39116 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 149 / Wednesday, August 5, 2009 / Notices 

Signal Path Organization, South 

Portland, Maine. 

The petitioner has requested that the 

petition be withdrawn. Accordingly, the 

investigation has been terminated. 

Signed at Washington, DC, this 8th day of 

July 2009. 

Linda G. Poole, 

Certifying Officer, Division of Trade 

Adjustment Assistance. 

[FR Doc. E9–18652 Filed 8–4–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–FN–P 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

[NRC–2008–0339; Docket No. 40–9067] 

Uranerz Energy Corporation; Nichols 

Ranch In-Situ Recovery Project; New 

Source Material License Application; 

Notice of Intent To Prepare a 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement 

AGENCY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI). 

SUMMARY: Uranerz Energy Corporation 

(Uranerz) submitted an application for a 

new source material license for the 

Nichols Ranch In-Situ Recovery (ISR) 

Project to be located in Campbell and 

Johnson Counties, Wyoming, 

approximately 46 miles south-southwest 

of Gillette, Wyoming and approximately 

61 miles north-northeast of Casper, 

Wyoming. The application proposes the 

construction, operation, and 

decommissioning of ISR, also known as 

in-situ leach, facilities and restoration of 

the aquifer from which the uranium is 

being extracted. Uranerz submitted the 

application for the new source material 

license to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) by a letter dated 

November 30, 2007. A notice of receipt 

and availability of the license 

application, including the 

Environmental Report (ER), and 

opportunity to request a hearing was 

published in the Federal Register on 

June 16, 2008 (73 FR 34052). The 

purpose of this notice of intent is to 

inform the public that the NRC will be 

preparing a site-specific Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) 

to the Generic Environmental Impact 

Statement for In-Situ Leach Uranium 

Milling Facilities (ISR GEIS) for a new 

source material license for the Nichols 

Ranch ISR Project, as required by 10 

CFR 51.26(d). In addition, as outlined in 

36 CFR 800.8, ‘‘Coordination with the 

National Environmental Policy Act,’’ the 

NRC plans to use the environmental 

review process as reflected in 10 CFR 

part 51 to coordinate compliance with 

Section 106 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

general information on the NRC NEPA 

or the environmental review process 

related to the Nichols Ranch ISR Project 

application, please contact the NRC 

Environmental Project Manager, Irene 

Yu, at (301) 415–1951 or 

irene.yu@nrc.gov. 

Information and documents 

associated with the Nichols Ranch ISR 

Project, including the license 

application, are available for public 

review through our electronic reading 

room: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/ 

adams.html and on the NRC’s Nichols 

Ranch Site Web page: http:// 

www.nrc.gov/info-finder/materials/ 

uranium/apps-in-review/nichols-ranchnew-app-review.html. Documents may 

also be obtained from NRC’s Public 

Document Room at the U.S. Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission Headquarters, 

11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), 

Rockville, Maryland. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1.0 Background 

Uranerz submitted the application for 

the new source material license to the 

NRC for ISR facilities by a letter dated 

November 30, 2007. A notice of receipt 

and availability of the license 

application, including the ER, and 

opportunity to request a hearing was 

published in the Federal Register on 

June 16, 2008 (73 FR 34052). No 

requests for hearing were submitted. 

Based on the anticipated efficiencies 

gained through the development of the 

ISR GEIS, the NRC originally planned to 

document this environmental 

evaluation in draft and final 

Environmental Assessments (EAs). 

However, during the development of the 

final ISR GEIS, NRC decided to prepare 

a SEIS that will tier off of the ISR GEIS 

for applications to license new ISR 

facilities. This environmental evaluation 

for the Nichols Ranch ISR Project will 

now be documented in draft and final 

SEISs instead of an EA. While NRC 

regulations do not require scoping 

under 10 CFR part 51 for SEISs, NRC 

staff met with Federal (Bureau of Land 

Management—Cheyenne, Casper, 

Buffalo; Bureau of Indian Affairs—Fort 

Washakie; Fish & Wildlife Service— 

Buffalo), State (Wyoming Department of 

Environmental Quality—Cheyenne, 

Sheridan; State Engineer’s Office; 

Governor’s Planning Office; State 

Historic Preservation Office) and local 

government agencies (Converse County 

Planning Department; Johnson County 

Commissioners’ Office; City of Casper 

Planning Office; Town of Wright) and 

public organizations (Buffalo Chamber 

of Commerce; Campbell County 

Economic Development Corporation; 

Wyoming Community Development 

Authority; Converse Area New 

Development Organization) in January 

of 2009 as part of a site visit to gather 

site-specific information to assist in the 

preparation of the Nichols Ranch ISR 

Project environmental review. NRC also 

contacted potentially interested tribes 

and local public interest groups via email and telephone to gather additional 

information. 

The NRC has begun evaluating the 

potential environmental impacts 

associated with the proposed ISR 

facility in parallel with the review of the 

license application. This environmental 

evaluation will be documented in draft 

and final SEISs in accordance with 

NRC’s NEPA implementing regulations 

contained in 10 CFR part 51. The NRC 

is required by 10 CFR 51.20 (b)(8) to 

prepare an Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) or a supplement to an 

EIS for the issuance of a license to 

possess and use source material for 

uranium milling. The ISR GEIS and the 

site-specific SEIS fulfills this regulatory 

requirement. The purpose of the present 

notice is to inform the public that the 

NRC staff will prepare a site-specific 

supplement to the ISR GEIS (NUREG– 

1910) as part of the review of the 

application. 

2.0 Nichols Ranch ISR Facilities 

The facilities, if licensed, would 

include a central processing plant, 

satellite facility, accompanying 

wellfields, and ion exchange columns. 

The process involves the dissolution of 

the water-soluble uranium from the 

mineralized host sandstone rock by 

pumping oxidants (oxygen or hydrogen 

peroxide) and chemical compounds 

(sodium bicarbonate) through a series of 

production and extraction wells. The 

uranium-rich solution is transferred 

from the production wells to either the 

central processing plant or satellite 

facility for uranium concentration using 

ion exchange columns. Final processing 

is conducted in the central processing 

plant process to produce yellowcake for 

use in manufacturing commercial 

nuclear fuel for use in power reactors. 

3.0 Alternatives To Be Evaluated 

No-Action—The no-action alternative 

would be not to issue the license. Under 

this alternative, the NRC would not 

approve the license application for the 

proposed ISR facilities. This serves as a 

baseline for comparison. 

Proposed Action—The proposed 

Federal action is to issue a license to use 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 149 / Wednesday, August 5, 2009 / Notices 39117 

or process source material at the 

proposed ISR facilities. The license 

review process analyzes the 

construction, operation, and 

decommissioning of ISR facilities and 

restoration of the aquifer from which the 

uranium is being extracted. The ISR 

facilities would be located in Campbell 

and Johnson Counties, Wyoming, 

approximately 46 miles south-southwest 

of Gillette, Wyoming and approximately 

61 miles north-northeast of Casper, 

Wyoming. The applicant would be 

issued an NRC license under the 

provisions of 10 CFR part 40. 

Other alternatives not listed here may 

be identified through the environmental 

review process. 

4.0 Environmental Impact Areas To 

Be Analyzed 

The following areas have been 

tentatively identified for analysis in the 

SEIS: 

• Land Use: Plans, policies, and 

controls; 

• Transportation: Transportation 

modes, routes, quantities, and risk 

estimates; 

• Geology and Soils: Physical 

geography, topography, geology, and 

soil characteristics; 

• Water Resources: Surface and 

groundwater hydrology, water use and 

quality, and the potential for 

degradation; 

• Ecology: Wetlands, aquatic, 

terrestrial, economically and 

recreationally important species, and 

threatened and endangered species; 

• Air Quality: Meteorological 

conditions, ambient background, 

pollutant sources, and the potential for 

degradation; 

• Noise: Ambient, sources, and 

sensitive receptors; 

• Historical and Cultural Resources: 

Historical, archaeological, and 

traditional cultural resources; 

• Visual and Scenic Resources: 

Landscape characteristics, manmade 

features and viewshed; 

• Socioeconomics: Demography, 

economic base, labor pool, housing, 

transportation, utilities, public services/ 

facilities, and education; 

• Environmental Justice: Potential 

disproportionately high and adverse 

impacts to minority and low-income 

populations; 

• Public and Occupational Health: 

Potential public and occupational 

consequences from construction, 

routine operation, transportation, and 

credible accident scenarios (including 

natural events); 

• Waste Management: Types of 

wastes expected to be generated, 

handled, and stored; and 

• Cumulative Effects: Impacts from 

past, present, and reasonably 

foreseeable actions at and near the 

site(s). 

This list is not intended to be all 

inclusive, nor is it a predetermination of 

potential environmental impacts. 

5.0 The NEPA Process 

The SEIS for the Nichols Ranch ISR 

Project will be prepared pursuant to the 

NRC’s NEPA Regulations at 10 CFR part 

51. The NRC will continue its 

environmental review of the application 

and as soon as practicable, the NRC and 

its contractor will prepare and publish 

a draft SEIS. NRC currently plans to 

have a 45-day public comment period 

for the draft SEIS. Availability of the 

draft SEIS and the dates of the public 

comment period will be announced in 

the Federal Register and the NRC Web 

site: http://www.nrc.gov. The final SEIS 

will include responses to public 

comments received on the draft SEIS. 

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 28th day 

of July 2009. 

For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Patrice M. Bubar, 

Deputy Director, 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. E9–18687 Filed 8–4–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

[NRC–2009–0339] 

Notice of Publication of Draft Revision 

2, NUREG–1520, ‘‘Standard Review 

Plan for the Review of a License 

Application for a Fuel Cycle Facility’’ 

and Opportunity To Provide Comments 

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC). 

ACTION: Notice of availability of the 

proposed revision to NUREG–1520 and 

request for public comment. 

SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) is announcing the 

availability of a revision to NUREG– 

1520, ‘‘Standard Review Plan for the 

Review of a License Application for a 

Fuel Cycle Facility’’ for public 

comment. 

DATES: Comments on these documents 

should be submitted by September 21, 

2009. Comments received after that date 

will be considered to the extent 

practicable. To ensure efficient and 

complete comment resolution, 

comments should include references to 

the section, page, and line numbers of 

the document to which the comment 

applies, if possible. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by any one of the following methods. 

Please include Docket ID NRC–2009– 

0339 in the subject line of your 

comments. Comments submitted in 

writing or in electronic form will be 

posted on the NRC Web site and on the 

Federal rulemaking Web site 

Regulations.gov. Because your 

comments will not be edited to remove 

any identifying or contact information, 

the NRC cautions you against including 

any information in your submission that 

you do not want to be publicly 

disclosed. 

The NRC requests that any party 

soliciting or aggregating comments 

received from other persons for 

submission to the NRC inform those 

persons that the NRC will not edit their 

comments to remove any identifying or 

contact information, and therefore, they 

should not include any information in 

their comments that they do not want 

publicly disclosed. 

Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov and search 

for documents filed under Docket ID 

NRC–2009–0339. Address questions 

about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher 

301–492–3668; e-mail 

Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. 

Mail comments to: Michael T. Lesar, 

Chief, Rulemaking and Directives 

Branch (RDB), Division of 

Administrative Services, Office of 

Administration, Mail Stop: TWB–05– 

B01M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission, Washington, DC 20555– 

0001, or by fax to RDB at (301) 492– 

3446. 

You can access publicly available 

documents related to this notice using 

the following methods: 

NRC’s Public Document Room (PDR): 

The public may examine and have 

copied for a fee publicly available 

documents at the NRC’s PDR, Public 

File Area O1 F21, One White Flint 

North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 

Maryland. 

NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access 

and Management System (ADAMS): 

Publicly available documents created or 

received at the NRC are available 

electronically at the NRC’s Electronic 

Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/ 

reading-rm/adams.html. From this page, 

the public can gain entry into ADAMS, 

which provides text and image files of 

NRC’s public documents. If you do not 

have access to ADAMS or if there are 

problems in accessing the documents 

located in ADAMS, contact the NRC’s 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES