ML20210P885
| ML20210P885 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/21/1997 |
| From: | Greeves J NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | Fiore J ENERGY, DEPT. OF |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20210P892 | List: |
| References | |
| REF-WM-3 NUDOCS 9708270383 | |
| Download: ML20210P885 (2) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES g
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,j NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 4
W AsHINGToN, D.C. 20MHKot k.g.....,/
August 21, 1997 l
Mr. James J. Flore Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Restoration U.S. Department of Energy l
Washington, D.C. 20545
SUBJECT:
STATUS OF PROGRAM COMPLETlON FOR URANIUM MILL TAILINGS SITES
Dear Mr. Flore:
By letter dated May 20,1997, Mr. Joseph J. Holonich, Chief of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission's Uranium Recovery Branch informed Mr. George Rael of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Albuquerque Operations Office that the NRC was prepared to support DOE in completing the surfste cleanup program of DOE's Uranium Mil1 Tailings Romodial Action (UMTRA) Project. Included in Mr. Holonich's letter was a status report on the NRC review of DOE's documentation of the remedial action at the uranium mill tailings sites. In addition, a schedule outlining the milestones and dates that needed to be met by both DOE and NRC was included in the letter. Ahhough the status of sites and some of the projected schedule dates have changed slightly since the issuance of the May letter, the overall schedule for completion of j
the program remains on course at this time. A copy of the letter is provided as an enclosure for your convenience.
J i
l The purpose of this letter is to reemphasize the NRC commitment to support the completion of I
the DOE surface reclamation program by the September 1998 statutory deadline. We at NRC I
believe that the program will meet its mandatory date if both NRC and DOE continue the excellent working relationship the agencies have developed over the lifetime of the project. To this end, it is important that DOE ensure that the needed submittals outlined in Mr. Holonich's May 20,1997, letter are provided by DOE. Without these timely submittals, NRC cannot j
complete the needed reviews on a schedule that supports the DOE surface reclamation program.
j l understand that at least one site, the Mayboll site, will have some difficulty meeting the l
September 1998 completion date. Based on discussions between Mr. Rael and Mr. Holonich, l
the NRC has agreed to investigate if there is a way the site could be licensed without l
construction being fully completed. For the remaining, unlicensed sites, the NRC is closely l
working with DOE to keep the licensing of the sites on schedule, it is NRC's perspective that the staff has been completing its reviews on the schedules that are needed by DOE.
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J.Flore.
2 In closing, I want to reemphasize the NRC support for completion of the DOE surface reclamation prograrn by September 1998. We are prepared to meet with you to discuss the status of the program. If you would like such a meeting or have any questions, please feel free to contact either me or Mr. Holonich. I can be reached at (301) 415 7437, and Mr. Holonich can be reached at (301) 415 7238.
Sincerely, I
(Original signed by)
John T. Greeves, Director
(
Division of Waste Management Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
Enclosure:
As stated cc: J. Owendoff R. Lightner D. Mathes -
G. Rael DISTRIBUTION:
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