[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 72 (Monday, April 14, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20072-20073]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-7848]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-150]
Ohio State University Research Reactor; Notice of Issuance of
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of a renewed Facility License No. R-75, to be held by Ohio
State University (OSU or the licensee), which would authorize continued
operation of the Ohio State University Research Reactor (OSURR),
located in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. Therefore, pursuant to 10
CFR 51.21, the NRC is issuing an Environmental Assessment and Finding
of No Significant Impact.
Description of Proposed Action
The proposed action is approval of the licensee's application for
renewal of Facility License No. R-75 for a period of 20 years from the
date of issuance of the renewed license. The proposed action is in
accordance with the licensee's application dated December 15, 1999, as
supplemented on August 21, 2002, August 18, 2005, July 26, 2006, May
22, 2007, May 31, 2007, September 4, and September 28, 2007; and
February 29, 2008.
The OSURR is located approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of the
main campus on land owned by OSU and is a part of the Ohio State
University Research Center. The site comprises the reactor building and
a small area immediately surrounding it, bounded by a chain-link fence.
The nearest permanent residences are located approximately 0.3 miles
(0.5 km) to the west and approximately 0.3 miles (0.5 km) to the south.
There are no nearby industrial, transportation, or military facilities
that could pose a threat to the OSURR.
The OSURR is a pool-type, light water moderated and cooled research
reactor licensed to operate at a steady-state power level of 500
kilowatts thermal power (kW(t)). A detailed description of the reactor
can be found in the OSURR Safety Analysis Report (SAR). The major
modifications to the Facility License were conversion from high
enriched fuel to low enriched fuel in 1988 and a licensed power
increase from 10 kW(t) to 500 kW(t) in November 1990.
The licensee has not requested any changes to the facility design
or operating conditions as part of the renewal request. The proposed
action will not significantly increase the probability or consequences
of accidents. No changes are being made in the types of effluents that
may be released off site. There is no significant increase in
occupational or public radiation exposure. Therefore, license renewal
should not change the environmental impact of facility operation.
Summary of the Environmental Assessment
The NRC staff reviewed the licensee's application which included an
Environmental Report. To document its review, the NRC staff has
prepared an environmental assessment (EA) which discusses the OSURR
site and facility; radiological impacts of gaseous, liquid, and solid
effluents; environmental and personnel radiation monitoring; radiation
dose estimates for the maximum hypothetical accident (MHA); impacts of
the ``no action'' alternative to the proposed action; alternative use
of resources; considerations related to the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA); and presents the radiological and non-radiological
environmental impacts of the proposed action.
Finding of No Significant Impact
On the basis of the environmental assessment, the NRC concludes
that the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the
quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the NRC has determined
not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed
action.
For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the
licensee's letter dated December 15, 1999 (ML993610185), as
supplemented by letters dated August 21, 2002 (ML022380431), August 18,
2005 (ML052350564); July 26, 2006 (ML062090072); May 22, 2007
(ML071430417); May 31, 2007(ML071550098); September 4, 2007
(ML072490367); September 28, 2007 (ML072750038); and February 29, 2008
(ML080650352). Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at
the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North,
11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly
available records will be accessible electronically from the Agencywide
Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic
Reading Room on the NRC
[[Page 20073]]
Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. The EA can be found
in ADAMS under Accession Number ML070230004. Persons who do not have
access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents
located in ADAMS should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff at 1-800-
397-4209, or 301-415-4737, or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 7th day of April, 2008.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Daniel S. Collins,
Chief, Research and Test Reactors Branch A, Division of Policy and
Rulemaking, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E8-7848 Filed 4-11-08; 8:45 am]
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