[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 49 (Friday, March 12, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 11899]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-5597]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Notice of Availability of a Regulatory Issue Summary for 
Deferring Active Regulation of Ground-Water Protection at In Situ Leach 
Uranium Extraction Facilities

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of availability for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has developed 
Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2004-02, ``Deferral of Active Regulation 
of Ground-Water Protection at In Situ Leach (ISL) Uranium Extraction 
Facilities'' dated February 23, 2004. The NRC regulation of ground 
water at ISL facilities often duplicates the ground-water protection 
programs required by the Safe Drinking Water Act, as administered by 
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or EPA-authorized 
States. The NRC is proposing to end duplication of ground-water 
protection programs at ISL facilities by deferring active ground-water 
regulation to EPA-authorized States. The RIS summarizes the process 
that the NRC plans to use for insuring that a State's ground-water 
protection program provides adequate protection of public health and 
safety, and the environment, equivalent to the NRC program. Interested 
parties may comment on the proposed approach. The comment period will 
be open for 30 days from the publication of this notice.

ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of this document are available for public 
inspection in the NRC 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 Public Electronic Reading Room). RIS 2004-02 
is under Adams Accession Number ML040550197. The document is also 
available for inspection or copying for a fee at the NRC's Public 
Document Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Room O1-F21, Rockville, Maryland, 
20852. This guidance document is not copyrighted, and Commission 
approval is not required to reproduce it.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Lusher, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and 
Safeguards, Mail Stop T-8 A33, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone (301) 415-7694, or by e-mail at 
[email protected].

    Dated in Rockville, Maryland this 5th day of March, 2004.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert A. Nelson,
Chief, Uranium Processing Section, Fuel Cycle Facilities Branch, 
Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 04-5597 Filed 3-11-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P