License Amendment for United Nuclear Corporation, Church Rock Facility, McKinley County, New Mexico, 22744-22746 [2015-09516]
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22744
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 78 / Thursday, April 23, 2015 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training
Administration
[OMB 1205–0490]
Comment Request for Information
Collection: Self-Employment
Assistance for Unemployment
Insurance Claimants, Extension With
Revisions
Employment and Training
Administration (ETA), Labor.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Department of Labor
(Department), as part of its continuing
effort to reduce paperwork and
respondent burden, conducts a
preclearance consultation program to
provide the public and Federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on
proposed and/or continuing collections
of information in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 [44
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program
helps ensure that requested data can be
provided in the desired format,
reporting burden (time and financial
resources) is minimized, collection
instruments are clearly understood, and
the impact of collection requirements on
respondents can be properly assessed.
Currently, ETA is soliciting comments
concerning the collection of data about
Self-Employment Assistance (SEA)
activities, expiring October 31, 2015.
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted to the office listed in the
addresses section below on or before
June 22, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments
to Lidia Fiore, Office of Unemployment
Insurance, Room S–4524, Employment
and Training Administration, U.S.
Department of Labor, 200 Constitution
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210.
Telephone number: 202–693–3029 (this
is not a toll-free number). Individuals
with hearing or speech impairments
may access the telephone number above
via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal
Information Relay Service at 1–877–
889–5627 (TTY/TDD). Email:
Fiore.Lidia@dol.gov. A copy of the
proposed information collection request
(ICR), please contact the person above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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SUMMARY:
I. Background
The Noncitizen Benefit Clarification
and Other Technical Amendments Act
of 1998 (Public Law 105–306)
permanently authorized the SEA
program, which is a reemployment
program that helps Unemployment
Insurance (UI) claimants start their own
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18:53 Apr 22, 2015
Jkt 235001
businesses, and Public Law 112–96, the
Middle Class Tax Relief and Job
Creation Act of 2012 (Act) expanded the
SEA program to provide states the
opportunity to allow UI claimants
receiving Extended Benefits to
participate in the SEA program.
Currently, a handful of states use this
reemployment program, for which a
minor amount of information (claimants
entering the program, and weeks and
amounts of dollars paid) is collected
under OMB Control Number 1205–0010.
In accordance with statutory
requirements and to assist states in
establishing, improving, and
administering SEA programs (section
2183(a)), the Employment and Training
Administration (ETA) uses the ETA
9161 to collect information specific to
the SEA program.
Section 2183(b)(1) of the 2012 Act
directs the Secretary of Labor to
establish reporting requirements for
States that have established SEA
programs, which shall include reporting
on—(A) the total number of individuals
who received unemployment
compensation and—(i) were referred to
a SEA program; (ii) participated in such
program; and (iii) received an allowance
under such program; (B) the total
amount of allowances provided to
individuals participating in a SEA
program; (C) the total income (as
determined by survey or other
appropriate method) for businesses that
have been established by individuals
participating in a SEA program, as well
as the total number of individuals
employed through such businesses; and
(D) any additional information, as
determined appropriate by the
Secretary. ETA currently uses Form
ETA–9161 as an electronic reporting
mechanism to collect this required
information. In addition to Public Law
112–96, collection of data is used for
oversight of the program as authorized
under Section 303(a)(6) of the Social
Security Act.
Previously such information was
collected for participants eligible for
Emergency Unemployment
Compensation, however that program
has expired and authorization for that
portion of this data collection is no
longer necessary.
II. Review Focus
The Department is particularly
interested in comments which:
• Evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have
practical utility;
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• evaluate the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
• enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and
• minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who
are to respond, including through the
use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology,
e.g., permitting electronic submissions
of responses.
III. Current Actions
Type of Review: Extension with
revision
Title: Self-Employment Assistance for
UI Claimants, ETA 9161.
OMB Number: 1205–0490.
Affected Public: State Workforce
Agencies, SEA participants.
Estimated Total Annual Respondents:
1,607.
Estimated Total Annual Responses:
1,607 respondents × 4 quarterly reports
= 6,428 responses.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 6,456 hours.
Total Estimated Annual Other Cost
Burden: There are no other costs
associated with this collection of
information.
We will summarize and/or include in
the request for OMB approval of the
ICR, the comments received in response
to this comment request; they will also
become a matter of public record.
Portia Wu,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and
Training, Labor.
[FR Doc. 2015–09479 Filed 4–22–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510–FW–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket No. 40–8907; NRC–2013–0036]
License Amendment for United
Nuclear Corporation, Church Rock
Facility, McKinley County, New Mexico
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and
finding of no significant impact;
issuance.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is considering
amending Source Materials License
SUA–1475 issued to the United Nuclear
Corporation (UNC), a subsidiary of
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\23APN1.SGM
23APN1
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 78 / Thursday, April 23, 2015 / Notices
General Electric (GE), to revise current
ground water protection standards in
License Condition 30.B of SUA–1475.
The NRC has prepared an
environmental assessment (EA) for this
proposed action in accordance with its
regulations. Based on the EA, the NRC
has concluded that a Finding of No
Significant Impact (FONSI) is
appropriate with respect to the
proposed action. The NRC will issue the
amended license following the
publication of this document.
The Final EA and FONSI are
available as of April 23, 2015.
DATES:
Please refer to Docket ID:
NRC–2013–0036 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of
information regarding this document.
You may obtain publicly-available
information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID: NRC–2013–0036. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol
Gallagher; telephone: 301–415–3463;
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 obtain publicly
available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection 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, 301–415–4737, or by
email to pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The
ADAMS accession number for each
document referenced in this document
(if that document is available in
ADAMS) is provided the first time that
a document is referenced. The EA and
FONSI can be found under ADAMS
accession no. ML14339A839.
• 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.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ashley Waldron, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555–0001; telephone:
301–415–7317; email: Ashley.Waldron@
nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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I. Introduction
On April 17, 2012, UNC, a subsidiary
of GE, submitted to the NRC an
application to amend Source Materials
License SUA–1475 for the former
Uranium Church Rock Mill Site (the
Mill Site) (ADAMS Accession No.
ML12150A146). This proposed
amendment would revise current
ground water protection standards in
License Condition 30.B of SUA–1475 for
the following constituents: Arsenic,
Cadmium, Gross Alpha, Lead, Lead-210,
Nickel, Radium-226 and -228, Selenium,
Thorium-230, and Uranium. These
proposed standards (values) are derived
from a re-calculated background
concentration for each constituent. The
Mill Site is located approximately 17
miles northeast of Gallup in McKinley
County, New Mexico.
The UNC supplemented its request on
November 16, 2012, by submitting a
three-dimensional ground water flow
model for the Mill Site and adjacent
down-gradient areas (ADAMS
Accession Nos. ML12334A292;
ML12305A320; ML12305A309;
ML12305A324). On January 10, 2013,
the NRC accepted the amendment
request for formal review (ADAMS
Accession No. ML13007A069). The NRC
issued a Request for Additional
Information (RAI) on June 4, 2013
(ADAMS Accession No. ML13121A553),
and the UNC responded on January 10,
2014 (ADAMS Accession Nos.
ML14056A541; ML14059A208).
Subsequently, the NRC staff determined
that all technical deficiencies had been
addressed in the RAIs and requested the
UNC to update the ground water flow
model report (ADAMS Accession No.
ML14063A497). The UNC submitted the
revised ground water flow model report
by letter dated June 3, 2014 (ADAMS
Accession Nos. ML14161A255;
ML14161A311).
In accordance with part 40, appendix
A, criterion 5, paragraph 5B(5) of Title
10 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(10 CFR), the NRC may establish ground
water protection standards at the point
of compliance (POC) either (1) by
reference to the background
concentrations in the ground water, (2)
by assigning the appropriate value
found in the table given in paragraph
5C, or (3) by using alternative
concentration limits established by the
NRC. The POC is defined in appendix
A as the site-specific location in the
uppermost aquifer where the ground
water protection standard must be met.
In addition, criterion 5, paragraph 5B(1)
states the objective of the POC location
is to provide the earliest practicable
warning that the impoundment is
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22745
releasing hazardous constituents, with
the goal that hazardous constituents
from a licensed site not exceed the
specified concentration limits in the
uppermost aquifer beyond the POC
during the compliance period. At the
Mill Site, POC wells are located in three
subsurface hydrostratigraphic units: the
Southwest Alluvium, and Zone 1 and
Zone 3 of the Upper Gallup Sandstone.
The UNC’s proposed license
amendment would affect ground water
protection standards in each of these
units. Additionally, paragraph 5B(6) of
criterion 5 to 10 CFR part 40, appendix
A states that, ‘‘[c]onceptually,
background concentrations pose no
incremental hazards . . .’’
The NRC staff has prepared an EA in
support of its review of the proposed
license amendment. The staff assessed
the potential environmental impacts
associated with amending the ground
water protection standards and
documented the results of the
assessment in the EA. The NRC staff
performed this assessment in
accordance with the requirements of 10
CFR part 51, ‘‘Environmental Protection
Regulations for Domestic Licensing and
Related Regulatory Functions.’’
Uranium mill tailings at the Mill Site
are located onsite, within the tailings
impoundment area comprising three
contiguous cells differentiated as the
North, Central and South Cells (see
Figure 1, ADAMS Accession No.
ML12150A146). The Central Cell also
has two borrow pits. Borrow Pit No. 1
was used to dispose of tailings and
Borrow Pit No. 2 was used to retain
tailings liquids (ADAMS Accession No.
ML063630443).
Seepage from the three tailings
disposal cells and the borrow pits, as
well as infiltration of mine effluent
water during dewatering operations of
the nearby Northeast Church Rock and
Quivira mines, have contributed to the
saturated conditions found in the
Southwest Alluvium and in Zones 1 and
3 of the Upper Gallup Sandstone
(ADAMS Accession Nos. ML050070220;
ML050070233; ML050070242;
ML050070245).
II. Environmental Assessment
Summary
Description of the Proposed Action
The UNC is requesting a license
amendment for the Mill Site to revise
License Condition 30.B of Source
Materials License SUA–1475. The UNC
requests revisions to the current ground
water protection standards in the
license condition for the following
constituents: Arsenic, Cadmium, Gross
Alpha, Lead and Lead-210, Nickel,
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23APN1
22746
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 78 / Thursday, April 23, 2015 / Notices
Radium-226 and -228, Selenium,
Thorium-230, and Uranium for the
Southwest Alluvium, Zone 1, and Zone
3. No changes are proposed for the other
constituents in License Condition 30.B
(i.e., Beryllium, Total Trihalomethanes,
and Vanadium).
Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action is needed to
provide ground water protection
standards for the Mill Site that are
consistent with 10 CFR part 40,
appendix A, paragraph 5B(1) and
background ground water quality that is
protective of public health and safety.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed
Action
The NRC staff determined that, due to
the nature of the proposed action,
environmental impacts would be
limited to subsurface ground water
resources, and that such impacts would
be small and not significant. Staff
expects no impacts to public health and
safety, ecological resources, or historical
and cultural resources. Therefore, the
NRC staff does not expect significant
impacts to result from the proposed
modification to the ground water
protection standards in SUA–1475 and
considers that impacts from the
proposed action would be protective of
public health and safety and the
environment.
In conducting its assessment, the NRC
staff considered the following:
• Information in the license
application and supporting
documentation;
• Information in modeling reports
and NRC staff review reports;
• Information in land use and
environmental monitoring reports;
• Information from NRC staff site
visits and inspections;
• 10 CFR part 40, appendix A,
‘‘Criteria Relating to the Operation of
Uranium Mills and the Disposition of
Tailings or Wastes Produced by the
Extraction or Concentration of Source
Material From Ores Processed Primarily
for Their Source Material Content;’’
• NUREG–1620, Rev. 1, ‘‘Standard
Review Plan for the Review of a
Reclamation Plan for Mill Tailings Sites
Under Title II of the Uranium Mill
Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978’’
(ADAMS Accession No. ML031550522);
and
• NUREG–1748, ‘‘Environmental
Review Guidance for Licensing Actions
Associated with NMSS Programs, Final
Report’’ (ADAMS Accession No.
ML032540811).
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18:53 Apr 22, 2015
Jkt 235001
Environmental Impacts of the
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed
action, the NRC staff considered denial
of the proposed action (i.e., the ‘‘noaction alternative’’). Denial of the
proposed license amendment would
result in no change in the currently
approved ground water protection
standards. The proposed action is
needed to revise the ground water
protection standards to more accurately
reflect current background conditions.
Both the No-Action alternative and the
Proposed Action for the Mill Site are
consistent with appendix A, criterion 5,
paragraph 5B(1) and background ground
water quality that is protective of public
health and safety.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC staff determined that the
proposed action would be limited to
impacts to subsurface ground water
resources and therefore is not expected
to affect listed endangered and
threatened species or their critical
habitat. As well, the proposed action is
not expected to impact potential or
identified cultural or historical
resources. Therefore, no further
consultation was completed under
Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act
or under Section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act.
During preparation of the EA, the
NRC staff consulted with the following
federal, tribal, and state agencies: the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) Regions 6 and 9, the U.S.
Department of Energy, the Navajo
Nation EPA, and the New Mexico
Environment Department. The purpose
of this consultation was to request
comments on the proposed action;
however, none of the agencies identified
concerns with the proposed action.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
Based on its review of the UNC’s
license amendment request to revise
License Condition 30.B of SUA–1475,
the NRC staff expects there to be no
significant environmental impacts in
connection with the proposed action as
the proposed ground water protection
standard values, conceptually, pose no
incremental hazards to public health
and safety. Therefore, a Finding of No
Significant Impact (FONSI) is
appropriate and preparation of an
Environmental Impact Statement is not
warranted.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day
of April 2015.
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Sfmt 4703
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Craig G. Erlanger,
Deputy Director, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety,
Safeguards and Environmental Review, Office
of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2015–09516 Filed 4–22–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 52–012 and 52–013; NRC–
2008–0091]
Nuclear Innovation North America
LLC; South Texas Project, Units 3
and 4
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Combined license application;
availability.
AGENCY:
On September 20, 2007,
South Texas Project Nuclear Operating
Company (STPNOC) submitted to the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) an application for combined
licenses (COLs) for two additional units
(Units 3 and 4) at the South Texas
Project (STP) Electric Generating Station
site in Matagorda County near Bay City,
Texas. The NRC published a notice of
receipt and availability for this COL
application in the Federal Register on
December 5, 2007. In a letter dated
January 19, 2011, STPNOC notified the
NRC that, effective January 24, 2011,
Nuclear Innovation North America LLC
(NINA) became the lead applicant for
STP, Units 3 and 4. This notice is being
published to notify the public of the
availability of the COL application for
STP, Units 3 and 4.
DATES: The COL application is available
on April 23, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID
NRC–2008–0091 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of
information regarding this document.
You may obtain publicly-available
information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2008–0091. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol
Gallagher; telephone: 301–415–3463;
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 obtain publicly
available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\23APN1.SGM
23APN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 78 (Thursday, April 23, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22744-22746]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-09516]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 40-8907; NRC-2013-0036]
License Amendment for United Nuclear Corporation, Church Rock
Facility, McKinley County, New Mexico
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact;
issuance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
amending Source Materials License SUA-1475 issued to the United Nuclear
Corporation (UNC), a subsidiary of
[[Page 22745]]
General Electric (GE), to revise current ground water protection
standards in License Condition 30.B of SUA-1475. The NRC has prepared
an environmental assessment (EA) for this proposed action in accordance
with its regulations. Based on the EA, the NRC has concluded that a
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate with respect to
the proposed action. The NRC will issue the amended license following
the publication of this document.
DATES: The Final EA and FONSI are available as of April 23, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID: NRC-2013-0036 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You
may obtain publicly-available information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID: NRC-2013-0036. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; 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 obtain publicly available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection 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, 301-415-4737, or by email to pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The
ADAMS accession number for each document referenced in this document
(if that document is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time
that a document is referenced. The EA and FONSI can be found under
ADAMS accession no. ML14339A839.
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: Ashley Waldron, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-7317; email:
Ashley.Waldron@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
On April 17, 2012, UNC, a subsidiary of GE, submitted to the NRC an
application to amend Source Materials License SUA-1475 for the former
Uranium Church Rock Mill Site (the Mill Site) (ADAMS Accession No.
ML12150A146). This proposed amendment would revise current ground water
protection standards in License Condition 30.B of SUA-1475 for the
following constituents: Arsenic, Cadmium, Gross Alpha, Lead, Lead-210,
Nickel, Radium-226 and -228, Selenium, Thorium-230, and Uranium. These
proposed standards (values) are derived from a re-calculated background
concentration for each constituent. The Mill Site is located
approximately 17 miles northeast of Gallup in McKinley County, New
Mexico.
The UNC supplemented its request on November 16, 2012, by
submitting a three-dimensional ground water flow model for the Mill
Site and adjacent down-gradient areas (ADAMS Accession Nos.
ML12334A292; ML12305A320; ML12305A309; ML12305A324). On January 10,
2013, the NRC accepted the amendment request for formal review (ADAMS
Accession No. ML13007A069). The NRC issued a Request for Additional
Information (RAI) on June 4, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. ML13121A553),
and the UNC responded on January 10, 2014 (ADAMS Accession Nos.
ML14056A541; ML14059A208). Subsequently, the NRC staff determined that
all technical deficiencies had been addressed in the RAIs and requested
the UNC to update the ground water flow model report (ADAMS Accession
No. ML14063A497). The UNC submitted the revised ground water flow model
report by letter dated June 3, 2014 (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML14161A255;
ML14161A311).
In accordance with part 40, appendix A, criterion 5, paragraph
5B(5) of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), the NRC
may establish ground water protection standards at the point of
compliance (POC) either (1) by reference to the background
concentrations in the ground water, (2) by assigning the appropriate
value found in the table given in paragraph 5C, or (3) by using
alternative concentration limits established by the NRC. The POC is
defined in appendix A as the site-specific location in the uppermost
aquifer where the ground water protection standard must be met. In
addition, criterion 5, paragraph 5B(1) states the objective of the POC
location is to provide the earliest practicable warning that the
impoundment is releasing hazardous constituents, with the goal that
hazardous constituents from a licensed site not exceed the specified
concentration limits in the uppermost aquifer beyond the POC during the
compliance period. At the Mill Site, POC wells are located in three
subsurface hydrostratigraphic units: the Southwest Alluvium, and Zone 1
and Zone 3 of the Upper Gallup Sandstone. The UNC's proposed license
amendment would affect ground water protection standards in each of
these units. Additionally, paragraph 5B(6) of criterion 5 to 10 CFR
part 40, appendix A states that, ``[c]onceptually, background
concentrations pose no incremental hazards . . .''
The NRC staff has prepared an EA in support of its review of the
proposed license amendment. The staff assessed the potential
environmental impacts associated with amending the ground water
protection standards and documented the results of the assessment in
the EA. The NRC staff performed this assessment in accordance with the
requirements of 10 CFR part 51, ``Environmental Protection Regulations
for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions.''
Uranium mill tailings at the Mill Site are located onsite, within
the tailings impoundment area comprising three contiguous cells
differentiated as the North, Central and South Cells (see Figure 1,
ADAMS Accession No. ML12150A146). The Central Cell also has two borrow
pits. Borrow Pit No. 1 was used to dispose of tailings and Borrow Pit
No. 2 was used to retain tailings liquids (ADAMS Accession No.
ML063630443).
Seepage from the three tailings disposal cells and the borrow pits,
as well as infiltration of mine effluent water during dewatering
operations of the nearby Northeast Church Rock and Quivira mines, have
contributed to the saturated conditions found in the Southwest Alluvium
and in Zones 1 and 3 of the Upper Gallup Sandstone (ADAMS Accession
Nos. ML050070220; ML050070233; ML050070242; ML050070245).
II. Environmental Assessment Summary
Description of the Proposed Action
The UNC is requesting a license amendment for the Mill Site to
revise License Condition 30.B of Source Materials License SUA-1475. The
UNC requests revisions to the current ground water protection standards
in the license condition for the following constituents: Arsenic,
Cadmium, Gross Alpha, Lead and Lead-210, Nickel,
[[Page 22746]]
Radium-226 and -228, Selenium, Thorium-230, and Uranium for the
Southwest Alluvium, Zone 1, and Zone 3. No changes are proposed for the
other constituents in License Condition 30.B (i.e., Beryllium, Total
Trihalomethanes, and Vanadium).
Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action is needed to provide ground water protection
standards for the Mill Site that are consistent with 10 CFR part 40,
appendix A, paragraph 5B(1) and background ground water quality that is
protective of public health and safety.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff determined that, due to the nature of the proposed
action, environmental impacts would be limited to subsurface ground
water resources, and that such impacts would be small and not
significant. Staff expects no impacts to public health and safety,
ecological resources, or historical and cultural resources. Therefore,
the NRC staff does not expect significant impacts to result from the
proposed modification to the ground water protection standards in SUA-
1475 and considers that impacts from the proposed action would be
protective of public health and safety and the environment.
In conducting its assessment, the NRC staff considered the
following:
Information in the license application and supporting
documentation;
Information in modeling reports and NRC staff review
reports;
Information in land use and environmental monitoring
reports;
Information from NRC staff site visits and inspections;
10 CFR part 40, appendix A, ``Criteria Relating to the
Operation of Uranium Mills and the Disposition of Tailings or Wastes
Produced by the Extraction or Concentration of Source Material From
Ores Processed Primarily for Their Source Material Content;''
NUREG-1620, Rev. 1, ``Standard Review Plan for the Review
of a Reclamation Plan for Mill Tailings Sites Under Title II of the
Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978'' (ADAMS Accession
No. ML031550522); and
NUREG-1748, ``Environmental Review Guidance for Licensing
Actions Associated with NMSS Programs, Final Report'' (ADAMS Accession
No. ML032540811).
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed action, the NRC staff considered
denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action alternative'').
Denial of the proposed license amendment would result in no change in
the currently approved ground water protection standards. The proposed
action is needed to revise the ground water protection standards to
more accurately reflect current background conditions. Both the No-
Action alternative and the Proposed Action for the Mill Site are
consistent with appendix A, criterion 5, paragraph 5B(1) and background
ground water quality that is protective of public health and safety.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC staff determined that the proposed action would be limited
to impacts to subsurface ground water resources and therefore is not
expected to affect listed endangered and threatened species or their
critical habitat. As well, the proposed action is not expected to
impact potential or identified cultural or historical resources.
Therefore, no further consultation was completed under Section 7 of the
Endangered Species Act or under Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act.
During preparation of the EA, the NRC staff consulted with the
following federal, tribal, and state agencies: the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) Regions 6 and 9, the U.S. Department of Energy,
the Navajo Nation EPA, and the New Mexico Environment Department. The
purpose of this consultation was to request comments on the proposed
action; however, none of the agencies identified concerns with the
proposed action.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
Based on its review of the UNC's license amendment request to
revise License Condition 30.B of SUA-1475, the NRC staff expects there
to be no significant environmental impacts in connection with the
proposed action as the proposed ground water protection standard
values, conceptually, pose no incremental hazards to public health and
safety. Therefore, a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is
appropriate and preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement is not
warranted.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day of April 2015.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Craig G. Erlanger,
Deputy Director, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety, Safeguards and
Environmental Review, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2015-09516 Filed 4-22-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
