Finding of No Significant Impact for the Renewal of Source Material, License SMB-743, Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corporation, Newfield, New Jersey

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket 40-7102]

Finding of No Significant Impact for the Renewal of Source

Material, License SMB-743, Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corporation,

Newfield, New Jersey

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering the renewal

of the Source Material License SMB-743 for the continued operation of

Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corporation (SMC), located in Newfield, New

Jersey

Summary of the Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

The proposed action is the renewal of SMC's Source Material License

SMB-743 for 5 years. With this renewal, the SMC facility will continue

to produce specialty alloys, slag fluidizers, and other products. The

proposed action would permit SMC to possess up to 1,200,000 kilograms

(kg) of thorium-232 and 180,000 kg of uranium-238, as requested in

SMC's September 15, 1995, renewal application. As part of the proposed

action, SMC would also continue to add radioactive materials to the

temporary stockpiles of slag and baghouse dust currently stored at the

site until a final disposition is approved by the commission. Although

the continued storage of this material is evaluated as part of the

environmental assessment (EA), the evaluation of environmental impacts

from a final disposition method is outside the scope of this EA and

will be addressed in a separate environmental action.

The Need for the Proposed Action

SMC performs a service for the commercial steel industry by

producing speciality alloys, slag fluidizers, and other products. SMC

is one of two domestic producers of ferrocolumbium (ferroniobium

alloy), its main product from the licensed activities; ferrocolumbium

is readily available from foreign producers, such as Brazil and,

recently, the Confederation of Independent States (formerly the Soviet

Union) and Canada. The element niobium can increase the strength of

steel by more than 5,000 pounds per square inch (psi) with only a small

addition of niobium (approximately 0.01 percent), thus allowing lighter

weight alloys. Denial of the license renewal for the SMC facility is an

alternative available to NRC, but would either require the construction

of a new facility at another site or a possible dependence upon foreign

imports of ferrocolumbium.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

The radiological impacts of the continued operation of the SMC

facility were assessed by calculating the radiation doses to the

maximally exposed individual located at the facility fence line and the

collective radiation dose to the local population living within 80

kilometers (50 miles0 of the plant site. The primary exposure pathway

is release and transport of radioactive effluents to the air.

Doses From Routine Airborne Releases

SMC operates their process using two baghouses to filter airborne

material: the Flex Kleen (FK) Baghouse and the American Air Filter

(AAF) Baghouse. Atmospheric releases were determined from the two D-111

Baghouse stacks. Other potential release points including stored dust

and slag piles were also

[[Page 49539]]

considered, but off-site doses from these release points were found to

be negligible.

SMC submitted March 1996 measurement data from stack emissions

showing doses less than 1 millirem (mrem) per year at the fence line

under nominal conditions. Conservative estimates of the expected

effluent release rates were calculated by the NRC staff using

assumptions, including the following: (1) the use of conservative

values for the efficiencies of baghouse filters based upon the

possibility of undetected filter bag breakages and (2) a ground-level

release point for both baghouses. The radiation doses resulting from

atmospheric releases were estimated using the CAP88-PC (Clean Air

Assessment Package 1988) Version 1.0 computer code. The maximally

exposed individual was located at the fence line, which was 250 meters

(820) feet) south of the SMC facility. The Total Effective Dose

Equivalent (TEDE) to the nearest resident is estimated to be less than

9 mrem per year from all pathways. Inhalation intakes accounted for

greater than 85 percent of the total radiation dose. Thorium-232 was

the dominant dose contributor, accounting for about 30 percent of the

total dose This estimated radiation dose is less than the 100 mrem per

year limit established by NRC in 10 CFR 20.1301 and the 10 millirem per

year dose constraint for air emissions in 10 CFR 20.1101.

The population within 80 km (50 miles) of SMC's facility is about

6,766,961 people, based on 1994 census data. The collective dose to the

surrounding population is expected to be less than 7 person-rem per

year. Based on an average background radiation dose of about 0.3 rem

per year for individuals in the U.S. from natural sources, the same

population would receive about 2,00,000 person-rem per year from

background radiation. Thus, the collective radiation dose associated

with atmospheric releases from the SMC's facility is a small percentage

of the collective radiation dose from natural background radiation for

these same people.

Accident Evaluation

In the EA, NRC staff evaluated one accident as the bounding

accident: the release of dust from a baghouse or silo. This accident

assumed that 10,000 kg of dust were released from structural failure of

a baghouse. Calculated release fractions were 4 to 5 x 10

-3. Other accidents were determined to be within the bounds

of this accident because both quantities and form of the material made

larger dispersions unlikely. This bounding accident was calculated as a

result in an exposure of less than 6 mrem TEDE to the nearest resident.

The expected population dose from this accident would be no greater

than 0.9 person-rem.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

Discussions were held with representatives from the State of New

Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency at various times throughout the

preparation of the EA. NRC consulted SMC representatives in preparing

this document.

Conclusion

On the basis of this Environmental Assessment, NRC has concluded

that the environmental impacts from the proposed action would not be

significant.

Finding of No Significant Impact

The NRC has prepared an EA related to the renewal of Source

Material License SMB-743. On the basis of the assessment, the NRC has

concluded that environmental impacts that would be created by the

proposed action would not be significant and do not warrant the

preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement. Accordingly, NRC has

determined that a Finding of No Significant Impact is appropriate.

The EA, the license renewal application dated September 15, 1995,

and the documents related to this proposed action are available for

public inspection and copying at the Commission's Public Document Room

at the Gelman Building, 2120 L Street NW, Washington, DC. Anyone with

questions or comments about this proposed action should contact Ms.

Heather Astwood, NRC's Project Manager for the facility, at Mail Stop

T-8D-14, U.S. NRC, Washington, D.C. 20555 or in (301) 415-5819.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 16th day of September, 1997.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Michael F. Weber,

Chief, Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards,

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.

[FR Doc. 97-25078 Filed 9-19-97; 8:45 am]

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