Draft Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. A-96-44]

Draft Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission.

ACTION: Notice of availability with request for public comment.

SUMMARY: The Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy (DOE),

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission (NRC) are announcing for public comment the

availability of a draft document, entitled the ``Multi-Agency Radiation

Survey and Site Investigation Manual `` (MARSSIM). MARSSIM provides

information on planning, conducting, evaluating, and documenting

environmental radiological surveys for demonstrating compliance with

dose-based regulations. The MARSSIM, when finalized, will be a multi-

agency consensus document. The agencies are seeking public comment in

order to receive feedback from the widest range of interested parties

and to ensure that all information relevant to developing the document

is received. The agencies will review public comments received on the

draft MARSSIM as well as comments from a concurrent, independent,

scientific peer review. Suggested changes will be incorporated, where

appropriate, in response to those comments.

DATES: Comments received by July 7, 1997 will be considered. Comments

received after that date will be considered if it is practical to do

so, but no assurance can be given for consideration of late comments.

ADDRESSES: Members of the public are invited to submit written comments

to EITHER the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ATTN: Air and

Radiation Docket, Mail Stop 6102, Air Docket No. A-96-44, Room M1500,

First Floor Waterside Mall, 401 M Street, S.W., Washington D.C. 20460

or the Chief, Rules Review and Directives Branch, Division of Freedom

of Information and Publications Services, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission, Washington DC 20555-0001. Copies of all comments received

by one agency will be periodically copied and sent to the others.

Copies of the draft MARSSIM and all comments received may be examined

or copied for a fee at the EPA Docket Room M1500, Docket No. A-96-44,

First Floor Waterside Mall, 401 M Street, S.W., Washington D.C. 20460;

and the NRC Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW, Washington DC

20555-0001. The EPA docket may be inspected from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm,

Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays in Room M1500 at the

address above. A free single copy of the draft MARSSIM may be requested

by writing to: the Distribution and Mail Services Section, U.S. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission, Washington DC 20555-0001 or by fax to (301) 415-

2260. The document is also available through the Internet at http://

www.epa.gov/radiation/cleanup and through the National Technical

[[Page 737]]

Information Service (NTIS). The NTIS document number is PB97-117659,

and the NTIS Sales Desk can be reached between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.,

Eastern time, Monday through Friday at (703) 487-4650; TDD (hearing

impaired only): (703) 487-4639.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any of the following points of contact

for each agency for technical information (see ``Addresses'' section

above for directions on obtaining a copy of the draft MARSSIM): DOE:

Kenneth Duvall, Phone: (202) 586-0242, U.S. Department of Energy (EH-

412), 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585; EPA: Mark

Doehnert; Phone: (202) 233-9386, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

Mail Stop 6603J, 401 M. Street, SW, Washington DC 20460; NRC: Robert A.

Meck, Phone: (301) 415-6205, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, MS T-

9C24, Washington DC 20555. Questions concerning the multi-agency

document development project should be addressed to CDR Colleen

Petullo, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/U.S. Public Health

Service, RIENL, PO Box 98517, Las Vegas, NV 89193-8517, (702) 798-2476.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The MARSSIM provides information on

planning, conducting, evaluating, and documenting environmental

radiological surveys for demonstrating compliance with dose-based

regulations. The MARSSIM, when finalized, will be a multi-agency

consensus document.

MARSSIM was developed collaboratively over the past three years by

the technical staffs of the four Federal agencies having authority for

control of radioactive materials: DOD, DOE, EPA, and NRC (60 FR 12555).

Contractors to the DOE, EPA, and NRC, and members of the public have

been present during the open meetings of the MARSSIM work group.

MARSSIM's objective is to describe standardized and consistent

approaches for surveys, which provide a high degree of assurance that

established dose-based release criteria, limits, guidelines, and

conditions of the regulatory agencies are satisfied at all stages of

the process, while at the same time encouraging an effective use of

resources. The techniques, methodologies, and philosophies that form

the bases of this manual were developed to be consistent with current

Federal limits, guidelines, and procedures.

Although Federal agency personnel are involved in the preparation

of this document, the manual does not represent the official position

of any participating agency at this time. An earlier draft of the

document has been reviewed within the Federal agencies. Comments were

received and comments from the review that reflected a technical error

or flaw in logic or information flow were addressed. The other comments

from the Federal agencies will be addressed along with the public

comments. The public review is a necessary step in the development of a

final multi-agency consensus document. The document will also receive

formal technical peer review. The draft has not been approved by the

participating agencies for use in part or in whole and should not be

used, cited, or quoted except for the purposes of providing comments as

requested.

Reviewers are requested to focus on technical accuracy, and

understandability. Reviewers are also requested to address five

questions while reviewing the MARSSIM:

(1) Does the MARSSIM provide a practical and implementable approach

to performing radiation surveys and site investigations? Are there any

major drawbacks to the proposed methods?

(2) Is the MARSSIM technically accurate?

(3) Does the MARSSIM provide benefits that are not available using

current methods? What is the value of the MARSSIM in comparison with

other currently available alternatives?

(4) What are the costs associated with the MARSSIM in comparison

with other currently available alternatives?

(5) Is the information in the MARSSIM understandable and presented

in a logical sequence? How can the presentation of material be modified

to improve the understandability of the manual?

Comments may be submitted as proposed modified text, or as a

discussion. Comments should be accompanied by supporting bases,

rationale, or data. To ensure efficient and complete comment

resolution, commenters are requested to reference the page number and

the line number of the MARSSIM to which the comment applies (enter only

the beginning page and line number, even if your comment applies to a

number of pages or lines to follow).

Comments corresponding to an entire chapter, an entire section, or

an entire table should be referenced to the line number for the title

of the chapter (always line number 1), section, or table. Comments on

footnotes should be referenced to the line in the main text where the

footnote is indicated. Comments on figures should be referenced to the

page on which the figure appears (figures do not have line numbers).

The figure number should be included in the text of the comment.

Comments on the entire manual should be referenced to the title page.

Title: Draft Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation

Manual.

For the Department of Defense, dated this 20th day of December

1996.

Gary D. Vest,

Principal Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Environmental

Security.

Title: Draft Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation

Manual.

For the U. S. Department of Energy, dated this 5th day of

December 1996.

Raymond P. Berube,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment.

Title: Draft Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation

Manual.

For the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, dated this 9th

day of December 1996.

E. Ramona Trovato,

Director, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air.

Title: Draft Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation

Manual.

For the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, dated this 2nd day

of December 1996.

David Morrison,

Director, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.

[FR Doc. 97-170 Filed 1-3-97; 8:45 am]

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