U.S. Department of the Army; Jefferson Proving Ground, 1522-1524 [2019-00878]

Download as PDF 1522 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 23 / Monday, February 4, 2019 / Notices Week of March 4, 2019—Tentative There are no meetings scheduled for the week of March 1, 2019. Week of March 11, 2019—Tentative There are no meetings scheduled for the week of March 11, 2019. CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information or to verify the status of meetings, contact Denise McGovern at 301–415–0681 or via email at Denise.McGovern@nrc.gov. The schedule for Commission meetings is subject to change on short notice. 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 Kimberly Meyer-Chambers, NRC Disability Program Manager, at 301– 287–0739, by videophone at 240–428– 3217, or by email at Kimberly.MeyerChambers@nrc.gov. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Members of the public may request to receive this information electronically. If you would like to be added to the distribution, please contact the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of the Secretary, Washington, DC 20555 (301– 415–1969), or by email at Wendy.Moore@nrc.gov or Diane.Garvin@nrc.gov. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 31st day of January, 2019. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Denise L. McGovern, Policy Coordinator, Office of the Secretary. [FR Doc. 2019–01043 Filed 1–31–19; 4:15 pm] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. 40–8838; NRC–2019–0027] U.S. Department of the Army; Jefferson Proving Ground U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Draft environmental assessment and draft finding of no significant impact; notice of availability and request for comments. amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1 AGENCY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:21 Feb 01, 2019 Jkt 247001 comment a draft environmental assessment (EA) and draft finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for a proposed amendment of NRC source materials license SUB–1435 for the Jefferson Proving Ground (JPG) from ‘‘possession only for decommissioning’’ to ‘‘possession only.’’ The proposed amendment of the U.S. Department of the Army (Army)’s license would also include an exemption from the NRC’s decommissioning timeliness requirements in the regulations. The draft EA, ‘‘Draft Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Amendment of Materials License SUB– 1435, Jefferson Proving Ground, Southeastern Indiana (Jefferson, Ripley, and Jennings Counties),’’ documents the NRC staff’s environmental review of the license amendment application. DATES: Submit comments by March 6, 2019. Comments received after this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the Commission is able to ensure consideration only for comments received before this date. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods: • Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC–2019–0027. Address questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Ms. Krupskaya Castellon; telephone: 301–287–9221; email: Krupskaya.Castellon@nrc.gov. For technical questions, contact the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document. • Mail comments to: Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWFN–7– A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555– 0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff. For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting comments, see ‘‘Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments’’ in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christine Pineda, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, telephone: 301–415–6789; email: Christine.Pineda@nrc.gov; U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555–0001. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments A. Obtaining Information Please refer to Docket ID NRC–2019– 0027 when contacting the NRC about the availability of information for this PO 00000 Frm 00101 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 action. You may obtain publiclyavailable information related to this action by any of the following methods: • Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC–2019–0027. • 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/ adams.html. To begin the search, 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 ADAMS Accession Number for the draft EA is ML19008A310. The document can also be accessed directly at https:// www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1900/ML1900 8A310.pdf. • 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. B. Submitting Comments Please include Docket ID NRC–2019– 0027 in your comment submission. The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your comment submission. The NRC will post all comment submissions at: https:// www.regulations.gov as well as enter the comment submissions into the ADAMS Public Documents collection. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to remove identifying or contact information. If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to remove such information before making the comment submissions available to the public or entering the comment into the ADAMS Public Documents collection. II. Introduction Jefferson Proving Ground (JPG) was established in 1940 on 224 square kilometers (km2) [55,265 acres (ac)] in parts of Jefferson, Ripley, and Jennings E:\FR\FM\04FEN1.SGM 04FEN1 amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 23 / Monday, February 4, 2019 / Notices counties in southeastern Indiana for the production and specification testing of conventional ammunition components. The nearest population center is Madison, Indiana, located approximately 8 kilometers (km) [5 miles (mi)] south of JPG. The site was used by the Army between 1941 and 1994 for munitions testing and, during that time, more than 24 million rounds were fired. Approximately 1.5 million rounds did not detonate upon impact, remaining as unexploded ordnance (UXO) on or beneath the ground surface, along with an additional 3 to 5 million rounds with live detonators, primers, or fuses. As part of its munitions testing program, the Army also test-fired depleted uranium (DU) projectiles into the 8.4-square kilometers (km2) [2,080acres (ac)] DU Impact Area, which is located within the JPG installation. The DU test firings began on March 18, 1984, and concluded on May 2, 1994. The Army estimates that a high density of high-explosive UXO is present in the DU Impact Area. The NRC is considering a request for an amendment to the Army’s source materials license SUB–1435. The license authorizes possession only by the Army of up to 80,000 kilograms (kg) [176,370 pounds (lb)] of DU metal, alloy, and/or other forms, kept onsite, for the purpose of decommissioning, in the restricted area known as the ‘‘Depleted Uranium Impact Area’’ (DU Impact Area) at the JPG site in southeastern Indiana. The NRC is considering a license amendment that would modify the license from ‘‘possession only for decommissioning’’ to ‘‘possession only’’ and an exemption from the NRC’s decommissioning timeliness requirements in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Paragraph 40.42(d). The need for this NRC licensing action is to ensure the safe possession of radioactive materials (in the form of DU). The Army needs to delay remediation of the DU Impact Area because remediation is prohibitively expensive and poses a risk of potential explosions due to the presence of a large amount of UXO. In accordance with NRC’s regulations in 10 CFR part 51, ‘‘Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions,’’ that implement the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the NRC staff has prepared a draft EA documenting its environmental review of the license amendment application (ADAMS Accession Numbers: ML17004A186, and ML18156A002). Based on the environmental review, the NRC has VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:21 Feb 01, 2019 Jkt 247001 made a preliminary determination that the proposed action will not significantly affect the quality of the human environment and that a FONSI is therefore appropriate. By this notice, the NRC is requesting public comment on the draft FONSI and supporting draft EA. III. Summary of Draft Environmental Assessment The draft EA is publicly available in ADAMS using ADAMS Accession Number ML19008A310, or at this link: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1900/ ML19008A310.pdf. A summary description of the proposed action and expected environmental impacts is provided below. Description of the Proposed Action The proposed action is for the NRC to (1) amend Condition 9 of materials license SUB–1435 to change the authorized use of licensed material from ‘‘possession only for decommissioning’’ to ‘‘possession only’’ for a 20-year term and (2) grant an exemption from the NRC’s decommissioning timeliness requirements in 10 CFR 40.42(d) for the term of the license. Under the proposed action and in accordance with current license conditions, the licensed DU material would remain onsite in the restricted area known as the DU Impact Area at JPG. In accordance with a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) established in 2000 with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Air Force, the Army would continue to maintain institutional control and implement land use restrictions over an area of approximately 206-km2 [50,950ac], which includes the DU Impact Area. Under the terms of the MOA, the Army would remain responsible for remediation of all contamination resulting from Army activities, including the ultimate remediation and control of all DU in the NRC-licensed DU Impact Area. Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action In the draft EA, the NRC staff assessed the potential environmental impacts from the proposed license amendment and exemption to the following resource areas: land use; geology and soils; water resources; ecological resources; climatology, meteorology, and air quality; environmental justice; and public and occupational health. The NRC staff also considered the cumulative impacts from past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions when combined with the proposed action. PO 00000 Frm 00102 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 1523 All potential impacts from the proposed action were determined to be SMALL, as described in the EA. The NRC staff concluded that approval of the proposed action would not result in a significant increase in short-term or long-term radiological risk to public health or the environment. Furthermore, the NRC staff found that there would be no significant negative cumulative impact to any resource area from the proposed action when added to other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions, and that a positive cumulative ecological impact would likely result from the continued management of the Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge over the proposed action’s 20-year duration. 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). Under the no-action alternative, the NRC would not grant the license amendment or exemption, and the Army would need to comply with the terms of its current license, which authorizes possession only for decommissioning. Under this alternative, the Army would need to submit a decommissioning plan. The NRC staff concluded that decommissioning activities for a 20-year duration would be restricted due to the presence of UXO and, therefore, the potential impacts of the no-action alternative over a period of 20 years would be SMALL and similar or identical to the impacts of the proposed action. IV. Draft Finding of No Significant Impact In accordance with the NEPA and 10 CFR part 51, the NRC staff has conducted an environmental review of a request for an amendment to NRC source materials license SUB–1435 that would change the authorized use of licensed material from ‘‘possession only for decommissioning’’ to ‘‘possession only’’ and for an exemption from the NRC’s decommissioning timeliness requirements in 10 CFR 40.42(d). Based on its environmental review of the proposed action, as documented in the draft EA, the NRC staff has preliminarily determined that granting the requested license amendment and exemption would not significantly affect the quality of the human environment. Therefore, the NRC staff has preliminarily determined, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.31, that preparation of an environmental impact statement is not required for the proposed action and a E:\FR\FM\04FEN1.SGM 04FEN1 1524 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 23 / Monday, February 4, 2019 / Notices FONSI is appropriate. Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.33(a), the NRC staff is making the draft FONSI and draft EA available for public review and comment. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 30th day of January 2019. For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Andrew Pretzello, Acting Director, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety, Safeguards, and Environmental Review, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. [FR Doc. 2019–00878 Filed 2–1–19; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT Submission for Review: Request for Case Review for Enhanced Disability Annuity Benefit, RI 20–123 Office of Personnel Management. ACTION: 60-Day Notice and request for comments. AGENCY: The Retirement Services, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers the general public and other federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a revised information collection request (ICR), Request for Case Review for Enhanced Disability Annuity Benefit, RI 20–123. DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until April 5, 2019. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and title, by the following method: • Federal Rulemaking Portal: https:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. All submissions received must include the agency name and docket number for this document. The general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the public is to make these submissions available for public viewing at https:// www.regulations.gov as they are received without change, including any personal identifiers or contact information. SUMMARY: A copy of this ICR with applicable supporting documentation, may be obtained by contacting the Retirement Services Publications Team, Office of Personnel Management, 1900 E Street NW, Room 3316–L, Washington, DC 20415, Attention: Cyrus S. Benson, or sent by email to Cyrus.Benson@opm.gov or faxed to (202) 606–0910 or reached via telephone at (202) 606–4808. amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:21 Feb 01, 2019 Jkt 247001 As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35) as amended by the ClingerCohen Act (Pub. L. 104–106), OPM is soliciting comments for this collection (OMB No. 3206–0254). The Office of Management and Budget is particularly interested in comments that: 1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; 2. 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; 3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 4. 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. Form RI 20–123 is used by retirees separated for disability and the survivors of retirees separated for disability to request that Retirement Operations review the computations of disability annuities to include the formulae provided in law for individuals who performed service as law enforcement officers, firefighters, nuclear materials carriers, air traffic controllers, Congressional employees, and Capitol and Supreme Court police. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Analysis Agency: Retirement Services, Office of Personnel Management. Title: Request for Case Review for Enhanced Disability Annuity Benefit. OMB Number: 3206–0254. Frequency: On occasion. Affected Public: Individuals or Households. Number of Respondents: 100. Estimated Time per Respondent: 5 minutes. Total Burden Hours: 25. Office of Personnel Management. Alexys Stanley, Regulatory Affairs Analyst. [FR Doc. 2019–00796 Filed 2–1–19; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6325–38–P PO 00000 Frm 00103 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 POSTAL SERVICE Temporary Emergency Committee of the Board of Governors; Sunshine Act Meeting FEDERAL REGISTER CITATION OF PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENT: 84 FR 500. PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED TIME AND DATE OF THE MEETING: Thursday, February 7, 2019 at 10:30 a.m.; and Friday, February 8, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. PLACE: Columbus, Ohio, at the Sheraton Columbus Hotel at Capitol Square, 75 East State Street, Columbus, OH 43215, in the Legislative Room. STATUS: Thursday, February 7, 2019— Closed; Friday, February 8, 2019— Open. CHANGES IN THE MEETING: Time of closed session changed and one item removed from open session agenda. REVISED TIME AND MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: Thursday, February 7, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. (Closed) 1. Strategic Issues. 2. Financial Matters. 3. Compensation and Personnel Matters. 4. Executive Session—Discussion of prior agenda items and Board governance. Friday, February 8, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. (Open) 1. Remarks of the Chairman of the Temporary Emergency Committee of the Board. 2. Remarks of the Postmaster General and CEO. 3. Approval of Minutes of Previous Meetings. 4. Committee Reports. 5. Quarterly Financial Report. 6. Quarterly Service Performance Report. 7. Approval of Tentative Agenda for April meetings. A public comment period will begin immediately following the adjournment of the open session on February 8, 2019. During the public comment period, which shall not exceed 30 minutes, members of the public may comment on any item or subject listed on the agenda for the open session above. Registration of speakers at the public comment period is required. Speakers may register online at https:// www.surveymonkey.com/r/USPS-BOGQuestion. Onsite registration will be available until thirty minutes before the meeting starts. No more than three minutes shall be allotted to each speaker. The time allotted to each speaker will be determined after E:\FR\FM\04FEN1.SGM 04FEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 23 (Monday, February 4, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1522-1524]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-00878]


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

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 40-8838; NRC-2019-0027]


U.S. Department of the Army; Jefferson Proving Ground

AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Draft environmental assessment and draft finding of no 
significant impact; notice of availability and request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for 
public comment a draft environmental assessment (EA) and draft finding 
of no significant impact (FONSI) for a proposed amendment of NRC source 
materials license SUB-1435 for the Jefferson Proving Ground (JPG) from 
``possession only for decommissioning'' to ``possession only.'' The 
proposed amendment of the U.S. Department of the Army (Army)'s license 
would also include an exemption from the NRC's decommissioning 
timeliness requirements in the regulations. The draft EA, ``Draft 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Amendment of Materials 
License SUB-1435, Jefferson Proving Ground, Southeastern Indiana 
(Jefferson, Ripley, and Jennings Counties),'' documents the NRC staff's 
environmental review of the license amendment application.

DATES: Submit comments by March 6, 2019. Comments received after this 
date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the Commission 
is able to ensure consideration only for comments received before this 
date.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2019-0027. Address 
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Ms. Krupskaya 
Castellon; telephone: 301-287-9221; email: Krupskaya.Castellon@nrc.gov. 
For technical questions, contact the individual listed in the FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document.
     Mail comments to: Office of Administration, Mail Stop: 
TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff.
    For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting 
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christine Pineda, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, telephone: 301-415-6789; email: 
Christine.Pineda@nrc.gov; U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

    Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2019-0027 when contacting the NRC 
about the availability of information for this action. You may obtain 
publicly-available information related to this action by any of the 
following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2019-0027.
     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 ``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 
ADAMS Accession Number for the draft EA is ML19008A310. The document 
can also be accessed directly at https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1900/ML19008A310.pdf.
     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.

B. Submitting Comments

    Please include Docket ID NRC-2019-0027 in your comment submission.
    The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact 
information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your 
comment submission. The NRC will post all comment submissions at: 
https://www.regulations.gov as well as enter the comment submissions 
into the ADAMS Public Documents collection. The NRC does not routinely 
edit comment submissions to remove identifying or contact information.
    If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons 
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to 
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be 
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should 
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to 
remove such information before making the comment submissions available 
to the public or entering the comment into the ADAMS Public Documents 
collection.

II. Introduction

    Jefferson Proving Ground (JPG) was established in 1940 on 224 
square kilometers (km\2\) [55,265 acres (ac)] in parts of Jefferson, 
Ripley, and Jennings

[[Page 1523]]

counties in southeastern Indiana for the production and specification 
testing of conventional ammunition components. The nearest population 
center is Madison, Indiana, located approximately 8 kilometers (km) [5 
miles (mi)] south of JPG. The site was used by the Army between 1941 
and 1994 for munitions testing and, during that time, more than 24 
million rounds were fired. Approximately 1.5 million rounds did not 
detonate upon impact, remaining as unexploded ordnance (UXO) on or 
beneath the ground surface, along with an additional 3 to 5 million 
rounds with live detonators, primers, or fuses. As part of its 
munitions testing program, the Army also test-fired depleted uranium 
(DU) projectiles into the 8.4-square kilometers (km\2\) [2,080-acres 
(ac)] DU Impact Area, which is located within the JPG installation. The 
DU test firings began on March 18, 1984, and concluded on May 2, 1994. 
The Army estimates that a high density of high-explosive UXO is present 
in the DU Impact Area.
    The NRC is considering a request for an amendment to the Army's 
source materials license SUB-1435. The license authorizes possession 
only by the Army of up to 80,000 kilograms (kg) [176,370 pounds (lb)] 
of DU metal, alloy, and/or other forms, kept onsite, for the purpose of 
decommissioning, in the restricted area known as the ``Depleted Uranium 
Impact Area'' (DU Impact Area) at the JPG site in southeastern Indiana. 
The NRC is considering a license amendment that would modify the 
license from ``possession only for decommissioning'' to ``possession 
only'' and an exemption from the NRC's decommissioning timeliness 
requirements in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 
Paragraph 40.42(d). The need for this NRC licensing action is to ensure 
the safe possession of radioactive materials (in the form of DU). The 
Army needs to delay remediation of the DU Impact Area because 
remediation is prohibitively expensive and poses a risk of potential 
explosions due to the presence of a large amount of UXO.
    In accordance with NRC's regulations in 10 CFR part 51, 
``Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and 
Related Regulatory Functions,'' that implement the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.), the NRC staff has prepared a draft EA documenting its 
environmental review of the license amendment application (ADAMS 
Accession Numbers: ML17004A186, and ML18156A002). Based on the 
environmental review, the NRC has made a preliminary determination that 
the proposed action will not significantly affect the quality of the 
human environment and that a FONSI is therefore appropriate.
    By this notice, the NRC is requesting public comment on the draft 
FONSI and supporting draft EA.

III. Summary of Draft Environmental Assessment

    The draft EA is publicly available in ADAMS using ADAMS Accession 
Number ML19008A310, or at this link: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1900/ML19008A310.pdf. A summary description of the proposed action and 
expected environmental impacts is provided below.

Description of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is for the NRC to (1) amend Condition 9 of 
materials license SUB-1435 to change the authorized use of licensed 
material from ``possession only for decommissioning'' to ``possession 
only'' for a 20-year term and (2) grant an exemption from the NRC's 
decommissioning timeliness requirements in 10 CFR 40.42(d) for the term 
of the license. Under the proposed action and in accordance with 
current license conditions, the licensed DU material would remain 
onsite in the restricted area known as the DU Impact Area at JPG. In 
accordance with a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) established in 2000 
with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Air Force, the 
Army would continue to maintain institutional control and implement 
land use restrictions over an area of approximately 206-km\2\ [50,950-
ac], which includes the DU Impact Area. Under the terms of the MOA, the 
Army would remain responsible for remediation of all contamination 
resulting from Army activities, including the ultimate remediation and 
control of all DU in the NRC-licensed DU Impact Area.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    In the draft EA, the NRC staff assessed the potential environmental 
impacts from the proposed license amendment and exemption to the 
following resource areas: land use; geology and soils; water resources; 
ecological resources; climatology, meteorology, and air quality; 
environmental justice; and public and occupational health. The NRC 
staff also considered the cumulative impacts from past, present, and 
reasonably foreseeable future actions when combined with the proposed 
action.
    All potential impacts from the proposed action were determined to 
be SMALL, as described in the EA. The NRC staff concluded that approval 
of the proposed action would not result in a significant increase in 
short-term or long-term radiological risk to public health or the 
environment. Furthermore, the NRC staff found that there would be no 
significant negative cumulative impact to any resource area from the 
proposed action when added to other past, present, and reasonably 
foreseeable future actions, and that a positive cumulative ecological 
impact would likely result from the continued management of the Big 
Oaks National Wildlife Refuge over the proposed action's 20-year 
duration.

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). 
Under the no-action alternative, the NRC would not grant the license 
amendment or exemption, and the Army would need to comply with the 
terms of its current license, which authorizes possession only for 
decommissioning. Under this alternative, the Army would need to submit 
a decommissioning plan. The NRC staff concluded that decommissioning 
activities for a 20-year duration would be restricted due to the 
presence of UXO and, therefore, the potential impacts of the no-action 
alternative over a period of 20 years would be SMALL and similar or 
identical to the impacts of the proposed action.

IV. Draft Finding of No Significant Impact

    In accordance with the NEPA and 10 CFR part 51, the NRC staff has 
conducted an environmental review of a request for an amendment to NRC 
source materials license SUB-1435 that would change the authorized use 
of licensed material from ``possession only for decommissioning'' to 
``possession only'' and for an exemption from the NRC's decommissioning 
timeliness requirements in 10 CFR 40.42(d). Based on its environmental 
review of the proposed action, as documented in the draft EA, the NRC 
staff has preliminarily determined that granting the requested license 
amendment and exemption would not significantly affect the quality of 
the human environment. Therefore, the NRC staff has preliminarily 
determined, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.31, that preparation of an 
environmental impact statement is not required for the proposed action 
and a

[[Page 1524]]

FONSI is appropriate. Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.33(a), the NRC staff is 
making the draft FONSI and draft EA available for public review and 
comment.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 30th day of January 2019.

    For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Andrew Pretzello,
Acting Director, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety, Safeguards, and 
Environmental Review, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2019-00878 Filed 2-1-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
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