Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2007/12/10/E7-23902/notice-of-availability-of-environmental-assessment-and-finding-of-no-significant-impact-for-license
Timestamp: 2017-08-16 20:25:13
Document Index: 366451431

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

Federal Register :: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for License Amendment To Byproduct Materials License No. 52-13508-03 for Termination of the License and Unrestricted Release of the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico Facility in Ponce, Puerto Rico
72 FR 69716
69716-69718 (3 pages)
Docket No. 030-19921
E7-23902
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E7-23902 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E7-23902
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the issuance of a license amendment to Byproduct Materials License No. 52-13508-03. This license is held by Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico (the Licensee), for its Ferre Science Building located near Avenue Las Americas in Ponce, Puerto Rico (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 June 16, 2006, and provided additional information in letters dated November 16, 2006, and August 22, 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 Licensee following the publication of this FONSI and EA in the Federal Register.
The proposed action would approve the Licensee's June 16, 2006, license amendment request, resulting in release of the Facility for unrestricted use and the termination of its NRC materials license. License No. 52-13508-03 was issued on July 26, 1983, 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 a building containing 13,274 square feet of classroom, office, and laboratory space. Within the Facility, use of licensed materials was confined to rooms Fe-119 and Fe-120. The area of use totaled 468 square feet. The Facility is located in a mixed residential/commercial area.
In 1989, the Licensee ceased licensed activities at the Facility and initiated a survey and decontamination actions there. The request to release the facility Start Printed Page 69717and terminate the license was delayed due to the difficulty in finding a waste vendor. 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, 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.
The Licensee conducted final status surveys on March 26 and during May 2007. This survey covered rooms Fe-119 and Fe-120. 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, 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 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 NRC-Licensed 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.
NRC provided a draft of this Environmental Assessment to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for review on October 9, 2007. On November 26, 2007, the Division de Salud Radiologica responded by electronic mail. The Commonwealth agreed with the conclusions of the EA, and otherwise had no comments.
2. Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 20, Subpart E, “Radiological Criteria for License Termination;” Start Printed Page 69718
5. Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico Termination Request dated June 16, 2006 [ML072630543].
6. Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico Additional Information letter dated August 22, 2007 [ML072420457].
7. Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico Additional Information letter dated November 16, 2006 [ML070590570].
Dated at Region I, 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, PA, this 3rd day of December 2007.