ML20034H298
| ML20034H298 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 09/21/1992 |
| From: | NRC |
| To: | NRC |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20034H297 | List: |
| References | |
| FOIA-92-544 NUDOCS 9303170044 | |
| Download: ML20034H298 (7) | |
Text
{{#Wiki_filter:-. - 4 s September 21, 1992 NOTE: Jack, Vivian, Jackie, Billie, Selvan T0: For several months Wes and I have known that Fanste suthorize such We had heard that EcoTec would obtain a license t') Harvey Spiro, work, but we had not received a license application from them. ponds. NMSS Project Manager for Fansteel, just sent Wes the attached Region II license, which appears to authorize EcoTec to perform a spectrum remediation activities. since NMSS has the licensing responsibility and is (still) reviewingHow 'ansteel's remediation plans. i IV. It the RII license, we should watch for other EcoTec activit becoming aware of it. Just a " heads up." 1 f cc: Joe Johns Chuck .5' Wes h I /; 9303170044 921230 I PDR FOIA THOMAS 92-544 PDR T
-,-ee. y i I The east side of Fansteel is considered the contaminated portion of the site. The west side is thought to be essentially clean. Pond 3 contains the United States' greatest deposit of Sc. EcoTek plans to process materials on site to recover Sc, Cb/Nb, and Ta. We l believe that U and Th is all over the east side of the Fansteel site. The licensee informed Wes Holley that EcoTek has demostrated at fansteel a batch experiment resulting in the separation of the above metals plus the separation of U and Th and their isolation from the product stream. EcoTek plans to build a pilot plant at Fansteel in the very near future contingent on a license admendment from NRC. If the pilot plant is successful, they will build a processing plant at Fansteel, i EcoTek estimates that it will take approximately 8 years to process the waste at Fansteel. i i l i I \\ w
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). BACKGROUND INFORMATION Facility: Fansteel Location: Muskogee, Oklahoma Docket No: 040-07580 License No: SMB-911 Type of Facility: A plant to separate tantalum, columbium, and other metals from ores imported mainly from Thailand. Operational Date: Began operation around 1960. Licensed as a Part 40 facility by NMSS. NMSS (LLW)
Contact:
H. J. Spiro (301) 504-2559 Region 1[ Responsibility: NMLS (Wes Holley, Principal Inspector) Manaaement Personnel John J. Hunter, Manager, Process Engineering and Facilities Construction Work Force Several people Current Status The plant shut down in January 1990. Since that time. Fansteel and their contractor, Earth Sciences Consultants, have worked to obtain NRC approval of a site Remedial Assessment Work Plan and a site Decommissioning Plan. The licensee's submittals have been found deficient, thus slowing down the process of beginning site remediation. This site contains not only tens of thousands ~ of kilograms of uranium and thorium, contaminant byproducts of the tantalum and columbium separation process, but also enormous quantities of fluorides and other chemical residues of the process. These materials are mainly i located in " ponds," whose integrity is known to be very poor. One can easily envision a remediation process involving hundreds of thousands of tons of i material. The licensee expects to receive authorization to begin the Remedial Assessment very soon and to have the site characterized by the end of the year. Remediation, which might include onsite processing of some of the residues, will probably take at least 10 years. i
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'....)._. .- W oW J g... .a n ,.. j n ,b b WY Nh cIN. jisityiGn,upat 'E Y m. e u. 9,ea s u ~, d. - !UN i),f ' ) .. ~ ~ - By KEITII WHITE haven't been cleaned up yet will be ; Phoenis Washington Correspondent addressed when that plant is closed. WASHINGTON - Nuclear Reg-and deconunissioned, he said. gWM ulatory Commission officials un-Sequoyah Fuels officials are, M veiled a three-year plan Wednesday trying now to get NRC approval to : y m to clean up radioactive contamina-begm operations once again at the. H tion at the closed Fansteel plant in plant, which has been shut down ' [ Muskogee and 45 other sites. since last fall because of en y Fansteel produced small amounts vtronmental problems. {() M of radioactive uranium and Besides the Fansteel site, the list-g p co thorium while processing ores to of targeted properues includes two-E, J produce the steel strengtherung closed Kerr-McGee facilities. One: metals niobium and tantahtm. is a uranium fabrication site in' "Now the question is what to do Cushing and the other is the plant: I about the ores and residues that outside Crescent where Karen: have been accumulated over the Silkwood once worked.- years," said John Austin, chief of Silkwood died in a controverstal: the N RC's decommissioning car accident while on her way to: r-~~ branch. "They believe there's a meet a newspaper reporter and* -) [*') market for it to recover possibly union off;cial with charges of viol-the uranium or thorium. On the attons at the plant. i V other hand, we don't think those Bernero said all sites should be !i residues should remain in the open cleaned up in the next three years.. U h{h !or a long period of time," He said the licensee, or respon. Those small deposits of uraniurn sible party, should be able. to' and thorium are contained in about complete within a year a repart; H 90 tons of slag on the plant's prop-that says where the radioactWe ] OEW\\ erty, where they pose no short-term contamination is. threat to the public, Austm said. Once the NRC has reviewed and~: l But Fansteel and 45 other sites approved the report, it should take; targeted by the NRC for ac* no more than six months for the. celerated cleanup are serious long-licensee to come up with a cleanupl term environmental threats. plan. Once that plan is approved,i. "They should not be left that cleanup should take no longer than? way," said Robert Bernero, direc-a year and a half Bernero said. tot of NRC's nuclear material He said the NRC hopes to work! safety and safeguards, voluntarily with licensees'or 'the! i Owners, or those responsible for companies held responsible for thet E decontamination efforts, will be radioactive material to clean upt g the problems, but will take stronger measures if necessary. }. s E g notified of the new plan and its g) x oc schedule, Bernero said. "For these sites, the time is now," he said. "1jeensing authority gives us:a': i- = 5 O C E Because this cleanup effort is very strong ecatrol, and so does thet ',g > E 1 5 =E E aimed at closed facilities that have ability to issue orders. Even if we.: g 0 been unresolved pmblems for don't have a license for a site, sg o 'E years, it will not affect pollution can issue an order that is legally L S j problems at Sequoyah Ftels binding," he said.
- t Corp.'s uranium enrichmer,t plant The cleanup goal is to reduce",
r U' in Gore, Bernero said. radioactive, contamination to tfie q Problems at that plant that point where it poses no threat.:j w,
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i j MORGAN, Lewis & BOCKlUS Wa s HINo ton CouwscLoas At Law 2o00 oNE LOG AN sGUA R C NEW YORE LOS ANmEs pg,g,gnggpgga,pggggygy4pg4gggo3.gpp3 g,pp,,ggpg Tr 6t encess trial e 63+6000 SAN DatOO BRUSSELS LONooN Faa taisioss stes TRANRFURT Tomvo FR AN K M. TH O M A$,.) R. p.n...cc, irisi o s a o n o November 4, 1992 CERTIflEpJAlb - RE,T1!ELLFICEIPI EEQLLESSED FREEDOM 0F H1TOU.1ATl0N ACT REQuGT Director, Division of Rules and Records OM % y office of Administration and T Resources Management Q // / C { Nuclear Regulatory Commission U.S. Washington, DC 20555 EBEF&qM OF IRE 9EMM'I.OJLREQEEET Re:
Dear Sir or Madam:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following information 5 U.f.C. 6 552,to the facility operated by Fansteel, Inc. in with respect Please note that this information Muscogee, Oklahoma. request is limited to the period from D DMary 1, 1191 through the.pteURDt (i.e. materials prepared or received during that timefrane). 1. A listing of all reports, studies and site inspections'which have been prepared by or on behalf of the NRC with respect to the facility. 2. A copy of all reports, studies, site inspections, and plans regarding the treatment or generation, handling, storage, disposal of the facility's digestion residuo sludges or other materials handled at the facility pursuant to an NRC license. - h H f ?l2l2 ' J
Mono ^ o. L t w a s E. Bocmus Freedom of Information Office (6M-HC) November 4, 1992 page 2 'l 3. A copy of all reports, studies, site inspections, analytical data'and other documents concerning any environmental remediation work being conducted at the facility under the direction, supervision or oversight of the NRC. 4.
- A c'opy of all correspondence, memoranda, and
, other documents which refer or relate to the materials identified in response to Item #1 through #3 above'. 5. A copy of all correspondence, memoranda, studies, reports, site inspections,.and other documents which-the NRC has either received from, or sent to, state or other federal regulatory. agencies. 6. A listing of all correspondence, memoranda, studies, reports, inspections,.and other documents which are pertinent to Items #1 through #5 above but which are not being made available in response to this request, together with a statement as to the reasons why such_ documents are unavailable. please call me if the estimated fee for duplicating these materials exceeds $100. Your attention to this request is appreciated. Very t,ruly yourg, / Frank M.' Thomas FMT/kmt -}}