[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 237 (Tuesday, December 14, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71104-71105]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-26962]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 030-04858; NRC-2021-0148]
Dow Corning Corporation; Building DC-3
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact;
issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
approval of an amendment to Materials License 21-08362-08, issued on
June 28, 2021 and held by Dow Corning Corporation, to approve the
Decommissioning Plan for Building DC-3 and its adjacent areas, located
at 2200 West Salzburg Road in Auburn, Michigan. If approved, the
licensee would be allowed to implement the proposed Decommissioning
Plan for decontamination and remediation of the affected areas of the
DC-3 Building site, in order to meet the NRC's criteria for
unrestricted use. As part of its review, the NRC conducted an
assessment of the environmental impacts of the proposed decommissioning
action. This notice provides details regarding the NRC's environmental
assessment (EA) and the corresponding finding of no significant impact
(FONSI).
DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on
December 14, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2021-0148 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You
may obtain publicly available information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2021-0148. Address
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann;
telephone: 301-415-0624; email: [email protected]. For technical
questions, contact the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section of this document.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS
Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public
Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or
by email to [email protected]. For the convenience of the reader,
instructions about obtaining materials referenced in this document are
provided in the ``Availability of Documents'' section.
NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public
documents, by appointment, at the NRC's PDR, Room P1 B35, One White
Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. To make
an appointment to visit the PDR, please send an email to
[email protected] or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between
8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (ET), Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael M. LaFranzo, Region III, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone:
630-829-9865, email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is considering issuance of an amendment to Materials
License 21-08362-08, issued to Dow Corning Corporation for operation of
the Building DC-3, located at 2200 West Salzburg Road, in Bay County,
Michigan. The amendment would approve the proposed Decommissioning Plan
for the decontamination and remediation of the affected areas of the
DC-3 Building site, to meet the NRC's criteria for unrestricted use.
Therefore, as required by Section 51.30 of title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Environmental assessment,'' the NRC
performed an EA. Based on the results of the EA, the NRC has determined
not to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the
Decommissioning Plan Approval and is issuing a FONSI.
II. Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed action is to amend Materials License 21-08362-08 to
incorporate the appropriate and acceptable derived concentration
guideline levels into the license and to decontaminate and remediate
the affected areas of the DC-3 Building sufficiently to enable
unrestricted use of the facility. The proposed action will allow Dow
Corning Corporation to decommission the DC-3 building in accordance
with NRC regulations.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated July 24, 2018, as supplemented by letter(s) dated
September 10, 2018 and April 22, 2019.
Need for the Proposed Action
The amendment is needed so the licensee can decommission the DC-3
Building site in accordance with 10 CFR 30.36, ``Expiration and
termination of licenses and decommissioning of sites and separate
buildings or outdoor areas,'' and therefore reduce the residual
radioactivity to a level that permits release of the facility for
unrestricted use.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff has assessed the potential environmental impacts from
Dow Corning Corporation decommissioning activities. The NRC staff has
assessed the impacts of the proposed action on land use, historical and
cultural resources; visual and scenic resources; water resources;
climatology, meteorology and air quality; socioeconomics; noise;
ecology; geology and soil; traffic and transportation; public and
occupational health and safety; and waste management, and the approval
of the proposed action would not result in an increased radiological
risk to public health or the environment.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered
denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative).
With respect to the DC-3 Building site, the no-action alternative would
mean that the licensee would not be allowed to conduct decommissioning
work.
The no-action alternative is not acceptable because it would put
the licensee in violation of the NRC's Timeliness Rule regulations
specified in 10 CFR 30.36. The Timeliness Rule requires licensees to
decommission and release a licensed site, building, or portions
thereof, for unrestricted use in a timely manner when licensed
activities have permanently ceased.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
On April 28, 2021, the NRC staff consulted with Michigan Department
of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, regarding the environmental
impact of
[[Page 71105]]
the proposed action. The state official concurred with the EA and
FONSI.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC staff determined that the proposed action complies with the
requirements of Subpart E of 10 CFR part 20, ``Radiological Criteria
for License Termination.'' Decommissioning of the site to the proposed
derived concentration guideline levels will result in reduced residual
contamination levels in the facility, enabling release of the facility
for unrestricted use. No significant radiologically contaminated
effluents are expected during the decommissioning. Occupational doses
to decommissioning workers are expected to be low and well within the
limits of 10 CFR part 20. No radiation exposure to any member of the
public is expected, and public exposure will therefore also be less
than the applicable public exposure limits of 10 CFR part 20.
On the basis of the EA, 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 EIS
for the proposed action and a FONSI is appropriate.
IV. Availability of Documents
The documents identified in the following table are available to
interested persons through ADAMS, as indicated.
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Document ADAMS accession No.
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Dow Corning Corporation--EA and FONSI, dated ML21300A167
October 27, 2021.
Decommissioning Notification for Dow Corning, ML18228A804
dated July 24, 2018.
The Dow Corning Corporation Notification to ML18253A233
Cease Principal Activities, dated September
10, 2018.
Dow Corning Corporation/The Dow Chemical ML19114A482 (non-public,
Company re Decommissioning, dated April 22, withheld pursuant to 10
2019. CFR Sec. 2.390).
Dow Corning Corporation, Licensee Response to ML20105A239 (non-public,
NRC request for Information, dated April 14, withheld pursuant to 10
2020. CFR Sec. 2.390).
Dow Corning Corporation--Licensee Response to ML21082A187
NRC Request for Information for
Decommissioning Plan, dated February 28,
2012.
Dow Corning Corporation--Licensee Response to ML21049A026
NRC Request for Information for
Decommissioning Plan, dated February 15,
2021.
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Dated: December 8, 2021.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Michael M. LaFranzo,
Senior Health Physicist, Materials Control, ISFSI and Decommissioning,
Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region III.
[FR Doc. 2021-26962 Filed 12-13-21; 8:45 am]
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