Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 43 / Wednesday, March 5, 1997 / Notices 10093

In addition to meeting other

applicable requirements of 10 CFR Part

2 of the Commission’s regulations, a

request for a hearing filed by a person

other than an applicant must describe in

detail:

(1) The interest of the requestor 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 § 2.1205(g);

(3) the requestor’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 § 2.1205(c).

Any hearing that is requested and

granted will be held in accordance with

the Commission’s Informal Hearing

Procedures for Adjudications in

Materials Licensing Proceedings in 10

CFR Part 2, Subpart L.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 26th day

of February 1997.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Joseph J. Holonich,

Chief, Uranium Recovery Branch, Division

of Waste Management, Office of Nuclear

Material Safety and Safeguards.

[FR Doc. 97–5388 Filed 3–4–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

[Licenses SMB–179 and SUB–1452—

Dockets 40–672 and 40–8866]

Nuclear Metals, Inc.—Concord,

Massachusetts: Renewal of Source

Material Licenses; Finding of No

Significant Impact and Notice of

Opportunity for a Hearing (NUREG/CR–

6528)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission is considering the renewal

of Source Material Licenses SMB–179

and SUB–1452 for the continued

operation of Nuclear Metals, Inc. (NMI),

located in Concord, Massachusetts.

Summary of the Environmental

Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

The proposed action is the renewal of

NMI’s Source Material Licenses SMB–

179 and SUB–1452 for at least 5 years.

With these renewals, the NMI facility

will continue to conduct ongoing

operations including the development

and manufacture of castings, extrusions,

machined parts, and metal powders

comprised of depleted uranium and

natural uranium metal. The proposed

action would permit NMI to possess,

under License SMB–179, natural

uranium metal, alloy, or oxide; depleted

uranium metal, alloy, oxide, or fluoride;

natural thorium metal, alloy, or oxide;

and depleted uranium slab. The

licensed uranium may be an element of

any compound except uranium

hexafluoride (UF6). The proposed action

would also permit NMI to possess,

under License SUB–1452, depleted

uranium as contamination in sand;

depleted uranium as contamination on

metallic components, packaging

materials or equipment, or as waste

solids; and natural thorium as

contamination on metallic components,

packaging materials or equipment, or as

waste solids.

Prior to September 1985, liquid and

sludge wastes from the processes were

stabilized and emptied into an unlined

holding basin and adjacent bog located

on site property. The holding basin was

covered by a special membrane in 1986

to reduce infiltration of rain water and

discharge of contaminants to surface

and ground waters. Remediation of the

holding basin and contaminated

groundwater is being planned as a

separate decommissioning action;

therefore, this action and subsequent

environmental impacts are outside the

scope of this EA.

The Need for the Proposed Action

The action is to determine if the

licenses should be renewed or denied.

NMI manufactures products composed

of depleted uranium and natural

uranium that have military, aerospace,

industrial, and medical applications.

Depleted uranium metal is processed to

form armor penetrators, aircraft

counterweights and radiation shielding

devices. Denial of the license renewals

for NMI is an alternative available to

NRC, but since approximately half of

the U.S. demand for these products is

being met by operations at NMI

facilities, denying the licenses would

not be in the nation’s best interest.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed

Action

Both radiological and nonradiological

atmospheric emissions occur and were

assessed during normal (incident-free)

operations at NMI. The radiological

impacts of the continued operation of

the NMI facility were assessed using

atmospheric dispersion modeling to

estimate ambient annual dose to the

public resulting from emissions at the

NMI facility. To assess the impact of

uranium emissions on atmospheric

resources, the COMPLY computer code

was used to determine the maximum

annual dose equivalent received from

uranium concentrations in the ambient

air (at or beyond the site boundary).

These estimated annual doses were

compared to NRC requirements and

EPA standards to gauge impacts to

public health and safety.

Ambient air concentrations (at or

beyond the site boundary) resulting

from the primary sources of

nonradiological air emissions were

estimated using the Industrial Source

Complex—Version 2 (ISC2) air

dispersion model (EPA 1992a). Total

predicted concentrations were

compared to the National Ambient Air

Quality Standards (NAAQS) in order to

gauge impacts on air quality.

Doses From Routine Airborne Releases

Small amounts of uranium are

emitted from 33 stacks at NMI. The

town of Concord permits depleted

uranium emissions of up to 280 μCi per

calendar quarter for operations

associated with License Nos. SMB–179

and SUB–1452. NRC’s regulations (10

CFR 20.1301) require licensees to limit

doses to members of the public to

100mrem per year. Emission rates of

depleted uranium in 1994 were less

than 60 percent of the 280 μCi per

calendar quarter limit. For the

modeling, annual emissions were

assumed to be at maximum permitted

levels (i.e., 1,120 μCi/y as by the town

of Concord). The assumptions are

conservative in that they result in higher

predicted doses than are expected to

occur. The maximum annual committed

effective dose equivalent predicted was

2.5 mrem. This dose was estimated to

occur to a person located 150 m (492 ft)

from the nearest building. This is about

one-half the distance to the nearest

resident. Therefore, 150 m (492 ft) is

considered a sufficiently conservative

distance to form an upper bound of

doses that could be received by the

public annually. The predicted annual

dose is 2.5 percent of the NRC limit.

The primary sources of

nonradiological air emissions at NMI are

two boilers, which burn #4 fuel oil, and

which emit the following criteria

pollutants: SO2, NO2, PM–10, and CO.

Short-term emission rates, calculated

using the maximum monthly fuel usage

rates, were used in ISC2 for periods of

24 hr or less. Long-term emission rates,

calculated using the maximum annual

fuel usage rates, were used in ISC2 for

the annual time period. Both site

specific data and conservative

assumptions were used in the modeling

analysis. Total predicted concentrations

were compared to the NAAQS in order

to gauge impacts on air quality. The

results of the analysis show that

maximum 3-hr and 24-hr average SO2

concentrations are about twice their

respective NAAQS. For all other criteria
10094 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 43 / Wednesday, March 5, 1997 / Notices

pollutants, maximum concentrations are

within the NAAQS, and impacts to local

air quality associated with these

pollutants would be minor. NMI is

prepared to undertake mitigative action

to prevent potential exceedances of the

short-term SO2 NAAQS, and the

Massachusetts Department of

Environmental Protection is prepared to

resolve the issue.

Accident Evaluation

The EA evaluated one accident as the

bounding accident: the potential

quantities of uranium and

nonradiological materials that might be

released to the atmosphere in the

unlikely event of a major fire at the NMI

facility. The regulatory analysis

documented in NUREG–1140 (McGuire

1988), which assessed the accident

potential for doses exceeding EPA

protective action guides, was used to

evaluate potential impacts. For

uranium, NUREG–1140 found that the

highest doses come from the inhalation

pathway. The analysis shows a

committed effective dose equivalent of

0.89 rems at 100 m (330 ft) might occur

to a nearby downwind individual that

would result from a fire involving the

limiting value quantities agreed to by

NMI of 454,000 kg (1,000,000 lb) of

depleted uranium in any one building.

This value is less than the EPArecommended lower limit for

consideration of protective actions (i.e.,

a dose of 1 rem). Therefore, radiological

impacts resulting from exposure to

natural uranium during a severe fire

would not be major.

NMI’s operations with licensed

material involve use of several acids.

The evaluation of the potential impacts

of these nonradiological materials was

based on a release to the atmosphere

using the same accidental fire scenario

as for the radiological materials. The

results were compared to the Emergency

Response Planning Guidelines (ERPGs)

established by the American Industrial

Hygiene Association, the immediately

dangerous to life and health (IDLH)

threshold value, established by the

National Institute of Occupational

Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the

LC50, the concentration which would

result in fatalities to 50 percent of the

exposed population. Of the acids, only

sulfuric (H2SO4) caused concern as the

predicted concentration of H2SO4 is

below the LC50 but higher than the

ERPG levels. These results were

discussed with Commonwealth of

Massachusetts staff and NMI is prepared

to discuss the potential for an accidental

H2SO4 release with local emergency

response officials.

Conclusion

The NRC staff concludes that the

environmental impacts associated with

the proposed license renewal for

continued operation of the NMI’s

Concord, Massachusetts facility are

expected to be insignificant.

Finding of No Significant Impact

The Commission has prepared an EA

related to the renewal of Special

Nuclear Material Licenses SMB–179 and

SUB–1452. On the basis of the

assessment, the Commission has

concluded that environmental impacts

that would be created by the proposed

action would not be significant and do

not warrant the preparation of an

Environmental Impact Statement.

Accordingly, it has been determined

that a Finding of No Significant Impact

is appropriate.

The EA is being made available as

NUREG/CR–6528. Copies of NUREG/

CR–6528 may be purchased from the

Superintendent of Documents, U.S.

Government Printing Office, P.O. Box

37082, Washington, DC 20402–9328.

Copies are also available from the

National Technical Information Service,

5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA

22161. A copy is also available for

inspection and copying for a fee in the

NRC Public Document Room, 2120 L

Street, NW. (Lower Level), Washington,

DC 20555–0001.

Opportunity for a Hearing

Any person whose interest may be

affected by the issuance of this renewal

may file a request for a hearing. Any

request for hearing must be filed with

the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission, Washington,

DC 20555, within 30 days of the

publication of this notice in the Federal

Register; be served on the NRC staff

(Executive Director for Operations, One

White Flint North, 11555 Rockville

Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852), and

on the licensee (Nuclear Metals, Inc.,

2229 Main Street, Concord, MA 01742);

and must comply with the requirements

for requesting a hearing set forth in the

Commission’s regulations, 10 CFR Part

2, Subpart L, ‘‘Information Hearing

Procedures for Adjudications in

Materials Licensing Proceedings.’’

These requirements, which the

request must address in detail, are:

1. The interest of the requestor 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);

3. The requestor’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 hearing is timely—that

is, filed within 30 days of the date of

this notice.

In addressing how the requestor’s

interest may be affected by the

proceeding, the request should describe

the nature of the requestor’s right under

the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as

amended, to be made a party to the

proceeding; the nature and extent of the

requestor’s property, financial, or other

(i.e., health, safety) interest in the

proceeding; and the possible effect of

any order that may be entered in the

proceeding upon the requestor’s

interest.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 20th day

of February, 1997.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Larry W. Camper,

Chief, Medical, Academic, and Commercial

Use Safety Branch, Division of Industrial and

Medical Nuclear Safety, Office of Nuclear

Material Safety and Safeguards.

[FR Doc. 97–5385 Filed 3–4–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

[Docket No. 50–344]

Portland General Electric Company,

Trojan Nuclear Plant; Environmental

Assessment and Finding of No

Significant Impact

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (the Commission) is

considering the issuance of an order

approving an application regarding a

proposed merger involving the holding

company for Portland General Electric

Company (PGE, the licensee), holder of

Facility Operating License No. NPF–1,

for the Trojan Nuclear Plant located on

the west bank of the Columbia River in

Columbia County, Oregon. The Trojan

Nuclear Plant permanently ceased

operating in January 1993 and is being

decommissioned.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

The proposed action would approve,

by issuance of an order, the application

under 10 CFR 50.80 regarding the

merger between Portland General

Corporation (PGC), the parent company

of PGE, a 67.5 percent holder of the

Trojan Nuclear Plant license, and Enron

Corporation (Enron). Enron is a

Delaware corporation engaged in the

gathering, transportation, and wholesale

marketing of natural gas. PGC has

agreed to a merger with Enron, subject

to certain conditions. Those conditions