[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 128 (Monday, July 3, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41105-41108]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-16728]



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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[70-1257]


Consideration of License Amendment Request for the Siemens Power 
Corporation, and Opportunity for Hearing

AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of availability of environmental assessment and finding 
of no significant impact and opportunity to request a hearing on 
amendment of materials license SNM-1227, Siemens Power Corporation.

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    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering the amendment 
of Special Nuclear Material License SNM-1227 to authorize constructing, 
installing, and operating an addition to the Ammonia Recovery Facility 
at the Siemens Power Corporation facility located in Richland, WA.

Environmental Assessment

1.0  Introduction

1.1  Background
    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff has evaluated the 
environmental impacts of Siemens Power Corporation (SPC) constructing, 
installing and operating an addition to their Ammonia Recovery Facility 
(ARF). This Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared pursuant to 
the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 CFR parts 
1500-1508) and NRC regulations (10 CFR part 51) which implement the 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. 
The purpose of this document is to assess the environmental 
consequences of the proposed license amendment.
    The SPC facility at Richland, Washington, is authorized under SNM-
1227 and Washington State Materials License No. WN-1062-1 to possess 
nuclear materials for the conversion of uranium hexafluoride 
(UF<INF>6</INF>) to uranium dioxide (UO<INF>2</INF>), and to fabricate 
and assemble nuclear fuel assemblies for light-water reactors. The SPC 
operation uses a dry conversion process to convert UF<INF>6</INF> to 
UO<INF>2</INF> powder. The UO<INF>2</INF> powder is pressed into 
pellets, which are sintered and then loaded into fuel rods. The fuel 
rods are placed into storage and are withdrawn as needed and fabricated 
into fuel assemblies.
    Siemens has six lagoons that contain process waste solutions and 
sediment from past and current manufacturing operations. Under the 
terms of a consent decree with the State of Washington Department of 
Ecology (WDOE), the lagoons will be emptied, decommissioned and removed 
by the year 2006. To meet this requirement and phase out the lagoons, 
SPC will install new wastewater treatment equipment into a new 
containment building attached to the existing ARF Building. The new 
equipment includes four tanks and an ion exchange column.
    The addition will be of the same construction as the ARF Building; 
i.e., a pre-engineered metal structure on a concrete pad. The floor of 
the addition will be three feet below grade to provide sealed spill 
containment (1 \1/2\ times the capacity of the largest tank). Three of 
the four tanks and the ion exchange column will be located inside the 
building and the fourth tank will be located outside the addition on a 
concrete pad under an awning.
    Tank 1 will be a 5000 gallon tank which will hold the ion exchange 
regeneration solution, which will eliminate this material from entering 
Lagoon 3. Tank 2 will be a 7000 gallon tank which will replace Lagoon 
2. Tank 2 will receive the low U, high ammonia effluent from the 
ammonium diuranate line and will be the feed to the ARF process. Tank 
5A will be a 12,000 gallon tank to replace Lagoon 5A. It will receive 
treated effluent from the ARF as well as low-U, low ammonia effluents 
from other processes. Tank 5A will feed the ion exchange columns whose 
output feeds the sewer. The carbonate makeup tank will be located under 
an awning outside the ARF. This tank will replace Lagoon 4 by holding 
the carbonate solution used to regenerate the ion exchange columns. The 
second ion exchange column will be added so that while one column is 
being regenerated, the ion exchange operation can continue.
1.2  Review Scope
    In accordance with 10 CFR part 51, this EA serves to (1) present 
information and analysis for determining whether to issue a Finding of 
No Significant Impact (FONSI) or to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS); (2) fulfill the NRC's compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when no EIS is necessary; and (3) 
facilitate preparation of an EIS if one is necessary. Should the NRC 
issue a FONSI, no EIS would be prepared and the license amendment would 
be granted.
1.3  Proposed Action
    The proposed action is to amend NRC Materials License SNM-1227 to 
authorize installation and operation of the new equipment in the 
Ammonia Recovery Facility.
1.4  Need for Proposed Action
    Under the terms of the consent decree with the State of Washington, 
SPC will empty, decommission, and remove their six lagoons by the year 
2006. To meet this requirement, SPC will install new wastewater 
treatment equipment into a new containment building attached to the 
existing ARF Building. The new equipment will include two new waste 
tanks, two tanks for the regeneration of existing final ion exchange 
columns, and a new ion exchange column. The new waste tanks will 
replace the lagoons, thereby eliminating the concern of any possible 
leaks or emissions to the environment from the lagoons.
1.5  Alternatives
    The alternatives available to the NRC are:
    1. Approve the license amendment request as submitted; or
    2. Deny the amendment request.

2.0  Affected Environment

    The following sections contain a summary of the affected 
environment at and near the SPC site. A full description of the site 
and its characteristics is given in the 1995 Environmental Assessment 
for the Renewal of the NRC license for SPC.
2.1  Location and Land Use
    The Siemens Power Corporation (SPC) facility is located on a 131-
hectare site just inside the northern boundary of the City of Richland 
in Benton County, Washington. The site consists of 36 buildings plus 
various outside facilities. The uranium handling and processing 
facilities are located within a restricted 21.5-hectare area. The 
facility is located within a 2,470-hectare land parcel known as the 
Horn Rapids Triangle, which was part of the U.S. Department of Energy's 
(DOE) Hanford Site until 1967 when it was annexed to the City of 
Richland. The Horn Rapids Triangle is bounded to the north by Horn 
Rapids Road, to the south by the Horn Rapids Irrigation Ditch, to the 
east by the DOE1100 Area, and on the southeast by the Port of Benton 
Skypark and Richland Airport. Most developed land within a 16 kilometer 
radius of the site is used for agriculture, light industry, or 
residences.
2.2  Geology, Soils, and Seismicity
    The site region is characterized as a semi-arid desert of generally 
flat terrain except for wind formed ridges from 1.5 to 9 meters high. 
The site is located

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between the Columbia and Yakima Rivers at an elevation of 114 meters 
above mean sea level (MSL). At their closest points, the nominal 
elevations of the Columbia and Yakima Rivers are approximately 107 and 
113 meters above mean sea level, respectively. Basalt flows more than 
3,000 meters thick underlie the Pasco basin. Unconsolidated silts, 
sands, and gravels of the Ringold and Hanford Formations, totaling tens 
to hundreds of feet in thickness, overlie the basalts. The depth to 
basalt below the SPC site has not been determined.
    The distribution and intensity of historical earthquakes indicate 
that the Columbia Plateau is an area of moderate seismicity. Seismic 
activity above magnitude 3.0 on the Richter scale has occurred in this 
region, but activity above magnitude 3.5 is most commonly found around 
the northern and western portions of the Columbia Plateau, with a few 
events occurring along the border between Washington and Oregon.
2.3  Water Resources
    Surface Water: Primary surface water features associated with the 
SPC site are the Columbia and Yakima rivers. The confluence of the 
Yakima and Columbia rivers is located about 5 kilometers south of 
Richland and about 8 kilometers south of the SPC site. The Columbia 
River in the vicinity of the site is classified as Class A (excellent) 
which requires that industrial uses of this water be compatible with 
other uses including drinking water, wildlife, and recreation. The 
water is used for irrigation, power generation, municipal water 
supplies, transportation, fishing, and water sports. The primary source 
for water in Richland and at the SPC site is from the Columbia River. 
There is no storm water runoff from the facility to water bodies, 
rivers, streams or the municipal sewer system. Surface water runoff 
from the plant is very limited because of the desert environment and 
percolation into the soil.
    Ground Water: There are three distinct aquifer systems that 
underlie the SPC site. The deepest aquifer consists of highly 
productive water-bearing zones within thick basalt flows. A confined 
aquifer occurs in silt, gravel and sand layers in the lower portion of 
the Ringold Formation which overlies the basalt. An unconfined aquifer 
system, consisting of the sands and gravels in the Hanford Formation 
and in the upper portion of the Ringold Formation, is the shallowest 
aquifer and the one that is monitored by the SPC site.
2.4  Meteorology and Air Quality
    The SPC site region has a dry, continental climate with large 
temperature variations between winter and summer caused by mountain 
ranges to the west and the orientation of the Rocky Mountains. The 
prevailing wind on the site is from the southwest. Severe weather in 
the area consists of wind, thunderstorms, and occasionally a tornado.
    Air quality at the site is good--within the air quality standards 
set by EPA and the State of Washington.

3.0  Effluent Releases and Monitoring

3.1  Monitoring Program
    Monitoring programs at the SPC facility comprise effluent 
monitoring of air and water and environmental monitoring of various 
media (air, soil, vegetation, and groundwater). This program provides a 
basis for evaluation of public health and safety impacts, for 
establishing compliance with environmental regulations, and for 
development of mitigation measures if necessary. The proposed 
activities will be monitored using current monitoring equipment located 
in the ARF. The tanks will be equipped with alarmed, electronic level 
detectors and alarmed leak detectors. No near-term changes are planned 
in the effluent and/or environmental monitoring programs currently 
committed to in License SNM-1227. Effluents from the new tanks will 
enter the sewer and will continue to be subject to the same NRC and 
State of Washington radiological and chemical release limits regardless 
of whether the effluents are managed via the lagoons or in tanks. In 
the long-term, close-out of the lagoon system will relieve SPC of its 
need to conduct inter-liner lagoon sampling and may also decrease 
lagoon-related groundwater monitoring requirements.
3.2  Effluents
    Gaseous, liquid, and solid wastes are produced at the SPC site. 
These wastes are categorized as low-level radioactive, nonradioactive, 
hazardous, or mixed wastes. A description of each of these waste 
categories, control strategies, and an estimate of release quantities 
is provided in the 1995 Environmental Assessment for the Renewal of the 
NRC license for SPC.
    Each of the effluent streams is monitored at or just prior to the 
point of release. SPC has a set of action levels for both gaseous and 
liquid effluent streams. Results from the radiological effluent 
monitoring program are reviewed quarterly by the plant's As Low As 
Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) Committee and reported annually to the 
Siemens Health and Safety Council to determine trends in effluent 
releases; to determine if effluent controls are being properly used, 
maintained and inspected; and to determine if effluents could be 
reduced using the ALARA concept. Results from the monitoring program 
are also reported in the semiannual effluent reports submitted to the 
NRC. Impacts on effluent releases resulting from the proposed 
activities are described below.
3.2.1  Solid Wastes
    The amendment request is expected to eventually decease the solid 
wastes released from the site. The operation of a closed tank system 
will generate fewer solids wastes than operation of a large open lagoon 
system due to the generation of contaminated sediments and soils in a 
lagoon system.
3.2.2  Air Effluents
    The release of air effluents is expected to increase minimally and 
remain within applicable regulatory limits. These additional effluents 
will be the same composition as what is currently emitted from the ARF. 
The ARF Feed Collection tank is vented to the existing ARF process feed 
tank to contain ammonia fumes. The ion exchange feed tank and the ion 
exchange regeneration tank will be vented to the existing ARF exhaust 
and stack for the control of low level ammonia releases.
3.2.3  Liquid Effluents
    The proposed activity is not expected to impact the quantity or 
radioactivity of liquid effluents released to the sewer. Essentially 
the same waste streams will be processed through low residence time 
tanks as opposed to the longer residence time lagoon system.

4.0  Environmental Impacts of Proposed Action and Alternatives

4.1  Public and Occupational Health
    The risk to human health was evaluated as a result of construction, 
installation, and operation of the new equipment in the new containment 
building. Personnel are expected to enter the new containment building 
on an as needed basis rather than working there full time. The 
licensee's existing radiation protection and environmental programs, as 
described in their license application, will be used to control the 
radiation exposures of the licensee's workers and the public. The 
licensee's existing radiation protection and environmental programs 
include training, protective clothing, air sampling, surface 
contamination surveys, bioassays, waste management,

[[Page 41107]]

monitoring of effluents, environmental monitoring, etc. In addition, 
the programs include action levels and actions to be taken to minimize 
the radiation exposures of workers and the public. Since the 
radioactive material will be contained in tanks and will be in low 
concentrations, the exposures to workers and the public are expected to 
result in no significant increase in worker or public exposure. Thus, 
the NRC staff has determined that the licensee's existing radiation 
protection and environmental programs are adequate for the new 
operations in the new containment building.
4.2  Water Resources
    The NRC staff has determined that the proposed amendment will not 
impact the quality of nearby surface waters.
    The tanks will eliminate the concern of any possible leaks or 
emissions to the environment from the lagoons. Contamination of 
groundwater is expected to decrease as a result of the phase-out of the 
lagoons. The tanks will be double-contained and will be monitored for 
leaks. The design of the building provides for spill containment.
4.3  Air Quality
    The construction, installation and operation of the new equipment 
is expected to have a minimal impact on the air quality on and near the 
site. Construction activities will be minimal with no major soil 
disruption. No new stack monitoring will be required because the 
current monitoring system will be used. The slight increase in air 
effluents will remain within applicable regulatory limits.
4.4  Demography, Biota, Cultural and Historic Resources
    The NRC staff has determined that the proposed amendment will not 
impact demography, biota, or cultural or historic resources. The 
proposed construction will occur on an area of the site which has been 
previously evaluated for these concerns and has been previously 
impacted by actions at the site (1996 EA).
4.5  Alternatives
    The action that the NRC is considering is approval of an amendment 
request to a Materials License issued pursuant to 10 CFR part 70. The 
amendment would approve the construction, installation and operation of 
new equipment in the ARF building. The alternatives available to the 
NRC are:
    1. Approve the license amendment request as submitted; or
    2. Deny the amendment request.
    Based on its review, the NRC staff has concluded that the 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action do not 
warrant denial of the license amendment. There are no significant 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action, and 
therefore alternatives with equal or greater impacts need not be 
evaluated. In addition, the approval of the amendment request will 
decrease the impacts to the groundwater as operation of the tanks pose 
less of a threat of leaks into the groundwater than operation of 
lagoons. The staff considers that Alternative 1 is the appropriate 
alternative for selection.

5.0  Agencies and Persons Contacted

    The NRC staff contacted representatives from the State of 
Washington Department of Health and the State of Washington Department 
of Ecology. The City of Richland, Development and Permit Services 
Division completed a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Checklist 
and issued a Determination of Nonsignificance dated June 11, 1999. The 
conclusion of the review was that the proposed activities would not 
have a probable significant adverse impact on the environment.

6.0  References

    Siemens Power Corporation(SPC), 1999, Letter from J.B. Edgar to NRC 
dated July 21, 1999.
    SPC, 1999, Letter from J.B. Edgar to NRC dated November 18, 1999.
    U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), June 1995, 
``Environmental Assessment for Renewal of Special Nuclear Material 
License SNM-1227.''

7.0  Conclusions

    Based on an evaluation of the environmental impacts of the 
amendment request, the NRC has determined that the proper action is to 
issue a FONSI in the Federal Register. The NRC staff considered the 
environmental consequences of constructing, installing and operating 
new equipment in the ARF building and determined that these activities 
will have no significant effect on public health and safety or the 
environment.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    The Commission has prepared an Environmental Assessment related to 
the amendment of Special Nuclear Material License SNM-1227. On the 
basis of the assessment, the Commission has concluded that 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action would not be 
significant and do not warrant the preparation of an Environmental 
Impact Statement. Accordingly, the Commission is making a Finding of No 
Significant Impact.
    The Environmental Assessment and the documents related to this 
proposed action are available for public inspection and copying at the 
Commission's Public Document Room at the Gelman Building, 2120 L Street 
NW., Washington, DC.

Opportunity for a Hearing

    Based on the Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant 
Impact, and a staff safety evaluation to be completed, NRC is preparing 
to amend License SNM-1227. The NRC hereby provides that this is a 
proceeding on an application for amendment of a license falling within 
the scope of subpart L, ``Informal Hearing Procedures for Adjudication 
in Materials Licensing Proceedings,'' of NRC's rules and practice for 
domestic licensing proceedings in 10 CFR part 2. Pursuant to section 
2.1205(a), any person whose interest may be affected by this proceeding 
may file a request for a hearing in accordance with section 2.1205(d). 
A request for a hearing must be filed within thirty (30) days of the 
date of publication of this Federal Register notice.
    A request for hearing or petition for leave to intervene must be 
filed with the Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission either:
    1. By delivery to the Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff of the 
Secretary at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 
20852-2738; or
    2. By mail or telegram addressed to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Attention: 
Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff.
    In addition to meeting other applicable requirements of 10 CFR part 
2 of the NRC's regulations, a request for a hearing filed by a person 
other than an applicant must describe in detail:
    1. The interest of the requester in the proceeding;
    2. How that interest may be affected by the results of the 
proceeding, including the reasons why the requestor should be permitted 
a hearing, with particular reference to the factors set out in section 
2.1205(h).
    3. The requester's areas of concern about the licensing activity 
that is the subject matter of the proceeding; and
    4. The circumstances establishing that the request for a hearing is 
timely in accordance with section 2.1205(d).
    In accordance with 10 CFR Section 2.1205(f), each request for a 
hearing must also be served, by delivering it personally or by mail to:

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    1. The applicant, Siemens Power Corporation, 2101 Horn Rapids Road, 
Richland, WA 99352-0130; and
    2. The NRC staff, by delivering it to the Executive Director for 
Operations, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 
20852, or by mail, addressed to the Executive Director for Operations, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555.
    The NRC contact for this licensing action is Dan E. Martin. Dan E. 
Martin may be contacted at (301) 415-7254 or by e-mail at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5733323a661739253479303821"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="cca8a9a1fd8ca2beafe2aba3ba">[email protected]</span></a> 
for more information about this licensing action.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd day of June 2000.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Philip Ting,
Chief, Fuel Cycle Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and 
Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 00-16728 Filed 6-30-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P


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