Nuclear Regulatory Commission October 15, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment the Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the proposed renewal of NRC special nuclear material license SNM-124 (License SNM-124) that authorizes operations at the Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. (NFS) fuel fabrication facility in Erwin, Tennessee. On June 30, 2009, NFS submitted to the NRC an application in which NFS requested renewal of License SNM-124 for a 40-year period. The Draft EA and Draft FONSI are being issued for public review and comment based on the NRC staff determination that (1) the NFS proposed action to renew License SNM-124 for 40 years is without precedent, because, if granted, this would be the first 40-year license renewal for a Category I nuclear fuel fabrication facility, and (2) the preparation of a Draft EA and Draft FONSI will further the purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). The NRC staff's environmental review of the proposed 40-year license renewal is documented in the Draft EA, which was prepared following NRC regulations at title 10 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) part 51 that implement NEPA, and in accordance with NRC staff guidance in NUREG-1748, ``Environmental Review Guidance for Licensing Actions Associated with NMSS Programs.'' In the Draft EA, the NRC staff identifies and evaluates the potential environmental impacts of the proposed renewal of License SNM-124 and any reasonable alternatives. Based on the Draft EA, the NRC staff has made a preliminary determination that renewal of License SNM-124 for a 40-year period will not significantly affect the quality of the human environment and that a finding of no significant impact should therefore be made. By this notice, the NRC staff is requesting public comment on the Draft FONSI and on the supporting Draft EA. The NRC staff will hold a public meeting on October 26, 2010, to accept oral and written public comments on the Draft FONSI and Draft EA. The meeting will take place at the Erwin Town Hall in Erwin, Tennessee. For one hour prior to the public meeting, the NRC staff will be available to informally discuss the proposed action and answer questions in an ``open house'' format. The public meeting will officially begin at 6 p.m. The meeting will include (1) NRC staff presentations summarizing the NRC's roles and responsibilities with respect to the proposed license renewal and also the contents of the Draft EA that supports the Draft FONSI, and (2) an opportunity for interested government agencies, Tribal governments, organizations, and individuals to provide oral or written comments on the Draft EA and Draft FONSI. The public meeting will be transcribed by a court reporter, and the meeting transcript will be made publicly available at a later date. Persons wishing to provide oral comments at the public meeting may register in advance by contacting Ms. Tarsha Moon at (800) 368-5642, ext. 6745, no later than October 22, 2010. Those who wish to present oral comments may also register at the meeting. Individual oral comments may have to be limited by the time available, depending upon the number of persons who register. Written comments can also be provided at the meeting, and should be given to an NRC staff person at the registration desk at the meeting entrance. If special equipment or accommodations are needed to attend or present information at the public meeting, the need should be brought to the attention of Ms. Tarsha Moon at (800) 368-5642, ext. 6745, no later than October 22, 2010, to provide NRC staff with adequate notice to determine whether the request can be accommodated. Please note that comments do not have to be provided at the public meeting and may be submitted at any time during the comment period, as described in the DATES section of this notice. Any interested party may submit comments on the Draft EA and Draft FONSI for consideration by NRC staff. Comments may be submitted by any of the methods described in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.