Consideration of License Amendment Request for Exemption to NRC's Regulations to Remove Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators From the Department of the Navy Master Material License No. 45-23645-01NA; Permit No. 45-4650-N1NP; Naval Nuclear Power Unit, 50087-50089 [2019-20597]
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<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 185 / Tuesday, September 24, 2019 / Notices
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
acknowledge that both secondary
containment access openings may be
simultaneously open for entry and exit.
Additionally, TS Definitions 1.39.d and
1.39.g are revised to conform to the
changes to these two SRs.
Date of issuance: September 6, 2019.
Effective date: As of the date of
issuance and shall be implemented
within 60 days of the date of issuance.
Amendment No.: 218. A publiclyavailable version is in ADAMS under
Accession No. ML19205A306;
documents related to this amendment
are listed in the Safety Evaluation
enclosed with the amendment.
Renewed Facility Operating License
No. NPF–57: The amendment revised
the Renewed Facility Operating License
and TSs.
Date of initial notice in Federal
Register: June 4, 2019 (84 FR 25839).
The Commission’s related evaluation
of the amendment is contained in a
Safety Evaluation dated September 6,
2019.
No significant hazards consideration
comments received: No.
Southern Nuclear Operating Company,
Inc., Georgia Power Company,
Oglethorpe Power Corporation,
Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia,
City of Dalton, Georgia, Docket Nos. 50–
321 and 50–366, Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear
Plant (Hatch), Unit Nos. 1 and 2,
Appling County, Georgia
Date of amendment request: October
17, 2018.
Brief description of amendments: The
amendments modified the required
actions associated with the Hatch, Unit
Nos. 1 and 2, Technical Specification
(TS) 3.6.4.1, ‘‘Secondary Containment,’’
to allow up to 7 days to determine and
correct the cause of secondary
containment degradation when at least
one combination of standby gas
treatment subsystems can maintain
adequate secondary containment
vacuum.
Date of issuance: September 4, 2019.
Effective date: As of the date of
issuance and shall be implemented
within 90 days of issuance.
Amendment Nos.: 298 (Unit 1) and
243 (Unit 2). A publicly-available
version is in ADAMS under Accession
No. ML19198A104; documents related
to these amendments are listed in the
Safety Evaluation enclosed with the
amendments.
Renewed Facility Operating License
Nos. DPR–57 and NPF–5: Amendments
revised the Renewed Facility Operating
Licenses and TSs.
Date of initial notice in Federal
Register: March 26, 2019 (84 FR
11342).
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:37 Sep 23, 2019
Jkt 247001
The Commission’s related evaluation
of the amendment is contained in a
Safety Evaluation dated September 4,
2019.
No significant hazards consideration
comments received: No.
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Docket Nos. 50–259, 50–260, and 50–
296, Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant
(Browns Ferry), Units 1, 2, and 3,
Limestone County, Alabama
TVA Docket Nos. 50–327 and 50–328,
Sequoyah Nuclear Plant (Sequoyah),
Units 1 and 2, Hamilton County,
Tennessee
TVA Docket Nos. 50–390 and 50–391,
Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (Watts Bar),
Units 1 and 2, Rhea County, Tennessee
Date of amendment request:
November 17, 2017, as supplemented by
letter dated June 18, 2018, and as
subsequently revised by letter dated
November 19, 2018, and supplemented
by letter dated January 25, 2019.
Brief description of amendments: The
amendments added a new level of
protection regarding ‘‘unbalanced
voltage’’ to the Technical Specifications
(TSs) for the loss of power
instrumentation. Implementation of
these amendments provides for
equipment protection from the effects of
an unbalanced voltage in a similar
fashion to the existing degraded and
loss of voltage protection schemes.
Specifically, the amendments added a
new condition to TS 3.3.8.1 and revised
TS Table 3.3.8.1–1 for Browns Ferry,
and added a new condition to TS 3.3.5
and revised TS Table 3.3.5–1 for
Sequoyah and Watts Bar to reflect the
implementation of the Class 1E
‘‘unbalanced voltage’’ relays for Browns
Ferry, Sequoyah, and Watts Bar TSs loss
of power instrumentation.
Date of issuance: August 27, 2019.
Effective date: As of the date of
issuance and shall be implemented
within 120 days of issuance.
Amendment Nos.: 309, 332, and 292
(Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2, and 3
respectively); 345 and 339 (Sequoyah,
Units 1 and 2, respectively); and 128
and 31 (Watts Bar, Units 1 and 2,
respectively). A publicly-available
version is in ADAMS under Accession
No. ML18277A110; documents related
to these amendments are listed in the
Safety Evaluation enclosed with the
amendments.
Renewed Facility Operating License
Nos. DPR–33, DPR–52, DPR–68, DPR–
77, and DPR–79, and Facility Operating
License Nos. NPF–90 and NPF–96: The
amendments revised the Facility
Operating Licenses and TSs.
PO 00000
Frm 00109
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
50087
Date of initial notice in Federal
Register: January 16, 2018 (83 FR
2231). The supplemental letter dated
June 18, 2018, and as subsequently
revised by letter dated November 19,
2018, and supplemented by letter dated
January 25, 2019, provided additional
information that clarified the
application, did not expand the scope of
the application as originally noticed,
and did not change the NRC staff’s
original proposed no significant hazards
consideration determination as
published in the Federal Register.
The Commission’s related evaluation
of the amendments is contained in a
Safety Evaluation dated August 27,
2019.
No significant hazards consideration
comments received: No.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 18th day
of September 2019.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jessica A. Bielecki,
Acting Deputy Director, Division of Operating
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2019–20507 Filed 9–23–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket No. 030–29462; NRC–2019–0167]
Consideration of License Amendment
Request for Exemption to NRC’s
Regulations to Remove Radioisotope
Thermoelectric Generators From the
Department of the Navy Master
Material License No. 45–23645–01NA;
Permit No. 45–4650–N1NP; Naval
Nuclear Power Unit
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and
finding of no significant impact;
issuance.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is granting an
exemption under its regulations to the
U.S. Navy from the decommissioning
requirements as it relates to six
Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators
(RTGs). The approval would allow the
in-situ abandonment of six RTGs on the
ocean bottom and subsequent
termination of Naval Radioactive
Materials Permit No. 45–4650–N1NP,
Naval Nuclear Power Unit, Port
Hueneme, California.
DATES: The environmental assessment
and finding of no significant impact
referenced in this document are
available on September 24, 2019.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\24SEN1.SGM
24SEN1
50088
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 185 / Tuesday, September 24, 2019 / Notices
Please refer to Docket ID
NRC–2019–0167 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 website: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2019–0167. Address
questions about NRC docket IDs in
Regulations.gov to Jennifer Borges;
telephone: 301–287–9127; email:
Jennifer.Borges@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/
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. For the convenience of the
reader, instructions about obtaining
materials referenced in this document
are provided in the AVAILABILITY OF
DOCUMENTS section.
• 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.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Robin Elliott, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Region I, 2100
Renaissance Boulevard, King of Prussia,
Pennsylvania 19406; telephone: 610–
337–5076; email: Robin.Elliott@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
I. Introduction
The NRC is considering issuance of an
exemption to NRC decommissioning
requirements for the Master Materials
License held by the Department of the
Navy, License 45–23645–01NA. The
exemption would authorize the removal
of six RTGs that are currently permitted
for storage on the ocean bottom pending
development of a viable disposal option.
Therefore, as required by part 51 of title
10 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(10 CFR), the NRC performed an
environmental assessment. Based on the
results of the environmental assessment
that follows, the NRC has determined
not to prepare an environmental impact
statement for the amendment, and is
issuing a finding of no significant
impact.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:37 Sep 23, 2019
Jkt 247001
II. Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would approve
the licensee’s August 29, 2018, license
amendment and associated exemption
request, resulting in the in-situ
abandonment of six RTGs on the ocean
bottom, therefore allowing termination
of the permit supporting their storage.
In 1970 and 1977, the Navy emplaced
six RTGs in the deep oceans of the
North Atlantic and South Pacific at
depths greater than 10,000 feet to
provide power for acoustic
transponders. Currently, the RTGs are
buried in silt and are irretrievable and
further retrieval attempts are dangerous
to personnel and equipment due to the
depths involved, according to the U.S.
Navy.
Each RTG consists of a strontium-90
titanate heat source, thermoelectric
generator, thermal insulation, biological
shielding, and a pressure vessel/housing
that is designed to withstand at least
20,000 feet of ocean depth. The
strontium pellets are sealed in a
stainless steel liner. Final encapsulation
of the liner is within an alloy that is
resistant to seawater corrosion. The
strontium capsules are designed to
retain their integrity for at least 300
years while exposed to seawater at
10,000 pounds per square inch. Three of
the six RTGs utilize a minimum of 270
pounds of depleted uranium shielding,
while the remaining three utilized lead
shielding. The half-life of strontium-90
is 28.8 years.
In 1978, the Navy attempted to
recover three of these RTGs using a
manned submersible vehicle. This
attempt failed and the deep
submergence vehicle was damaged as
part of that retrieval attempt. The Navy
has expressed concern regarding danger
to personnel and equipment in
subsequent attempts to retrieve these
RTGs, especially given their buried
condition.
Master Material License (MML) No.
45–23645–01NA was issued on March
23, 1987, pursuant to 10 CFR part 30,
and has been amended periodically
since that time. This MML license
authorizes, via Naval Radioactive
Materials Permit No. 45–4650–N1NP,
these six RTGs. They are currently
licensed for storage on the ocean bottom
pending development of a viable
disposal option.
License termination for such sources
is usually accomplished under the
regulatory framework of 10 CFR 30.36.
The NRC is evaluating a request to
exempt the Navy from these
requirements in recognition of the
irretrievability of these RTGs and to
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Frm 00110
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
allow the Navy to remove these RTGs
from their MML due to the fact that they
no longer possess the material (i.e.,
these RTGs as irretrievable).
Need for the Proposed Action
The Navy is requesting approval of
this permitting action because it has
ceased use of the RTGs, is unable to
retrieve the sources, and further
retrieval attempts are dangerous for
personnel and equipment, and therefore
to terminate the associated permits.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed
Action
All of the RTGs are located on the
ocean floor at depths greater than 10,000
feet deep and are designed to retain
their strontium-90 fuel for 300 years
without deformation in a deep ocean
environment. The half-life of strontium90 is 28.8 years. Thus, at the design life
of the RTG fuel capsules, 10 half-lives
have passed, and the remaining activity
of strontium will be indistinguishable
from background levels.
Based on photos the staff reviewed in
the submittals, it appears that these
RTGs are buried or semi-buried in silt.
Additionally, each RTG has significant
depleted uranium or lead shielding.
This weight, coupled with the fact that
these RTGs are buried in varying
degrees in the ocean floor, have
essentially immobilized them.
The RTGs are in a state where they are
semi or completely buried in silt. Given
this, and the fact that during a
previously attempt to retrieve these
RTGs, the deep submergence vehicle
was damaged, attempting the same
activity again may damage vehicles
attempting retrieval. As discussed by
the Navy, there is a significant degree of
(non-radiological) risk to personnel
attempting another retrieval attempt due
to the depth and silt accumulation of
the RTGs.
The NRC staff evaluated dose
assessments if the strontium fuel
capsules leak, and determined that
doses would be minimal. These RTGS
are located in remote areas of the ocean
in the deep subsurface. There are a
limited number of vehicles capable of
reaching depths of 10,000 feet or greater.
Given this, the NRC staff finds it
unlikely that these RTGs will be
intruded upon, as discussed in greater
detail in the NRC staff’s safety
evaluation report.
Environmental Impacts of the
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
Due to the largely administrative
nature of the proposed action, its
environmental impacts are small.
Therefore, the only alternative the staff
E:\FR\FM\24SEN1.SGM
24SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 185 / Tuesday, September 24, 2019 / Notices
considered is the no-action alternative,
under which the staff would leave
things as they are by simply denying the
exemption request. This no-action
alternative is not feasible as it conflicts
with 10 CFR 30.36(d), requiring that a
license (permit in this case) be
terminated when no principal activities
under the license have been conducted
for a period of 24 months. It has been
greater than 24 months since the
licensee (permittee) conducted any
principal activities with the sources.
Additionally, denying the amendment
request would result in no change in
current environmental impacts, since
the sources are irretrievable. The
environmental impacts of the proposed
action and the no-action alternative are
therefore the same, and would not result
in significant environmental impacts.
The staff also considered requiring the
Navy to again attempt to retrieve RTGs
as a potential alternative. However,
based on the information submitted by
the Navy and reviewed by the NRC staff,
this is not a feasible option, and is
therefore not considered further.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC staff has determined that the
proposed action is of a procedural
nature, and will not affect listed species
or critical habitat. Therefore, no further
consultation is required under Section 7
of the Endangered Species Act. The
NRC staff has also determined that the
proposed action is not the type of
activity that has the potential to cause
effects on historic properties. Therefore,
no further consultation is required
under Section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC staff has prepared this
environmental assessment in support of
the proposed action. On the basis of this
environmental assessment, the NRC
finds that there are no significant
environmental impacts from the
proposed action, and that preparation of
an environmental impact statement is
not warranted. Accordingly, the NRC
has determined that a finding of no
significant impact is appropriate.
IV. Availability of Documents
The documents identified in the
following table are available to
interested persons through one or more
of the following methods, as indicated.
Document
Adams Accession No.
Department of the Navy letter dated August 29, 2018, ‘‘Request for Technical Assistance In the Abandonment of
Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators In Siu At The Bottom Of The Ocean’’.
‘‘Consolidated Decommissioning Guidance: Decommissioning Process for Materials Licensees’’ (NUREG–1757,
Vol.1 Rev. 2).
Safety Evaluation Report Approval of Request to Remove RTGS from Department of Navy License, dated August
13, 2019.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 18th day
of September, 2019.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Joseph L. Nick,
Deputy Director, Division of Nuclear Materials
Safety, Region I.
[FR Doc. 2019–20597 Filed 9–23–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
Sunshine Act Meetings
1:00 p.m. on Thursday,
September 26, 2019.
PLACE: The meeting will be held at the
Commission’s headquarters, 100 F
Street NE, Washington, DC 20549.
STATUS: This meeting will be closed to
the public.
MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED:
Commissioners, Counsel to the
Commissioners, the Secretary to the
Commission, and recording secretaries
will attend the closed meeting. Certain
staff members who have an interest in
the matters also may be present.
In the event that the time, date, or
location of this meeting changes, an
announcement of the change, along with
the new time, date, and/or place of the
meeting will be posted on the
Commission’s website at https://
www.sec.gov.
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
TIME AND DATE:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:37 Sep 23, 2019
Jkt 247001
The General Counsel of the
Commission, or his designee, has
certified that, in his opinion, one or
more of the exemptions set forth in 5
U.S.C. 552b(c)(3), (5), (6), (7), (8), 9(B)
and (10) and 17 CFR 200.402(a)(3),
(a)(5), (a)(6), (a)(7), (a)(8), (a)(9)(ii) and
(a)(10), permit consideration of the
scheduled matters at the closed meeting.
The subject matters of the closed
meeting will consist of the following
topics:
Institution and settlement of
injunctive actions;
Institution and settlement of
administrative proceedings;
Resolution of litigation claims; and
Other matters relating to enforcement
proceedings.
At times, changes in Commission
priorities require alterations in the
scheduling of meeting agenda items that
may consist of adjudicatory,
examination, litigation, or regulatory
matters.
CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION:
For further information; please contact
Vanessa A. Countryman from the Office
of the Secretary at (202) 551–5400.
Dated: September 19, 2019.
Vanessa A. Countryman,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019–20750 Filed 9–20–19; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
PO 00000
Frm 00111
50089
Fmt 4703
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ML19165A234
ML063000243
ML19226A177
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–86999; File No. SR–NYSE–
2019–50]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; New
York Stock Exchange LLC; Notice of
Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of
Proposed Rule Change To Amend Its
Price List To Aggregate Rates and
Requirements Across Tapes A, B and
C Securities for Midpoint Passive
Liquidity Orders
September 18, 2019.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) 1 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
‘‘Act’’) 2 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,3
notice is hereby given that, on
September 3, 2019, New York Stock
Exchange LLC (‘‘NYSE’’ or the
‘‘Exchange’’) filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (the
‘‘Commission’’) the proposed rule
change as described in Items I, II, and
III below, which Items have been
prepared by the self-regulatory
organization. The Commission is
publishing this notice to solicit
comments on the proposed rule change
from interested persons.
1 15
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
U.S.C. 78a.
3 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
2 15
E:\FR\FM\24SEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 185 (Tuesday, September 24, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50087-50089]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-20597]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 030-29462; NRC-2019-0167]
Consideration of License Amendment Request for Exemption to NRC's
Regulations to Remove Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators From the
Department of the Navy Master Material License No. 45-23645-01NA;
Permit No. 45-4650-N1NP; Naval Nuclear Power Unit
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact;
issuance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is granting an
exemption under its regulations to the U.S. Navy from the
decommissioning requirements as it relates to six Radioisotope
Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs). The approval would allow the in-situ
abandonment of six RTGs on the ocean bottom and subsequent termination
of Naval Radioactive Materials Permit No. 45-4650-N1NP, Naval Nuclear
Power Unit, Port Hueneme, California.
DATES: The environmental assessment and finding of no significant
impact referenced in this document are available on September 24, 2019.
[[Page 50088]]
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2019-0167 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 website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2019-0167. Address
questions about NRC docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Jennifer Borges;
telephone: 301-287-9127; email: [email protected]. 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 ``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 [email protected]. For the convenience of the reader,
instructions about obtaining materials referenced in this document are
provided in the AVAILABILITY OF DOCUMENTS section.
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: Robin Elliott, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Region I, 2100 Renaissance Boulevard, King of Prussia,
Pennsylvania 19406; telephone: 610-337-5076; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is considering issuance of an exemption to NRC
decommissioning requirements for the Master Materials License held by
the Department of the Navy, License 45-23645-01NA. The exemption would
authorize the removal of six RTGs that are currently permitted for
storage on the ocean bottom pending development of a viable disposal
option. Therefore, as required by part 51 of title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (10 CFR), the NRC performed an environmental
assessment. Based on the results of the environmental assessment that
follows, the NRC has determined not to prepare an environmental impact
statement for the amendment, and is issuing a finding of no significant
impact.
II. Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would approve the licensee's August 29, 2018,
license amendment and associated exemption request, resulting in the
in-situ abandonment of six RTGs on the ocean bottom, therefore allowing
termination of the permit supporting their storage.
In 1970 and 1977, the Navy emplaced six RTGs in the deep oceans of
the North Atlantic and South Pacific at depths greater than 10,000 feet
to provide power for acoustic transponders. Currently, the RTGs are
buried in silt and are irretrievable and further retrieval attempts are
dangerous to personnel and equipment due to the depths involved,
according to the U.S. Navy.
Each RTG consists of a strontium-90 titanate heat source,
thermoelectric generator, thermal insulation, biological shielding, and
a pressure vessel/housing that is designed to withstand at least 20,000
feet of ocean depth. The strontium pellets are sealed in a stainless
steel liner. Final encapsulation of the liner is within an alloy that
is resistant to seawater corrosion. The strontium capsules are designed
to retain their integrity for at least 300 years while exposed to
seawater at 10,000 pounds per square inch. Three of the six RTGs
utilize a minimum of 270 pounds of depleted uranium shielding, while
the remaining three utilized lead shielding. The half-life of
strontium-90 is 28.8 years.
In 1978, the Navy attempted to recover three of these RTGs using a
manned submersible vehicle. This attempt failed and the deep
submergence vehicle was damaged as part of that retrieval attempt. The
Navy has expressed concern regarding danger to personnel and equipment
in subsequent attempts to retrieve these RTGs, especially given their
buried condition.
Master Material License (MML) No. 45-23645-01NA was issued on March
23, 1987, pursuant to 10 CFR part 30, and has been amended periodically
since that time. This MML license authorizes, via Naval Radioactive
Materials Permit No. 45-4650-N1NP, these six RTGs. They are currently
licensed for storage on the ocean bottom pending development of a
viable disposal option.
License termination for such sources is usually accomplished under
the regulatory framework of 10 CFR 30.36. The NRC is evaluating a
request to exempt the Navy from these requirements in recognition of
the irretrievability of these RTGs and to allow the Navy to remove
these RTGs from their MML due to the fact that they no longer possess
the material (i.e., these RTGs as irretrievable).
Need for the Proposed Action
The Navy is requesting approval of this permitting action because
it has ceased use of the RTGs, is unable to retrieve the sources, and
further retrieval attempts are dangerous for personnel and equipment,
and therefore to terminate the associated permits.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
All of the RTGs are located on the ocean floor at depths greater
than 10,000 feet deep and are designed to retain their strontium-90
fuel for 300 years without deformation in a deep ocean environment. The
half-life of strontium-90 is 28.8 years. Thus, at the design life of
the RTG fuel capsules, 10 half-lives have passed, and the remaining
activity of strontium will be indistinguishable from background levels.
Based on photos the staff reviewed in the submittals, it appears
that these RTGs are buried or semi-buried in silt. Additionally, each
RTG has significant depleted uranium or lead shielding. This weight,
coupled with the fact that these RTGs are buried in varying degrees in
the ocean floor, have essentially immobilized them.
The RTGs are in a state where they are semi or completely buried in
silt. Given this, and the fact that during a previously attempt to
retrieve these RTGs, the deep submergence vehicle was damaged,
attempting the same activity again may damage vehicles attempting
retrieval. As discussed by the Navy, there is a significant degree of
(non-radiological) risk to personnel attempting another retrieval
attempt due to the depth and silt accumulation of the RTGs.
The NRC staff evaluated dose assessments if the strontium fuel
capsules leak, and determined that doses would be minimal. These RTGS
are located in remote areas of the ocean in the deep subsurface. There
are a limited number of vehicles capable of reaching depths of 10,000
feet or greater. Given this, the NRC staff finds it unlikely that these
RTGs will be intruded upon, as discussed in greater detail in the NRC
staff's safety evaluation report.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
Due to the largely administrative nature of the proposed action,
its environmental impacts are small. Therefore, the only alternative
the staff
[[Page 50089]]
considered is the no-action alternative, under which the staff would
leave things as they are by simply denying the exemption request. This
no-action alternative is not feasible as it conflicts with 10 CFR
30.36(d), requiring that a license (permit in this case) be terminated
when no principal activities under the license have been conducted for
a period of 24 months. It has been greater than 24 months since the
licensee (permittee) conducted any principal activities with the
sources. Additionally, denying the amendment request would result in no
change in current environmental impacts, since the sources are
irretrievable. The environmental impacts of the proposed action and the
no-action alternative are therefore the same, and would not result in
significant environmental impacts. The staff also considered requiring
the Navy to again attempt to retrieve RTGs as a potential alternative.
However, based on the information submitted by the Navy and reviewed by
the NRC staff, this is not a feasible option, and is therefore not
considered further.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC staff has determined that the proposed action is of a
procedural nature, and will not affect listed species or critical
habitat. Therefore, no further consultation is required under Section 7
of the Endangered Species Act. The NRC staff has also determined that
the proposed action is not the type of activity that has the potential
to cause effects on historic properties. Therefore, no further
consultation is required under Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC staff has prepared this environmental assessment in support
of the proposed action. On the basis of this environmental assessment,
the NRC finds that there are no significant environmental impacts from
the proposed action, and that preparation of an environmental impact
statement is not warranted. Accordingly, the NRC has determined that a
finding of no significant impact is appropriate.
IV. Availability of Documents
The documents identified in the following table are available to
interested persons through one or more of the following methods, as
indicated.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Document Adams Accession No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Department of the Navy letter ML19165A234
dated August 29, 2018, ``Request
for Technical Assistance In the
Abandonment of Radioisotope
Thermoelectric Generators In Siu
At The Bottom Of The Ocean''.
``Consolidated Decommissioning ML063000243
Guidance: Decommissioning
Process for Materials
Licensees'' (NUREG-1757, Vol.1
Rev. 2).
Safety Evaluation Report Approval ML19226A177
of Request to Remove RTGS from
Department of Navy License,
dated August 13, 2019.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 18th day of September, 2019.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Joseph L. Nick,
Deputy Director, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I.
[FR Doc. 2019-20597 Filed 9-23-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
