[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 73 (Friday, April 15, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-9104]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: April 15, 1994]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 40-8584]
Kennecott Uranium Co.; Sweetwater Uranium Mill
AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of intent to amend Source Material License SUA-1350 to
authorize disposal of additional byproduct material at Kennecott
Uranium Company's Sweetwater Mill.
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1. Proposed Action
By letter dated July 21, 1993, Kennecott Uranium Company, Holder of
Source Material License SUA-1350, for the Sweetwater Uranium Mill,
requested an amendment to their license to allow for disposal of
byproduct material from U.S. Energy's Green Mountain Ion Exchange
(GMIX) facility, which is being decommissioned. The Sweetwater Mill has
not operated since 1983 and is currently in a standby status. Under the
current license, discharge to the tailings impoundment is limited to
byproduct material in the form of debris generated by routine site
maintenance. Since byproduct material from the GMIX facility is not
debris from routine site maintenance, Kennecott has requested an
amendment to the license to allow for disposal of this material.
Kennecott proposes to dispose of about 12,000 tons of material.
Compared to the existing storage capacity in the Sweetwater tailings
impoundment of about 1.8 million tons, this volume is insignificant.
Kennecott tested the GMIX material as per the RCRA Toxicity
Characteristic Leaching Procedure. This testing determined that the
materials are not hazardous wastes. Kennecott also performed
radiological testing of the material to be placed in the tailings
system. These tests showed a maximum Ra-226 concentration of 8.6
picocuries per gram (pCi/g). This compares with a Ra-226 concentration
in the Sweetwater tailings impoundment of about 64.3 pCi/g. Since the
Ra-226 concentration of the sludges is much lower than the
concentration in the impoundment, it is concluded that the impact of
disposing of material from the GMIX facility will be insignificant.
Kennecott also provided a Disposal Plan which provides the details
of how byproduct materials will be loaded, covered, transported, and
disposed. In addition, Kennecott has a Standard Operating Procedure for
reducing voids in materials placed in the tailings cell. Based on a
review of the information provided by Kennecott, the NRC concludes that
the disposal of byproduct material from the GMIX facility at the
Sweetwater tailings impoundment will not result in significant impacts
to either to the environment or to the public health and safety.
Further, the proposed action is consistent with Criterion 2 of appendix
A to 10 CFR part 40 to avoid proliferation of small waste disposal
sites which would be necessary if disposal in the large tailings system
were not authorized.
Paragraph 10 CFR 51.22 (c)(11), categorically excludes the
requirement for an environmental assessment for this licensing action.
That paragraph states that categorical exclusion applies to the
issuance of amendments to licenses for uranium mills provided that (1)
there is no significant change in the types or significant increase in
the amounts of any effluents that may be released offsite, (2) there is
no significant increase in individual or cumulative occupational
radiation exposure, (3) there is no significant construction impact,
and (4) there is no significant increase in the potential for or
consequences from radiological accidents.
This licensing action meets these criteria as the proposed
amendment will result in only a small increase in the byproduct
material to be disposed of in the Sweetwater Tailings impoundment.
2. Notice of Intent to Amend License
The licensee's request for a license amendment to authorize
disposal of byproduct material from U.S. Energy's GMIX facility was
noticed in the Federal Register on February 28, 1994 (59 FR 9502). This
notice offered an opportunity to request a hearing pursuant to title
10, Code of Federal Regulations, part 2, subpart L. This subpart
permits interested parties to request a hearing within thirty (30) days
of the publication of the notice. No requests were received; therefore,
Source Material License SUA-1350 will be amended coincident with this
Notice.
Signed in Denver, Colorado this 5th day of April 1994.
Ramon E. Hall,
Director, Uranium Recovery Field Office.
[FR Doc. 94-9104 Filed 4-14-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M