[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 203 (Monday, October 21, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 84207-84209]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-24190]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 70-7033; NRC-2024-0138]


Global Laser Enrichment, LLC; Classified Matter Protection; 
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice; issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff is 
considering approval of a revision by Global Laser Enrichment, LLC 
(GLE) to a Standard Practice Procedures Plan (SPPP) for the protection 
of classified matter. The revision would remove the Fuels Growth 
Engineering (FGE) facility and confirm the continued use of the 
classified matter controls implemented at the Test Loop facility. The 
NRC staff is issuing an environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no 
significant impact (FONSI) associated with the proposed plans.

DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on 
October 21, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2024-0138 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 https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2024-0138. Address 
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; 
telephone: 301-415-0624; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d88bacb9bba1f68bbbb0adb5b9b6b698b6aabbf6bfb7ae"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4a193e2b2933641929223f272b24240a243829642d253c">[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 https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS 
Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact

[[Page 84208]]

the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 
at 301-415-4737, or by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5f0f1b0d710d3a2c302a2d3c3a1f312d3c71383029"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="104054423e4275637f65627375507e62733e777f66">[email protected]</span></a>. For the 
convenience of the reader, instructions about obtaining materials 
referenced in this document are provided in the ``Availability of 
Documents'' section. Individuals seeking access to Official Use Only 
information should contact Matthew Bartlett, using the contact 
information listed in the For Further Information Contact section.
    <bullet> NRC's PDR: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies 
of publicly available documents, is open by appointment. To make an 
appointment to visit the PDR, please send an email to 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b6e6f2e498e4d3c5d9c3c4d5d3f6d8c4d598d1d9c0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2b7b6f7905794e58445e59484e6b455948054c445d">[email protected]</span></a> or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between 8 
a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (ET), Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Bartlett, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-7154; email: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c28fa3b6b6aaa7b5ec80a3b0b6aea7b6b682acb0a1eca5adb4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b8f5d9ccccd0ddcf96fad9caccd4ddccccf8d6cadb96dfd7ce">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    The NRC staff is considering issuance of the approval of GLE's 
SPPP. The proposed action would allow GLE to remove the FGE facility 
located in Wilmington, North Carolina from its SPPP while maintaining 
its other approved existing facilities. Approval of this update would 
allow GLE to discontinue maintaining its responsibilities under the 
SPPP at the FGE facility. Therefore, as required by section 51.21 of 
title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Criteria for 
and identification of licensing and regulatory actions requiring 
environmental assessments,'' the NRC staff has prepared an EA that 
analyzes the environmental effects of the proposed action. Based on the 
results of the EA and in accordance with 10 CFR 51.31(a), the NRC staff 
has prepared a FONSI for the proposed action.
    The NRC staff received the request from GLE for approval of the 
SPPP dated July 16, 2024, supplemented by letter dated September 12, 
2024. The Federal Register notice of the NRC's decision on the request 
is anticipated to be published in the near future and will be available 
on the Federal rulemaking website (https://www.regulations.gov) by 
searching for Docket ID NRC-2024-0138.

II. Environmental Assessment

Description of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would allow GLE to remove the FGE facility from 
its SPPP and allow it to cease continuation of required security 
measures for the FGE facility. As proposed, GLE would continue to 
possess, use, and store classified matter at its test loop facility. 
Global Laser Enrichment, LLC operates a test loop for industrialization 
of the uranium enrichment process that uses separation of isotopes by 
laser excitation. Although GLE has an NRC-issued facility security 
clearance for the test loop facility under 10 CFR part 95 for 
protection of classified information, the facility's operations, 
safety, and safeguards programs are authorized under the Global Nuclear 
Fuel--America, LLC, Special Nuclear License No. SNM-1097.

Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would allow GLE to cease operations at the FGE 
facility and discontinue security commitments at this facility under 
its previously approved SPPP.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC staff has assessed the potential environmental impacts from 
approval of GLE's SPPP revision and concluded that there would be no 
effluent releases and that the proposed action would have no 
significant radiological or non-radiological impacts to environmental 
resources.
    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 and concluded that the proposed action would have no 
significant environmental impacts on these resource areas. The NRC 
staff determined that there are no cumulative impacts associated with 
the proposed action.

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). 
Under this alternative, GLE would have to continue to maintain the FGE 
facility in accordance with its previously approved SPPP.Denial of the 
proposed action would result in increased costs to GLE and increased 
consumption of resources while not providing benefits to the public or 
the environment. The NRC staff concluded that environmental impacts 
from the no-action alternative would not be significant.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was enacted to prevent further 
decline of endangered and threatened species and restore those species 
and their critical habitat. Section 7 of the ESA requires Federal 
agencies to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the 
National Marine Fisheries Service, as appropriate, regarding actions 
that may affect listed species or designated critical habitats. The NRC 
staff has determined that the proposed action would have no effect on 
threatened or endangered species or critical habitat. Therefore, 
consultation under section 7 of the ESA is not required.
    Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) 
requires Federal agencies to consider the effects of their undertakings 
on historic properties. As stated in the NHPA, historic properties are 
any prehistoric or historic district, site, building, structure, or 
object included in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register 
of Historic Places. The NRC staff has determined that the undertaking 
is a type of activity that does not have the potential to cause effects 
on any historic properties that may be present. Therefore, in 
accordance with 36 CFR 800.3(a)(1), the NRC has no further obligations 
under section 106 of the NHPA.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    GLE has requested approval of its SPPP revision. The NRC staff has 
prepared an EA as part of its review of the proposed action. The 
proposed action would have no significant radiological or non-
radiological impacts to environmental resources. This FONSI 
incorporates by reference the EA in Section II of this notice. On the 
basis of this EA, the NRC staff concludes that the proposed action will 
not have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment. 
Accordingly, the NRC has determined not to prepare an environmental 
impact statement.

IV. Availability of Documents

    The documents identified in the following table are available to 
interested persons in ADAMS.

[[Page 84209]]



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             Document description                  ADAMS accession No.
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Submission for Approval of the Standard         ML24199A106
 Practice and Procedures Plan (SPPP) Revision
 for Global Laser Enrichment Headquarters,
 dated July 16, 2024.
SPPP Update Revision, dated September 12, 2024  ML24261B962
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    Dated: October 15, 2024.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
James Downs,
Acting Chief, Fuel Facilities Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel 
Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2024-24190 Filed 10-18-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P


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