Dewey-Burdock
Uranium Project will be prepared
pursuant to the NRC’s NEPA regulations
at 10 CFR Part 51. The NRC will
conduct its environmental review of the
application and as soon as practicable,
the NRC and its contractor will prepare
and publish a draft SEIS. The 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 12th day
of January, 2010.
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. 2010–955 Filed 1–19–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
Advisory Committee on Reactor
Safeguards; Meeting of the ACRS
Subcommittee on AP1000; Revision to
February 2–3, 2010 ACRS Meeting
Federal Register Notice
The Federal Register Notice for the
ACRS Subcommittee Meeting on
AP1000 scheduled to be held on
February 2–3, 2010, is being revised to
notify the following:
The meeting will be open to public
attendance with exception of portions
that may be closed to protect
unclassified safeguards information or
information that is proprietary to
Westinghouse Electric Company and its
contractors, pursuant to 5 U.S.C.
552b(c)(3) and (4).
The notice of this meeting was
previously published in the Federal
Register on Wednesday, January 13,
2010 [75 FR 1831]. All other items
remain the same as previously
published.
Further information regarding this
meeting can be obtained by contacting
E:\FR\FM\20JAN1.SGM
20JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 20, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3261-3262]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-955]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 40-9075; NRC-2009-0575]
Powertech (USA) Inc.; Dewey-Burdock Project; New Source Material
License Application; Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: By letter dated August 10, 2009, Powertech (USA) (Powertech)
submitted to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) an
application for a new source material license. The requested license,
or the proposed action, would authorize the construction, operation,
and decommissioning of Powertech's proposed in-situ uranium recovery
(ISR, also known as in-situ leach) facilities, and would require
restoration of the aquifer from which the uranium would be extracted. 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 January 05, 2010 (75
FR 467-471).
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) regarding the proposed action. The SEIS will
tier off of the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for In-Situ
Leach Uranium Milling Facilities (ISR GEIS) that was published in 2009.
As outlined in 36 CFR 800.8, ``Coordination with the National
Environmental Policy Act,'' the NRC plans to use the environmental
review process set forth in its 10 CFR Part 51 regulations to
coordinate compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the NRC
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process or the environmental
review process related to the Dewey- Burdock Uranium Project
application, please contact the NRC Environmental Project Manager,
Haimanot Yilma, at (301) 415-8029 or haimanot.yilma@nrc.gov.
Information and documents associated with the Dewey-Burdock Uranium
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 Dewey-Burdock Uranium Project web page:
https://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/materials/uranium/apps-in-review/dewey-burdock-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
Powertech submitted its application for a 10 CFR Part 40 license by
letter dated August 10, 2009. 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 January 5, 2010 (75 FR
467471).
The NRC is required by 10 CFR 51.20(b)(8) to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) or 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 will meet this
regulatory requirement. The purpose of this NOI is to inform the public
that the
[[Page 3262]]
NRC staff, as part of its review of Powertech's application, is
preparing a draft SEIS for public comment that will tier off of the ISR
GEIS (NUREG-1910). While NRC's Part 51 regulations do not require
scoping for SEISs, the NRC staff is planning to place ads in newspapers
serving communities near the proposed site, requesting information and
comments from the public regarding the proposed action. NRC staff may
also use relevant information gathered during scoping for the GEIS to
define the scope of the SEIS. In preparing the SEIS, the NRC staff is
consulting with Bureau of Land Management; Region 8 Environmental
Protection Agency; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers; South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural
Resources; South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office; potentially
interested Tribes and public interest groups; South Dakota Game and
Fish Department; and the Forest Service.
The NRC has begun evaluating the potential environmental impacts
associated with the proposed ISR facility in parallel with the ongoing
safety review of the license application. The environmental evaluation
will be documented in draft and final SEISs in accordance with NEPA and
NRC's implementing regulations contained in 10 CFR Part 51.
2.0 Dewey-Burdock ISR Facilities
The facilities, if licensed, would include a central processing
plant, satellite facility, accompanying wellfields (including injection
and production wells), and ion exchange columns. The ISR 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 injection wells. The uranium-rich solution is transferred from
production wells to either the central processing plant or satellite
facility for uranium concentration using ion exchange columns. Final
processing is conducted in the central processing plant to produce
yellowcake, which would be sold to offsite facilities for further
processing and eventual use as commercial fuel in nuclear power
reactors.
3.0 Alternatives To Be Evaluated
No-Action--The no-action alternative would be to deny the license
application. Under this alternative, the NRC would not issue the
license. This serves as a baseline for comparison.
Proposed action--The proposed federal action is to issue a license
authorizing the possession and use of source material at the proposed
ISR facilities. The license review process analyzes the safety and
environmental issues related to the construction, operation, and
decommissioning of the ISR facilities, and the restoration of the
aquifer from which the uranium would be extracted. The ISR facilities
would be located near Edgemont, South Dakota in Custer and Fall River
Counties. 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 Dewey-Burdock Uranium Project will be prepared
pursuant to the NRC's NEPA regulations at 10 CFR Part 51. The NRC will
conduct its environmental review of the application and as soon as
practicable, the NRC and its contractor will prepare and publish a
draft SEIS. The 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 12th day of January, 2010.
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. 2010-955 Filed 1-19-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
