ML19295D568
| ML19295D568 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 10/17/1980 |
| From: | Minogue R NRC OFFICE OF STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT |
| To: | Dingell J, Hart G, Moffett T, Udall M HOUSE OF REP., GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS, HOUSE OF REP., INTERIOR & INSULAR AFFAIRS, HOUSE OF REP., INTERSTATE & FOREIGN COMMERCE, SENATE, ENVIRONMENT & PUBLIC WORKS |
| References | |
| FRN-45FR70874, RULE-PR-150, RULE-PR-30, RULE-PR-32, RULE-PR-70, TASK-OS, TASK-TP-710-1 NUDOCS 8011060034 | |
| Download: ML19295D568 (3) | |
Text
Return to J. Henry, 5650 NL IDENTICAL LETTERS SENT TO Distribution THOSE ON ATTACHED MAILING LIST R. B. 11inogue R. G. Smith G. A. Arlotto R. J. Jones J. C. Malaro OCT 17 lo 0 J. J. Henr'v c
SECY Mail Facility (3)
OCA ED0 The Honorable Gary Hart, Chairman EDO Reading File Subcommittee on Nuclear Regulation J. D. Philips, R&PB:DRR Committee on Environment and Public Works POR United States Senate Docketing & Service Branch, SECY Washington, D.C.
20510 J. R. Wol f, ELD
Dear Mr. Chairman:
Enclosed for the information of the Subcommittee are copies of a Notice of Proposed Rule Making to be published in the Federal Register.
The amendments to Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 30, 32, 70, and 150 would establish exemptions from licensing and regulatory requirements for persons using technetic:':-99 or low-enriched uranium as residual contamination in any smelted alloys or in any material into which such smelted alloy or its constituents may have been converted. The technetium-99 and low-enriched uranium would be minor constituents less than 5 parts per million and 17.5 parts per million, respectively, of representative samples of billets, ingots, or other smelted alloy products.
The Department of Energy has underway Cascade Improvement Programs and Cascade Upgrading Programs at all three U.S. uranium enrichment plants - Oak Ridge, TN, Portsmouth, OH, and Paducah, KY.
In the early 1970s, an AEC market survey showed that no scrap dealers or processors would purchase any of the metal scrap generated by the programs if their customers would be required to hold specific licenses to possess or use recycled contaminated scrap.
Without relief from requirements for licenses, sizeable quantities of enrichment plant scrap - 31,800 metric tons of iron and steel, 8,400 metric tons of nickel, and 1,600 metric tons of copper - would have to be considered as radioactive waste.
Eventually, the 42,000 metric tons of metal scrap would have to be buried at a cost of $1.8 million in 50,000 cubic meters of space available in low-level waste disposal facilities.
Under the proposed amendments, metal scrap could be converted into salable smelted alloys.
For enrichment plant scrap, the total net benefit would be
$41.6 million, including burial costs avoided, plus more than 800 million megajoules of energy (equivalent to 30,000 metric tons of coal) saved by recycling enrichment plant scrap instead of producing 42,000 tons of virgin iron, nickel, and copper.
The NRC has evaluated the widespread distribution of iron, nickel, and copper in a variety of products (frying pans, coins, belt buckles, bracelets, implanted
. [,y bone pins, and pharmaceutical iron c '. pound) and has estimated that less than u
one health effect Sculd result from radiation doses received from recycled n
uranium enrichment plant scrap.
.3 8011060
2 OCT 17 ISSO Persons who would desire to smelt metal scrap or initially transfer smelted alloys would be required to apply for specific licenses authorizing transfer to exempt persons.
In connection with this proposed action, a draft environmental impact state-ment has been prepared under the NRC's regulations for environmental protec-tion using the uranium enrichment plant scrap as an example source for smelted alloys.
(The decommissioning of uranium enrichment plants, nuclear power reactors, uranium hexafluoride plants, and fuel facilities would, under present regulations, all be major Federal actions requiring the preparation of environ-mental impact statements to evaluate, among other things, the environmental, economic, and radiological health impacts of smelting scrap and transferring smelted alloys.) This draft environmental impact statement will be distributed to the Council on Environmental Quality and to other interested persons for review and comment.
Enclosed also is a copy of a public announcement to be released by the Commission on this matter in the next few days.
Sincerely, Robert B. Minogue, Director Office of Standards Development
Enclosures:
1.
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 2.
Oraft Public Announcement cc:
Senator Alan Simpson Identical letters sent to the attached mailing list
\\
6 CRESS NL TPS S:SD
Job C #2 JHe y:jk JMalaw RBMinogue 10/6/80 10/ 7 /80 10/ 7!/80 10/ ^/80 10/ /80
/
MAILING LIST 00 1
.SSO 4 i The Honorable Gary Hart, Chairman Subcommittee on Nuclear Regulation Committee on Environment and Public Works United States Senate Washington, D.C.
20510 cc:
Sen. Alan Simpson The Honorable Morris K. Udall, Chairman Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C.
20515 cc:
Rep. Steven Symms The Honorable John D. Dingell, Chairman Subcommitte: c.
Energy and Power Committee c1 Interstate and Foreign Commerce United Stat (s House of Representatives Washington, D.C.
20515 cc:
Rep. Clarence J. Brown The Honorable Toby Moffett, Chairman Subcommittee on Environment Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Government Operations United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C.
20515 cc:
Rep. Paul N. McCloskey, Jr.
s b
f.
{tl L. s Nf
.