106612 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 249 / Monday, December 30, 2024 / Notices 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

[Docket No. 50–238; NRC–2024–0207] 

United States Department of 

Transportation Maritime 

Administration; Nuclear Ship 

Savannah; Environmental Assessment 

and Finding of No Significant Impact 

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) is considering a 

license amendment request to approve 

the License Termination Plan (LTP) of 

License No. NS–1 for the Nuclear Ship 

Savannah (NSS) located at Pier 13, 

Canton Marine Terminal, in Baltimore, 

Maryland. If approved, the amendment 

would add a condition to the NSS 

license reflecting the NRC’s approval of 

the LTP and establishing criteria for 

determining when changes to the LTP 

require prior NRC approval. The NRC 

staff has prepared an environmental 

assessment (EA) for this proposed 

license amendment in accordance with 

NRC regulations. Based on the EA, the 

NRC has concluded that a finding of no 

significant impact (FONSI) is 

appropriate. Therefore, in accordance 

with NRC regulations, preparation of an 

environmental impact statement (EIS) is 

not warranted for the proposed action. 

The NRC staff also is conducting a 

safety evaluation of the proposed 

license amendment. 

DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in 

this document are available on 

December 30, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID 

NRC–2024–0207 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: 

• Federal Rulemaking website: Go to 

https://www.regulations.gov and search 

for Docket ID NRC–2024–0207. Address 

questions about Docket IDs to Stacy 

Schumann; telephone: 301–415–0624; 

email: Stacy.Schumann@nrc.gov. For 

technical questions, contact the 

individual listed in the FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT section of this 

document. 

• 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 

the NRC’s Public Document Room (PDR) 

reference staff at 1–800–397–4209, at 

301–415–4737, or by email to 

PDR.Resource@nrc.gov. For the 

convenience of the reader, instructions 

about obtaining materials referenced in 

this document are provided in the 

‘‘Availability of Documents’’ section. 

• 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 PDR.Resource@nrc.gov 

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: 

Diana Diaz Toro, Office of Nuclear 

Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 

Washington, DC 20555–0001; telephone: 

301–415–0930, email: Diana.DiazToro@nrc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction 

The NRC is considering issuance of a 

license amendment request to approve 

the LTP for NSS, located at Pier 13, 

Canton Marine Terminal, in Baltimore, 

Maryland, as part of the United States 

Department of Transportation Maritime 

Administration’s (MARAD) part 50 of 

title 10 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations (10 CFR), ‘‘Domestic 

Licensing of Production and Utilization 

Facilities,’’ License No. NS–1. If 

granted, the license amendment would 

add a condition to the NSS license 

reflecting the NRC’s approval of 

MARAD’s LTP and establishing criteria 

for determining when changes to the 

LTP require prior NRC approval. As 

required by 10 CFR part 51, 

‘‘Environmental Protection Regulations 

for Domestic Licensing and Related 

Regulatory Functions,’’ the NRC staff 

prepared an EA. 

Based on the EA, the NRC staff has 

determined that an EIS is not required 

for this proposed action and a FONSI is 

appropriate. The NRC staff is also 

conducting a safety evaluation of the 

proposed license renewal request 

pursuant to 10 CFR part 50 and the 

results will be documented in a separate 

safety evaluation report. 

II. Summary of Environmental 

Assessment 

Description of the Proposed Action 

The proposed action is the review and 

approval, if appropriate, of MARAD’s 

LTP for NSS located in Pier 13, Canton 

Marine Terminal, in Baltimore, 

Maryland. If approved by the NRC, the 

NSS license will be amended by adding 

a license condition that documents 

approval of the LTP and stipulating the 

changes that MARAD can make to the 

LTP without prior NRC approval. If the 

NRC approves the LTP, MARAD would 

implement the LTP to complete NSS 

decommissioning activities. Once 

decommissioning is complete, MARAD 

plans to submit a request to the NRC to 

terminate the license. 

Purpose and Need for the Proposed 

Action 

The purpose and need for the 

proposed action is to authorize MARAD 

to complete decommissioning of NSS to 

meet the unrestricted use criteria as 

specified in 10 CFR 20.1402, 

‘‘Radiological criteria for unrestricted 

use.’’ If the NRC approves the LTP, 

MARAD would complete 

decommissioning of NSS, followed by a 

request to terminate the NSS license. 

Upon NRC’s termination of the license, 

MARAD would proceed to disposition 

the ship (e.g., preservation, 

shipbreaking, or artificial reefing) 

consistent with the process established 

in the Programmatic Agreement (PA) 

executed in accordance with the 

National Historic Preservation Act 

(NHPA). 

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed 

Action 

The NRC staff has assessed the 

potential environmental impacts of the 

proposed action. The results of the 

NRC’s environmental review can be 

found in the EA. The NRC staff 

performed its environmental review in 

accordance with the requirements in 10 

CFR part 51. The NRC staff relied on the 

NRC’s NUREG–0586, Supplement 1, 

‘‘Generic Environmental Impact 

Statement on Decommissioning of 

Nuclear Facilities’’ (Decommissioning 

GEIS), as appropriate. In the 

Decommissioning GEIS, the NRC 

previously evaluated the potential 

environmental impacts of nuclear 

reactor decommissioning from the time 

that a licensee certifies it has 

permanently ceased power operations 

until the license is terminated. While 

NSS is not a nuclear power plant in the 

traditional sense, the ship was powered 

by an 80-megawatt thermal (MWth) 

pressurized water reactor (PWR). 

Therefore, some of the analyses and 

conclusions in the Decommissioning 

GEIS are applicable to the 

decommissioning of the ship. 

NSS ceased operations in 1970 and 

the 80 MWth PWR was defueled in 1971. 

In 1972, the spent fuel elements were 

shipped to the U.S. Department of 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 249 / Monday, December 30, 2024 / Notices 106613 

Energy’s Savannah River Site in Aiken, 

South Carolina. In 1976 the NRC license 

was changed to a possession-only 

license. 

The ship was operated as a museum 

from 1981 to 1994 at the Patriots Point 

Naval and Maritime Museum in Mount 

Pleasant, South Carolina. In 1983, the 

ship was listed in the National Register 

of Historic Places and in 1991 it was 

designated as a National Historic 

Landmark for exhibiting exceptional 

value in illustrating the nuclear, 

maritime, transportation, and political 

heritages of the United States. The ship 

was moved to Baltimore, Maryland in 

2008. 

The license boundary for NSS is 

defined as the hull of the ship, therefore 

everything outside of the ship itself is 

considered off-site area. The site 

contains no soils or groundwater. There 

are no residences within 1.6 kilometers 

(km) (1 mile [mi]), however, NSS is 

berthed within the Port of Baltimore, a 

large industrial facility supporting over 

15,000 direct jobs. There are two 

communities within 3.2 km (2 mi) of 

NSS with residences, medical facilities, 

schools, and parks. There are no nearby 

off-site wells or potable water sources. 

Because MARAD’s decommissioning, 

license termination, and final 

disposition involve dismantlement and 

remediation activities, including 

removal of some systems, structures, 

and components of the ship’s nuclear 

power plant, MARAD determined that 

these activities would have an adverse 

effect per 36 CFR 800, ‘‘Protection of 

Historic Properties.’’ In March 2023, 

MARAD executed a PA to minimize 

harm to landmarks, to the maximum 

extent possible, consistent with under 

section 110(f) of the NHPA. The purpose 

of the PA is to facilitate preservation of 

NSS during decommissioning. The PA 

was signed by Advisory Council on 

Historic Preservation, the NRC, and the 

Maryland State Historic Preservation 

Officer. The NRC is a signatory to the 

PA and, accordingly, has satisfied its 

obligations under the NHPA. The PA 

includes several concurring parties, 

including the National Park Service, 

Smithsonian Institution, on behalf of the 

National Museum of American History, 

the Steamship Historical Society of 

America, the N/S Savannah Association, 

the National Museum of Nuclear 

Science and History, and the Health 

Physics Society. 

As part of the license termination 

plan, the ship itself would not be 

dismantled, and license termination 

activities would be conducted, to the 

greatest extent practicable, within the 

ship’s license site boundary (e.g., 

onboard the ship). To minimize impacts 

to adjacent facilities and the 

environment and to avoid changes to 

the license boundary, MARAD separates 

and packages waste onboard NSS for 

subsequent transport of the waste for 

disposal at a permitted facility. 

Chapter 3 of the LTP describes the 

activities that MARAD has completed as 

well as the remaining decommissioning 

activities. MARAD has dismantled the 

reactor auxiliary systems and 

components outside of the reactor 

compartment and disposed of it as lowlevel radiological waste (LLRW) in 2022. 

MARAD has completed the removal of 

major components including the control 

rod drive tower, port and starboard 

steam generator tubes and tube sheets, 

and the reactor pressure vessel head and 

internal components. In 2023, MARAD 

removed the lower section of the 

pressurizer and shipped it offsite as 

LLRW. MARAD plans to retain the 

remaining portions of the pressurizer as 

well as the containment vessel and 

secondary shield. Primary ship 

structures such as the decks, bulkheads, 

and contaminated liquid storage tanks 

will be decontaminated and remediated 

to meet the criteria for unrestricted use. 

After decontamination, the final status 

survey will be performed to verify that 

residual radioactivity has been reduced 

to meet the radiological criteria for 

unrestricted use in 10 CFR 20.1402. 

The license termination activities 

would not impact the water quality of 

the port where the ship is moored as all 

waste is handled onsite to avoid 

impacting adjacent lands and water 

quality. Compliance with all Federal, 

State, and local permits pertaining to 

water quality throughout 

decommissioning activities ensures that 

surface water impacts are either 

minimal or evaluated in an appropriate 

environmental review. During current 

ship operations, anticipated discharges 

would consist of stormwater and 

condensate from the heating, ventilation 

and air conditioning system. MARAD 

has consulted with the Maryland 

Department of the Environment to 

ensure all liquid discharges from the 

ship are within state limits. The 

Maryland Department of the 

Environment concluded NSS did not 

require a permit, thus, MARAD does not 

have a National Pollutant Discharge 

Elimination System permit. Wastewater 

was collected in drums during 

decommissioning activities and shipped 

and disposed of offsite. 

MARAD has been conducting 

remediation throughout the 

decommissioning process based on the 

results of radiological surveys. Routine 

radiological surveys along with 

historical survey data indicate that 

minimal contamination has been 

identified to date. MARAD’s 

occupational exposure as of September 

30, 2023, is approximately 0.02168 

person-Sv (2.168 person-rem) and the 

estimated exposure from all remaining 

activities would be approximately 

0.02178 person-Sv (2.178 person-rem). 

MARAD does not anticipate any 

radioactive releases to unrestricted areas 

during the remaining decommissioning 

activities. The non-radiological hazards 

are typical of decommissioning 

activities, such as operation of heavy 

equipment, falling objects, or fires. 

MARAD would implement operating 

procedures and safety measures in 

accordance with Occupational Safety 

Health Administration regulations. 

Accordingly, no significant radiological 

or non-radiological impacts are 

expected to result from approval of the 

LTP. Therefore, the NRC staff does not 

anticipate impacts to public or workers’ 

health and safety from radiological and 

non-radiological hazards, air quality, 

and transportation beyond those 

discussed in the Decommissioning 

GEIS, which concluded that the impact 

level for these issues was SMALL. 

Additionally, the NRC staff finds that 

impacts to off-site land use, geology and 

soils, water quality (surface and 

groundwater), visual resources, noise, 

socioeconomics, and waste management 

would be SMALL and not be significant. 

As discussed in section 3.8 of the EA, 

the NRC staff determined that impacts 

to terrestrial and aquatic ecology from 

the proposed license termination 

activities would be SMALL and not 

significant. Also, there would be no 

disproportionately high and adverse 

impacts on minority and low-income 

populations as a result of license 

termination activities at NSS. 

The NRC staff determined that the 

proposed action would have no effect 

on any Federally listed species under 

the Endangered Species Act (ESA) 

because no Federally listed species are 

expected to occur within the action area 

as the action area does not provide 

suitable habitat for the listed species. 

Therefore, the NRC staff concludes that 

the proposed action would have no 

effect on any Federally listed, proposed, 

or candidate species. No critical habitats 

occur within the action area. Shortnose 

sturgeons are known to be present in 

Chesapeake Bay, however, they are 

unlikely to be present in the vicinity of 

the ship. Federal agencies are not 

required to consult with the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service if they determine 

that an action will have no effect on 

Federally listed species or critical 

habitats. Thus, the ESA does not require 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
106614 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 249 / Monday, December 30, 2024 / Notices 

consultation on the proposed license 

termination activities at NSS. The NRC 

staff considers its obligations under ESA 

section 7 to be fulfilled for the proposed 

action. 

Environmental Impacts of the 

Alternatives to the Proposed Action 

The NRC staff also assessed the 

potential environmental impacts of 

alternatives to the proposed action, 

including alternative sites and the noaction alternative. 

MARAD evaluated the environmental 

impacts of decommissioning NSS at 

three different ports: Baltimore, 

Maryland; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 

and Hampton Roads, Virginia. All three 

sites are in industrial areas along a 

deep-water waterfront with restricted 

access. Decommissioning activities 

would be similar regardless of the 

location; therefore, most of the 

environmental impacts anticipated at 

the Philadelphia or Hamptons Roads 

locations would not be significantly 

different from the environmental 

impacts discussed in the EA for the Port 

of Baltimore. The Port of Baltimore was 

selected as the location for 

decommissioning NSS using the 

DECON method because the ship is 

currently docked there, therefore 

selecting any other location would 

require MARAD to tow the ship to the 

new location, which could result in 

additional potential environmental 

impacts. 

The no-action alternative would 

consist of the NRC’s denial of MARAD’s 

LTP. Decommissioning and onsite 

maintenance activities would continue 

at the site. MARAD would not be able 

to request license termination until a 

revised LTP was submitted and 

approved by the NRC. Under this 

scenario, until MARAD resubmits an 

updated LTP, berthing of NSS at the 

Port in Baltimore would likely continue, 

including maintenance activities. 

Environmental impacts would neither 

significantly increase nor decrease 

because of the additional time, except 

for the costs associated with continuing 

to maintain the ship in a protective 

storage condition. 

Agencies and Persons Consulted 

On August 22, 2024, the NRC staff 

submitted the draft EA to the State of 

Maryland for their review and comment. 

On September 30, 2024, the State of 

Maryland provided comments 

regarding: (i) National Ambient Air 

Quality Standards (NAAQS) designation 

(attainment/nonattainment status) for 

the State of Maryland, (ii) air emissions 

from NAAQS-criteria pollutants, (iii) 

and coastal effects in accordance with 

the Coastal Zone Management Act. The 

NRC staff addressed all comments from 

the State of Maryland in the final EA. 

III. Finding of No Significant Impact 

In accordance with the requirements 

in 10 CFR part 51, the NRC staff has 

concluded that the proposed action will 

not significantly affect the quality of the 

human environment. Therefore, the 

NRC staff has determined, pursuant to 

10 CFR 51.31, ‘‘Determinations based on 

environmental assessment,’’ that 

preparation of an EIS is not required for 

the proposed action, and pursuant to 10 

CFR 51.32, ‘‘Finding of no significant 

impact,’’ a FONSI is appropriate. 

Consistent with 10 CFR 51.32(a)(4), this 

FONSI incorporates the EA set forth in 

this notice by reference. 

IV. Availability of Documents 

The documents identified in the 

following table are available to 

interested persons through ADAMS, as 

indicated. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 249 / Monday, December 30, 2024 / Notices 106615 

Document description ADAMS accession No. 

MARAD’s Docket No. 50–238; License No. NS–1; N.S. Savannah, Submittal of Finding of No Significant Impact and Environmental Assessment, transmitted to NRC on October 3, 2008. ML082810182. 

MARAD’s Docket No. 50–238; License No. NS–1; N.S. Savannah, Supplemental Environmental Assessment 

and Finding of No Significant Impact, CR–137, transmitted to NRC on May 21, 2024. 

ML24145A128. 

MARAD’s Programmatic Agreement among the U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, 

the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the Maryland 

State Historic Preservation Officer for the Decommissioning and Disposition of the Nuclear Ship Savannah, 

Baltimore, Maryland, dated March 17, 2023. 

ML24191A138 (Package). 

MARAD’s Docket No. 50–238; License No. NS–1; N.S. Savannah, License Amendment Request No. LAR 

2023–01. Submittal and Request for Approval of the License Termination Plan, dated October 23, 2023. 

ML23298A041. 

MARAD’s Docket No. 50–238; License No. NS–1; N.S. Savannah, License Amendment Request No. LAR 

2023–01, Response to Requests for Additional Information, dated June 27, 2024. 

ML24183A271. 

MARAD’s Docket No. 50–238; License No. NS–1; N.S. Savannah, License Amendment Request No. LAR 

2023–01, Response to Second Request for Additional Information, dated October 16, 2024. 

ML24292A030. 

NRC’s NUREG–0586, Supplement 1, ‘‘Generic Environmental Impact Statement on Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities,’’ dated November 2002 ML023470304, ML023470323, ML023500187, 

ML023500211, ML023500223. 

Environmental Assessment for the License Termination Plan for the Nuclear Ship Savannah in Baltimore, 

Maryland, dated December 2024. 

ML24351A024. 

Dated: December 20, 2024. 

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Robert Sun, 

Chief, Environmental Project Management, 

Branch 2, Division of Rulemaking, 

Environment, and Financial Support, Office 

of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30982 Filed 12–27–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

[NRC–2024–0001] 

Sunshine Act Meetings 

TIME AND DATE: Weeks of December 30, 

2024 and January 6, 13, 20, 27, and 

February 3, 2025. The schedule for 

Commission meetings is subject to 

change on short notice. The NRC 

Commission Meeting Schedule can be 

found on the internet at: https://

www.nrc.gov/public-involve/publicmeetings/schedule.html. 

PLACE: The NRC provides reasonable 

accommodation to individuals with 

disabilities where appropriate. If you 

need a reasonable accommodation to 

participate in these public meetings or 

need this meeting notice or the 

transcript or other information from the 

public meetings in another format (e.g., 

braille, large print), please notify Anne 

Silk, NRC Disability Program Specialist, 

at 301–287–0745, by videophone at 

240–428–3217, or by email at 

Anne.Silk@nrc.gov. Determinations on 

requests for reasonable accommodation 

will be made on a case-by-case basis. 

STATUS: Public. 

Members of the public may request to 

receive the information in these notices 

electronically. If you would like to be 

added to the distribution, please contact 

the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 

Office of the Secretary, Washington, DC 

20555, at 301–415–1969, or by email at 

Betty.Thweatt@nrc.gov or 

Samantha.Miklaszewski@nrc.gov. 

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: 

Week of December 30, 2024 

There are no meetings scheduled for 

the week of December 30, 2024. 

Week of January 6, 2025—Tentative 

There are no meetings scheduled for 

the week of January 6, 2025. 

Week of January 13, 2025—Tentative 

Tuesday, January 14, 2025 

9:00 a.m. Strategic Programmatic 

Overview of the Decommissioning 

and Low-Level Waste and Nuclear 

Materials Users Business Lines 

(Public Meeting) (Contact: Araceli 

Billoch Colon: 301–415–3302) 

Additional Information: The meeting 

will be held in the Commissioners’ 

Hearing Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, 

Rockville, Maryland. The public is 

invited to attend the Commission’s 

meeting in person or watch live via 

webcast at the Web address—https://

video.nrc.gov/. 

Week of January 20, 2025—Tentative 

There are no meetings scheduled for 

the week of January 20, 2025. 

Week of January 27, 2025—Tentative 

There are no meetings scheduled for 

the week of January 27, 2025. 

Week of February 3, 2025—Tentative 

Thursday, February 6, 2025 

9:00 a.m. Briefing on ADVANCE Act 

Activities (Public Meeting) (Contact: 

Wesley Held: 301–287–3591) 

Additional Information: The meeting 

will be held in the Commissioners’ 

Hearing Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, 

Rockville, Maryland. The public is 

invited to attend the Commission’s 

meeting in person or watch live via 

webcast at the Web address—https://

video.nrc.gov/. 

CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION: 

For more information or to verify the 

status of meetings, contact Wesley Held 

at 301–287–3591 or via email at 

Wesley.Held@nrc.gov. 

The NRC is holding the meetings 

under the authority of the Government 

in the Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b. 

Dated: December 26, 2024. 

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Richard Laufer, 

Technical Coordinator, Office of the 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2024–31390 Filed 12–26–24; 11:15 am] 

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ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1