[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 98 (Monday, May 22, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29362-29364]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-7774]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 030-34325]
Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of
No Significant Impact for An Amendment to a Materials Permit in
Accordance With Byproduct Materials License No. 03-23853-01VA, for
Unrestricted Release of a Department of Veterans Affairs's Facility In
West Haven, CT
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Issuance of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for License Amendment.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Snell, Senior Health
Physicist, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials
Safety, Region III, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 2443
Warrenville Road, Lisle, Illinois 60532; telephone: (630) 829-9871; fax
number: (630) 515-1259; or by e-mail at wgs@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
allowing an amendment to a materials permit in accordance with NRC
Byproduct Materials License No. 03-23853-01VA issued to the Department
of Veterans Affairs (DVA) (the licensee), to authorize release of its
Connecticut Health Care System Building 27 in West Haven, Connecticut
for unrestricted use. 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. The approval for the
amendment to the materials permit will be issued to the DVA following
the publication of this Notice.
II. Environmental Assessment
Identification of Proposed Action
The proposed action would approve DVA's request to issue an
amendment to a materials permit in accordance with NRC Byproduct
Materials License No. 03-23853-01VA for the unrestricted release of
Building 27 of the DVA's Connecticut Health Care System at 950 Campbell
Avenue, West Haven, Connecticut. The proposed action is in accordance
with the DVA's request to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
on February 21, 2006 (ADAMS Accession No. ML060540225), to approve the
release of the facility for unrestricted use, and is consistent with
the current NRC policy to review all DVA permittee requests for the
release of buildings for unrestricted use where radioactive materials
with a half-life greater than 120 days were used. The DVA identified
two isotopes of concern with half-lives greater than 120 days that it
used in Research Building 27 of the West Haven, Connecticut facility:
hydrogen-3 and carbon-14. The DVA was authorized by the NRC to use
byproduct material for medical research at the West Haven Building 27
facility since it was renovated in 1973. Licensed materials were not
used in outdoor areas.
The building is 2334 square feet of space comprised of medical
research
[[Page 29363]]
laboratories, office space, break room and bathroom, located in a
hospital compound area. The walls were painted cinder block and the
floors were concrete covered with vinyl flooring.
On January 5, 2006, the DVA ceased licensed activities and
initiated facility surveys and decontamination. Based on the licensee's
historical knowledge of the site and the conditions of the facility,
the DVA determined that only routine decontamination activities, in
accordance with their radiation safety procedures, were required. The
DVA was not required to submit a decommissioning plan to the NRC. On
February 21, 2006, the DVA requested that NRC approve the release of
the facility for unrestricted use. The DVA conducted facility surveys
and provided information to the NRC to demonstrate that the site meets
the license termination criteria in Subpart E of 10 CFR Part 20 for
unrestricted release.
Need for the Proposed Action
The licensee is requesting approval of the amendment to allow for
the release of Building 27 for unrestricted use. The licensee needs
this permit change because it no longer plans to conduct licensed
activities in this building. NRC is fulfilling its responsibilities
under the Atomic Energy Act to make a timely decision on a proposed
permit amendment for release of a facility for unrestricted use that
ensures protection of public health and safety and the environment.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff has reviewed the information provided and surveys
performed by the DVA to demonstrate compliance with the 10 CFR 20.1402,
``Radiological Criteria for Unrestricted Use'' license termination
criteria. Based on its review, the staff has determined that the
affected environment and environmental impacts associated with the
release for unrestricted use of the DVA facilities 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). The staff also finds
that the proposed release for unrestricted use of the DVA facilities is
in compliance with 10 CFR 20.1402. The NRC has found no other
activities in the area that could result in cumulative impacts. 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
Since the facility at the DVA site has already been surveyed and
found acceptable for release for unrestricted use, the only alternative
to the proposed action of approving the permit amendment and release of
the West Haven facility for unrestricted use is denial of the proposed
action (i.e. no action). Denial of the application would result in no
change in current environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of
the proposed action and the alternative action are similar, and the no-
action alternative is accordingly not further considered.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
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. Likewise, the NRC staff have 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.
NRC provided a draft of its Environmental Assessment to the
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, Division of
Radiation, for review on April 18, 2006. The State had no comments
regarding the EA.
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.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The staff has prepared the EA in support of the proposed amendment
to the materials permit for the unrestricted release of the facility.
The staff has found that the radiological environmental impacts from
the proposed action are bounded by the impacts evaluated by NUREG-1496,
Volumes 1-3, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement in Support of
Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of NRC-
Licensed Facilities'' (ML042310492, ML042320379, and ML042330385).
Additionally, no non-radiological or cumulative impacts were
identified. On the basis of the EA, the NRC has concluded that there
are no significant environmental impacts from the proposed action, and
has determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement.
List of Preparers
William Snell, Senior Health Physicist, Division of Nuclear
Materials Safety, Region III
Sources Used
1. NRC Byproduct Materials License Nos. 03-23853-01VA, 06-00092-05,
and 06-11222-01, inspection and licensing records.
2. Historical Site Assessment and Final Status Survey Results for
Building 27 of the DVA Connecticut Health Care System, provided
under cover letter dated February 21, 2006.
3. Federal Register Notice, Volume 65, No. 114, page 37186, dated
Tuesday, June 13, 2000, ``Use of Screening Values to Demonstrate
Compliance With The Federal Rule on Radiological Criteria for
License Termination.''
4. Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 20, Subpart E,
``Radiological Criteria for License Termination.''
5. Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 51, ``Environmental
Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory
Functions.''
6. NUREG-1496, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement in Support
of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of
NRC-Licensed Nuclear Facilities.''
IV. Further Information
Documents related to this action, including the application for
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. 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 email 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.
The ADAMS accession numbers for the documents related to this
Notice are:
[[Page 29364]]
1. E. Lynn McGuire, Department of Veterans Affairs, letter to U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, February 21, 2006 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML060540225).
Dated at Lisle, Illinois, this 10th day of May 2006.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jamnes L. Cameron,
Chief, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety,
Region III.
[FR Doc. E6-7774 Filed 5-19-06; 8:45 am]
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