[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 8, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7589-7590]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-3087]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-20]
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
Regarding Proposed License Amendment; Changing Expiration Date of
Amended Facility Operating License No. R-37 Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of a license amendment extending the expiration date of
Amended Facility Operating License No. R-37 (the license) for the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT or the licensee) Research
Reactor (MITR) from May 7, 1996, to August 8, 1999. This recaptures
construction time between May 7, 1956, the issuance date of
Construction Permit No. CPRR-5 and June 9, 1958, the issuance date of
the license, and between May 24, 1974, the date reactor operations were
terminated to modify the reactor under Construction Permit No. CPRR-
118, and July 23, 1975, the date of issuance of Amendment No. 10 to the
license which authorized a return to reactor operation.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of Proposed Action
By application dated March 31, 1994, as supplemented on September
29, and November 4, 1994, MIT requested that the expiration date of
Amended Facility Operating License No. R-37 be extended from midnight,
May, 7, 1996, to midnight, April 24, 2001. MIT has requested that four
periods of time be recaptured:
(1) The period from May 7, 1956, the date of issuance of CPRR-5,
until June 9, 1958, the issuance date of the license, or July 21, 1958,
the date of initial criticality.
(2) The period from July 21, 1958, until June 1, 1959, during which
the first reactor (MITR-I) was operated infrequently at low power for
startup testing.
(3) From May 24, 1974, the date the reactor was shut down to
perform modifications to the facility under Construction Permit No.
CPRR-118, (CPRR-118 was issued on April 9, 1973, but component
acquisition problems delayed the reactor shut down until May 24, 1974)
until August 14, 1975, the date of initial criticality of the modified
reactor (MITR-II). The NRC issued Amendment No. 10 to the license on
July 23, 1975, which authorized operation of the modified reactor.
(4) The period from August 14, 1975, until April 15, 1976, during
which the modified reactor was operated infrequently at low power for
startup testing.
The staff has determined that the time between May 7, 1956, the
issuance date of Construction Permit No. CPRR-5 and June 9, 1958, the
issuance date of the license, and between May 24, 1974, the day reactor
operations where terminated to modify the reactor under Construction
permit No. CPRR-118, and July 23, 1975, the date of issuance of
Amendment No. 10 to the license which authorized a return to reactor
operation, represents time that was not available to the licensee due
to construction. This period of time is 1188 days, which when added to
the expiration date of the Amended Facility Operating License of May 7,
1996, results in a extended expiration date of August 8, 1999.
The staff has also determined that the time (a) between July 9,
1958, the issuance date of the license, through July 21, 1958, the date
of initial criticality, to June 1, 1959, the end of low power testing,
and (b) between July 23, 1975, the date of issuance of Amendment No.
10, through August 14, 1975, the date of initial criticality for the
modified reactor, to April 15, 1976, the end of low power testing,
cannot be added to extend the expiration date of the license. This is
because this time was authorized by NRC in the license for reactor
operation, was available to the licensee for operations and, after
initial criticality in both cases, was used by the licensee for low
power testing. A license term of 40 years from the date of issuance of
the operating license is permitted by NRC regulations, specifically 10
CFR 50.51. Commission approval of the proposed amendment would be
consistent with recent NRC actions for nuclear power reactors.
Need for Proposed Action
The granting of this request would allow the licensee to operate
the facility for approximately three years and three months beyond the
current license expiration date, thus recapturing construction periods.
Over 30 similar extensions have been issued to other licensees. Without
issuance of the proposed license amendment, an application for license
renewal would be required to be developed and submitted before the
expiration of the current license on May 7, 1996, or the MITR would be
shut down and a decommissioning plan required to be developed and
submitted.
Environmental Impact of the proposed Action
The anticipated impact of the facility on the environment was
evaluated in the Environmental Impact Appraisal for the MITR dated July
23, 1975. This appraisal was prepared for the issuance of Amendment No.
10 to the license, which authorized a return to operation for the
facility at a power level of 5 MW(t), after modifications were
completed to the reactor as authorized by construction permit No. CPRR-
118. The descriptions in and findings of that appraisal are still
valid. That appraisal concluded that there will be no significant
environmental impact associated with the licensing of the MITR to be
operated at 5 MW(t).
The licensee has not requested any changes to the facility as part
of this amendment request. The environmental effects of accidents which
were discussed and considered negligible in the 1975 appraisal have not
changed.
Operating data is available to replace the estimates of the
environmental effects of facility operation in the 1975 appraisal. The
actual environmental effects of facility operation from July 1, 1984
(FY 85), to June 30, 1994 (FY 94), were obtained from the licensee.
Environmental surveys within a quarter mile of the facility
detected an average (averaged because readings are [[Page 7590]] from
multiple monitoring stations) annual radiation exposure as follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average
Year (FY) readings
(mrem)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1994......................................................... 0.4
1993......................................................... 0.5
1992......................................................... 0.2
1991......................................................... 0.1
1990......................................................... 0.1
1989......................................................... 0.2
1988......................................................... 0.2
1987......................................................... 1.2
1986......................................................... 1.8
1985......................................................... 2.2
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual airborne effluent releases from the facility are given in
the next table. FY 94 is presented in two half years periods because
amendments to 10 CFR Part 20 became effective on January 1, 1994, which
changed the regulatory limits for release concentrations to the
environment for certain radionuclides. Total curies released during FY
94 is comparable to past years. The percent of Regulatory Limit column
represents the percent of the regulatory limit for concentration of
radionuclides in air after taking into account dilution from the
release point.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stack % of
Year (FY) release regulatory
(curies) limit
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/1/94 to 6/30/94................................. 398 21.7
7/1/93 to 12/31/93................................ 275 4.1
1993.............................................. 923 6.0
1992.............................................. 728 4.9
1991.............................................. 684 4.4
1990.............................................. 542 3.5
1989.............................................. 1529 9.8
1988.............................................. 2627 17
1987.............................................. 4223 30
1986.............................................. 3797 26
1985.............................................. 4076 26
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual liquid effluent releases are as follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total
Year (FY) activity
(curies)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1994.......................................................... 0.025
1993.......................................................... 0.007
1992.......................................................... 0.036
1991.......................................................... 0.121
1990.......................................................... 0.080
1989.......................................................... 0.110
1988.......................................................... 0.072
1987.......................................................... 0.098
1986.......................................................... 0.288
1985.......................................................... 0.099
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Low level solid waste shipped from the facility is given in cubic
feet and total activity in curies. Increased shipments in FY 1994 and
FY 1993 represent an effort by the licensee to remove solid waste from
the facility before waste disposal site closures prevented future
shipments of low level solid waste.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total
Year (FY) Cubic activity
feet (curies)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1994................................................. 457 0.925
1993................................................. 210 0.218
1992................................................. 127 0.011
1991................................................. 116 0.125
1990................................................. 192 0.035
1989................................................. 135 0.053
1988................................................. 60 0.003
1987................................................. 112 0.082
1986................................................. 75 0.097
1985................................................. 120 0.067
------------------------------------------------------------------------
These releases are well within regulatory limits and will not have
a significant impact on the environment. Releases for the proposed
license extension are estimated to continue at levels well within
regulatory limits.
Alternative Use of Resources
One alternative to the proposed amendment request is to deny the
request. If the request is denied, the MITR would be shut down or an
application for license renewal would be developed and submitted before
expiration of the current license on May 7, 1996. Shutting the reactor
down would result in the loss of an educational tool for the training
of students and the conduct of research in many areas including medical
therapy. If the request is denied and the licensee proposes to renew
the license, resources would have to be expended on the part of the
licensee and the Commission sooner than if the request for license
extension is granted. Denial of the application would result in no
change in current environmental impacts.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC staff consulted no other agencies or persons in reviewing
the request from the licensee.
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 set out above.
For detailed information with respect to this proposed action, see
the application for amendment dated March 31, 1994, as supplemented,
the Safety Evaluation prepared by the staff, the Negative Declaration
Regarding Facility Operating License R-37 for the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology Research Reactor dated July 23, 1975, and the
Environmental Impact Appraisal for the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology Reactor dated July 23, 1975. These documents are available
for public inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room, 2120 L
Street, NW., Washington, D.C. 20555.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 2nd day of February 1995.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Seymour H. Weiss,
Director, Non-Power Reactors and Decommissioning Project Directorate,
Division of Project Support, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 95-3087 Filed 2-7-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M
