[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 4 (Tuesday, January 7, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 796-797]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-264]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 70-143]
Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. Notice of Receipt of Amendment
Request and Opportunity To Request a Hearing
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received, by
letter dated October 11, 2002, a request from Nuclear Fuel Services,
Inc., to amend its NRC Special Nuclear Materials License SNM-124, to
authorize (1) processing operations in the Blended Low-Enriched Uranium
Preparation Facility (BPF) and (2) minor administrative changes. The
staff hereby provides notice of the request and issues a notice of
opportunity to request a hearing on the amendment application.
The request is the second of three license amendment requests
planned to support operations associated with downblending and
conversion of high-enriched uranium materials to low-enriched uranium
oxides. NFS is currently manufacturing high-enriched nuclear reactor
fuel at its facility in Erwin, Tennessee. NFS is constructing a new
complex at the Erwin site to manufacture low-enriched nuclear reactor
fuel. NFS is requesting this amendment to authorize operations at the
BPF that will prepare low-enriched uranium solutions for use in the new
complex. The BPF operations will be conducted within the existing
facility because that facility is already authorized to handle high-
enriched material. After the high-enriched material is downblended and
converted to a low-enriched uranium solution, it will be transferred
from the BPF to the new complex.
The October 11, 2002, amendment application contains an Integrated
Safety Analysis (ISA) Summary for two of the eleven BPF operations. By
letter dated October 14, 2002, NFS provided an ISA Summary addressing
the remaining nine operations in the BPF. NFS excluded nine operations
from the amendment request because NRC Special Nuclear Materials
License SNM-124 already authorizes these operations in another building
and NFS is relocating them to the BPF. By letter dated October 10,
2002, NFS provided revisions to their Emergency Plan to incorporate BPF
operations. These three submittals comprise the content of the license
amendment application. NFS also submitted revisions to their
Fundamental Nuclear Material Control (FNMC) Plan by letter dated May
24, 2002, and revisions to their Physical Safeguards Plan by letter
dated October 10, 2002. The FNMC Plan and Physical Safeguards Plan are
being reviewed independently.
This application will be reviewed by the staff for conformance with
10 CFR parts 20, 70, 73, and 74, using NUREG-1520, ``Standard Review
Plan for the Review of a License Application for a Fuel Cycle
Facility'' and other applicable agency regulations and guidance. If NRC
approves the request, the approval will be documented in an amendment
to NRC Special Nuclear Materials License SNM-124. However, before
approving the request, NRC will need to make the findings required by
the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and NRC regulations. These
findings will be documented in a Safety Evaluation Report and either an
Environmental Assessment (EA) or an Environmental Impact Statement.
An EA, dated June 28, 2002, was issued to support the first
amendment request for this project and may be looked to for additional
information.
II. Notice of Availability of Amendment Request
The following documents are available for public inspection and
copying at the NRC Public Document Room, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission Headquarters, Room O-1-F-21, 11555 Rockville Pike,
Rockville, MD 20852, or through the ADAMS computer system at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html using the accession numbers listed
below:
A. NFS License Amendment Request Dated October 11, 2002
1. Cover Letter and Attachment 1, Proposed Changes to License SNM-
124 (ADAMS accession number ML022960038).
2. Attachment III, Non-Proprietary Version of ISA Summary, Part 1
of 2 (ADAMS accession number ML022960069).
3. Attachment III, Non-Proprietary Version of ISA Summary, Part 2
of 2 (ADAMS accession number ML023400228).
B. ISA Summary for BPF Processes Dated October 14, 2002
1. Cover Letter (ADAMS accession number ML023080301).
2. Attachment II, Non-Proprietary Version of ISA Summary, Part 1 of
2 (ADAMS accession number ML023090025).
4. Attachment II, Non-Proprietary Version of ISA Summary, Part 2 of
2 (ADAMS accession number ML023090170).
C. Environmental Assessment for First License Amendment Dated June 28,
2002 (ADAMS Accession Number ML021790068).
Attachments II and IV of the NFS license amendment request dated
October 11, 2002, contain proprietary information and are being
withheld from the public pursuant to 10 CFR 2.790. Attachment I of the
ISA Summary for BPF Processes dated October 14, 2002, contains
proprietary information and is being withheld from the public pursuant
to 10 CFR 2.790. The Physical Safeguards Plan and the Fundamental
Nuclear Material Control Plan are confidential restricted data, as
defined in 10 CFR 25.5, and are not publicly available. In addition,
the Emergency Plan Revisions are sensitive, homeland security
information, and are not publicly available.
III. Notice of Opportunity To Request a Hearing
NRC also provides notice that this is a proceeding on an
application for an amendment of a license falling within the scope of
10 CFR part 2, subpart L, ``Informal Hearing Procedures for
Adjudications in Materials and Operator Licensing Proceedings.''
Pursuant to Sec. 2.1205(a), any person whose interest may be affected
by this proceeding may file a request for a hearing. In accordance with
Sec. 2.1205(d), a request for hearing must be filed within 30 days of
the publication of this notice in the Federal Register. The request for
a hearing must be filed with the Office of the Secretary, either:
A. By delivery to the Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff of the
Office of the Secretary at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike,
Rockville, MD 20852-2738, between 7:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., Federal
workdays; or
B. By mail or telegram addressed to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, Attention: Rulemaking and
Adjudications Staff. Because of continuing disruptions in the delivery
of mail to United States Government offices, it is requested that
requests for hearing be transmitted to the Secretary of the Commission
either by means of facsimile transmission to 301-415-1101, or by e-mail
to [email protected].
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.1205(f), each request for a hearing
must also be served, by delivering it personally or by mail, to:
A. The applicant, Nuclear Fuel Services, 1205 Banner Hill Road,
Erwin, Tennessee 37650-9718. A copy of the request for hearing should
also be sent
[[Page 797]]
to the attorney for the licensee, Daryl Shapiro, c/o Shaw Pittman,
L.L.P., 2300 N Street, NW., Washington, DC 20037; and
B. The NRC staff, by delivery to the Office of the General Counsel,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852-2738, between 7:45 a.m. and 4:15
p.m., Federal workdays, or by mail addressed to the Office of the
General Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555. Because of continuing disruptions in the delivery of mail to
United States Government offices, it is requested that requests for
hearing be transmitted to the Office of the General Counsel either by
means of facsimile transmission to 301-415-3725, or by e-mail to
[email protected].
In addition to meeting other applicable requirements of 10 CFR part
2 of the NRC's regulations, a request for a hearing filed by a person
other than an applicant must describe in detail:
A. The interest of the requestor in the proceeding;
1. How that interest may be affected by the results of the
proceeding, including the reasons why the requestor should be permitted
a hearing, with particular reference to the factors set out in Sec.
2.1205(h);
2. The requestor's areas of concern about the licensing activity
that is the subject matter of the proceeding; and
3. The circumstances establishing that the request for a hearing is
timely in accordance with Sec. 2.1205(d).
IV. Technical Contact
For further information, contact Mary T. Adams, 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 T-8-A-33, Washington, DC 20555. Telephone (301)
415-7249.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 31st day of December, 2002.
For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Daniel M. Gillen,
Chief, Fuel Cycle Facilities Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and
Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 03-264 Filed 1-6-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P