Global Laser Enrichment, LLC; New Headquarters; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact, 33404-33405 [2024-09097]

Agencies

• NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 83 (Monday, April 29, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33404-33405]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-09097]



[[Page 33404]]

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

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 70-7033; NRC-2024-0062]


Global Laser Enrichment, LLC; New Headquarters; Environmental 
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice; issuance.

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

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff is 
considering approval of a Standard Practice Procedures Plan (SPPP) and 
Transportation Security Plan (TSP) for the protection of classified 
matter at the new Global Laser Enrichment, LLC (GLE) headquarters 
facility. The NRC staff is issuing an environmental assessment (EA) and 
finding of no significant impact (FONSI) associated with the proposed 
plans.

DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on 
April 29, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2024-0062 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-2024-0062. 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 (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, at 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. Individuals 
seeking access to Official Use Only information should contact Matthew 
Bartlett, using the contact information listed in the For Further 
Information Contact section.
     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: Matthew Bartlett, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone: 301-415-7154; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    The NRC staff is considering issuance of approval of GLE's SPPP and 
TSP for GLE's new headquarters, located in Wilmington, NC, 
approximately 6.2 miles from GLE's existing test loop facility. 
Approval of the SPPP and TSP fulfill the appropriate requirements for 
the NRC to issue a facility clearance to allow for the use, processing, 
storage, reproduction, transmittal, transportation, or handling of NRC 
classified matter at GLE's new headquarters building. Therefore, as 
required by section 51.21 of title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR), ``Criteria for and identification of licensing 
and regulatory actions requiring environmental assessments,'' the NRC 
staff has prepared an EA that analyzes the environmental effects of the 
proposed action. Based on the results of the EA and in accordance with 
10 CFR 51.31(a), the NRC staff has prepared a FONSI for the proposed 
action.
    The NRC staff received a request from GLE for approval of the SPPP 
dated August 25, 2023, supplemented by letter dated March 12, 2024, and 
for approval of the TSP dated August 25, 2023, supplemented by later 
dated October 2, 2023. The NRC staff is also considering the approval 
of a separate but related request for a revised Program Cyber Security 
Plan to extend GLE's classified network to the new headquarters 
building. That Federal Register notice is anticipated to be published 
in the near future and will be available on the Federal rulemaking 
website (https://www.regulations.gov) by searching for Docket ID NRC-
2024-0061.

II. Environmental Assessment

Description of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would allow GLE to expand use of classified 
matter to a new headquarters location approximately 6.2 miles from the 
test loop facility. As proposed, GLE would continue to possess, use, 
and store classified matter at its test loop facility. GLE would also 
possess, use, and store classified matter at the new headquarters 
location and would be authorized to transport classified matter between 
the two sites. Global Laser Enrichment, LLC operates a test loop for 
industrialization of the uranium enrichment process that uses 
separation of isotopes by laser excitation. Although GLE has an NRC-
issued facility security clearance for the test loop facility under 10 
CFR part 95 for protection of classified information, the facility's 
operations, safety, and safeguards programs are authorized under the 
Global Nuclear Fuel--America license SNM-1097.

Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would allow GLE to expand use of classified 
matter to a new headquarters building to facilitate further research 
and development potentially leading to the industrialization of the 
laser enrichment process. The proposed NRC staff approval of the SPPP 
and TSP will support the possession, use, and storage of classified 
matter at the new headquarters as well as transportation of classified 
matter between the GLE test loop facility and the GLE headquarters 
facility.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC staff has assessed the potential environmental impacts from 
approval of GLE's SPPP and TSP.
    The TSP provides the security procedures for the transportation of 
classified matter from the test loop facility to the headquarters 
facility. The new GLE headquarters facility is located in Wilmington, 
NC. The facility is approximately 0.5 km (0.3 mi) from Interstate 140 
via Castle Hayne Road and approximately 1.9 km (1.2 mi) from Interstate 
140 via U.S. Highway 421. The NRC staff evaluated the potential for 
impacts from the proposed action and concluded that there would be no 
effluent releases and that the proposed action would have no 
significant radiological or non-radiological impacts to environmental 
resources. The NRC staff determined that there would be no significant 
impacts from the proposed action associated with the transportation of 
classified matter. There would be no construction of new roads or other 
improvements to facilitate the transportation of the classified matter. 
With fewer than ten trips, of three or fewer vehicles per trip, between 
the facilities per week, the proposed action is not expected to

[[Page 33405]]

significantly increase traffic levels. Therefore, activities associated 
with transportation of classified material would not result in 
significant environmental impacts. The NRC staff evaluated the 
potential for environmental impacts at the GLE headquarters facility 
from the proposed approval of the SPPP, which involves modifications to 
systems used for security, and concluded that the proposed action would 
not involve any significant construction impacts.
    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 and concluded that the proposed action would have no 
significant environmental impacts on these resource areas. The NRC 
staff determined that there are no cumulative impacts associated with 
the proposed action.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    As an alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered 
denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative). 
Under this alternative, GLE would not be granted approval of the SPPP 
and TSP for the new location. Denial of the proposed action would 
result in GLE being unable to conduct operations related to classified 
matter at its headquarters location. The NRC staff concluded that 
environmental impacts from the no-action a lternative would not be 
significant.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was enacted to prevent further 
decline of endangered and threatened species and restore those species 
and their critical habitat. Section 7 of the ESA requires Federal 
agencies to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the 
National Marine Fisheries Service, as appropriate, regarding actions 
that may affect listed species or designated critical habitats. The NRC 
staff has determined that the proposed action would have no effect on 
threatened or endangered species or critical habitat. Therefore, 
consultation under section 7 of the ESA is not required.
    Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) 
requires Federal agencies to consider the effects of their undertakings 
on historic properties. As stated in the NHPA, historic properties are 
any prehistoric or historic district, site, building, structure, or 
object included in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register 
of Historic Places. The NRC staff has determined that the undertaking 
is a type of activity that does not have the potential to cause effects 
on any historic properties that may be present. Therefore, in 
accordance with 36 CFR 800.3(a)(1), the NRC has no further obligations 
under section 106 of the NHPA.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    GLE has requested approval of its SPPP and TSP for the new 
headquarters facility. The NRC staff has prepared an EA as part of its 
review of the proposed action. The proposed action would have no 
significant radiological or non-radiological impacts to environmental 
resources. This FONSI incorporates by reference the EA in Section II of 
this notice. On the basis of this EA, the NRC staff 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 environmental impact statement.

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                               ADAMS
                  Document description                     accession No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submission for Approval of the Standard Practice and         ML23243A847
 Procedures Plan (SPPP) and Transportation Plan for
 Global Laser Enrichment Headquarters, dated August 25,
 2023...................................................
RE-Submission of the GLE Standard Practice and               ML24081A017
 Procedures Plan........................................
(SPPP) for Headquarters Facility (HQ), dated March 12,
 2024...................................................
RE-Submission for Approval of the Transportation Plan        ML23284A062
 for Global Laser Enrichment Headquarters, dated October
 2, 2023................................................
------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Dated: April 23, 2024.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Samantha Lav,
Branch Chief, Fuel Facilities Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel 
Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2024-09097 Filed 4-26-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P