From: amccombs@mail.wiscnet.net (Alice McCombs) Subject: Re: DEIS; Proposed reclamation by Atlas Corporation of an existing uranium mill Date: 31 Jan 1996 13:20:48 -0600 Hi good folks of SUWA, Thought I'd post this to you FYI since you were just in Moab. Any info you might have to share on this would be welcome. Alice McCombs mining-exchange 4. Atlas Corporation; Draft Environmental Impact Statement (fwd) From owenb@iea.com Tue Jan 30 21:55:05 1996 [Federal Register: January 30, 1996 (Volume 61, Number 20)] [Notices] [Page 3058-3059] >From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] ======================================================================= NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. 40-3453] Atlas Corporation; Draft Environmental Impact Statement AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Notice of availability. SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), in cooperation with the National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Department of Interior, has published a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) regarding the proposed reclamation by Atlas Corporation (Atlas) of an existing uranium mill tailings pile near Moab, Utah. This DEIS describes and evaluates the potential environmental impacts of approving Atlas' request to amend its existing NRC License No. SUA-917 to reclaim the tailings pile in place. Based on the evaluations in this DEIS, the NRC staff's preliminary conclusion is that the Atlas proposal is acceptable with respect to environmental costs and benefits. The NRC has also published a Draft Technical Evaluation Report (DTER) evaluating the proposed reclamation with respect to appropriate NRC safety regulations, primarily Appendix A of 10 CFR, Part 40. Until and unless open issues identified in geology, seismology, geotechnical engineering, erosion protection, water resources protection, and radon attenuation are adequately resolved, NRC will not approve the proposed reclamation plan. DATES: A public meeting on the DEIS and DTER will be held at Star Hall in Moab, Utah, on Wednesday, February 28, 1996, at 6:30 in the evening. Written comments on either document should be received at the address listed below within 60 days from the date of this notice. [[Page 3059]] ADDRESSES: A free single copy of the DEIS (NUREG-1531) and DTER (NUREG- 1532) may be requested by those considering public comment by writing to the NRC Publications Section, ATTN: Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, P.O. Box 37082, Washington, DC 20013- 7082. A copy of each document is also available for inspection and/or copying in the NRC Public Document Room, 2120 L St. NW, Washington, DC. Any interested party may submit comments on these documents for consideration by the staff. Consistent with its past commitments, NRC is extending the comment period 15 days beyond the required minimum of 45 days. To be certain of consideration, comments on these reports must be received within 60 days from the date of this notice. Comments received after the due date will be considered to the extent practical. Comments on either document should be sent to Chief, High-Level Waste and Uranium Recovery Projects Branch, Mail Stop TWFN 7-J9, Division of Waste Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Myron Fliegel, High-Level Waste and Uranium Recovery Projects Branch, Mail Stop TWFN 7-J9, Division of Waste Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555. Telephone 301/415-6629. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NRC, in cooperation with the NPS, has prepared a DEIS regarding the administrative action of approving an amendment to Atlas' NRC license authorizing reclamation of uranium mill tailings at the existing site near Moab, Utah. The uranium mill no longer operates and is currently being dismantled. The nearby 9.52- million-metric-ton (10.5-million-ton), 52.6-ha (130-acre), uranium mill tailings pile needs to be stabilized for long-term disposal. The DEIS describes the evaluation concerning (1) the purpose of and need for the proposed action, evaluated under NEPA and the agencies' implementing regulations, (2) alternatives considered, (3) existing environmental conditions, and (4) environmental consequences of the proposed action and proposed mitigating measures. Three alternatives were evaluated. Atlas' proposal (Alternative 1) is to reclaim the tailings pile for permanent disposal and long-term custodial care by a government agency in its current location near Moab, prepare the 162-ha (400-acre) site for closure, and depart the site after having its NRC license terminated. Under Alternative 2, Atlas would transport all of the tailings and other contaminated material to an alternate site. The DEIS considers the Plateau site, located approximately 29 km (18 mi) northwest of Moab, as the primary alternate site. The DEIS considers several alternatives for transporting the tailings to the alternate site. Under the no-action alternative (Alternative 3), the NRC would make no licensing decision, and Atlas would cease operations involving management of the tailings. Because this alternative would not comply with regulations and is not environmentally acceptable, it is not evaluated in detail in this DEIS. As documented in the DEIS, the NRC's preliminary conclusion is that Atlas' proposal (reclamation on site) is acceptable with respect to environmental costs and benefits. Alternative 2 (transport to and stabilization at an alternate site) would result in some advantages (primarily by freeing the current site near the Colorado River for other uses and eliminating the potential for impacts to the Colorado River) and disadvantages (primarily related to the transport of tailings to a new site and the longer period of construction) compared to Alternative 1. Alternative 2 would be considerably more expensive than Alternative 1. The NRC has also prepared a DTER that evaluates Atlas' proposed reclamation of the uranium mill tailings with respect to NRC safety regulations. NRC regulations applicable to reclamation of uranium tailings are primarily in Part 40 of 10 CFR, with specific technical criteria appearing in Appendix A. The DTER is organized by the technical disciplines involved in the assessment of the proposed reclamation, but also provides a criterion by criterion evaluation of Atlas' proposed reclamation with respect to Appendix A. The NRC review identified 20 issues in geology, seismology, geotechnical engineering, erosion protection, water resources protection, and radon attenuation that preclude the NRC from concluding that the applicable regulations would be met under Atlas' proposed reclamation. Atlas can provide further information to try to resolve these issues. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day of January 1996. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Joseph J. Holonich, Chief, High-Level Waste and Uranium Recovery Projects Branch, Division of Waste Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. 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