Proposed Ross Project in Crook County Wyoming for In-Situ Leach Uranium Milling Facilities, 13683-13684 [2014-05260]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 47 / Tuesday, March 11, 2014 / Notices submitted by telephone at 202–395– 1741. The Acting NRC Clearance Officer is Kristen Benney, telephone: 301–415– 6355. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 5th day of March 2014. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Brenda Miles, Acting NRC Clearance Officer, Office of Information Services. [FR Doc. 2014–05174 Filed 3–10–14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC–2011–0148] Proposed Ross Project in Crook County Wyoming for In-Situ Leach Uranium Milling Facilities FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Johari Moore, Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555–0001; telephone: 301–415– 7694, email: Johari.Moore@nrc.gov. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Final supplemental environmental impact statement; issuance. AGENCY: emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:22 Mar 10, 2014 Jkt 232001 Under the NRC’s environmental protection regulations in Part 51 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), that implement the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or supplement to an EIS (SEIS) is required for issuance of a license to possess and use source material for uranium milling (see 10 CFR 51.20(b)(8)). In May 2009, the NRC staff issued NUREG–1910, ‘‘Generic Environmental Impact Statement for In-Situ Leach Uranium Milling Facilities’’ (herein referred to as the GEIS). In the GEIS, NRC assessed the potential environmental impacts from construction, operation, aquifer restoration, and decommissioning of an ISR facility located in four specific geographic regions of the western United States. The proposed Ross Project is located within the NebraskaSouth Dakota-Wyoming Uranium Milling Region identified in the GEIS. This Final SEIS supplements the GEIS and incorporates by reference relevant portions from the GEIS, and uses sitespecific information from the applicant’s license application and other independent sources to fulfill the requirements in 10 CFR 51.20(b)(8). The Final SEIS was prepared in response to an application submitted by Strata by letter dated January 4, 2011. The applicant proposes the construction, operation, aquifer SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) (NUREG–1910, Supplement 5) for the Ross In-Situ Uranium Recovery (ISR) Project (Ross Project). By letter dated January 4, 2011, Strata Energy, Inc. (Strata) submitted an application to the NRC for a new source and byproduct materials license for the Ross Project, which Strata proposes to be located in Crook County, Wyoming. Strata is proposing to recover uranium from the Ross Project site using the ISR process. ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC–2011–0148 when contacting the NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You may access publicly-available information related to this action by the following methods: • Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to: https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC–2011–0148. Address questions about NRC dockets to Ms. Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301– 287–3422; email: Carol.Gallagher@ nrc.gov. For technical questions, contact the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document. • NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS): You may access publicly available documents online in the NRC Library at https://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/adams.html. To begin the search, SUMMARY: select ‘‘ADAMS Public Documents’’ and then select ‘‘Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.’’ For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC’s Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1–800–397–4209, or 301–415–4737, or by email to pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The ADAMS accession number for each document referenced in this notice (if that document is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is referenced. The Final SEIS (NUREG–1910, Supplement 5) is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML14056A096. • NRC’s PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public documents at the NRC’s PDR, Room O1–F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. PO 00000 Frm 00074 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 13683 restoration, and decommissioning of an ISR facility to recover uranium. The Final SEIS was prepared by the NRC and its contractor, Attenuation Environmental Company (AEC), in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in compliance with NEPA, and the NRC’s regulations for implementing NEPA (10 CFR Part 51). The proposed Ross Project will be located approximately 34.6 kilometers (km) (21.5 miles [mi]) north of the town of Moorcroft, Wyoming. The proposed facility would encompass approximately 697 hectares (ha) (1,721 acres [ac]). The Final SEIS is being issued as part of the NRC’s process to decide whether to issue a license to Strata pursuant to 10 CFR Part 40. In this Final SEIS, the NRC staff has assessed the potential environmental impacts from the construction, operation, aquifer restoration, and decommissioning of the proposed Ross Project. The NRC staff assessed the impacts of the proposed action and its alternatives on land use; historical and cultural resources; visual and scenic resources; climatology, meteorology and air quality; geology, minerals and soils; water resources; ecological resources; socioeconomics; environmental justice; noise; traffic and transportation; public and occupational health and safety; and waste management. Additionally, the Final SEIS analyzes and compares the benefits and costs of the proposed action. In preparing this Final SEIS, the NRC staff also considered, evaluated, and addressed the public comments received on the Draft SEIS published on March 29, 2013 (78 FR 19330). Appendix B of the Final SEIS captures the public’s comments and the NRC’s responses. In preparing the Final SEIS, the NRC staff evaluated site-specific data and information from the Ross Project to determine if Strata’s proposed activities and the site characteristics were consistent with those evaluated in the GEIS. The NRC then determined which relevant sections of, and impact conclusions in, the GEIS could be incorporated by reference. The NRC staff also determined if additional data or analysis was needed to assess the potential environmental impacts for a specific environmental resource area. The NRC documented its assessments and conclusions in the Final SEIS. In addition to the action proposed by Strata, the NRC staff addressed the noaction alternative, as well as the North Ross site alternative, in which the central processing plant (CPP), auxiliary and support buildings and structures, E:\FR\FM\11MRN1.SGM 11MRN1 13684 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 47 / Tuesday, March 11, 2014 / Notices and surface impoundments would be located at a different location to the north of the Proposed Project. All the alternatives were analyzed in detail. The no-action alternative serves as a baseline for comparison of the potential environmental impacts of the proposed action. After weighing the impacts of the proposed action and comparing the alternatives, the NRC staff, in accordance with 10 CFR 51.91(d), sets forth its recommendation regarding the proposed action. Unless safety issues mandate otherwise, the NRC staff recommends that the proposed action be approved (i.e., the NRC should issue a source material license for the proposed Ross Project). The Final SEIS for the proposed Ross Project may also be accessed on the internet at https://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/ by selecting ‘‘NUREG–1910’’ and then ‘‘Supplement 5.’’ Additionally, a copy of the Final SEIS will be available at the following public libraries: Crook County Library, Hulett Branch, 401 Sager Street, Hulett, WY 82720. Crook County Library, Moorcroft Branch, 105 East Converse, Moorcroft, WY 82721. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this day 27 of February 2014. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Aby Mohseni, 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. 2014–05260 Filed 3–10–14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Meeting of The ACRS Subcommittee on Reliability & Pra; Notice of Meeting The ACRS Subcommittee on Reliability & PRA will hold a meeting on March 20, 2014, Room T–2B1, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The meeting will be open to public attendance with the exception of portions that may be closed to discuss security related information pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(3). The agenda for the subject meeting shall be as follows: Thursday, March 20, 2014—8:30 a.m. Until 12:00 p.m. The Subcommittee will review Chapter 19 and Section 17.4 of the VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:22 Mar 10, 2014 Jkt 232001 Standard Review Plan for the review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants. The Subcommittee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with the NRC staff and other interested persons regarding this matter. The Subcommittee will gather information, analyze relevant issues and facts, and formulate proposed positions and actions, as appropriate, for deliberation by the Full Committee. Members of the public desiring to provide oral statements and/or written comments should notify the Designated Federal Official (DFO), John Lai (Telephone 301–415–5197 or Email: John.Lai@nrc.gov) five days prior to the meeting, if possible, so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Thirty-five hard copies of each presentation or handout should be provided to the DFO thirty minutes before the meeting. In addition, one electronic copy of each presentation should be emailed to the DFO one day before the meeting. If an electronic copy cannot be provided within this timeframe, presenters should provide the DFO with a CD containing each presentation at least thirty minutes before the meeting. Electronic recordings will be permitted only during those portions of the meeting that are open to the public. Detailed procedures for the conduct of and participation in ACRS meetings were published in the Federal Register on November 8, 2013, (78 CFR 67205– 67206). Detailed meeting agendas and meeting transcripts are available on the NRC Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/doc-collections/acrs. Information regarding topics to be discussed, changes to the agenda, whether the meeting has been canceled or rescheduled, and the time allotted to present oral statements can be obtained from the Web site cited above or by contacting the identified DFO. Moreover, in view of the possibility that the schedule for ACRS meetings may be adjusted by the Chairman as necessary to facilitate the conduct of the meeting, persons planning to attend should check with these references if such rescheduling would result in a major inconvenience. If attending this meeting, please enter through the One White Flint North building, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD. After registering with security, please contact Mr. Theron Brown (Telephone 240–888–9835) to be escorted to the meeting room. PO 00000 Frm 00075 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Dated: March 3, 2014. Cayetano Santos, Chief, Technical Support Branch, Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards. [FR Doc. 2014–05288 Filed 3–10–14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on Regulatory Policies and Practices; Notice of Meeting The ACRS Subcommittee on Regulatory Policies and Practices will hold a meeting on March 19, 2014, Room T–2B1, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The entire meeting will be open to public attendance. The agenda for the subject meeting shall be as follows: Wednesday, March 19, 2014—8:30 a.m. Until 5:00 p.m. The Subcommittee will review selected chapters of the safety evaluation report associated with the early site permit application for the PSEG site. PSEG Power, LLC and PSEG Nuclear, LLC are referred to as PSEG. The Subcommittee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with the NRC staff and other interested persons regarding this matter. The Subcommittee will gather information, analyze relevant issues and facts, and formulate proposed positions and actions, as appropriate, for deliberation by the Full Committee. Members of the public desiring to provide oral statements and/or written comments should notify the Designated Federal Official (DFO), Quynh Nguyen (Telephone 301–415–5844- or Email: Quynh.Nguyen@nrc.gov) five days prior to the meeting, if possible, so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Thirty-five hard copies of each presentation or handout should be provided to the DFO thirty minutes before the meeting. In addition, one electronic copy of each presentation should be emailed to the DFO one day before the meeting. If an electronic copy cannot be provided within this timeframe, presenters should provide the DFO with a CD containing each presentation at least thirty minutes before the meeting. Electronic recordings will be permitted only during those portions of the meeting that are open to the public. Detailed procedures for the conduct of and participation in ACRS meetings were E:\FR\FM\11MRN1.SGM 11MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 47 (Tuesday, March 11, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13683-13684]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-05260]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2011-0148]


Proposed Ross Project in Crook County Wyoming for In-Situ Leach 
Uranium Milling Facilities

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Final supplemental environmental impact statement; issuance.

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

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission (NRC) published the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement (SEIS) (NUREG-1910, Supplement 5) for the Ross In-Situ 
Uranium Recovery (ISR) Project (Ross Project). By letter dated January 
4, 2011, Strata Energy, Inc. (Strata) submitted an application to the 
NRC for a new source and byproduct materials license for the Ross 
Project, which Strata proposes to be located in Crook County, Wyoming. 
Strata is proposing to recover uranium from the Ross Project site using 
the ISR process.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2011-0148 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may access publicly-available information related to this action by the 
following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to: https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2011-0148. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Ms. Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-287-
3422; email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. For technical questions, contact 
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this document.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may access publicly available documents online in the NRC 
Library at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the 
search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and then select ``Begin Web-
based ADAMS Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's 
Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-
415-4737, or by email to pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The ADAMS accession 
number for each document referenced in this notice (if that document is 
available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is 
referenced. The Final SEIS (NUREG-1910, Supplement 5) is available in 
ADAMS under Accession No. ML14056A096.
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Johari Moore, Office of Federal and 
State Materials and Environmental Management Programs, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-
7694, email: Johari.Moore@nrc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the NRC's environmental protection 
regulations in Part 51 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations 
(10 CFR), that implement the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(NEPA), preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or 
supplement to an EIS (SEIS) is required for issuance of a license to 
possess and use source material for uranium milling (see 10 CFR 
51.20(b)(8)).
    In May 2009, the NRC staff issued NUREG-1910, ``Generic 
Environmental Impact Statement for In-Situ Leach Uranium Milling 
Facilities'' (herein referred to as the GEIS). In the GEIS, NRC 
assessed the potential environmental impacts from construction, 
operation, aquifer restoration, and decommissioning of an ISR facility 
located in four specific geographic regions of the western United 
States. The proposed Ross Project is located within the Nebraska-South 
Dakota-Wyoming Uranium Milling Region identified in the GEIS. This 
Final SEIS supplements the GEIS and incorporates by reference relevant 
portions from the GEIS, and uses site-specific information from the 
applicant's license application and other independent sources to 
fulfill the requirements in 10 CFR 51.20(b)(8).
    The Final SEIS was prepared in response to an application submitted 
by Strata by letter dated January 4, 2011. The applicant proposes the 
construction, operation, aquifer restoration, and decommissioning of an 
ISR facility to recover uranium.
    The Final SEIS was prepared by the NRC and its contractor, 
Attenuation Environmental Company (AEC), in cooperation with the U.S. 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in compliance with NEPA, and the NRC's 
regulations for implementing NEPA (10 CFR Part 51).
    The proposed Ross Project will be located approximately 34.6 
kilometers (km) (21.5 miles [mi]) north of the town of Moorcroft, 
Wyoming. The proposed facility would encompass approximately 697 
hectares (ha) (1,721 acres [ac]).
    The Final SEIS is being issued as part of the NRC's process to 
decide whether to issue a license to Strata pursuant to 10 CFR Part 40. 
In this Final SEIS, the NRC staff has assessed the potential 
environmental impacts from the construction, operation, aquifer 
restoration, and decommissioning of the proposed Ross Project. The NRC 
staff assessed the impacts of the proposed action and its alternatives 
on land use; historical and cultural resources; visual and scenic 
resources; climatology, meteorology and air quality; geology, minerals 
and soils; water resources; ecological resources; socioeconomics; 
environmental justice; noise; traffic and transportation; public and 
occupational health and safety; and waste management. Additionally, the 
Final SEIS analyzes and compares the benefits and costs of the proposed 
action. In preparing this Final SEIS, the NRC staff also considered, 
evaluated, and addressed the public comments received on the Draft SEIS 
published on March 29, 2013 (78 FR 19330). Appendix B of the Final SEIS 
captures the public's comments and the NRC's responses.
    In preparing the Final SEIS, the NRC staff evaluated site-specific 
data and information from the Ross Project to determine if Strata's 
proposed activities and the site characteristics were consistent with 
those evaluated in the GEIS. The NRC then determined which relevant 
sections of, and impact conclusions in, the GEIS could be incorporated 
by reference. The NRC staff also determined if additional data or 
analysis was needed to assess the potential environmental impacts for a 
specific environmental resource area. The NRC documented its 
assessments and conclusions in the Final SEIS.
    In addition to the action proposed by Strata, the NRC staff 
addressed the no-action alternative, as well as the North Ross site 
alternative, in which the central processing plant (CPP), auxiliary and 
support buildings and structures,

[[Page 13684]]

and surface impoundments would be located at a different location to 
the north of the Proposed Project. All the alternatives were analyzed 
in detail. The no-action alternative serves as a baseline for 
comparison of the potential environmental impacts of the proposed 
action.
    After weighing the impacts of the proposed action and comparing the 
alternatives, the NRC staff, in accordance with 10 CFR 51.91(d), sets 
forth its recommendation regarding the proposed action. Unless safety 
issues mandate otherwise, the NRC staff recommends that the proposed 
action be approved (i.e., the NRC should issue a source material 
license for the proposed Ross Project).
    The Final SEIS for the proposed Ross Project may also be accessed 
on the internet at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/ by selecting ``NUREG-1910'' and then ``Supplement 5.'' 
Additionally, a copy of the Final SEIS will be available at the 
following public libraries:

Crook County Library, Hulett Branch, 401 Sager Street, Hulett, WY 
82720.
Crook County Library, Moorcroft Branch, 105 East Converse, Moorcroft, 
WY 82721.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this day 27 of February 2014.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Aby Mohseni,
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. 2014-05260 Filed 3-10-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
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