Press Release-I-08-035, NRC to Update Public on Sept. 30 Regarding Review of Decommissioning Plan for Newfield, N.J., Site
| ML082630558 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 04007102 |
| Issue date: | 09/19/2008 |
| From: | Office of Public Affairs Region I |
| To: | |
| Category:Press Release | |
| References | |
| Press Release-I-08-035 | |
| Download: ML082630558 (2) | |
Text
No. I-08-053
Contact:
Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331 Sept. 19, 2008 NRC TO UPDATE PUBLIC ON SEPT. 30 REGARDING REVIEW OF DECOMMISSIONING PLAN FOR NEWFIELD, N.J., SITE The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will provide the public with an update on its review of a decommissioning plan for the Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corp. facility in Newfield (Gloucester County), N.J., on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
The information will be presented during a meeting scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at Edgarton Memorial Elementary School, at 212 Catawba Ave. in Newfield. Following a brief introductory presentation by the NRC staff, the meeting will shift to information booths at which attendees will be able to ask questions of the staff regarding the decommissioning plan and the agencys ongoing review of the proposal. Among the topics the NRC staff will be prepared to address at the booths are: radiological dose assessment; the engineered barrier design proposed for radioactive waste material at the site; financial assurance; groundwater and surface water issues; and the environmental impact assessment being conducted as part of the decommissioning plan review.
Located at 35 South West Blvd., the Shieldalloy facility in Newfield was used for smelting and alloy production from 1940 through 2001. One of the raw materials used by the company was a niobium ore called pyrochlore, which contains uranium and thorium and is subject to NRC licensing requirements. The majority of the radioactive material remaining at the site consists of slag generated during production operations and dust from baghouses.
Under a decommissioning plan submitted by Shieldalloy to the NRC in 2006, all of the materials containing uranium and thorium would be consolidated into a single pile on a portion of the sites storage yard. The material would then be shaped, graded and covered with an engineered barrier. The plan also calls for the remainder of the site to be released for unrestricted use, provided that the company can demonstrate that there was no residual contamination above allowable levels.
The focus of the NRCs review is to determine if the decommissioning proposal would meet the agencys requirements for protecting public health and safety and the environment. That would include ensuring that no member of the public would receive exposure to radiation from the material in excess of allowable regulatory limits. The review entails both safety and environmental evaluations.
NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region I 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov Site: http://www.nrc.gov
Shieldalloys decommissioning plan is available on the NRCs web site through its ADAMS electronic document system, at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html, using docket number 04007102.
The NRC staff earlier discussed its review of the plan during public meetings held on Dec. 5 and 12, 2007.
News releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address:
http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.