United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission SHIELDALLOY METALLURGICAL CORPORATION ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW FOR DECOMMISSIONING
Scoping Meeting December 12, 2006 Newfield, New Jersey Jennifer Davis
Branch Chief Environmental Review Branch
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Purpose of Today’s Meeting • Discuss NRC role and responsibility • Discuss the safety review process • Discuss the environmental review process • Discuss how to participate in the process • Gather comments on the scope of review
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Who is the U.S. NRC?
• Independent agency • Mission = protect public health and safety and the environment, and promote security • Experienced Regulator
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission NRC’s Licensing Review Process Safety Review NRC Decision
Environmental Review
Public Comments
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission NRC’s Decommissioning Review Outcomes • Approve Decommissioning Plan/License Amendment, or
• Grant License Amendment with Conditions, or
• Deny License Amendment
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Public Involvement • Public interaction during environmental review • Comment periods • Public meetings • Atomic Safety & Licensing Board Hearing • Opportunity to participate provided; deadline to file petition to intervene is January 16, 2007
• Hearing covers both safety and environmental issues
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission SHIELDALLOY METALLURGICAL CORPORATION DECOMMISSIONING EIS Scoping Meeting December 12, 2006 Newfield, New Jersey Ken Kalman
Project Manager Materials Decommissioning Section Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission OVERVIEW • Operations • Decommissioning Proposal • Decommissioning Review Process • Get Information /Submit Comments
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Location of Shieldalloy Site
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Aerial Photo of Shieldalloy Site
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission OPERATIONS
• 1955-1998 - Shieldalloy used niobium ore (pyrochlore)
• Contained natural uranium and thorium in concentrations that we regulate • Licensed to possess uranium (45,000 kg) and thorium (303,050 kg)
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission OPERATIONS
• Generated slag (18,000 m3) and baghouse dust (15,000 m3) containing uranium and thorium
• August 2001 - Shieldalloy notified NRC that it ceased operations and intended to decomission • Within its licensed limit for uranium and thorium
• Plans to sell slag and baghouse dust for uranium content failed
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Northwest Corner of Slag Pile
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Particulate Bags
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission DECOMMISSIONING PROPOSAL • 67.7 acres for metallurgical activities and 19.8 non-contiguous acres of unaffected farmland
• Process area comprised of parking lots, administrative offices, and manufacturing buildings • Impacted buildings remediated for unrestricted use
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission DECOMMISSIONING PROPOSAL • Release most of the site for unrestricted use • Consolidate licensable material in storage yard • Minimize exposure with engineered barrier • Long term maintenance and control • Financial assurance
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Decommissioning Review Process
Decommissioning Plan Submitted Opportunity for Hearing Public Outreach Request for Additional Information
Detailed Technical Review
Draft SER Issued Final Agency Decision
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Final SER Issued
Hearing
United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Source of Information
• Newfield Public Library • NRC Public Web Page - http://www.nrc.gov/
• Decommissioning Web Page - http://www.nrc.gov/infofinder/decommissioning/index.html
• Shieldalloy Web Page – http://www.nrc.gov/infofinder/decommissioning/complex/shieldalloy-metallurgicalcorporation-smc-.html
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission COMMENTS Request Hearing by January 16, 2007 Submit Comments by March 16, 2007
By mail at: Chief, Rules and Directives Branch Division of Administrative Services Mailstop: T-6D59 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001
E-mail at: ShieldalloyDP@nrc.gov
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Scoping Meeting December 12, 2006
Gregory Suber Senior Project Manager
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission INTRODUCTION • Environmental review process • Public Involvement
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) • NEPA requires Federal agencies to use a systematic approach to consider environmental impacts • An environmental impact statement (EIS) is required for major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment
• Commission has determined an EIS will be prepared when a licensee plans restricted use.
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Environmental Review Process
Application Submitted
Notice of Intent Scoping Process
Requests for Additional Information (RAIs)
Draft EIS Issued
Comments on Draft
Public Participation
Final EIS Issued
Hearing
Agency Decision on Application
From SER
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Environmental Scoping • To determine the scope of issues to be addressed in the EIS
• All comments received as part of scoping will be included as part of the environmental review.
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Affected Environment: Where Do We Look
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Areas of Potential Environmental Considerations
• • • • Water Resources Environmental Justice Ecology Public and Occupational Health • Air Quality • Waste Management • Noise • Land Use • Historic and Cultural Resources • Transportation • Visual and Scenic Resources • Geology and Soils • Socioeconomic
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Information Gathering
Environmental Report
Staff’s Site Audit
Public Comments
EIS
State & Local Agencies Federal Agencies Social Services
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Gathering Information from the Public • Written Comments submitted to the NRC • Comments submitted via email to NRC • (ShieldalloyEIS@nrc.gov) • Oral Comments transcribed at this Public Scoping Meeting
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Outcome of Environmental Review
1) the NRC staff will establish the scope of the review and prepare a draft EIS based on the information received from SMC and provided through consultation, and submitted by the public, 2) Issue draft EIS 3) Conduct Additional public meeting on the Draft EIS
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission RECAP • Public Participation in review process is actively encouraged • Members of the public can submit comments during the comment period • All scoping comments received will be considered in the Draft EIS • Scoping comment period ends on January 31, 2007
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Thanks to • Buena Regional School District • Edgarton Memorial Elementary School • Newfield Public Library
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission
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