[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 157 (Tuesday, August 14, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40357-40358]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-17458]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 40-8502; NRC-2012-0120]


Uranium One; Ludeman Satellite

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact; 
issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering an 
amendment of License SUA-1341, to expand operations to the Ludeman 
Satellite at Uranium One's Willow Creek In-situ recovery (ISR) facility 
(Docket No. 40-8502). The NRC has prepared an environmental assessment 
(EA) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for this licensing 
action.

DATES: The environmental assessment referenced in this document is 
available on August 14, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2012-0120 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain publicly-available information related to this document 
using any of the following methods:
    <bullet> Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2012-0120. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Jennifer Borges; telephone: 301-287-
9127; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#28624d4646414e4d5a066a475a4f4d5b68465a4b064f475e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="dd97b8b3b3b4bbb8aff39fb2afbab8ae9db3afbef3bab2ab">[email protected]</span></a>. For technical questions, contact 
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this document.
    <bullet> NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents collection at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS 
Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public 
Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or 
by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#413125336f3324322e34332224012f33226f262e37"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b6c6d2c498c4d3c5d9c3c4d5d3f6d8c4d598d1d9c0">[email protected]</span></a>. The ADAMS accession number for each 
document referenced in this document (if that document is available in 
ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is referenced.
    <bullet> NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ashley Waldron, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, D.C. 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-7317; email: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#28695b40444d51067f49444c5a474668465a4b064f475e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="fcbd8f94909985d2ab9d90988e9392bc928e9fd29b938a">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction

    The NRC is considering issuance of an amendment of License No. SUA-
1341, issued to Uranium One, for operation of the Ludeman Satellite, 
located in Wyoming, Converse County. Therefore, as required by part 51 
of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), the NRC 
performed an environmental assessment. Based on the results of the 
environmental assessment, the NRC has determined not to prepare an 
environmental impact statement for the amendment, and is issuing a 
finding of no significant impact.

II. Environmental Assessment

Description of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would allow Uranium One to construct, operate, 
perform aquifer restoration, and decommissioning activities at the 
Ludeman Satellite. The proposed action is in accordance with the 
licensee's application dated December 3, 2011 (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML120120182).

Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action allows Uranium One to recover uranium within 
the proposed Ludeman Satellite. The licensee would process the 
recovered uranium into yellowcake at the existing central processing 
plant (CPP) currently

[[Page 40358]]

located on the Willow Creek Irigaray site. Yellowcake is the uranium 
oxide product of the ISR milling process that is used to produce 
various products, including fuel for commercially-operated nuclear 
power reactors.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC staff has assessed the potential environmental impacts from 
the construction, operation, aquifer restoration, and decommissioning 
of the proposed Ludeman Satellite. The NRC staff assessed the impacts 
of the proposed action on land use; historical and cultural resources; 
visual and scenic resources; climatology, meteorology and air quality; 
geology, minerals, and soils; water resources; ecological resources; 
socioeconomics; noise; traffic and transportation; public and 
occupational health and safety; and waste management. All impacts were 
determined to be SMALL. The NRC staff concluded that license amendment 
for the Willow Creek ISR project license authorizing the construction 
and operation of the Ludeman Satellite would not significantly affect 
the quality of the human environment. Approval of the proposed action 
would not result in an increased radiological risk to public health or 
the environment.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    As an alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered 
denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative). 
The no-action alternative would mean that the NRC would not approve the 
addition of the Ludeman Satellite to the existing Willow Creek ISR 
licensed permit area. In-situ uranium recovery would not occur within 
the Ludeman Satellite and the associated environmental impacts also 
would not occur.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on January 18, 2018, the NRC 
staff consulted with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) regarding 
the proposed action. The FWS stated that no federally listed or 
proposed endangered or threatened species occur within the area 
affected by the proposed action. On February 27, 2018, the staff 
consulted with Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ), 
regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action. The WDEQ 
provided comments on the draft EA. Those comments were considered in 
preparation of the final EA and FONSI. On July 17, 2018, the Wyoming 
State Historic Preservation Office notified NRC that it concurred with 
its determinations of no effect at the Ludeman project.

Additional Information

    The NRC staff conducted an environmental review in accordance with 
10 CFR part 51, which implements the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA). The results of the 
NRC's environmental review can be found in the final EA (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML18183A225). Based on the results of the environmental 
assessment, the NRC has determined not to prepare an environmental 
impact statement for the Ludeman Satellite amendment and is issuing a 
finding of no significant impact.
    In May 2009, the NRC staff issued NUREG-1910, ``Generic 
Environmental Impact Statement for In-Situ Leach Uranium Milling 
Facilities'' (herein referred to as the GEIS). In the GEIS, the NRC 
assessed the potential environmental impacts from construction, 
operation, aquifer restoration, and decommissioning of an in-situ leach 
uranium milling facility (also known as an ISR facility) located in 
four specific geographic regions of the western United States. Where 
applicable, this EA incorporates by reference relevant portions from 
the GEIS, and uses site-specific information from Uranium One's license 
application and independent sources to fulfill the requirements in 10 
CFR 51.20(b)(8).
    The final EA was prepared by the NRC and its contractor, the Center 
for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses, in compliance with NEPA (as 
amended, and the NRC's regulations for implementing NEPA (10 CFR part 
51).
    In the final EA, the NRC staff assessed the potential environmental 
impacts from the construction, operation, aquifer restoration, and 
decommissioning of the proposed Ludeman Satellite. The NRC staff 
assessed the impacts of the proposed action on land use; historical and 
cultural resources; visual and scenic resources; climatology, 
meteorology and air quality; geology, minerals, and soils; water 
resources; ecological resources; socioeconomics; noise; traffic and 
transportation; public and occupational health and safety; and waste 
management.
    After weighing the impacts of the proposed license amendment and 
comparing to the no-action alternative, the NRC staff, in accordance 
with 10 CFR 51.91(d), sets forth its NEPA recommendation regarding the 
proposed action (granting the request for an NRC license amendment for 
the proposed Ludeman Satellite). Unless safety issues mandate 
otherwise, the NRC staff recommendation related to the environmental 
aspects of the proposed action is that an NRC license amendment be 
issued.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    Based on its review of the proposed action, and in accordance with 
the requirements in 10 CFR part 51, the NRC staff has determined that 
license amendment for the Willow Creek ISR project license authorizing 
the construction and operation of the Ludeman Satellite would not 
significantly affect the quality of the human environment. In its 
license amendment request, Uranium One has proposed the addition of six 
wellfields at the Ludeman Satellite. No other significant changes in 
Uranium One's authorized operations for the Willow Creek ISR Project 
were requested. Approval of the proposed action would not result in an 
increased radiological risk to public health or the environment. The 
NRC staff has determined that pursuant to 10 CFR 51.31, preparation of 
an environmental impact statement (EIS) is not required for the 
proposed action and, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, a finding of no 
significant impact (FONSI) is appropriate.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day of August, 2018.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Craig G. Erlanger,
Director, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety, Safeguards, and Environmental 
Review, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2018-17458 Filed 8-13-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P


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