99-9039. Notice of Consideration of Amendment Request for Decommissioning the Fansteel Facility in Muskogee, OK, and Opportunity for Hearing

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 69 (Monday, April 12, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17695-17696]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-9039]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 40-7580]


Notice of Consideration of Amendment Request for Decommissioning 
the Fansteel Facility in Muskogee, OK, and Opportunity for Hearing

agency: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

action: Notice of Consideration of Amendment Request for 
Decommissioning the Fansteel Facility in Muskogee, Oklahoma and 
Opportunity for Hearing.

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    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the NRC) is considering 
issuance of an amendment to Source Material License No. SMB-911, issued 
to Fansteel, Inc. (the licensee), for the decommissioning of its 
facility in Muskogee, Oklahoma. The licensee requested the amendment in 
a letter dated July 6, 1998, and supplemented by a letter dated 
December 4, 1998.
    The Fansteel site contains large amounts of soil contaminated with 
uranium and thorium. The licensee has indicated in its proposed 
Decommissioning Plan that, pursuant to 10 CFR 20.1401(b)(3), portions 
of the site will be remediated in accordance with Option 1 of the NRC's 
Branch Technical Position (BTP), ``Disposal or Onsite Storage of 
Thorium or Uranium Wastes from Past Operations.'' The Decommissioning 
Plan also references an in-situ disposal area that would be built on a 
separate portion of the site. The NRC is not considering this proposal 
as part of the proposal for remediation of portions of the site under 
Option 1 of the BTP. The in-situ disposal area is considered as a 
separate plan and is not accepted at this time for lack of information 
in accordance with Subpart E of the license termination rule (10 CFR 
Part 20, Subpart E).
    Radioactive contamination at Fansteel site is the result of 
previous operations. Previous operations at the Fansteel facility 
involved acid digestion of feed materials and have resulted in large 
volumes of soil and residues contaminated with natural uranium and 
thorium. Fansteel is currently authorized to reprocess these residues, 
as well as residues from site wastewater treatment operations, to 
further extract tantalum, niobium, and scandium to produce industrial 
products. Reprocessing will enable Fansteel to reduce the volume of 
radioactive waste requiring off-site disposal. The licensee's plan is 
to decommission the entire site after approximately 10 to 12 years of 
residue reprocessing.
    Prior to the issuance of the proposed amendment, the NRC will have 
made findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, 
and the NRC's regulations. These findings will be documented in a 
Safety Evaluation Report and an Environmental Assessment. Approval of 
the decommissioning plan will be documented in an amendment to SMB-911.
    The NRC hereby provides that this is a preceding on an application 
for amendment of a license falling within the scope of Subpart L, 
``Informal Hearing Procedures for Adjudication in Materials Licensing 
Proceedings,'' of NRC's rules and practice for domestic licensing 
proceedings in 10 CFR Part 2. Pursuant to Section 2.1205(a), any person 
whose interest may be affected by this proceeding may file a request 
for a hearing in accordance with Section 2.1205(d). A request for a 
hearing must be filed within thirty (30) days of the date of 
publication of the Federal Register notice.
    The request for a hearing must be filed with the Office of 
Secretary either:
    1. By delivery to the Docketing and Service Branch of the Secretary 
at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852-
2738; or

[[Page 17696]]

    2. By mail or telegram addressed to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555. Attention: Docket and 
Service Branch.
    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:
    1. The interest of the requester in the proceeding;
    2. How the 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 Section 
2.1205(h).
    3. The requester's areas of concern about the licensing activity 
that is the subject matter of the proceeding; and
    4. The circumstances establishing that the request for a hearing is 
timely in accordance with Section 2.1205(d).
    In accordance with 10 CFR Section 2.1205(f), each request for a 
hearing must also be served, by delivering it personally or by mail to:
    1. The applicant, Fansteel, Inc., Number Ten Tantalum Place, 
Muskogee, OK, 74403-9296; Attention: Mr. John J. Hunter; and
    2. The NRC staff, by delivering to the Executive Director for 
Operations, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 
20852, or by mail, addressed to the Executive Director for Operations, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555.
    Questions with respect to this action should be referred to NRC's 
project manager for Fansteel, Inc., Michael Adjodha, at [phone] 
or by electronic mail at [e-mail].
    For further details with respect to this action, the application 
for amendment request is available for inspection at the Commission's 
Public Document Room, 2120 L Street NW., Washington, DC 20555.

    Dated at Rockville, MD, this 6th day of April 1999.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Theodore S. Sherr,
Chief, Licensing and International Safeguards Branch, Division of Fuel 
Cycle Safety and Safeguards, NMSS.
[FR Doc. 99-9039 Filed 4-9-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P