Exemption of Material for Proposed Disposal Procedures at the US Ecology Idaho Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Subtitle C Hazardous Disposal Facility Located Near Grand View, Idaho for Material from the Humboldt Bay Power Plant, Unit 3, License DPR-007, Eureka, CA, 71842-71844 [2012-29221]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
71842
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 233 / Tuesday, December 4, 2012 / Notices
government-to-government relationship,
the section 204(b) exception would not
apply and all FACA requirements
would need to be followed.
2. Reservation of Authorities. Nothing
in this policy waives or diminishes the
U.S. Government’s rights, authorities,
immunities, or privileges, including the
deliberative process privilege. Among
other things, internal communications
on the development of proposed
legislation, enforcement policy, and
other internal policy matters are part of
the deliberative process by the
Executive Branch and will remain
confidential. Nothing in this policy
waives or diminishes any tribal rights,
authorities, immunities, or privileges
including treaty rights and sovereign
immunities, and this policy does not
diminish any rights or protections
afforded to individual AI/ANs under
federal law.
3. Disclaimer. This document is
intended to improve the Department’s
management of its relations and
cooperative activities with Indian tribes.
DOL has no obligation to engage in any
consultation activities under this policy
unless they are practicable and
permitted by law. Nothing in this policy
requires any budgetary obligation or
creates a right of action against the
Department for failure to comply with
this policy nor creates any right,
substantive or procedural, enforceable at
law by a party against the United States,
its agencies, or any person.
4. Effective Date. The Tribal
Consultation Policy is effective
December 4, 2012 and shall apply to all
prospective actions taken by the
Department as described herein.
the Antarctic Conservation Act at Title
45 Part 670 of the Code of Federal
Regulations. This is the required notice
of permit applications received.
DATES: Interested parties are invited to
submit written data, comments, or
views with respect to this permit
application by January 3, 2013. This
application may be inspected by
interested parties at the Permit Office,
address below.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be
addressed to Permit Office, Room 755,
Office of Polar Programs, National
Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson
Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22230.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Polly A. Penhale at the above address or
(703) 292–7420.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
National Science Foundation, as
directed by the Antarctic Conservation
Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95–541), as
amended by the Antarctic Science,
Tourism and Conservation Act of 1996,
has developed regulations for the
establishment of a permit system for
various activities in Antarctica and
designation of certain animals and
certain geographic areas a requiring
special protection. The regulations
establish such a permit system to
designate Antarctic Specially Protected
Areas.
The applications received are as
follows:
Dated: November 29, 2012.
Hilda L. Solis,
Secretary of Labor.
Activity for Which Permit Is Requested
[FR Doc. 2012–29246 Filed 12–3–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510–23–P
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Notice of Permit Applications Received
Under the Antarctic Conservation Act
of 1978 (Pub. L. 95–541)
National Science Foundation.
Notice of Permit Applications
Received under the Antarctic
Conservation Act of 1978, Public Law
95–541.
AGENCY:
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with
ACTION:
The National Science
Foundation (NSF) is required to publish
a notice of permit applications received
to conduct activities regulated under the
Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978.
NSF has published regulations under
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:31 Dec 03, 2012
Jkt 229001
Permit Application: 2013–025
1. Applicant: Alison Cleary,
University of Rhode Island, Graduate
School of Oceanography, South Ferry
Road, Narragansett, RI 02882.
Introduce non-indigenous species into
Antarctica. The applicant will use 5 ×
100 mls each of Ditylum brightwellii,
Heterocapsa triguetra, and Tallassiosira
rotula cultures, as well as 500 grams of
Artemia salina cysts as food for krill.
They plan to measure how fast DNA is
digested by feeding a group of krill a
single prey type, and then taking away
the prey, and preserving krill at a series
of later time points. By measuring how
much of the prey DNA is left in the krill
guts after various amounts of time since
feeding, they can calculate how quickly
the DNA was digested. Applying this
calculation to measurements of prey
DNA in the stomachs of wild krill, they
can then determine how much of each
tpe of prey the wild krill were eating.
Location
West Antarctic Peninsula, specifically
Flanders, Andvord, Wilhelmina and
PO 00000
Frm 00071
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Charlotte Bays, and in the adjacent areas
of the Gerlache Strait.
Dates
March 1, 2013 to March 1, 2014
Nadene G. Kennedy,
Permit Officer, Office of Polar Programs.
[FR Doc. 2012–29226 Filed 12–3–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50–133; NRC–2010–0291]
Exemption of Material for Proposed
Disposal Procedures at the US
Ecology Idaho Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act Subtitle C
Hazardous Disposal Facility Located
Near Grand View, Idaho for Material
from the Humboldt Bay Power Plant,
Unit 3, License DPR–007, Eureka, CA
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and
finding of no significant impact.
AGENCY:
John
Hickman, Division of Waste
Management and Environmental
Protection, Office of Federal and State
Materials and Environmental
Management Programs, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555–00001; telephone 301–415–
3017, email john.hickman@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) staff is considering a
request dated May 2, 2012,
(ML12135A295) as supplemented by
email dated July 16, 2012,
(ML123200007) by Pacific Gas and
Electric Company (PG&E, the licensee)
for alternate disposal of approximately
100,000 ft3 of hazardous waste, soil, and
debris and 50,000 ft3 of water solidified
with clay containing low-activity
radioactive material, at the US Ecology
Idaho (USEI) Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle C
hazardous disposal facility located near
Grand View, Idaho. Additionally, PG&E
requested exemptions on behalf of USEI
pursuant to § 30.11 of Title 10 of the
Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR)
and 10 CFR 70.17 to allow USEI to
receive and possess radioactive
materials without an NRC license. These
requests were made under the alternate
disposal provision contained in 10 CFR
20.2002 and the exemption provisions
in 10 CFR 30.11 and 10 CFR 70.17.
E:\FR\FM\04DEN1.SGM
04DEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 233 / Tuesday, December 4, 2012 / Notices
This Environmental Assessment (EA)
has been developed in accordance with
the requirements of 10 CFR 51.21.
II. Environmental Assessment
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with
Identification of Proposed Action
On July 2, 1976, Humboldt Bay Power
Plant (HBPP) Unit 3 was shut down for
annual refueling and to conduct seismic
modifications. In 1983, updated
economic analyses indicated that
restarting Unit 3 would probably not be
cost-effective, and in June 1983, PG&E
announced its intention to
decommission the unit. On July 16,
1985, the NRC issued Amendment No.
19 to the HBPP Unit 3 Operating
License to change the status to possessbut-not-operate. In December 2008,
PG&E completed the transfer of spent
fuel from the fuel storage pool to the
dry-cask Independent Spent Fuel
Storage Installation and the
decontamination and dismantlement
phase of HBPP Unit 3 decommissioning
commenced.
PG&E requested NRC authorization
for the disposal of waste from the
decommissioning of HBPP Unit 3 at the
USEI facility in accordance with 10 CFR
20.2002. This waste consists of
approximately 100,000 ft3 of hazardous
waste, soil, and debris and 50,000 ft3 of
water solidified with clay containing
low-activity radioactive material
generated during the demolition of
structures and remediation activities at
Unit 3.
The waste would be transported by
truck from HBPP in Eureka, California
to the USEI facility, Grand View, Idaho
in the Owyhee Desert. The USEI facility
is a RCRA Subtitle C hazardous waste
disposal facility permitted by the State
of Idaho. The USEI site has both natural
and engineered features that limit the
transport of radioactive material. The
natural features include the low
precipitation rate [i.e., 18.4 cm/year (7.4
in./year)] and the long vertical distance
to groundwater (i.e., 61-meter (203-ft)
thick on average unsaturated zone
below the disposal zone). The
engineered features include an
engineered cover, liners, and leachate
monitoring systems. Because the USEI
facility is not licensed by the NRC, this
proposed action would require the NRC
to exempt USEI from Atomic Energy Act
of 1954, (AEA) and NRC licensing
requirements with respect to the lowcontaminated material authorized for
disposal.
Need for Proposed Action
The subject waste material consists of
hazardous waste, soil, and debris
containing low-activity radioactive
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:31 Dec 03, 2012
Jkt 229001
debris generated during the demolition
of structures and remediation activities
at Unit 3. This proposed alternate
disposal would conserve low-level
radioactive waste disposal capacity at
licensed low-level radioactive waste
disposal sites.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed
Action
The NRC staff has reviewed the
evaluation performed by the licensee to
demonstrate compliance with the 10
CFR 20.2002 alternate disposal criteria.
Under these criteria, a licensee may seek
NRC authorization to dispose of
licensed material using procedures not
otherwise authorized by the NRC’s
regulations. A licensee’s supporting
analysis must show that the radiological
doses arising from the proposed 10 CFR
20.2002 disposal will be as low as
reasonably achievable and within the 10
CFR Part 20 dose limits.
PG&E performed a radiological
assessment in consultation with USEI.
Based on this assessment, PG&E
concludes that potential doses to
members of the public, including
workers involved in the transportation
and placement of this waste will be
approximately one millirem total
effective dose equivalent in one
calendar year for this project, and well
within the ‘‘few millirem’’ criteria that
the NRC has established (see NUREG–
1757).
The staff evaluated activities and
potential doses associated with
transportation, waste handling and
disposal as part of the review of this 10
CFR 20.2002 application. The projected
doses to individual transportation and
USEI workers have been appropriately
estimated and are demonstrated to meet
the NRC’s alternate disposal
requirement of not more than ‘‘a few
millirem per year’’ to any member of the
public. Independent review of the postclosure and intruder scenarios
confirmed that the maximum projected
dose over a period of 1,000 years is also
within ‘‘a few millirem per year.’’
Additionally, the proposed action will
not significantly increase the probability
or consequences of accidents and there
is no significant increase in
occupational or public radiation
exposures.
With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed
action does not have a potential to affect
any historic sites. The proposed action
does not affect non-radiological plant
effluents, air quality, or noise.
The proposed action and attendant
exemption of the material from further
AEA and NRC licensing requirements
will not significantly increase the
PO 00000
Frm 00072
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
71843
probability or consequences of
accidents, no changes are being made in
the types of any effluents that may be
released off site, and there is no
significant increase in occupational or
public radiation exposure.
Due to the very small amounts of
radioactive material involved, the
environmental impacts of the proposed
action are not significant.
Environmental Impacts of the
Alternatives to the Proposed Action:
Since the proposed action will cause
no significant environmental impacts,
the only alternative the staff considered
is the no-action alternative, under
which the staff would deny the disposal
request. This denial of the request
would only change the location of the
disposal site to be used for the material.
All other factors would remain the same
or similar. Therefore, the environmental
impacts of the proposed action and the
no-action alternative are similar and the
no-action alternative is accordingly not
further considered.
Conclusion
The NRC staff has concluded that the
proposed action will not significantly
impact the quality of the human
environment and that the proposed
action is the preferred alternative.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
NRC provided a draft of this EA to the
State of Idaho Department of
Environmental Quality for review on
August 28, 2012. The State had no
comments.
The NRC staff has determined that the
proposed action is of a procedural
nature and will not affect Endangered
Species Act (ESA) listed species or their
critical habitat. Therefore, no further
consultation is required under Section 7
of the ESA. The NRC staff has also
determined that the proposed action is
not the type of activity that has the
potential to affect 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 and
E:\FR\FM\04DEN1.SGM
04DEN1
71844
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 233 / Tuesday, December 4, 2012 / Notices
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) Letter dated May 2, 2012,
‘‘Humboldt Bay Power Plant Unit 3
Request for 10 CFR 20.2002 Alternate
Disposal Approval, and 10 CFR 30.11
and 10 CFR 70.17 Exemption of
Humboldt Bay Power Plant Waste For
Disposal at US Ecology, Inc’’ [ADAMS
Accession Number ML121350326]
(2) Email dated July 16, 2012,
providing responses to a request for
additional information. [ML12241A273]
(3) NRC letter dated November 2,
2010, approving prior request from
Humboldt Bay for 10 CFR 20.2002
alternate disposal and 10 CFR 30.11
exemption. [ML102870344]
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 email to pdr@nrc.gov.
These documents may also be viewed
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 Rockville, Maryland, this 23 day
of November, 2012.
For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
Andrew Persinko,
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. 2012–29221 Filed 12–3–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with
Sunshine Act Meetings
AGENCY HOLDING THE MEETINGS: Nuclear
Regulatory Commission [NRC–2012–
0002].
DATE: Weeks of December 3, 10, 17, 24,
31; 2012, January 7, 2013.
PLACE: Commissioners’ Conference
Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
Maryland.
STATUS: Public and Closed.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:31 Dec 03, 2012
Jkt 229001
Week of December 3, 2012
Thursday, December 6, 2012
9:25 a.m. Affirmation Session (Public
Meeting) (Tentative)
(a) Entergy Nuclear Generation Co.
and Entergy Nuclear Operations,
Inc. (Pilgrim Nuclear Power
Station), Jones River Watershed
Association and Pilgrim Watch
Petition for Review of Memorandum
and Order (Denying Petition for
Intervention and Request to Reopen
Proceeding and Admit New
Contention) LBP–12–11, June 18,
2012 (July 3, 2012) (Tentative)
(b) Final Rule: Revisions to
Environmental Review for Renewal
of Nuclear Power Plant Operating
Licenses (10 CFR part 51; RIN
3150–AI42) (Tentative)
This meeting will be webcast live at
the Web address—www.nrc.gov.
9:30 a.m. Meeting with the Advisory
Committee on Reactor Safeguards
(ACRS) (Public Meeting) (Contact:
Ed Hackett, 301–415–7360)
This meeting will be webcast live at
the Web address—www.nrc.gov.
Week of December 10, 2012—Tentative
There are no meetings scheduled for
the week of December 10, 2012.
Week of December 17, 2012—Tentative
There are no meetings scheduled for
the week of December 17, 2012.
Week of December 24, 2012—Tentative
There are no meetings scheduled for
the week of December 24, 2012.
Week of December 31, 2012—Tentative
There are no meetings scheduled for
the week of December 31, 2012.
Week of January 7, 2013—Tentative
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
9:00 a.m. Briefing on Fort Calhoun
(Public Meeting) (Contact: Michael
Hay, 817–200–1527)
This meeting will be webcast live at
the Web address—www.nrc.gov.
*
*
*
*
*
* The schedule for Commission
meetings is subject to change on short
notice. To verify the status of meetings,
call (recording)—301–415–1292.
Contact person for more information:
Rochelle Bavol, 301–415–1651.
*
*
*
*
*
Additional Information
The Briefing on Fort Calhoun
previously scheduled on October 30,
2012, has been rescheduled on January
8, 2013.
*
*
*
*
*
PO 00000
Frm 00073
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
The NRC Commission Meeting
Schedule can be found on the Internet
at: https://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/
public-meetings/schedule.html.
*
*
*
*
*
The NRC provides reasonable
accommodation to individuals with
disabilities where appropriate. If you
need a reasonable accommodation to
participate in these public meetings, or
need this meeting notice or the
transcript or other information from the
public meetings in another format (e.g.
braille, large print), please notify Bill
Dosch, Chief, Work Life and Benefits
Branch, at 301–415–6200, TDD: 301–
415–2100, or by email at
william.dosch@nrc.gov. Determinations
on requests for reasonable
accommodation will be made on a caseby-case basis.
*
*
*
*
*
This notice is distributed
electronically to subscribers. If you no
longer wish to receive it, or would like
to be added to the distribution, please
contact the Office of the Secretary,
Washington, DC 20555 (301–415–1969),
or send an email to
darlene.wright@nrc.gov.
Dated: November 29, 2012.
Rochelle C. Bavol,
Policy Coordinator, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012–29373 Filed 11–30–12; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION
Sunshine Act Meetings
Wednesday, December
12, 2012, at 11 a.m.
PLACE: Commission Hearing Room, 901
New York Avenue NW., Suite 200,
Washington, DC 20268–0001.
STATUS: Part of this meeting will be
open to the public. The rest of the
meeting will be closed to the public.
The open session will be audiocast. The
audiocast may be accessed via the
Commission’s Web site at https://
www.prc.gov. A period for public
comment will be offered following
consideration of the last numbered item
in the open session.
MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: The agenda
for the Commission’s November 7, 2012
meeting includes the items identified
below.
PORTIONS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC:
1. Report on legislative activities.
2. Report on communications with the
public.
3. Report from the Office of General
Counsel on the status of Commission
dockets.
TIME AND DATE:
E:\FR\FM\04DEN1.SGM
04DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 233 (Tuesday, December 4, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71842-71844]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-29221]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-133; NRC-2010-0291]
Exemption of Material for Proposed Disposal Procedures at the US
Ecology Idaho Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Subtitle C
Hazardous Disposal Facility Located Near Grand View, Idaho for Material
from the Humboldt Bay Power Plant, Unit 3, License DPR-007, Eureka, CA
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Hickman, Division of Waste
Management and Environmental Protection, Office of Federal and State
Materials and Environmental Management Programs, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-00001; telephone 301-415-
3017, email john.hickman@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff is considering a
request dated May 2, 2012, (ML12135A295) as supplemented by email dated
July 16, 2012, (ML123200007) by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E,
the licensee) for alternate disposal of approximately 100,000 ft\3\ of
hazardous waste, soil, and debris and 50,000 ft\3\ of water solidified
with clay containing low-activity radioactive material, at the US
Ecology Idaho (USEI) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
Subtitle C hazardous disposal facility located near Grand View, Idaho.
Additionally, PG&E requested exemptions on behalf of USEI pursuant to
Sec. 30.11 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) and
10 CFR 70.17 to allow USEI to receive and possess radioactive materials
without an NRC license. These requests were made under the alternate
disposal provision contained in 10 CFR 20.2002 and the exemption
provisions in 10 CFR 30.11 and 10 CFR 70.17.
[[Page 71843]]
This Environmental Assessment (EA) has been developed in accordance
with the requirements of 10 CFR 51.21.
II. Environmental Assessment
Identification of Proposed Action
On July 2, 1976, Humboldt Bay Power Plant (HBPP) Unit 3 was shut
down for annual refueling and to conduct seismic modifications. In
1983, updated economic analyses indicated that restarting Unit 3 would
probably not be cost-effective, and in June 1983, PG&E announced its
intention to decommission the unit. On July 16, 1985, the NRC issued
Amendment No. 19 to the HBPP Unit 3 Operating License to change the
status to possess-but-not-operate. In December 2008, PG&E completed the
transfer of spent fuel from the fuel storage pool to the dry-cask
Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation and the decontamination and
dismantlement phase of HBPP Unit 3 decommissioning commenced.
PG&E requested NRC authorization for the disposal of waste from the
decommissioning of HBPP Unit 3 at the USEI facility in accordance with
10 CFR 20.2002. This waste consists of approximately 100,000 ft\3\ of
hazardous waste, soil, and debris and 50,000 ft\3\ of water solidified
with clay containing low-activity radioactive material generated during
the demolition of structures and remediation activities at Unit 3.
The waste would be transported by truck from HBPP in Eureka,
California to the USEI facility, Grand View, Idaho in the Owyhee
Desert. The USEI facility is a RCRA Subtitle C hazardous waste disposal
facility permitted by the State of Idaho. The USEI site has both
natural and engineered features that limit the transport of radioactive
material. The natural features include the low precipitation rate
[i.e., 18.4 cm/year (7.4 in./year)] and the long vertical distance to
groundwater (i.e., 61-meter (203-ft) thick on average unsaturated zone
below the disposal zone). The engineered features include an engineered
cover, liners, and leachate monitoring systems. Because the USEI
facility is not licensed by the NRC, this proposed action would require
the NRC to exempt USEI from Atomic Energy Act of 1954, (AEA) and NRC
licensing requirements with respect to the low-contaminated material
authorized for disposal.
Need for Proposed Action
The subject waste material consists of hazardous waste, soil, and
debris containing low-activity radioactive debris generated during the
demolition of structures and remediation activities at Unit 3. This
proposed alternate disposal would conserve low-level radioactive waste
disposal capacity at licensed low-level radioactive waste disposal
sites.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff has reviewed the evaluation performed by the licensee
to demonstrate compliance with the 10 CFR 20.2002 alternate disposal
criteria. Under these criteria, a licensee may seek NRC authorization
to dispose of licensed material using procedures not otherwise
authorized by the NRC's regulations. A licensee's supporting analysis
must show that the radiological doses arising from the proposed 10 CFR
20.2002 disposal will be as low as reasonably achievable and within the
10 CFR Part 20 dose limits.
PG&E performed a radiological assessment in consultation with USEI.
Based on this assessment, PG&E concludes that potential doses to
members of the public, including workers involved in the transportation
and placement of this waste will be approximately one millirem total
effective dose equivalent in one calendar year for this project, and
well within the ``few millirem'' criteria that the NRC has established
(see NUREG-1757).
The staff evaluated activities and potential doses associated with
transportation, waste handling and disposal as part of the review of
this 10 CFR 20.2002 application. The projected doses to individual
transportation and USEI workers have been appropriately estimated and
are demonstrated to meet the NRC's alternate disposal requirement of
not more than ``a few millirem per year'' to any member of the public.
Independent review of the post-closure and intruder scenarios confirmed
that the maximum projected dose over a period of 1,000 years is also
within ``a few millirem per year.'' Additionally, the proposed action
will not significantly increase the probability or consequences of
accidents and there is no significant increase in occupational or
public radiation exposures.
With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed
action does not have a potential to affect any historic sites. The
proposed action does not affect non-radiological plant effluents, air
quality, or noise.
The proposed action and attendant exemption of the material from
further AEA and NRC licensing requirements will not significantly
increase the probability or consequences of accidents, no changes are
being made in the types of any effluents that may be released off site,
and there is no significant increase in occupational or public
radiation exposure.
Due to the very small amounts of radioactive material involved, the
environmental impacts of the proposed action are not significant.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action:
Since the proposed action will cause no significant environmental
impacts, the only alternative the staff considered is the no-action
alternative, under which the staff would deny the disposal request.
This denial of the request would only change the location of the
disposal site to be used for the material. All other factors would
remain the same or similar. Therefore, the environmental impacts of the
proposed action and the no-action alternative are similar and the no-
action alternative is accordingly not further considered.
Conclusion
The NRC staff has concluded that the proposed action will not
significantly impact the quality of the human environment and that the
proposed action is the preferred alternative.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
NRC provided a draft of this EA to the State of Idaho Department of
Environmental Quality for review on August 28, 2012. The State had no
comments.
The NRC staff has determined that the proposed action is of a
procedural nature and will not affect Endangered Species Act (ESA)
listed species or their critical habitat. Therefore, no further
consultation is required under Section 7 of the ESA. The NRC staff has
also determined that the proposed action is not the type of activity
that has the potential to affect 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 and
[[Page 71844]]
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) Letter dated May 2, 2012, ``Humboldt Bay Power Plant Unit 3
Request for 10 CFR 20.2002 Alternate Disposal Approval, and 10 CFR
30.11 and 10 CFR 70.17 Exemption of Humboldt Bay Power Plant Waste For
Disposal at US Ecology, Inc'' [ADAMS Accession Number ML121350326]
(2) Email dated July 16, 2012, providing responses to a request for
additional information. [ML12241A273]
(3) NRC letter dated November 2, 2010, approving prior request from
Humboldt Bay for 10 CFR 20.2002 alternate disposal and 10 CFR 30.11
exemption. [ML102870344]
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 email to pdr@nrc.gov. These documents may also be viewed 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 Rockville, Maryland, this 23 day of November, 2012.
For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Andrew Persinko,
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. 2012-29221 Filed 12-3-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
