Uranerz Energy Corporation; Jane Dough Unit, 14759-14760 [2017-05691]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 54 / Wednesday, March 22, 2017 / Notices
granted the exemption and issued the
amendment that the licensee requested
on February 27, 2014.
The exemption and amendment were
issued on February 6, 2017, as part of
a combined package to the licensee
(ADAMS Accession No. ML16356A462).
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 13th day
of March 2017.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jennifer Dixon-Herrity,
Chief, Licensing Branch 4, Division of New
Reactor Licensing, Office of New Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2017–05686 Filed 3–21–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket No. 40–9067; NRC–2015–0199]
Uranerz Energy Corporation; Jane
Dough Unit
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and
finding of no significant impact;
issuance.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is considering an
amendment of License SUA–1597, to
expand operations to the Jane Dough
Unit at Uranerz Energy Corporation
(Uranerz) Nichols Ranch In Situ
Recovery (ISR) Facility (Docket No. 40–
9067). The NRC has prepared an
environmental assessment (EA) and
finding of no significant impact (FONSI)
for this licensing action.
DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in
this document is available on March 22,
2017.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID
NRC–2015–0199 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–2015–0199. 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 publiclyavailable documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:14 Mar 21, 2017
Jkt 241001
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 via
email to pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The
ADAMS accession number for each
document referenced (if it is available in
ADAMS) is provided the first time that
it is mentioned in this document.
• 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
The NRC is considering issuance of an
amendment of License SUA–1597
issued to Uranerz, for operation of the
Jane Dough Unit, located in Wyoming,
Johnson and Campbell Counties.
Therefore, as required by part 51 of title
10 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(10 CFR), the NRC performed an EA.
Based on the results of the EA that
follows, the NRC has determined not to
prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) for the amendment, and
is issuing a FONSI.
II. Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would allow
Uranerz to construct, operate, perform
aquifer restoration, and
decommissioning activities at the Jane
Dough Unit. The proposed action is in
accordance with the licensee’s
application dated May 8, 2014 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML14164A274), as
supplemented by letter dated April 13,
2015 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML15118A122).
Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action allows Uranerz
to recover uranium within the proposed
Jane Dough Unit. The licensee would
process the recovered uranium into
yellowcake at the existing central
processing plant currently located on
the Nichols Ranch Unit. Yellowcake is
the uranium oxide product of the ISR
milling process that is used to produce
various products, including fuel for
commercially-operated nuclear power
reactors.
PO 00000
Frm 00087
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
14759
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed
Action
The NRC staff has assessed the
potential environmental impacts from
the construction, operation, aquifer
restoration, and decommissioning of the
proposed Jane Dough Unit. The NRC
staff assessed the impacts of the
proposed action 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;
noise; traffic and transportation; public
and occupational health and safety; and
waste management. All impacts were
determined to be SMALL. The NRC staff
concluded that license amendment for
the Nichols Ranch ISR project license
authorizing the construction and
operation of the Jane Dough Unit would
not significantly affect the quality of the
human health, safety, and environment.
Approval of the proposed action would
not result in an increased radiological
risk to public health or the environment.
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). The No-Action
Alternative would mean that the NRC
would not approve the addition of the
Jane Dough Unit to the existing Nichols
Ranch licensed permit area. In-situ
recovery activities would not occur
within the Jane Dough Unit and the
associated environmental impacts also
would not occur.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy,
on December 20, 2016, the NRC staff
consulted with the Wyoming
Department of Environmental Quality,
regarding the environmental impact of
the proposed action. The state official
concurred with the EA and FONSI on
January 25, 2017.
Additional Information
The NRC received an application from
Uranerz to amend its NRC source
materials license SUA–1597. This
application requests authorization for
Uranerz to construct and operate ISR
activities at the Jane Dough unit in
Campbell County and Johnson County,
Wyoming. The NRC staff is conducting
an environmental review in accordance
with part 51 of title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (10 CFR), which
implements the requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA). Based on the
results of the EA that follows, the NRC
E:\FR\FM\22MRN1.SGM
22MRN1
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
14760
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 54 / Wednesday, March 22, 2017 / Notices
staff has determined not to prepare an
EIS for the Jane Dough amendment and
is issuing a FONSI.
Under the NRC’s environmental
protection regulations in 10 CFR part
51, an EA was prepared.
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, the
NRC assessed the potential
environmental impacts from
construction, operation, aquifer
restoration, and decommissioning of an
in situ leach uranium milling facility
(also known as an ISR facility) located
in four specific geographic regions of
the western United States. In January
2011, the NRC staff prepared
Supplement 2 to the GEIS for the
Nichols Ranch ISR facility, the Jane
Dough amendment is an expansion to
that facility.
This EA incorporates by reference
relevant portions from the Nichols
Ranch Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement (SEIS) and GEIS, and
uses site-specific information from
Uranerz license application and
independent sources to fulfill the
requirements in 10 CFR 51.20(b)(8).
The final EA was prepared by the
NRC and its contractor, the Center for
Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses, in
compliance with NEPA (as amended),
and the NRC’s regulations for
implementing NEPA (10 CFR part 51).
The proposed Jane Dough Unit would
be located in Johnson and Campbell
Counties, Wyoming, and would
encompass approximately 1489 hectares
(3,680 acres).
In this final EA, the NRC staff has
assessed the potential environmental
impacts from the construction,
operation, aquifer restoration, and
decommissioning of the proposed Jane
Dough Unit. The NRC staff assessed the
impacts of the proposed action 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; noise; traffic and
transportation; public and occupational
health and safety; and waste
management.
In doing so, the NRC staff evaluated
site-specific data and information from
the Jane Dough Unit to determine if
Uranerz proposed activities and the site
characteristics were consistent with
those evaluated in the Nichols Ranch
SEIS. The NRC then determined which
relevant sections of, and impact
conclusions in, the SEIS could be
incorporated by reference. The NRC
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:14 Mar 21, 2017
Jkt 241001
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 EA.
In addition to the action proposed by
the licensee, the NRC staff addressed the
no-action alternative which serves as a
baseline for comparison of the potential
environmental impacts of the proposed
action.
After weighing the impacts of the
proposed license amendment and
comparing to the No-Action Alternative,
the NRC staff, in accordance with 10
CFR 51.91(d), sets forth its NEPA
recommendation regarding the proposed
action (granting the request for an NRC
license amendment for the proposed
Jane Dough Unit). Unless safety issues
mandate otherwise, the NRC staff
recommendation related to the
environmental aspects of the proposed
action is that an NRC license
amendment be issued.
The final EA for the proposed Jane
Dough Unit is available in ADAMS
under Accession No. ML17047A666.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
Based on its review of the proposed
action, and in accordance with the
requirements in 10 CFR part 51, the
NRC staff has determined that license
amendment for the Nichols Ranch ISR
project license authorizing the
construction and operation of the Jane
Dough Unit would not significantly
affect the quality of the human health,
safety, and environment. In its license
amendment request, Uranerz has
proposed the addition of two
production units on the Jane Dough
Unit, which is contiguous with the
Nichols Ranch Unit. No significant
changes in Uranerz’s authorized
operations for the Nichols Ranch ISR
Project were requested. Approval of the
proposed action would not result in an
increased radiological risk to public
health or the environment. The NRC
staff has determined that pursuant to 10
CFR 51.31, preparation of an EIS is not
required for the proposed action and,
pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, a FONSI is
appropriate.
On the basis of the EA, the NRC
concludes that the proposed action will
not have a significant effect on the
quality of the human environment.
Accordingly, the NRC has determined
not to prepare an EIS for the proposed
action.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 10th day
of March 2017.
PO 00000
Frm 00088
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
Brian W. Smith,
Deputy Director, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety,
Safeguards, and Environmental Review,
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and
Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2017–05691 Filed 3–21–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 052–00025 and 052–00026;
NRC–2008–0252]
Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Units
3 and 4
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: License amendment application;
opportunity to comment, request a
hearing, and petition for leave to
intervene.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an amendment and
exemption to Combined Licenses (NPF–
91 and NPF–92), issued to Southern
Nuclear Operating Company, Inc. (SNC),
and Georgia Power Company,
Oglethorpe Power Corporation, MEAG
Power SPVM, LLC, MEAG Power SPVJ,
LLC, MEAG Power SPVP, LLC,
Authority of Georgia, and the City of
Dalton, Georgia (together ‘‘the
licensees’’), for construction and
operation of the Vogtle Electric
Generating Plant (VEGP), Units 3 and 4,
located in Burke County, Georgia.
DATES: Submit comments by April 21,
2017. Requests for a hearing or petition
for leave to intervene must be filed by
May 22, 2017.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2008–0252. 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.
• Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey,
Office of Administration, Mail Stop:
OWFN–12–H08, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555–0001.
For additional direction on obtaining
information and submitting comments,
see ‘‘Obtaining Information and
Submitting Comments’’ in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of
this document.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\22MRN1.SGM
22MRN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 22, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14759-14760]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-05691]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 40-9067; NRC-2015-0199]
Uranerz Energy Corporation; Jane Dough Unit
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact;
issuance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering an
amendment of License SUA-1597, to expand operations to the Jane Dough
Unit at Uranerz Energy Corporation (Uranerz) Nichols Ranch In Situ
Recovery (ISR) Facility (Docket No. 40-9067). The NRC has prepared an
environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact
(FONSI) for this licensing action.
DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document is available on
March 22, 2017.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2015-0199 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-2015-0199. 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 via email to pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The
ADAMS accession number for each document referenced (if it is available
in ADAMS) is provided the first time that it is mentioned in this
document.
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
The NRC is considering issuance of an amendment of License SUA-1597
issued to Uranerz, for operation of the Jane Dough Unit, located in
Wyoming, Johnson and Campbell Counties. Therefore, as required by part
51 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), the NRC
performed an EA. Based on the results of the EA that follows, the NRC
has determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS)
for the amendment, and is issuing a FONSI.
II. Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would allow Uranerz to construct, operate,
perform aquifer restoration, and decommissioning activities at the Jane
Dough Unit. The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated May 8, 2014 (ADAMS Accession No. ML14164A274), as
supplemented by letter dated April 13, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML15118A122).
Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action allows Uranerz to recover uranium within the
proposed Jane Dough Unit. The licensee would process the recovered
uranium into yellowcake at the existing central processing plant
currently located on the Nichols Ranch Unit. Yellowcake is the uranium
oxide product of the ISR milling process that is used to produce
various products, including fuel for commercially-operated nuclear
power reactors.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff has assessed the potential environmental impacts from
the construction, operation, aquifer restoration, and decommissioning
of the proposed Jane Dough Unit. The NRC staff assessed the impacts of
the proposed action 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; noise; traffic and transportation; public and
occupational health and safety; and waste management. All impacts were
determined to be SMALL. The NRC staff concluded that license amendment
for the Nichols Ranch ISR project license authorizing the construction
and operation of the Jane Dough Unit would not significantly affect the
quality of the human health, safety, and environment. Approval of the
proposed action would not result in an increased radiological risk to
public health or the environment.
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).
The No-Action Alternative would mean that the NRC would not approve the
addition of the Jane Dough Unit to the existing Nichols Ranch licensed
permit area. In-situ recovery activities would not occur within the
Jane Dough Unit and the associated environmental impacts also would not
occur.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on December 20, 2016, the NRC
staff consulted with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality,
regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action. The state
official concurred with the EA and FONSI on January 25, 2017.
Additional Information
The NRC received an application from Uranerz to amend its NRC
source materials license SUA-1597. This application requests
authorization for Uranerz to construct and operate ISR activities at
the Jane Dough unit in Campbell County and Johnson County, Wyoming. The
NRC staff is conducting an environmental review in accordance with part
51 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), which
implements the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA). Based on the results of the EA that follows,
the NRC
[[Page 14760]]
staff has determined not to prepare an EIS for the Jane Dough amendment
and is issuing a FONSI.
Under the NRC's environmental protection regulations in 10 CFR part
51, an EA was prepared.
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, the NRC
assessed the potential environmental impacts from construction,
operation, aquifer restoration, and decommissioning of an in situ leach
uranium milling facility (also known as an ISR facility) located in
four specific geographic regions of the western United States. In
January 2011, the NRC staff prepared Supplement 2 to the GEIS for the
Nichols Ranch ISR facility, the Jane Dough amendment is an expansion to
that facility.
This EA incorporates by reference relevant portions from the
Nichols Ranch Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) and
GEIS, and uses site-specific information from Uranerz license
application and independent sources to fulfill the requirements in 10
CFR 51.20(b)(8).
The final EA was prepared by the NRC and its contractor, the Center
for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses, in compliance with NEPA (as
amended), and the NRC's regulations for implementing NEPA (10 CFR part
51).
The proposed Jane Dough Unit would be located in Johnson and
Campbell Counties, Wyoming, and would encompass approximately 1489
hectares (3,680 acres).
In this final EA, the NRC staff has assessed the potential
environmental impacts from the construction, operation, aquifer
restoration, and decommissioning of the proposed Jane Dough Unit. The
NRC staff assessed the impacts of the proposed action 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; noise; traffic
and transportation; public and occupational health and safety; and
waste management.
In doing so, the NRC staff evaluated site-specific data and
information from the Jane Dough Unit to determine if Uranerz proposed
activities and the site characteristics were consistent with those
evaluated in the Nichols Ranch SEIS. The NRC then determined which
relevant sections of, and impact conclusions in, the SEIS 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 EA.
In addition to the action proposed by the licensee, the NRC staff
addressed the no-action alternative which serves as a baseline for
comparison of the potential environmental impacts of the proposed
action.
After weighing the impacts of the proposed license amendment and
comparing to the No-Action Alternative, the NRC staff, in accordance
with 10 CFR 51.91(d), sets forth its NEPA recommendation regarding the
proposed action (granting the request for an NRC license amendment for
the proposed Jane Dough Unit). Unless safety issues mandate otherwise,
the NRC staff recommendation related to the environmental aspects of
the proposed action is that an NRC license amendment be issued.
The final EA for the proposed Jane Dough Unit is available in ADAMS
under Accession No. ML17047A666.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
Based on its review of the proposed action, and in accordance with
the requirements in 10 CFR part 51, the NRC staff has determined that
license amendment for the Nichols Ranch ISR project license authorizing
the construction and operation of the Jane Dough Unit would not
significantly affect the quality of the human health, safety, and
environment. In its license amendment request, Uranerz has proposed the
addition of two production units on the Jane Dough Unit, which is
contiguous with the Nichols Ranch Unit. No significant changes in
Uranerz's authorized operations for the Nichols Ranch ISR Project were
requested. Approval of the proposed action would not result in an
increased radiological risk to public health or the environment. The
NRC staff has determined that pursuant to 10 CFR 51.31, preparation of
an EIS is not required for the proposed action and, pursuant to 10 CFR
51.32, a FONSI is appropriate.
On the basis of the EA, the NRC concludes that the proposed action
will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human
environment. Accordingly, the NRC has determined not to prepare an EIS
for the proposed action.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 10th day of March 2017.
For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Brian W. Smith,
Deputy Director, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety, Safeguards, and
Environmental Review, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2017-05691 Filed 3-21-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P