The American Centrifuge Lead Cascade Facility in Piketon, Ohio

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an environmental assessment (EA) and a finding of no significant impact regarding a request from American Centrifuge Operating, LLC (ACO or the licensee). ACO is authorized to possess and use special nuclear material (SNM), source material, and byproduct material at its Lead Cascade Facility (LCF) in Ohio under NRC License SNM-7003, issued in 2004. ACO requested the NRC's approval to ship radioactively contaminated and non-contaminated classified matter and waste from the LCF to the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The classified matter and waste would be permanently buried at the NNSS. ACO operated the LCF on DOE's site in Piketon, Ohio, where a gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment plant had previously operated. The LCF was operated as a test facility using centrifuges to enrich uranium, and provided reliability, performance, cost and other data for use in deciding whether to construct and operate a commercial uranium enrichment plant at DOE's Piketon, Ohio, site.