Legal Status
Legal Status
Notice
Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for License Amendment for AREVA NP, Inc., Richland, WA
A Notice by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on
Document Details
Information about this document as published in the Federal Register.
- Printed version:
- Publication Date:
- 04/03/2009
- Agency:
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Document Type:
- Notice
- Document Citation:
- 74 FR 15312
- Page:
- 15312-15313 (2 pages)
- Agency/Docket Numbers:
- Docket No. 70-1257
- NRC-2009-0147
- Document Number:
- E9-7492
Document Details
-
Enhanced Content - Table of Contents
This tables of contents is a navigational tool, processed from the headings within the legal text of Federal Register documents. This repetition of headings to form internal navigation links has no substantive legal effect.
Enhanced Content - Table of Contents
-
Enhanced Content - Submit Public Comment
- This feature is not available for this document.
Enhanced Content - Submit Public Comment
-
Enhanced Content - Read Public Comments
- This feature is not available for this document.
Enhanced Content - Read Public Comments
-
Enhanced Content - Sharing
- Shorter Document URL
- https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E9-7492 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E9-7492
Enhanced Content - Sharing
-
Enhanced Content - Document Tools
These tools are designed to help you understand the official document better and aid in comparing the online edition to the print edition.
-
These markup elements allow the user to see how the document follows the Document Drafting Handbook that agencies use to create their documents. These can be useful for better understanding how a document is structured but are not part of the published document itself.
Display Non-Printed Markup Elements
Enhanced Content - Document Tools
-
-
Enhanced Content - Developer Tools
This document is available in the following developer friendly formats:
- JSON: Normalized attributes and metadata
- XML: Original full text XML
- MODS: Government Publishing Office metadata
More information and documentation can be found in our developer tools pages.
Enhanced Content - Developer Tools
Published Document
This document has been published in the Federal Register. Use the PDF linked in the document sidebar for the official electronic format.
AGENCY:
Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION:
Notice of availability.
Start Further InfoFOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Gloria Kulesa, Senior Environmental Project Manager, Environmental Review Branch, Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection, Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Rockville, Maryland 20852. Telephone: (301) 415-5308; fax number: (301) 415-5369; e-mail: Gloria.Kulesa@nrc.gov.
End Further Info End Preamble Start Supplemental InformationSUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the renewal of Special Nuclear Material License SNM-1227 for the continued operation of the AREVA NP, Inc. Fuel Fabrication Facility located in Richland, Washington. This renewal authorizes the licensee to receive and possess nuclear materials at the Richland facility to fabricate and assemble nuclear fuel components under the provisions of 10 CFR part 70, Domestic Licensing of Special Nuclear Material. If NRC approves the renewal of the license, the term would cover 40 years. NRC has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) in support of this action in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR part 51. Based on the EA, the NRC has concluded that a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate. If approved, NRC will issue the renewed license following the publication of this notice.
II. EA Summary
The licensee requests approval to renew SNM-1227 for an additional 40 years at the Richland, Washington facility. Specifically, this would allow AREVA NP to continue manufacturing and assembling nuclear fuel components for use in commercial light-water-cooled nuclear reactors. On October 24, 2006, AREVA NP requested that NRC approve the proposed amendment. AREVA NP's request for the proposed change was previously noticed in the Federal Register on March 15, 2007 (72 FR 12202), with a Notice of an Opportunity to Request a Hearing.
The staff has prepared the EA in support of the proposed license renewal. Staff considered 12 environmental impacts in their evaluation, including: Land use; transportation; socioeconomics; air quality; water quality; geology and soils; ecology; noise; historic and cultural; scenic and visual; public and occupational health; and waste management. All of the environmental impacts were small, with the exception of transportation. NRC staff considered the transportation long-term and cumulative impacts as small-to-moderate based on projected population growth estimates and anticipated development of residential communities and commercial lands. The regional government and industry collaboratively plan the area's future transportation system to minimize traffic impacts. NRC considers that the proactive planning efforts will keep the impact small. A brief summary of the other environmental resources follows. The license renewal request does not require altering the site footprint nor does it change the operating processes of the existing facility, therefore there are no anticipated impacts in land use, noise, historic and cultural, scenic and visual, and site ecology resources. The proposed action will not adversely affect federal or state-listed threatened or endangered species nor flora and fauna in the site vicinity. AREVA NP is a major business that contributes a positive benefit towards the region's socioeconomics. Airborne and liquid effluent monitoring indicates readings below regulatory 10 CFR part 20 limits for non-radiological and radiological contaminants. Public and occupational exposures are below the limit established in 10 CFR part 20. AREVA NP maintains acceptable waste management practices and procedures. The staff concluded that the proposed 40 year renewal of license SNM-1227 will not result in a significant impact to the environment.
NRC staff consulted with other agencies regarding the proposed action, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Washington Department of Ecology, Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation [i.e. the State Historic Preservation Office], the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation [i.e., one of the two local Tribal Historic Preservation Offices], and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The consultations ensured that the requirements of Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and Start Printed Page 15313Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act were met and provided the designated state liaison agency the opportunity to comment on the proposed action.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
On the basis of the EA, NRC has concluded that there are no significant environmental impacts from the proposed amendment and has determined not to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
IV. Further Information
Documents related to this action, including the application for amendment and supporting documentation, are available electronically at the NRC's Electronic Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. From this site, you can access the NRC's Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. The ADAMS accession numbers for the documents related to this notice are:
Document | ADAMS Accession No. |
---|---|
License Renewal—Letter | ML063110083 |
—Application | ML063110089 |
—Environmental Report | ML063110087 |
NRC Letters to Confederate Tribes & Bands of Yakama Nation | ML073370055 |
ML082470386 | |
ML090440136 | |
NRC Letters to Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation | ML080250134 |
ML082610765 | |
ML090440128 | |
NRC Letter to Washington State SHPO | ML073100238 |
ML082470310 | |
ML090430370 | |
NRC Letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | ML073100164 |
ML082470214 | |
Request for Additional Information (RAI) and Responses | ML080600457/ML080640145 |
ML081300403 | |
ML082330600 | |
Tribal letters to NRC | ML080790549 |
ML081620577 | |
State Historic Preservation Office, letter to NRC | ML080560066 |
ML082880314 | |
Washington Department of Ecology letter to NRC | ML083040124 |
USFWS correspondence with NRC | ML090720616 |
ML090720623 | |
ML090720581 | |
Environmental Assessment | ML090700258 |
If you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737 or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov.
These documents may also be viewed electronically on the public computers located at the NRC's PDR, O 1 F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee.
Start SignatureDated at Rockville, Maryland this 27th day of March 2009.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Andrea Kock,
Chief, Environmental Review Branch, Environmental Protection and Performance Assessment Directorate, Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection, Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs.
[FR Doc. E9-7492 Filed 4-2-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P