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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 249 (Monday, December 30, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 106612-106615]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-30982]

[[Page 106612]]

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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.

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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: [email protected]. 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 [email protected]. 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 
[email protected] 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: [email protected].

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

[[Page 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 low-level 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

[[Page 106614]]

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 no-action 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.

[[Page 106615]]

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                             Document description                                      ADAMS accession No.
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MARAD's Docket No. 50-238; License No. NS-1; N.S. Savannah, Submittal of        ML082810182.
 Finding of No Significant Impact and Environmental Assessment, transmitted to
 NRC on October 3, 2008.
MARAD's Docket No. 50-238; License No. NS-1; N.S. Savannah, Supplemental        ML24145A128.
 Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact, CR-137,
 transmitted to NRC on May 21, 2024.
MARAD's Programmatic Agreement among the U.S. Department of Transportation,     ML24191A138 (Package).
 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.
MARAD's Docket No. 50-238; License No. NS-1; N.S. Savannah, License Amendment   ML23298A041.
 Request No. LAR 2023-01. Submittal and Request for Approval of the License
 Termination Plan, dated October 23, 2023.
MARAD's Docket No. 50-238; License No. NS-1; N.S. Savannah, License Amendment   ML24183A271.
 Request No. LAR 2023-01, Response to Requests for Additional Information,
 dated June 27, 2024.
MARAD's Docket No. 50-238; License No. NS-1; N.S. Savannah, License Amendment   ML24292A030.
 Request No. LAR 2023-01, Response to Second Request for Additional
 Information, dated October 16, 2024.
NRC's NUREG-0586, Supplement 1, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement on     ML023470304, ML023470323,
 Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities,'' dated November 2002                    ML023500187, ML023500211,
                                                                                 ML023500223.
Environmental Assessment for the License Termination Plan for the Nuclear Ship  ML24351A024.
 Savannah in Baltimore, Maryland, dated December 2024.
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    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
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