Global Nuclear Fuel-Americas; Wilmington Nuclear Fuel Fabrication Facility, 75076-75078 [2023-24060]

Agencies

• NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 210 (Wednesday, November 1, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75076-75078]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-24060]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 70-1113; NRC-2023-0179]


Global Nuclear Fuel--Americas; Wilmington Nuclear Fuel 
Fabrication Facility

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact; 
issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is reviewing the 
amendment submitted by the Global Nuclear Fuel--Americas (GNF-A) of 
Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) License SNM-1097 for the Wilmington

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nuclear fuel fabrication facility located near Wilmington, North 
Carolina. The NRC has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for 
this proposed license amendment in accordance with its regulations. 
Based on the EA, the NRC has concluded that a finding of no significant 
impact (FONSI) is appropriate. The NRC is also conducting a safety 
evaluation of the proposed license amendment.

DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on 
November 1, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2023-0179 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-2023-0179. Address 
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; 
telephone: 301-415-0624; 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 reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, at 301-415-4737, or by 
email to [email protected]. 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.
     NRC's PDR: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies 
of publicly available documents, is open by appointment. To make an 
appointment to visit the PDR, please send an email to 
[email protected] or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between 8 
a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (ET), Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jean Trefethen, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-0867; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    The NRC is reviewing a license amendment request (LAR) for license 
SNM-1097 for the GNF-A nuclear fuel fabrication facility located near 
Wilmington, North Carolina (ADAMS Accession No. ML22175A070). The 
licensee, GNF-A, is requesting authorization to possess and use special 
nuclear material to fabricate fuel using uranium enriched with up to 8 
weight (wt) percent uranium 235 (U-235), also referred to as low 
enriched uranium plus.
    The NRC staff has prepared a final EA as part of its review of this 
license amendment request in accordance with the requirements of part 
51 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), 
``Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and 
Related Regulatory Functions.'' Based on the final EA, the NRC has 
determined that an environmental impact statement (EIS) is not required 
for this proposed action and a FONSI is appropriate. The NRC is also 
conducting a safety evaluation of the proposed license amendment 
pursuant to 10 CFR part 70, and the results will be documented in a 
separate Safety Evaluation Report (SER). If GNF-A's license amendment 
request is approved, the NRC will issue the license amendment following 
publication of this final EA and FONSI and the SER in the Federal 
Register.

II. Final Environmental Assessment Summary

    GNF-A is requesting changes to amend license SNM-1097 for the GNF-A 
nuclear fuel fabrication facility to possess and use special nuclear 
material to fabricate fuel using uranium enriched with up to 8 wt 
percent U-235. The NRC has assessed the potential environmental impacts 
of the proposed action and the no-action alternative. The results of 
the NRC's environmental review can be found in the final EA (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML23291A150). The NRC staff performed its environmental 
review in accordance with the requirements in 10 CFR part 51. In 
conducting the environmental review, the NRC considered information in 
the LAR; communications with the North Carolina State Historic 
Preservation Office (SHPO); as well as information provided by the 
North Carolina State Clearinghouse.
    Approval of GNF-A's proposed LAR would authorize GNF-A to possess 
and use U-235 enriched up to 8 percent instead of the current limit of 
up to 5 percent in fabrication of fuel for nuclear power production 
facilities. The licensee would continue to perform fuel fabrication 
activities inside the current buildings and would not conduct any 
construction or land disturbance activities associated with the 
proposed action. Additionally, the proposed action would not change 
staffing level, or the number of shipments of special nuclear material 
or quantity of waste generated at the site. Liquid and air effluents, 
from all operations are anticipated to remain below the regulatory 
limits in 10 CFR part 20. Therefore, the NRC staff finds that there 
would be no impacts to the following resources areas: land use, geology 
and soils, water resources, ecology, meteorology, climate, air quality, 
noise, transportation, visual and scenic resources, and socioeconomic 
resources.
    As discussed in this EA, no significant radiological or non-
radiological impacts are expected to result from approval of the 
proposed action. Occupational dose estimates associated with the 
proposed action are expected to be as low as reasonably achievable and 
within the limits identified in 10 CFR 20.1201. Approval of the 
proposed action is not expected to result in measurable radiation 
exposure to a member of the public. Approval of the LAR would not 
result in construction or land disturbance activities. Therefore, 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.
    Furthermore, the NRC staff determined that this LAR does not have 
the potential to cause effects on historic properties, assuming those 
were present; therefore, in accordance with 36 CFR 800.3(a)(1), no 
consultation is required under Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act. The NRC staff consulted with the North Carolina SHPO 
via email dated December 22, 2022, (ADAMS Accession No. ML22349A694). 
The North Carolina SHPO responded via email dated January 17, 2023, 
(ADAMS Accession No. ML23032A372), indicating that it concurred with 
the NRC's determination that if historic properties were present there 
would be no effects. The NRC staff, with the assistance of the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service Information for Planning and Consultation 
project planning tool, determined that the proposed action would have 
``no effect'' on listed species and/or critical habitat given that the 
proposed action does not include construction or ground-disturbing 
activities.

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III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    Based on its review of the proposed action in the EA, in accordance 
with the requirements in 10 CFR part 51, the NRC has concluded that the 
proposed action, amending NRC license SNM-1097 for the GNF-A nuclear 
fuel fabrication facility, located near Wilmington North Carolina, will 
not significantly affect the quality of the human environment. 
Therefore, the NRC has determined, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.31, that 
preparation of an EIS is not required for the proposed action and a 
FONSI is appropriate.

    Dated: October 27, 2023.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Michelle S. Rome,
Chief, Environmental Review Materials Branch, Division of Rulemaking, 
Environment, and Financial Support, Office of Nuclear Material Safety, 
and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2023-24060 Filed 10-31-23; 8:45 am]
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