[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 89 (Friday, May 7, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25616-25617]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-1035]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 40-6940]
Finding of No Significant Impact and Notice of Availability of
the Environmental Assessment Addressing License Renewal, Cabot
Corporation, Boyertown, PA
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding
of No Significant Impact.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elaine Brummett, Fuel Cycle Facilities
Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Mail Stop T8-A33, Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone (301) 415-6606
and e-mail esb@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the
issuance of an amendment for the renewal of Source Material License
SMB-920 for the Cabot Corporation (through its subsidiary, Cabot
Supermetals (CSM)) for continued operations. The facility uses ore
containing source material (uranium and thorium) to produce tanalium
and niobium at the Boyertown, Pennsylvania site. All the processes in
the plant and most of the radiological procedures have remained
unchanged, except for the detailed procedures for monitoring and
analyzing radiological conditions. Also, Cabot has modified the
radiation safety programs in order to strengthen and improve the levels
of management and the employee involvement. The licensee's revised
application for license renewal was received electronically on March
24, 2004, and the CSM transmittal letter was dated March 29, 2004. The
original application was previously noticed in the Federal Register on
June 5, 2002 (67 FR 38679), with an opportunity to provide written
comments or to request a hearing.
II. Summary of the Environmental Assessment
The EA was prepared to evaluate the environmental impacts
associated with continued operation of the Boyertown facility. In the
conduct of its evaluation, the NRC considered the following: (1) The
CSM revised application; (2) information contained in prior
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environmental evaluations of the facility; (3) information in the Cabot
environmental monitoring reports; (4) information derived from the NRC
site visits and inspections of the site; and (5) from communications
with CSM, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the
State Historic Preservation Office, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service. In preparing the EA, the NRC evaluated the potential impacts
to cultural resources, threatened and endangered species, ambient air
quality, surface waters, and groundwater at the Boyertown site.
Additionally, the NRC evaluated the potential impacts to members of the
public from the plant activities, including the potential radiological
impacts. The results of the staff's evaluation are documented in an EA
which is available electronically for public inspection or from the
Publicly Available Records (PARS) component of NRC's document system
(ADAMS). The safety aspects of the Boyertown operations are discussed
separately in a Safety Evaluation Report that will accompany the
agency's final licensing action on CSM's request to renew Source
Materials License SMB-920.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
Pursuant to 10 CFR part 51, the NRC has prepared the EA, summarized
above. The NRC staff has concluded that current operation and the
proposed licensing action of continued operation of the Cabot facility
will not have a significant impact on the environment. The proposed NRC
approval of the action, when combined with known effects on resource
areas at the site, is not anticipated to result in any cumulative
impacts. Therefore, the NRC staff has concluded that there will be no
significant environmental impacts on the quality of the human
environment and, accordingly, the staff has determined that preparation
of an Environmental Impact Statement is not warranted.
IV. Further Information
The EA for this proposed action, as well as the licensee's request,
as revised, are available electronically for public inspection in the
NRC's Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records
(PARS) component of NRC's document system (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible
from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. The
ADAMS Accession Numbers for the licensee's revised application is:
ML040860628 and ML040860633, March 23, 2004 (Form 313 dated February 6,
2004), and ML040930203, March 29, 2004. The ADAMS Accession Number for
the EA is: ML041030379, April 12, 2004. Most of the documents
referenced in the EA are also available through ADAMS. Documents can
also be viewed electronically on the public computers located at the
NRC's Public Document Room, O1 F21, One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852.
The PDR reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee.
Persons who do not have access to ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR
Reference staff by telephone at 1 (800) 397-4209, or (301) 415-4737, or
by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov.
Dated in Rockville, Maryland, this 29th day of April, 2004.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Elaine Brummett,
Project Manager, Fuel Cycle Facilities Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle
Safety and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and
Safeguards.
[FR Doc. E4-1035 Filed 5-6-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P