Public Meeting on

Draft Environmental Impact Stateme

for the Proposed Fluorine Extraction Proc

Depleted Uranium De-conversion Pl

in Lea County, New Mexico

February 2, 2012
The NRC Roles and Responsibil

Kevin Hsueh, Chief 

Environmental Review Branch

Office of Federal and State Materials and Environ

Management Programs
Role of NRC

• Independent Federal government ag• Ensuring protection of public health 

safety, and the environment in the usafety, and the environment in the u

radioactive materials 

• NRC does not build, operate, or pro

nuclear facilities
NRC Involvement 

• International Isotopes Fluorine Product

proposes to build an extraction and deconversion facility 

P d l ti t f H bb

•

Propose

d location wes

t o

f

H

obb

s

• License required from NRC
Environmental Review

• Part of NRC’s decision regarding 

International Isotopes license

• Required by the National Environme

Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NE

• Product is an Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS)
Meeting Purpose

• Present results of NRC Draft EIS• Listen to your comments

C t ill b dd d i Fi 

•

Commen

ts will

be addresse

d in Fina
Licensing Process for the Propose

International Isotopes Inc. Fluorine Pro

and De-conversion Facility

Maria Guardiola, NRC

Project Manager

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and 

Safeguards 
• Summary of INIS proposed facility

• Overview of licensing processObjectives
Location: Lea County

IIFP

Lea C

New Mexico

14 i t f H bb

Hobbs

14 mi. wes

t o

f

H

obb

s
INIS Process

Receipt: DUF6 from enrichment facilitiProcessing: Chemical Deconversion o

Chemical Deconversion o

DUO2SiF4BF3

IIFP

UF6

SiO2B2O3

(or DU3O8)

DUF6SiO2B2O3

com

AHF
NRC Review Schedule

Application Received (December 30, 20Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

(January 2012)

Safet

y Evaluation Re

port 

(Februar

y 201

y p ( y

Final EIS (Summer 2012)If approved, issue license (Summer 201

This schedule may change based on the quality of the applicant’s license application, the responsiveness to request

for additional information, and unplanned higher priority operational safety work.
NRC Licensing Process

Safety Review 

Radiation, chemical, fire, emergency 

preparedness, environment, seismic, security, etc.

Integrated Safety Analysis SummaryOutcome

Publish Safety Evaluation Report (SE

Integrated Safety Analysis Summary

Identify and mitigate/prevent acciden
Opportunities for Involvement

Contact NRC

Licensing Review: Matthew Bartlett 301.492.3119Matthew.Bartlett@nrc.gov

Environmental Review: Asimios Mall301 415 6458

Two additional NRC public meetings

Final EIS & SERInspection and Oversight

301.415.6458

Asimios.Malliakos@nrc.gov
Additional Information

NRC Website •http://www.nrc.govFuel Cycle Facts•htt

p://www.nrc.

gov/materials/fuel-c

ycle-

p g deconversion.html

•http://www.nrc.gov/materials/fuel-cyclefac/inisfacility.htmlE-mail Distribution or Questions•matthew.bartlett@nrc.gov
Draft Environmental Impact Stateme

for the Proposed Fluorine Extractio

Process and Depleted Uranium 

De-Conversion Plant

Asimios Malliakos, NRC 

Environmental Project Manager

Office of Federal and State Materials and 

Environmental Management Programs
What is an EIS?

• NRC staff documented its environmental re

an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

•

An EIS describes the 

potential environmen

impacts of a proposed action and its altern

• An EIS provides information to the public a

agency decision makers
Draft EIS Contents

1. Introduction (Proposed Action, Purpose & Ne2. Alternatives3. Affected Environment4 Environmental Impacts

. Environmental Impacts

5. Mitigation 6. Environmental Measurement & Monitoring Pr7. Benefit-Cost Analysis
[International Isotopes Fluorine

Where is the proposed site?[International Isotopes Fluorine

Products. Environmental Report for the Uranium Processing Plant, December 2009]Accessible at:

http://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/adams.html Docket No. 40-9086
Proposed IIFP Facility Location

Lea County, New Mexico 

New Mexico

Texas
Environmental Review Process

Receive applicant’s environmental report

Engage Consulting and 

Cooperating Agencies

P bli h

Perform acceptance review

If environmentais accepted, issFederal Regist

Begin and h

Public Participation scopOpportunity

P

ubli

s

h

Scoping Report

Identify and AnaEnvironmental

Impacts

Publish Draft EIS for Public Comment

Begin public comment period and hold public meeting on Draft EISRevise Draft EIS after considering

public comments

Publish Final EIS Licensi
The Proposed Action

• Construct, operate, and decommission a facility 

deconvert depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF

6) 

depleted uranium oxides for disposal. 

• Nuclear reactor fuel requires uranium with a highe

proportion of the uranium

-235 (U

-235) isotope tha

proportion of the uranium 235 (U 235) isotope tha

found in naturally occurring uranium (approximatepercent by weight). 

• Fuel enrichment facilities use a fuel enrichment pr

to increase the portion of U-235 isotopes in the nufuel. 
The Proposed Action

(Continued

)

• DUF6 is a byproduct of the nuclear reactor fuel 

enrichment process. 

• DUF6 has a reduced concentration of U-235 and i

primarily stored at the enrichment facilities. 

• In addition to deconverting DUF

6 into depleted ura

oxides for disposal, the process at the proposed fwill recover fluoride products for commercial sale.
The Proposed Action

(Continued)

• If issued a license by NRC, the proposed facility, 

comprising 40 acres would be located within a 64section in Lea County, approximately 14 miles we

Hobbs New MexicoHobbs, New Mexico

• This 640-acres parcel of land contained open ran

used for grazing as well as overhead transmissioand underground petroleum pipelines.
Purpose and Need

• The proposed action is intended to fulfill the nee

deconvert DUF

6 produced at enrichment facilitie

more chemically stable uranium oxide compounare generally suitable for disposal as low level w

– Long-term storage of DU in the UF

6 form represents a 

chemical hazard if not properly managed and converschemical hazard if not properly managed, and convers

more-stable DU oxides is preferable.

– The proposed facility should be capable of deconvertin

approximately one-tenth of the DUF

6 projected to be p

annually in the United States by commercial enrichmefacilities.
Analysis of Alternatives to 

the Proposed Action• Alternatives Considered, But Eliminated Fr

Further Analysis:

3⁄4 Alternative sites3⁄4 Alternative technologies3⁄4 Deconversion of DUF

6 at DOE facilities

3⁄4 Deconversion of DUF

6 at DOE facilities

3⁄4 Overseas deconversion of DUF

6

3⁄4 Indefinite storage of DUF

6 at the uranium enrichment fa

3⁄4 Deconversion of DUF

6 at the uranium enrichment facilit

• No-Action Alternative
Environmental Impacts

The NRC defines three impact levels:• SMALL: Environmental effects are not detectable 

minor that they will neither destabilize nor noticeabany important attribute of the resource.

• MODERATE: Environmental effects are sufficient 

Environmental effects are sufficient 

noticeably, but not destabilize, important attributes resource.

• LARGE: Environmental effects are clearly noticea

are sufficient to destabilize important attributes of 

resource.
Air Quality

Public & Scenic and Visual

Occupational Health

Noise Was

Resource Areas

Ecology

Land Use

Socioeconomics

Water R

(Surface and 

Geology and Soils

Transportation

Historic and Cultural
Summary of 

Draft Environmental Impacts 

The NRC staff has preliminarily determined that environmental impacts of the proposed project wSMALL, with the exception of:• SMALL to MODERATE impacts to air quality asso

p qy

with vehicle emissions and fugitive dust emissions the construction of the facility and nonradioactive emissions during the operation of the facility.
Air Quality

• Construction

– Emissions from construction equipment and 

commuter/delivery vehicles

– Fugitive dust emissions (e.g., land clearing)– Mitigation measures

• Operation

– Emissions from equipment (e.g., natural-gas 

boilers) and commuter/delivery vehicles

– Gaseous effluents– Mitigation measures 
Basis for 

Recommendation

• The NRC staff has preliminarily concluded the overall 

the proposed facility outweigh the SMALL or SMALL to MODERATE environmental impacts, based on the conof the following:

– The need to deconvert DUF produced at enrichme– The need to deconvert DUF6 produced at enrichme

to more chemically stable uranium oxide compoundgenerally suitable for disposal as low level waste.

– The potential environmental impacts from the propo

are SMALL with the exception of SMALL to MODEair quality.
Preliminary 

Recommendation

• The NRC staff preliminarily recommen

unless safety issues mandate otherwi

proposed license be issued to INISproposed license be issued to INIS.
Draft EIS Availability

• NRC’s Public Document Room (PDR): 

One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (1st floor

Rockville, MD 20852 (Tel: 800-397-4209; Fax: 301-4pdr.resource@nrc.gov) 

• NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Manage

System (ADAMS): http://www nrc gov/reading rm/adSystem (ADAMS): http://www.nrc.gov/reading

-rm/ad

(Accession Number: ML12001A000)

• http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doccollections/nuregs/docs4comment.html, “NUREG-21

• Hobbs Public Library, 509 North Shipp, Hobbs, N

88240 (Tel: 575-397-9328)
• Project Website 

http://www.nrc.gov/materials/fuel-cycle-fac/inisfacility.html

• NRC’s electronic reading room (Docket No.40-9086)

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html

• Federal Rulemaking Website (Docket ID: NRC-2010-0143):

Additional information?

Federal Rulemaking Website (Docket ID: NRC 2010 0143):http://www.regulations.gov 

• Contact NRC

– Licensing Review: Matt Bartlett 301.492.3119

Matthew.Bartlett@nrc.gov

– Environmental Review: Asimios Malliakos 301.415.6458 

Asimios.Malliakos@nrc.gov
How do I make a comment?

• Speaking at this meeting• Filling out a yellow comment card at this meeting• Write to NRC (Docket ID. NRC-2010-0143)

Chief, Rules, Announcements and Directives Branc

Mail Stop TWB 5B01MMail Stop TWB 5B01MU.S. Nuclear Regulatory CommissionWashington, DC 20555–0001

• Fax to RADB at: (301) 492-3446• Comment period ends February 27, 2012.