Source: https://regulations.justia.com/regulations/fedreg/2007/09/27/E7-19077.html
Timestamp: 2019-07-16 18:10:17
Document Index: 431512915

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 51', 'art 51', 'art 51', 'art 30', 'art 20', 'art 20', 'art 20', 'art 51', 'art 51', 'art 51', 'art 30', 'art 51']

Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for License Amendment to Byproduct Materials License No. 20-00315-02, for Termination of the License and Unrestricted Release of the Department of the Army, Natick Soldier Center's Facility in Natick, MA, 54949-54951 [E7-19077] :: Nuclear Regulatory Commission :: Agencies And Commissions :: Regulation Tracker :: Justia
Justia Regulation Tracker Agencies And Commissions Nuclear Regulatory Commission Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for License Amendment to Byproduct Materials License No. 20-00315-02, for Termination of the License and Unrestricted Release of the Department of the Army, Natick Soldier Center's Facility in Natick, MA, 54949-54951 [E7-19077]
Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for License Amendment to Byproduct Materials License No. 20-00315-02, for Termination of the License and Unrestricted Release of the Department of the Army, Natick Soldier Center's Facility in Natick, MA, 54949-54951 [E7-19077]
Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 187 / Thursday, September 27, 2007 / Notices 4.0 Tiering Tiering refers to the coverage of general matters in broader environmental impact statements with subsequent narrower statements or environmental analyses incorporating by reference the general discussions and concentrating solely on the issues specific to the statement (40 CFR 1508.28). The NRC intends to use the GEIS to address common issues associated with environmental reviews of ISL uranium milling facilities located in the western United States and then develop site-specific environmental assessments or site-specific environmental impact statements which will tier off the common issues identified and evaluated in the GEIS. 5.0 Scoping Meetings This NOI is to encourage public involvement in the GEIS process and to solicit public comments on the proposed scope and content of the GEIS. NRC will hold public scoping meetings as described above to solicit both oral and written comments from interested parties. Scoping is an early and open process designed to determine the range of actions, alternatives, and potential impacts to be considered in the GEIS, and to identify the significant issues related to the proposed action. Scoping is intended to solicit input from the public and other agencies so that the analysis can be more clearly focused on issues of genuine concern. The principal goals of the scoping process are to: —Identify public concerns; —Ensure that concerns are identified early and are properly studied; —Identify alternatives that will be examined; —Identify significant issues that need to be analyzed; and —Eliminate unimportant issues. The scoping meetings will begin with NRC staff providing a description of NRC’s role and mission followed by a brief overview of NRC’s environmental review process and goals of the scoping meeting. The bulk of the meeting will be allotted for attendees to make oral comments. rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES 6.0 Scoping Comments Written comments should be mailed to the address listed above in the ADDRESSES section. Scoping comments may also be submitted electronically via e-mail to URLGEIS@nrc.gov. The NRC staff will prepare a scoping summary report, in which it will summarize public comments. The NRC will make the scoping summary report and projectrelated materials available for public VerDate Aug<31>2005 16:40 Sep 26, 2007 Jkt 211001 review through its electronic reading room: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/ adams.html. Further, an NRC Web site will be established in the near future to keep the public abreast of the current schedule and to post important documents. 6.0 The NEPA Process The GEIS will be prepared according to NEPA and NRC’s NEPA implementing regulations contained in 10 CFR part 51. After the scoping process is complete, the NRC will prepare a draft GEIS. The draft GEIS is scheduled to be published by April 2008. A 45-day comment period on the draft GEIS is planned, and a public meeting(s) to receive comments will be held approximately three weeks after publication of the draft GEIS. Availability of the draft GEIS, the dates of the public comment period, and information about the public meeting will be announced in the Federal Register, on NRC’s web page, and in the local news media. The final GEIS is expected to be published in January 2009 and will be incorporate, as appropriate, public comments received on the draft GEIS. Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 21st day of September, 2007. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Gregory Suber, Branch Chief, Environmental Review Branch, Environmental Protection and Performance Assessment Directorate, Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection, Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs. [FR Doc. E7–19081 Filed 9–26–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. 030–04578] Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for License Amendment to Byproduct Materials License No. 20–00315–02, for Termination of the License and Unrestricted Release of the Department of the Army, Natick Soldier Center’s Facility in Natick, MA Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Issuance of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for License Amendment. AGENCY: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Betsy Ullrich, Commercial and R&D Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials PO 00000 Frm 00061 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 54949 Safety, Region I, 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania 19406; telephone (610) 337–5040; fax number (610) 337–5269; or by e-mail: exu@nrc.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the issuance of a license amendment to Byproduct Materials License No. 20– 00315–02. This license is held by the Department of the Army, Natick Soldier Center, Research, Development and Engineering Command (the Licensee), for its Soldier Systems Center, located at Kansas Street in Natick, Massachusetts (the Facility). Issuance of the amendment would authorize release of the Facility for unrestricted use and termination of the NRC license. The Licensee requested this action in a letter dated May 31, 2007. The NRC has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) in support of this proposed action in accordance with the requirements of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), part 51 (10 CFR part 51). Based on the EA, the NRC has concluded that a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate with respect to the proposed action. The amendment will be issued to the License following the publication of this FONSI and EA in the Federal Register. II. Environmental Assessment Identification of Proposed Action The proposed action would approve the Licensee’s May 31, 2007, license amendment request, resulting in release of the Facility for unrestricted use and the termination of its NRC materials license. License No. 20–00315–02 was issued on April 23, 1958, pursuant to 10 CFR part 30, and has been amended periodically since that time. This license authorized the Licensee to use unsealed byproduct material for purposes of conducting research and development activities on laboratory bench tops and in hoods. The Facility is situated on 76 acres and consists of office space and laboratories. The Facility is located in a residential and recreational area. Within the Facility, use of licensed materials was confined to Buildings 3, 4, 30, and 89. In 2004, the Licensee ceased licensed activities and initiated a survey and decontamination of the Facility. Based on the Licensee’s historical knowledge of the site and the conditions of the Facility, the Licensee determined that only routine decontamination activities, in accordance with their NRC-approved, E:\FR\FM\27SEN1.SGM 27SEN1 54950 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 187 / Thursday, September 27, 2007 / Notices operating radiation safety procedures, were required. The Licensee was not required to submit a decommissioning plan to the NRC because worker cleanup activities and procedures are consistent with those approved for routine operations. The Licensee conducted surveys of the Facility and provided information to the NRC to demonstrate that it meets the criteria in Subpart E of 10 CFR part 20 for unrestricted release and for license termination. rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES Need for the Proposed Action The Licensee has ceased conducting licensed activities at the Facility, and seeks the unrestricted use of its Facility and the termination of its NRC materials license. Termination of its license would end the Licensee’s obligation to pay annual license fees to the NRC. Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action The historical review of licensed activities conducted at the Facility shows that such activities involved use of the following radionuclides with halflives greater than 120 days: hydrogen-3 and carbon-14 in unsealed forms, and nickel-63 and other sealed sources. Prior to performing the final status survey, the Licensee conducted decontamination activities, as necessary, in the areas of the Facility affected by these radionuclides. The Licensee conducted a final status survey in December 2006. This survey covered Buildings 3, 30, and 89. Building 4 was surveyed previously in 1996 when licensed activities were ceased in that location, and those survey results were provided. The final status survey report was attached to the Licensee’s amendment request dated May 31, 2007. The Licensee elected to demonstrate compliance with the radiological criteria for unrestricted release as specified in 10 CFR 20.1402 by using the screening approach described in NUREG–1757, ‘‘Consolidated NMSS Decommissioning Guidance,’’ Volume 2. The Licensee used the radionuclide-specific derived concentration guideline levels (DCGLs), developed there by the NRC, which comply with the dose criterion in 10 CFR 20.1402. These DCGLs define the maximum amount of residual radioactivity on building surfaces, equipment, and materials, and in soils, that will satisfy the NRC requirements in Subpart E of 10 CFR part 20 for unrestricted release. The Licensee’s final status survey results were below these DCGLs and are in compliance with the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) requirement of 10 CFR 20.1402. The NRC thus finds that VerDate Aug<31>2005 16:40 Sep 26, 2007 Jkt 211001 the Licensee’s final status survey results are acceptable. Based on its review, the staff has determined that the affected environment and any environmental impacts associated with the proposed action are bounded by the impacts evaluated by the ‘‘Generic Environmental Impact Statement in Support of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of NRCLicensed Nuclear Facilities’’ (NUREG– 1496) Volumes 1–3 (ML042310492, ML042320379, and ML042330385). The staff finds there were no significant environmental impacts from the use of radioactive material at the Facility. The NRC staff reviewed the docket file records and the final status survey report to identify any non-radiological hazards that may have impacted the environment surrounding the Facility. No such hazards or impacts to the environment were identified. The NRC has identified no other radiological or non-radiological activities in the area that could result in cumulative environmental impacts. The NRC staff finds that the proposed release of the Facility for unrestricted use and the termination of the NRC materials license is in compliance with 10 CFR 20.1402. Based on its review, the staff considered the impact of the residual radioactivity at the Facility and concluded that the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment. Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action Due to the largely administrative nature of the proposed action, its environmental impacts are small. Therefore, the only alternative the staff considered is the no-action alternative, under which the staff would leave things as they are by simply denying the amendment request. This no-action alternative is not feasible because it conflicts with 10 CFR 30.36(d), requiring that decommissioning of byproduct material facilities be completed and approved by the NRC after licensed activities cease. The NRC’s analysis of the Licensee’s final status survey data confirmed that the Facility meets the requirements of 10 CFR 20.1402 for unrestricted release and for license termination. Additionally, denying the amendment request would result in no change in current environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the proposed action and the no-action alternative are therefore similar, and the no-action alternative is accordingly not further considered. PO 00000 Frm 00062 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Conclusion The NRC staff has concluded that the proposed action is consistent with the NRC’s unrestricted release criteria specified in 10 CFR 20.1402. Because the proposed action will not significantly impact the quality of the human environment, the NRC staff concludes that the proposed action is the preferred alternative. Agencies and Persons Consulted NRC provided a draft of this Environmental Assessment to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Public Health, Radiation Control Program for review on July 23, 2007. On September 13, 2007, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Public Health, Radiation Control Program responded by e-mail. The Commonwealth agreed with the conclusions of the EA, and otherwise had no comments. The NRC staff has determined that the proposed action is of a procedural nature, and will not affect listed species or critical habitat. Therefore, no further consultation is required under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. The NRC staff has also determined that the proposed action is not the type of activity that has the potential to cause effects on historic properties. Therefore, no further consultation is required under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. III. Finding of No Significant Impact The NRC staff has prepared this EA in support of the proposed action. On the basis of this EA, the NRC finds that there are no significant environmental impacts from the proposed action, and that preparation of an environmental impact statement is not warranted. Accordingly, the NRC has determined that a Finding of No Significant Impact is appropriate. IV. Further Information Documents related to this action, including the application for license amendment and supporting documentation, are available electronically at the NRC’s Electronic Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/ reading-rm/adams.html. From this site, you can access the NRC’s Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image files of NRC’s public documents. The documents related to this action are listed below, along with their ADAMS accession numbers. 1. Letter dated May 31, 2007, requesting termination of the license [ML071630222]. E:\FR\FM\27SEN1.SGM 27SEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 187 / Thursday, September 27, 2007 / Notices 2. Final Status Survey Report, Natick Soldier Center, Research, Development and Engineering Command, Soldier Systems Center, Natick, Massachusetts, USA Project 2005–030, April 2007 [ML071630361 and ML071630369]. 3. Sierra Army Depot Radiological Survey and Assessment Report #01–04– 96, dated 18 June 1996, for the Development Building (#4) [ML071640172]. 4. NUREG–1757, ‘‘Consolidated NMSS Decommissioning Guidance;’’ 5. Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 20, Subpart E, ‘‘Radiological Criteria for License Termination;’’ 6. Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 51, ‘‘Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions;’’ 7. NUREG–1496, ‘‘Generic Environmental Impact Statement in Support of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of NRCLicensed Nuclear Facilities.’’ If you do not have access to ADAMS, or if there are problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1–800–397–4209, 301– 415–4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov. These documents may also be viewed electronically on the public computers located at the NRC’s PDR, O 1 F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee. Dated at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania this 21st day of September, 2007. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. James P. Dwyer, Chief, Commercial and R&D Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety Region I. [FR Doc. E7–19077 Filed 9–26–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE Request for Public Comments on Annual Review of Country Eligibility for Benefits Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act Office of the United States Trade Representative. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES AGENCY: SUMMARY: The African Growth and Opportunity Act Implementation Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee (the ‘‘Subcommittee’’) is requesting written public comments for the annual review of the eligibility of VerDate Aug<31>2005 16:40 Sep 26, 2007 Jkt 211001 sub-Saharan African countries to receive the benefits of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The Subcommittee will consider these comments in developing recommendations on AGOA country eligibility for the President. Comments received related to the child labor criteria may also be considered by the Secretary of Labor for the preparation of the Department of Labor’s report on child labor as required under section 412(c) of the Trade and Development Act of 2000. This notice identifies the eligibility criteria that must be considered under AGOA, and lists those sub-Saharan African countries that are currently eligible for the benefits of the AGOA, and those that are currently ineligible for such benefits. DATES: Public comments are due at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) by noon, Monday, October 22, 2007. ADDRESSES: USTR prefers submission by electronic mail: FR0720@ustr.eop.gov. If you are unable to make a submission by e-mail, submissions should be made by facsimile to: Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, at (202) 395–6143. The public is strongly encouraged to submit documents electronically rather than by facsimile. See requirements for submissions below. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions, please contact Gloria Blue, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, 600 17th Street, NW., Room F516, Washington, DC 20508, at (202) 395–3475. All other questions should be directed to Constance Hamilton, Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, at (202) 395– 9514. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The AGOA (Title I of the Trade and Development Act of 2000, Pub. L. 106– 200) (19 U.S.C. 3721 et seq.), as amended, authorizes the President to designate sub-Saharan African countries as beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries eligible for duty-free treatment for certain additional products under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) (Title V of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2461 et seq.) (the ‘‘1974 Act’’)), as well as for the preferential treatment the AGOA provides for certain textile and apparel articles. The President may designate a country as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country eligible for both the additional GSP benefits and the textile and apparel benefits of the AGOA for countries meeting certain statutory requirements intended to prevent PO 00000 Frm 00063 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 54951 unlawful transshipment of such articles, if he determines that the country meets the eligibility criteria set forth in: (1) Section 104 of the AGOA; and (2) section 502 of the 1974 Act. For 2007, 39 countries have been designated as beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries. These countries, as well as the 9 countries currently ineligible, are listed below. Section 506A of the 1974 Act provides that the President shall monitor, review, and report to Congress annually on the progress of each subSaharan African country in meeting the foregoing eligibility criteria in order to determine whether each beneficiary sub-Saharan African country should continue to be eligible, and whether each sub-Saharan African country that is currently not a beneficiary subSaharan African country, should be designated as such a country. The President’s determinations will be included in the annual report submitted to Congress as required by Section 106 of the AGOA. Section 506A of the 1974 Act requires that, if the President determines that a beneficiary subSaharan African country is not making continual progress in meeting the eligibility requirements, he must terminate the designation of the country as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country. The Subcommittee is seeking public comments in connection with the annual review of the eligibility of beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries for the AGOA’s benefits. The Subcommittee will consider any such comments in developing recommendations on country eligibility for the President. Comments related to the child labor criteria may also be considered by the Secretary of Labor in making the findings required under section 504 of the 1974 Act. The following sub-Saharan African countries were designated as beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries in 2007: Angola Republic of Benin Republic of Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Republic of Cape Verde Republic of Cameroon Republic of Chad Republic of Congo Democratic Republic of Congo Republic of Djibouti Ethiopia Gabonese Republic The Gambia Republic of Ghana Republic of Guinea Republic of Guinea-Bissau Republic of Kenya E:\FR\FM\27SEN1.SGM 27SEN1
[Pages 54949-54951]
[FR Doc No: E7-19077]
[Docket No. 030-04578]
License No. 20-00315-02, for Termination of the License and
Unrestricted Release of the Department of the Army, Natick Soldier
Center's Facility in Natick, MA
Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania 19406; telephone (610) 337-5040;
fax number (610) 337-5269; or by e-mail: exu@nrc.gov.
issuance of a license amendment to Byproduct Materials License No. 20-
00315-02. This license is held by the Department of the Army, Natick
Soldier Center, Research, Development and Engineering Command (the
Licensee), for its Soldier Systems Center, located at Kansas Street in
Natick, Massachusetts (the Facility). Issuance of the amendment would
dated May 31, 2007. The NRC has prepared an Environmental Assessment
requirements of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), part 51
(10 CFR part 51). Based on the EA, the NRC has concluded that a Finding
of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate with respect to the
proposed action. The amendment will be issued to the License following
the publication of this FONSI and EA in the Federal Register.
The proposed action would approve the Licensee's May 31, 2007,
License No. 20-00315-02 was issued on April 23, 1958, pursuant to 10
CFR part 30, and has been amended periodically since that time. This
The Facility is situated on 76 acres and consists of office space
and laboratories. The Facility is located in a residential and
recreational area. Within the Facility, use of licensed materials was
confined to Buildings 3, 4, 30, and 89.
In 2004, the Licensee ceased licensed activities and initiated a
survey and decontamination of the Facility. Based on the Licensee's
in accordance with their NRC-approved,
carbon-14 in unsealed forms, and nickel-63 and other sealed sources.
Prior to performing the final status survey, the Licensee conducted
The Licensee conducted a final status survey in December 2006. This
survey covered Buildings 3, 30, and 89. Building 4 was surveyed
previously in 1996 when licensed activities were ceased in that
location, and those survey results were provided. The final status
May 31, 2007. The Licensee elected to demonstrate compliance with the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Public Health, Radiation
Control Program for review on July 23, 2007. On September 13, 2007, The
Control Program responded by e-mail. The Commonwealth agreed with the
1. Letter dated May 31, 2007, requesting termination of the license
[ML071630222].
2. Final Status Survey Report, Natick Soldier Center, Research,
Development and Engineering Command, Soldier Systems Center, Natick,
Massachusetts, USA Project 2005-030, April 2007 [ML071630361 and
ML071630369].
3. Sierra Army Depot Radiological Survey and Assessment Report
01-04-96, dated 18 June 1996, for the Development Building
(4) [ML071640172].
4. NUREG-1757, ``Consolidated NMSS Decommissioning Guidance;''
6. Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 51, ``Environmental
Dated at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania this 21st day of
[FR Doc. E7-19077 Filed 9-26-07; 8:45 am]