Environmental Assessment, Finding of No Significant Impact

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 24, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9181-9182]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-4528]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 030-05798, License No. 34-10445-01]


Environmental Assessment, Finding of No Significant Impact

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact 
Related to Release of Parts of the Shelwell Services, Inc. Site for 
Unrestricted Use.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
approving the release of parts of the Shelwell Services, Inc. 
(hereafter known as Shelwell) site for unrestricted use, in connection 
with Shelwell's request to terminate byproduct material license No. 34-
10445-01. This environmental assessment has been prepared with respect 
to that approval.

Introduction

    Shelwell, located at 645 Main Street, Hebron, Ohio, is licensed to 
use sealed sources and unsealed radioactive material in well logging 
and tracer studies of oil and gas wells. In September 1983, the 
licensee accidentally drilled into a 2-curie, cesium-137 sealed source, 
which caused the spread of radioactive contamination. The site was 
substantially decontaminated following the 1983 incident. The licensee 
has recently completed additional decontamination, and reported that 
the site will be ready for release for unrestricted use when some 
sealed sources and a small amount of containerized radioactive waste 
are removed from the site.
    The NRC staff will approve termination of the Shelwell license, if 
the staff determines that the site has been adequately decontaminated, 
and the site is suitable for release for unrestricted use in accordance 
with 10 CFR 30.36, 10 CFR Part 20, Subpart E, and other applicable 
requirements. If the staff determines that portions of the site have 
been adequately decontaminated, but the stored sealed sources and waste 
have not been removed from the site, then the license may be amended to 
release the decontaminated portions of the site for unrestricted use, 
and a decision made on termination at a later date, when the stored 
sources and waste have been removed from the site.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action is the release of Building No. 2, the office 
trailer, and all outdoor areas of the Shelwell site for unrestricted 
use. The licensee has reported that Building No. 2, the office trailer, 
and all outdoor areas are adequately decontaminated and do not contain 
any stored sealed sources or waste. Building No. 1 still contains 
stored sealed sources and waste, so this building is not being 
considered as part of this proposed action.

The Need for Proposed Action

    The licensee seeks to release property for unrestricted use. This 
action is requested in order to remove the current limitations on the 
future use of the property.

Alternatives to Proposed Action

    The only alternative to the proposed action is to not release the 
buildings and all outdoor areas for unrestricted use and keep these 
areas under license. Maintaining a license for Building No. 2, and the 
office trailer, and outdoor areas would provide negligible, if any, 
environmental benefit, but would significantly reduce options for 
future use of the property.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    Radioactive contamination at the Shelwell site is in the form of 
cesium-137 in the buildings and outdoor areas. NRC staff has performed 
inspections to assess the levels of contamination, and has evaluated 
whether the levels of contamination are sufficiently low to meet NRC 
criteria for unrestricted use; that is, 10 CFR 20.1402, which specifies 
that residual radioactivity must be reduced so that potential doses to 
exposed persons do not exceed 25 millirems per year (0.25 millisieverts 
per year). The staff has determined that potential doses are below 25 
millirems per year. The low levels of contaminate fall within the scope 
of the Generic Environmental Impact Statement prepared in connection 
with 10 CFR 20.1402. Therefore, the staff concludes that the potential 
radiological impact of release of Building No. 2, the office trailer, 
and outdoor areas at the Shelwell site is insignificant.
    There are no environmental justice issues associated with the 
proposed action, because the levels of radioactive contamination at the 
site are very low, and there are no significant impacts associated with 
the proposed action.

Other Agencies or Persons Consulted

    No agencies or persons outside of NRC were consulted during the 
preparation of this environmental assessment.

[[Page 9182]]

Conclusions

    Shelwell has met NRC's unrestricted release criteria, and there is 
no significant impact on the environment from the proposed action; 
therefore, Building No. 2, the office trailer, and outdoor areas of the 
Shelwell site can be released for unrestricted use.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    On the basis of this environmental assessment, the Commission has 
concluded that this proposed action would not significantly affect the 
quality of the human environment, and does not warrant the preparation 
of an environmental impact statement for the proposed action. 
Accordingly, it has been determined that a Finding of No Significant 
Impact is appropriate.
    The NRC inspection reports and other documents related to this 
proposed action are available for public inspection and copying for a 
fee at the NRC Region III Office, 801 Warrenville Road, Lisle, IL 
60532-4351.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 18th day of February, 1999.

    For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John W. N. Hickey,
Low-Level Waste and Decommissioning Projects Branch, Division of Waste 
Management.
[FR Doc. 99-4528 Filed 2-23-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P