[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 120 (Monday, June 23, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37178-37179]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-15733]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 030-04783]
Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of
No Significant Impact for a License Amendment for the Dow Chemical
Company Facility in Midland, MI
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering amending The
Dow Chemical Company (Dow Chemical) Byproduct Material License Number
21-00265-06 to authorize the use a new incinerator for the disposal of
radioactive waste at its facility in Midland, Michigan and has prepared
an Environmental Assessment (EA) in support of this action in
accordance
[[Page 37179]]
with the requirements in 10 CFR part 51. Based on the EA, the NRC has
concluded that a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is
appropriate.
II. EA Summary
An EA has been prepared to evaluate the environmental impacts of
the proposed amendment to Dow Chemical Byproduct Material License to
authorize the licensee to use a new incinerator for the disposal of
radioactive waste at its facility in Midland, Michigan. The amendment
would reflect that radioactive waste will be disposed of using a new 33
Incinerator instead of either the 703 or 830 Incinerators. Pursuant to
10 CFR 20.1302 and 10 CFR 20.2002, the license has been authorized
since 1966 to dispose of licensed material by incineration, provided
the gaseous effluents from incineration did not exceed ten percent of
the limits specified in Appendix B, Table II, 10 CFR Part 20.
On October 28, 2002, Dow Chemical notified the NRC that, to meet
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements, it was in the
process of upgrading its Incineration Complex from two existing rotary
kilns (703 Incinerator and 830 Incinerator) which are currently used to
incinerate waste, to a single story rotary kiln. The new kiln is close
to completion, and is expected to begin operation by October 1, 2003.
Although both existing kilns are licensed to incinerate radioactive
waste, only the 703 Incinerator has been used for that purpose. The 830
Incinerator had been licensed to burn radioactive waste in 1998 in
anticipation of it being upgraded to meet the new EPA requirements, but
Dow Chemical subsequently decided to build a new incinerator in place
of upgrading the 830 Incinerator.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC staff has evaluated Dow Chemical's request in an EA
(summarized above). On the basis of the EA, NRC has concluded that
there will not be a significant effect on the quality of the human
environment resulting from the incineration of radioactive waste in the
32 Incinerator at its facility in Midland, Michigan. Accordingly, NRC
has concluded that a FONSI is appropriate and has determined not to
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed action.
IV. Further Information
The Environmental Assessment and other documents related to this
proposed action, including the application for the license amendment
and supporting documentation, are available for inspection at NRC's
Public Electronic Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. ADAMS Accession No. ML031470394 and ML031540803 for the
licensee's letter requesting the amendment and ML031540819 for other
documents related to this action). These documents are also available
for inspection and copying for a fee at the Region III Office, 801
Warrenville Road, Lisle, Illinois 60532-4351. Any questions with
respect to this action should be referred to William Snell, Health
Physics Manager, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials
Safety (DNMS), Region III, 801 Warrenville Road, Lisle, Illinois 60532-
4351; telephone (630) 829-9871 or by email at [email protected].
Dated at Lisle, Illinois, this 10th day of June, 2003.
Christopher G. Miller,
Chief, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety,
RIII.
[FR Doc. 03-15733 Filed 6-20-03; 8:45 am]
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