32466 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 122 / Monday, June 24, 1996 / Notices

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 275 hours.

Frequency of Collection: One time.

Send comments regarding the burden

estimate or any other aspect of

information collection, including

suggestions for reducing the burden to:

Jaleh Behroozi Soroui, National Institute

for Literacy, 800 Connecticut Ave., NW,

Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006, and

Wendy Taylor, Office of Management

and Budget, Office of Information and

Regulatory Affairs, 725 17th St., NW,

Washington, DC 20503.

Carolyn Staley,

Deputy Director, NIFL.

[FR Doc. 96–16083 Filed 6–21–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6055–01–M

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

[Docket 40–7580]

Finding of No Significant Impact and

Notice of Opportunity for a Hearing;

Amendment of Source Materials

License SMB–911 Fansteel, Inc.,

Muskogee, Oklahoma

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission is considering the

amendment of Source Materials License

SMB–911 for the recovery of Work in

Progress (WIP) pond residues at the

Fansteel, Inc., plant located in

Muskogee, Oklahoma. The amendment

will allow the facility to process on-site

pond residues to recover rare earth

metals and to reduce the volume of onsite radioactive materials. The

Commission has determined not to

prepare an environmental impact

statement for the proposed action,

because the amendment will not have a

significant effect on the quality of the

human environment for reasons

described in the Environmental

Assessment.

Summary of the Environmental

Assessment

Background

Fansteel, Inc. (Fansteel) has been

licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (NRC) to possess and use

source materials at the Muskogee plant

since January 1967. The current license

expired in July 1994; however, Fansteel

submitted a renewal application on June

20, 1994. In accordance with the timely

renewal provision of 10 CFR 40.43(b),

the existing license continues to be

effective until the application for

renewal has been finally determined by

the Commission. The NRC plans to

complete the renewal action on

Fansteel’s license, including an

Environmental Assessment, after action

on this amendment application is

completed.

Fansteel, Inc. had previously

processed ore concentrates and tin slags

in the production of refined tantalum

products at their Muskogee site. A

residue containing natural uranium and

thorium was generated as a result of the

initial hydrofluoric acid digestion of the

ore concentrates. This residue is

considered source material, and is

regulated under the Atomic Energy Act

of 1954 and defined in 10 CFR Part 40,

because it contains more than 0.05% by

weight of uranium and thorium. Since

significant quantities of tantalum

remained in the residue after initial

extraction, as well as other rare earth

elements and fluoride, the residues were

designated by Fansteel as WIP material

suitable for secondary processing.

Approximately 9,000 dry tons of WIP

material have accumulated in ponds

numbered 2, 3, and 5.

Identification of the Proposed Action

The proposed action is to amend the

Source Materials License SMB–911 to

allow Fansteel to retrieve and process

WIP material from the on-site ponds.

The WIP process will isolate the

radioactivity such that the bulk of the

WIP material can be used commercially

while minimizing the volume of

material sent for radioactive waste

disposal.

Processing of the WIP material will

recover tantalum, columbium

(niobium), and scandium from the pond

residues. This WIP material recovery

will be achieved by a series of

proprietary chemical processes to

separate the remaining tantalum,

columbium, and scandium from the

residues. Uranium and thorium will be

separated from the other products as

uranium and thorium hydroxides.

Waste materials from this process

contaminated with natural uranium and

thorium will be packaged and stored for

offsite disposal.

The Need for the Proposed Action

The current license allows Fansteel to

possess, use, store, and transfer natural

uranium and thorium and their

progenies in metal processing residues.

The license allows the possession of a

maximum of 30,000 kilograms of

uranium and 67,000 kilograms of

thorium in solid forms as oxides in tin

slag and ore processing residues. The

license amendment is needed to allow

Fansteel to process the pond residues.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed

Action

Treatment of pond residues will result

in effluents of radioactive materials to

air and water from the Fansteel plant,

which may produce a small increase in

radiation doses to the public.

The WIP process will generate gases

and particulates that will be captured in

a centrifugal particulate separator

followed by water and caustic scrubbing

before discharge to the atmosphere. The

treated stack effluent will be

continuously monitored for gross alpha

radioactivity.

Liquid effluents will be collected and

treated with lime, then pumped to

Ponds 8 and 9 for settling prior to

discharge through Outfall 001.

The estimated total effective dose

equivalent from inhalation of

radionuclides emitted during WIP

processing is less than 1 millirem per

year to a hypothetical resident located at

the site boundary in the most frequent

downwind direction. The proposed

amendment will not have an adverse

impact on the air quality for the region

beyond the contribution from currently

licensed activities.

Treated wastewater will be discharged

through Outfall 001 to the Arkansas

River. Ingestion of water discharged to

the Arkansas River would result in

doses much less than 5 millirem per

year, due to the low concentration of

radionuclides in the discharge. Actual

dose would be much less, because the

effluent, approximately 100,000 gallons

per day, is further diluted by the

Arkansas River flow of 20,600 cubic feet

per second (13 billion gallons per day).

By comparison, the total body dose

rate to an individual in the vicinity of

the Muskogee plant from background

sources has been estimated at 107

millirems per year, not considering

fallout radiation sources or radon,

including 43.4 mrem/yr from cosmic

rays, 45.6 mrem/yr from terrestrial

sources, and 18 mrem/yr from internal

emitters.

Background uranium concentrations

in soil are typically 1.0 to 1.5

micrograms per gram, which is

equivalent to 0.33 to 0.50 picocuries per

gram. The WIP processing is not

expected to result in an increase in soil

radioactivity, because no radioactive

materials will be released to soils during

processing.

The proposed license amendment will

not have an adverse impact on surface

or ground water quality. In fact, there is

expected to be a potential benefit, since

the removal of source material in the

ponds will reduce the potential for

ground water and surface water
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 122 / Monday, June 24, 1996 / Notices 32467

contamination in the future.

Remediation of past ground water

contamination from a pond leak in 1989

will continue under the provisions of

the renewed license.

The proposed license amendment will

not result in any adverse environmental

impacts which could affect terrestrial

and aquatic biota.

Accidents

The Environmental Report considered

the potential for accidents at the

Muskogee plant. Material which could

leak from tanks, pumps, or pipes would

be confined within the dissolution

building. Pipe leaks could lead to

slurry’s being leaked onto the ground

surface. Such accidents would be

readily identified and cleaned up and

would represent no significant

radiological impacts. Process chemicals,

including hydrochloric acid, sodium

hydroxide, sulfuric acid, and potassium

hydroxide, are stored in tanks within

diked areas to contain any leaks.

Transportation accidents represent a

low radiological risk because outgoing

shipments of radioactive waste will be

packaged in drums or bags and

transported in accordance with the U.S.

Department of Transportation (DOT)

regulations. Transportation accidents

could result in spilled radioactive

material that is readily cleaned up.

Furthermore, the low-activity materials

that will be produced by the WIP

process do not represent a significant

hazard during transport.

For soil or liquid transport, the

accidental release of stored WIP was

considered worst case because of its

associated radioactivity. Rather than

attempt to quantify this potential

exposure, it was assumed that its

transport off-site via the river posed an

unacceptable risk to the public. The

existing drainage and sump systems for

the Chem A and Chem C process

buildings have thus been incorporated

into the existing WIP process design.

The sump system includes a sump

capable of holding more than the total

quantity of WIP that will be present in

the building at any given time. This

system has sufficient capacity to

preclude any transport of liquids or

slurries away from the immediate

process areas.

Transportation of nonradioactive

industrial chemicals represents an

accident risk; however, these shipments

do not pose any unique transportation

hazards beyond those associated with

nonnuclear facilities using similar

chemicals. All shipments of industrial

chemicals to the Muskogee plant will be

transported in accordance with U.S.

DOT and state and local laws.

Natural phenomena, such as

tornadoes, earthquakes, flooding, and

fire, have also been considered. The

probability of a tornado striking the

plant is 1.8×10¥3 per year; this could

result in dispersion of material from the

drum storage area, the milling room, the

waste holding ponds, and the digestion

building. The Fansteel plant is located

in a quiet seismic region considered to

be of minor seismic risk. The site is

located above the Arkansas River

floodplain. Fansteel will describe how it

intends to address NRC guidance with

respect to fire prevention, detection, and

suppression prior to startup of the WIP

processing facility.

Monitoring Programs

Monitoring programs have been

developed to assure that there will not

be any undetected release of

radioactivity from the Fansteel site

during the recovery and processing of

WIP material.

Gases from the calciner in building

Chem A will be exhausted through a

common duct into a wet scrubber that

exhausts through a vertical stack to the

atmosphere. The stack is equipped with

a continuous radiation monitor. The

process ventilation systems and gaseous

effluent control equipment are designed

and will be operated in accordance with

the standard engineering practice.

Operational checks on these systems

will be performed as part of the

standard operating procedures. Stack

emissions will be controlled and

sampled on a 24-hour basis when

operating.

Atmospheric effluents will be

controlled through the use of wet

scrubbers. Scrubber liquids will be

treated through the wastewater

treatment system, with the ground water

collection system, laboratory, deionized

water, and chemical processing

wastewaters, and discharged to the

Arkansas River through Outfall 001.

Gross α and gross β analyses are

performed on a continuous water

sample at the effluent monitoring

station when the station is in operation.

This outfall is also monitored for

nonradiological parameters in

accordance with the NPDES permit.

Fansteel also monitors 25 ground

water wells; depth, pH, fluoride,

ammonia, total dissolved solids, specific

conductivity, and gross α and gross β

are measured monthly. This data is

recorded and maintained as permanent

records.

Fansteel has committed to take certain

actions if specified radioactivity

concentrations (action levels) for the

Outfall 001 effluent and ground water

analyses are exceeded. These action

levels are related to EPA drinking water

standards for radionuclides in 40 CFR

Part 141 and to NRC effluent limits in

10 CFR Part 20.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

If the license amendment application

is denied, Fansteel will be prohibited

from processing the pond residues, and

will be required to decommission the

plant site without recovering the metals

and rare earth elements. This would

require treatment and/or disposal of

large quantities of process residues.

Such a denial would likely result in

either removal of the pond residues and

disposal in a low-level radioactive waste

disposal facility or onsite disposal of the

residues.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

The Oklahoma Department of

Environmental Quality, Hazards

Management and Waste Services,

Radiation Control Program, Water

Quality Division.

Conclusion

The NRC has determined that

issuance of the amendment to allow

Fansteel to process the pond residues

will not result in a significant impact to

human health and the environment.

Finding of No Significant Impact

The NRC has prepared an

Environmental Assessment related to

the amendment of Source Materials

License SMB–911. On the basis of this

assessment, NRC has concluded that

environmental impacts that would be

created by the proposed licensing 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 Environmental Assessment, the

license amendment application, and

other documents related to this

proposed action are available for public

inspection and copying at the

Commission’s public document room in

NRC’s Region IV office, Harris Tower,

611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400,

Arlington, Texas 76011–8064, and in

NRC’s headquarters public document

room, Gelman Building, 2120 L St.,

NW., Washington, DC 20037.

Opportunity for a Hearing

Any person whose interest may be

affected by the amendment of this

license 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
32468 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 122 / Monday, June 24, 1996 / Notices

of the publication of this notice in the

Federal Register; must be served on the

NRC staff (Executive Director for

Operations, One White Flint North,

11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD

20852) and on the licensee (Fansteel,

Inc., Number Ten Tantalum Place,

Muskogee, OK 74401); and must comply

with the requirements for requesting a

hearing set forth in the Commission’s

regulation 10 CFR Part 2, Subpart L,

‘‘Informal Hearings Procedures for

Adjudications in Materials Licensing

Proceedings.’’

These requirements, which the

requestor 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 area 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

(e.g., 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 17th day

of June 1996.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Robert C. Pierson,

Chief, Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel

Cycle Safety and Safeguards, NMSS.

[FR Doc. 96–15989 Filed 6–21–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

Docket Nos. 50–272 and 50–311]

Public Service Electric and Gas

Company; Notice of Consideration of

Issuance of Amendment To Facility

Operating License, Proposed No

Significant Hazards Consideration

Determination, and Opportunity for a

Hearing

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (the Commission) is

considering issuance of an amendment

to Facility Operating License Nos. DPR–

70 and DPR–75 issued to Public Service

Electric & Gas Company (the licensee)

for operation of Salem Nuclear

Generating Station, Units 1 and 2,

located in Salem County, New Jersey.

The proposed amendments would

revise Technical Specification 3/4.7.6,

‘‘Control Room Emergency Air

Conditioning System [CREACS],’’ to

reflect a control room design in which

the common Salem Unit 1 and Unit 2

control room envelope is supplied by 2

one-hundred percent capable Control

Room Emergency Air Conditioning

System trains.

Before issuance of the proposed

license amendment, the Commission

will have made findings required by the

Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended

(the Act) and the Commission’s

regulations.

The Commission has made a

proposed determination that the

amendment request involves no

significant hazards consideration. Under

the Commission’s regulations in 10 CFR

50.92, this means that operation of the

facility in accordance with the proposed

amendment would not (1) involve a

significant increase in the probability or

consequences of an accident previously

evaluated; or (2) create the possibility of

a new or different kind of accident from

any accident previously evaluated; or

(3) involve a significant reduction in a

margin of safety. As required by 10 CFR

50.91(a), the licensee has provided its

analysis of the issue of no significant

hazards consideration, which is

presented below:

1. The proposed change does not involve

a significant increase in the probability or

consequences of an accident previously

evaluated.

CREACS ensures adequate protection after

an accident and is not an accident initiator.

The changes to the emergency operating

mode and configuration of the CREACS,

while modifying the control room dose

assessment, do not affect the probability of an

accident.

The proposed operation of the CREACS in

the pressurization mode at the initiation of

an accident will reduce overall operator

doses from such an event and will ensure

that the requirements of General Design

Criterion (GDC) 19 will be met. Operation in

the recirculation mode to mitigate the

consequences of a fire or a toxic release, if

necessary, or as a compensatory measure

when receiving ammonium hydroxide does

not significantly increase the consequences

of other accidents due to the short duration

of these events, the ability to re-align the

system to the pressurization mode manually,

and the suspension of Core Alterations or

fuel movement.

The CREACS as modified satisfies

[technical specification] TS Bases 3.7.6. The

CREACS ensures that (1) the ambient air

temperature does not exceed the allowable

temperature for continuous duty rating for

equipment and instrumentation cooled by

the CREACS and (2) the Control Room will

remain habitable for operations personnel

during and following all credible accident

conditions.

The proposed changes reflect the

commonality of the Salem Unit 1 and Unit

2 [common room envelope] CRE and the

supporting CREACS trains by adopting the

guidance for required actions, allowed outage

times, and testing provided in the [Standard

Technical Specification] STS.

Therefore, the proposed TS change does

not involve a significant increase in the

probability or consequences of an accident

previously evaluated.

2. The proposed change does not create the

possibility of a new or different kind of

accident from any accident previously

evaluated.

The establishment of the CREACS as a

shared system for both Units 1 and 2 will not

result in a new accident release scenario. The

upgraded CREACS reflected by this submittal

revises the emergency operating mode from

the original recirculation mode to a

pressurization mode in the event of a

radiological emergency. This change in

CREACS operating philosophy is in support

of compliance with the limits of GDC 19.

Modifications to the Salem control rooms

regarding the controlled atmospheric

boundary configuration and how the

configuration is maintained cannot result in

new accident scenarios.

Therefore, the proposed TS change does

not create the possibility of a new or different

kind of accident from any accident

previously evaluated.

3. The proposed change does not involve

a significant reduction in a margin of safety.

The proposed changes support

modifications to the CREACS as part of

corrective actions identified in Licensee

Event Reports with the intent of compliance

with General Design Criterion 19 limits. The

changes do no[t] impact the existing safety

analyses while retaining and meeting current

requirements and General Design Criteria

limitations and gaining a redundancy in the

affected system. The modified CREACS

meets the TS Bases 3.7.6 requirements.

CREACS ensures that (1) the ambient air

temperature does not exceed the allowable

temperature for continuous duty rating for

equipment and instrumentation cooled by

the CREACS and (2) the Control Room will

remain habitable for operations personnel

during and following all credible accident

conditions. This clarification of the CREACS

operability requirements and the application

of more conservative requirements to Unit 1

will result in a net increase to operator safety.

Therefore, the proposed TS change does

not involve a significant reduction in the

margin of safety.

The NRC staff has reviewed the

licensee’s analysis and, based on this

review, it appears that the three

standards of 10 CFR 50.92(c) are

satisfied. Therefore, the NRC staff

proposes to determine that the

amendment request involves no

significant hazards consideration.

The Commission is seeking public

comments on this proposed

determination. Any comments received

within 30 days after the date of