[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 11 (Thursday, January 16, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2400-2401]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-1088]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-356]
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
Regarding Proposed Amendment Approving Decommissioning Plan University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of a license amendment approving the decommissioning plan for
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (licensee or UIUC) Low
Power Reactor Assembly (LOPRA) located on the licensee's campus in
Urbana, Illinois, in accordance with the application dated February 10,
1995, as supplemented on April 24, 1995, and October 2, 1996. The
approved decommissioning plan will be a supplement to the Safety
Analysis Report.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of Proposed Action
By application dated February 10, 1995, as supplemented, UIUC
requested authorization to decommission and partially dismantle the
LOPRA, Facility Operating License No. R-117, in accordance with the
decommissioning plan submitted as part of the application and to
terminate Facility Operating License No. R-117. There are two reactors
at UIUC, the Advanced TRIGA Research Reactor (TRIGA) and the LOPRA. The
LOPRA was created when a subcritical assembly authorized under the
TRIGA license was upgraded in 1971 to sustain nuclear fission in a
self-supporting chain reactor and licensed as a separate reactor. The
LOPRA will be converted back into a subcritical assembly by partial
dismantling. All byproduct and special nuclear material under the LOPRA
license will then be transferred as part of the decommissioning effort
to Facility License No. R-115 for the UIUC TRIGA. Amendment No. 9 to
the TRIGA license authorizing possession of the LOPRA byproduct and
special nuclear material was issued on August 8, 1996.
Need for Proposed Action
The proposed action is needed in order to convert the LOPRA back
into a subcritical assembly, transfer the byproduct and special nuclear
material to the TRIGA license, and terminate the LOPRA license.
Environmental Impact of the Proposed Action
All proposed operations in connection with decommissioning and
dismantling of the LOPRA will be carefully planned and controlled; all
contaminated components will be removed, packaged, and shipped offsite
or transferred to the TRIGA license; and radiological control
procedures will be in place and implemented to ensure that releases of
radioactive wastes from the facility are within the limits of 10 CFR
Part 20 and are as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA).
All decommissioning activities will be performed by trained
personnel in accordance with previously reviewed procedures and will be
overseen by experienced health-physics staff. Solid and liquid waste
will be removed from the facility and managed in accordance with NRC
requirements. The NRC staff estimates that the collective dose
equivalent to the UIUC staff and public for the project will be less
than 1 mrem.
On the basis of a review of the specific proposed activities
associated with the dismantling and decontamination of the UIUC-LOPRA,
the staff has determined that there will be no significant increase in
the amounts of effluents that may be released off site, and no
significant increase in individual or cumulative occupational or
population radiation exposure.
The staff has also determined that the proposed activities will not
have any significant impacts on air, water, land, or biota in the area
or any other significant environmental impact.
Alternative Use of Resources
The only alternative to the proposed decommissioning, dismantling,
and decontamination activities is to have UIUC maintain possession of
the reactor. This approach would include monitoring and reporting for
the duration of a safe storage period until the TRIGA is
decommissioned. However, UIUC intends to convert the reactor to a
subcritical assembly under the TRIGA reactor license. This alternative
would not be responsive to the licensee's request. The alternative of
not decommissioning reactors was rejected in the ``Generic
Environmental Impact Statement on Decommissioning,'' NUREG-0586. No
alternative appears that will have a different or lesser effect on the
use of available resources, and other alternatives need not be
evaluated.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC staff consulted with the Illinois State official regarding
the environmental impact of the proposed action. The State official had
no comments.
Finding of No Significant Impact
The Commission has determined not to prepare an environmental
impact statement for the proposed action based upon the foregoing
environmental assessment. The Commission concludes that the proposed
action will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human
environment for the reasons given above.
For detailed information with respect to this proposed action, see
the application for a license amendment dated February 10, 1995, as
supplemented. These documents are available for public inspection at
the Commission's Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW, Washington,
DC 20037.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 10th day of January 1997.
[[Page 2401]]
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Marvin M. Mendonca,
Acting Director, Non-Power Reactors and Decommissioning Project
Directorate, Division of Reactor Program Management, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 97-1088 Filed 1-15-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
