ML22174A318
| ML22174A318 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/26/1988 |
| From: | Layton R, Martin R NRC Region 4, Environmental Protection Agency |
| To: | |
| Smith J | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML22174A313 | List: |
| References | |
| Download: ML22174A318 (11) | |
Text
Memorandum of U n d e r s t a n d i n g Between Region YI of U.S. Environmental Drotection Agency and Region IV Df The J. S. N u c l e a r Re gul at o r y Commission for Remedial Action at the UNC-Chur;nrock Uranium Mill In McKinley County, New Mexico PURPOSE This document e s t a b l i s h e s the roles, ^esponsibil H i e s, and r e l a t i o n s h i p retween Region VI of :ne U.S. Environmental T o t e c t i o n Agency r - r p A " ; ana
=e;rnn IV o f t h e J. S. N u c l e a r Regul at ory Commission
( " ' J R C " \\ h e r e i n a f t e r c o l -
l, re- -red to as the "Parties,"
regarding remedial action at the -1C-uranium m i l l in McKinley County, New M e xi c o.
r h e P a r t i e s haye o v
" a p p i n g authority in connection with t hi s s i t e, and t n l s ^emorandun of Under-s t a n d i n g
- >>MOU") w i l l nelo assure that remedial actions occur in a t i m e l y and e f f e c t i v e manner.
I I.
B A S I S F O R A G R E E M E N T O
O w i l l assume -.1e role of lead r e g u l a t o r y agency for the ayproduct naterial di s pos al area reclamation and closure acuities and ERA w i l l monitor all such a c t i v i t i e s ana provide review and comments d i r e c t l y to NRC.
The objec-tive of E'A's revie* and cogent wi 1 1 b e to assure that ac t i vi t y to be conducted
,nder NRC' s regulatory authority a l l o w attaint 3 f a a p l i c a b l e o r relevant a n d a p p r o p r i a t e requirements unaer tne Co-prenensive £nviron<<nt.l Response Con,pensat,on 001885
- 929071*
929071
nd L i a b i l i t y Act of 1980, as amended
/'CERCLA"), 42 b'.S.C. §9601 et se : outside f tne byproduct
-latenal d i s p o s a l site.
NRC w i l l require the Licensee :o an approved d i s p o s a l site reclamation p l a n whi:n meets the r e c ^ ' - e n e n t s
- f 10 CF3 Part 40, A p p e n d i x A, as a^enaea at 52 Fed. Rez_ 433553 tnrough -3563, "Jrani um Mi l l T a i l i n g s R e g u l a t i o n s ;
Groundwate^
Protection and other I s s u e s, "
wnich conforms with the EPA 40 CFR 192, 5ubpart
- 3.
EPA development and "nole.'nen-tation of its own site action requirements for groundwater contamination
- jtside of tne disposal area w i l l be conducted in accordance witfi CHRCLA ana tne
'.ational Oil ana Hazardous Substances Contingency
?lan ("NCR") 40 CrR Section 300
- ?cljdin;'
any revisions tnereto.
rhe EPA ana NRC agree tnat tne groundwater protect*:n requirements of 10 CFR Part 40, Aopendi x 4 are tie Federal environmental iid p u b l i c health requirements a p p l i c a b l e or relevant and appropriate to the ::soosal site.
The EPA and NRC relieve that conformance with 10 CFR Part 40, Appe^:i<
A
( w i t h the p o s s i b l e exception of n i t r a t e ),
w i l l generally assure conformance with CERCLA requirements.
However, each Party w i l l be responsible for assuring compliance with i t ' s s p e c i f i c regulatory requirements a s discussed i n t h i s section.
The parties believe that the
'J.S. Qepart-nent of Energy or anothe" responsible S t a t e o r Federal authority w i ' 1 assume r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r lorg-:erm care of the byproduct material disaosal
- site, f o l l o w i n g remediation of the site.
I I I.
B A C K G R O U N D The St at e of New Mexico was
-ssponsiole as an "Agreement State" for
-'lansing and r e g j l a t i n g uranium n i l l s witnin the State until June 1, 1986, at wnich time OJ O
001886
tn.s t, at tne to L,st he of s l t l s,or resoonse 3 to
tne to c e r t d l n
y o<<rat)on, J l t.
- n9,
E.A t-re.ts -hereof, at tiis fddHt I V.
<<c o
y are co>>>>letea.
- n order ta achieve s a t i s f a c t o r y cleanup Of the,NC s i t e, :,e
-*C ana agree to do the f o l l o w i n g ;
- 1.
The Parties shall cooperate with each other in the overset of reclamation and remedial a c t i v i t y at the (JNC Si:e.
- 2.
Upon submutal ay UNC of a proposed site reclamation p l a n Cthe o l a n " ),
NRC and EPA wl,1 *>><< concurrent ^e,,ews of tne 001887
>rooG$ea D'I an.
^A w i l l -sview tie
^"51 ana i/i 1 1 provide consents to :ne '.3C.
- i?C w i l l
-ev ew and, i* -ecessary, -ea;n re "^visions :j "fie p l a n :o assure con^or-ance o ll> : ^art 10, Appencn< 4, ;s inencsec, "rior to aoprovT-7 tne olan.-.3 "Icense a-Tenc.Tients.
I r E"^
cannot conclude mat the ^*an aooroves *:/ WC "neets CERCLA reaulrenents, tnen E?A nay i n i t i a t e separate actions is iay ^e necessary to ensjre conforwance
.*ith CERCLA reaji^enents :,:sice o^ tne l i s pos a.
area
- site,
- RC.^i ! 1 w.ot 3Dprove.iny saeci**
- ;onoonents of :ne croun^water C
protection a n d recovery ascects o f J N C ' :
. n t i f - P A n a s leter-mneo,
'- i ' -. e c o r :,
- tie
'JVC Dlan ana statement V3 \\RC, tna:
reoui rewit i and/or ^nema]
3Ctions ^a-Dronosed reclamation ol an
- ecision or D/ -evie* o f
t is :ons:s:ent.<<itn ireu under IE.RCLA.
\\?C loes not intent to aoprove iny s p e c i f i c jsoects of.NC's ^roundwater protection and recovery actions conta'nei !.i j.NC's oroposed reclamation j l a n m t i l 5jc*^ tine as any inconsistencies nave seen resolves.
I*
remoia! j e t t o n is 3eterrn^e-i in a ^eccri jr" 3ecisun to :e necessary, EPA intends to eitner enter ^nto a Consent Decree witn JNC
.vnicn JNC ** 1 1 c o n d j c t,
-**tn "^A o v e r s i j n t,
^eroeaiai acitons to or exceeding tnose outl^ed in an £ DA Record of Decision, to take on
-"rself iDDroorute enforcement action,,r
- Cr^nn renedial actt Pursuant to *ct,on 104 or IZRCLA, ^ese^ing all rignts o see, cos:
y,nder Section 137 >f CERCU.
- J Cn actions.nay :a :oncuctec 001888
as part of the NRC's approval of the UNC p l a n or s e p a r a t e l y; but 11 any event EPA -intends to coordinate its actions f i r s t rfith the NRC.
If either Darty determines tnat remedial actions are d e f i c i e n t or unsatisfactory, then mat Party shall provide notice to the other Darty of the deficiency.
The NRC s h a l l assume the lead role for n o t i f i c a t i o n to UNC, except for such n o t i f i c a t i o n as E?A might s t a t u t o r i l y be required to provide in certain events.
The n o t i f i -
cation sha 1!
s p e c i f y a time period in which regulatory compl i ance is expected to be achieves.
S h o u l d compliance not oe achieved :n tnis time period, EPA w i l l assume tne lead ^or t aki ng or see<ing any enforcement action necessary for o f f - s i t e groundwater
- nd NRC w i l l assume the lead for any other enforcement actions necessary w i t h i n its area of ^egulatory r e s p o n s i b i l i t y.
Both Parties reserve all rights under t h i s MOU to take whatever actions are determined to oe necessary, i n c l u d i n g the conduct of remedial actions on and o f f - s i t e in order to fulfill their regulatory requirements, In any event 10 action w i l l be taken by either party witnout prior c ons ul t at i on with the other Party.
Both Parties s h a l l appoint a f a c i l i t y coordinator who s h a l l be respon-s i bl e for oversight of tne implementation of the MOU and the a c t i v i t i e s required herein.
The f a c i l i t y coordinators shall be appointed by each Party within seven ;7) days of the e f f e c t i v e date of this in
-=3-c o
001889
5.
5, 7.
8.
6 The Parties each have the right to a p p o i n t a new f a c i l i t y coordinator at any time.
Such change s h a l l be accomplished by n o t i f y i n g the
- Party, in w r i t i n g,
at least f i v e (5) days prior to the appointment of the name, telephone number, and m a i l i n g address of said f a c i l i t y coordinator.
The Parties w i l l meet p e r i o d i c a l l y at the request of either Party and at least s e mi a n n u a l l y i n s o f a r as it is necessary to accomplish the obj ect i ves of the MOU, The f a c i l i t y coordinators should communi-cate w i t h each other on a routine basis by telephone.
The Pa r t i e s w i l l provide technical advice and any necessary regulatory c o n s u l t a t i o n to one another upon request.
The Parties w i l l generally provide each other with copies of all o f f i c i a l correspondence and documents related to remedial actions at the site.
The Parties w i l l al s o normal l y provide copies of other i nf o r ma t i o n upon request.
In the event that one of the parties does not wish to f u r n i s h certain s p e c i f i c i n f o r m a t i o n,
documents, or corresoondence to the other, then said material s h a l l be i d e n t i f i e d to the other party along with the reasons for w i t h h o l d i n g it.
Whenever notice or information is required to be forwarded by one party to another under the terms of this MOU, it s h a l l be given by O
o 001890
V.
7 and directed to the i n d i v i d u a l s at the addresses s p e c i f i e d below:
EPA: Allyn M. Davi s, Director Hazardous Wa s t e Management D i v i s i o n Region V I, U. S.
E P A 1445 Ross Ave.
D a l l a s,
Texas 75202 N R C : Dale S m i t h, Director Uranium Recovery F i e l d O f f i c e U. S. Nu c l e a r Regulatory Commission P.O. Box 25325 Denver, Colorado 80225 Routine communications may be exchanged v e r b a l l y,
in person, or by t e l e p h o ne between the Parties to f a c i l i t a t e the orderly conduct of work c o nt e mp l a t e d by t h i s MOU.
Enforcement documentation provided under t h i s WU w i l l be kept as exempt material by EPA and NRC, to the extent l e g a l l y p o s s i b l e,
according to the p o l i c i e s and procedures under 40 CFR Part 2 and 10 CFR Part 2.790, res pect i vel y.
A G E N C Y R E S P O N S I B I L I T I E S A.
NRC r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s
- 1.
The NRC w i l l require the owners/operators of the UNC Churchrock m i l l (UNC) to implement an approved on-site reclamation p l a n that meets all relevant NRC requirements, i n c l u d i n g 10 CFR Part 40, A p p e n d i x A,
as amended.
If any such p l a n is not complied with by UNC, NRC w i l l take whatever actions it deems a p p r o p r i a t e to ensure compliance.
10 r-^ro o
001891
2.
The NRC w i l l direct
'JNC to provide both parties with copies of major work product s u b m i t t a l s as they become a v a i l a b l e.
Such work products w i l l i n c l u d e, but not be l i m i t e d to, an adequate overall reclamation p l a n, and any other p l a n s and s p e c i f i c a t i o n s for assessment, remediation, and monitoring, i n c l u d i n g all analytical data.
The NRC agrees to provide progress reports on UNC remediation on a quarterly basis.
The NRC w i l l assist in the development of i n f o r m a t i o n to support C
EPA's d e l e t i o n of the site from the NPL upon compl et i on of the remedial action.
GO' O
The NRC snail n o t i f y EPA of all p e n d i n g v i s i t s to the Churchroc*
Property which relate to the site closure p l a n and s h a l l a f f o r a EPA and its consultants o p p o r t u ni t y to acco.pany NRC personnel on such visits.
E P A R E S P O N S I B I L I T I E S 2.
EPA w i l l provide f o r m a l i z e d review, c o n s u l t a t i o n and comment throughout the entire p r o j e c t.
EPA w i l l review and provide comments on the site reclamation p l a n,
and other associated d e l i v e r a b l e s,
w i t h i n timeframes as agreed to between NRC and EPA. In the event that EPA determines that the i mp l e me nt a t i o n of the site reclamation p l a n has not resulted in, or may not result in, cleanup conditions that meet a p p l i c a b l e or 001892
C relevant and appropriate requirements under CERCLA, then ERA may take whatever action it deems a p p r o p r i a t e,
- 3.
ERA intends to pursue and complete a Remedial I n v e s t i g a t i o n and F e a s i b i l i t y
- Study, p u b l i c comment and agency response process, and Record of Decision (ROD) directed at o f f - s i t e groundwater contamination, with the intention of completing this process by to October 1, 1988.
O ERA intends to implement, or require UNC or other p o t e n t i a l l y responsible^
C parties to implement, any ERA selected remedial actions set forth in a ROD. Any remedial actions conducted by UNC or other p o t e n t i a l l y r e s po ns i b l e parties to implement an ERA selected remedy w i l l be done under ERA oversight and in accordance with the terms of any Consent Decree entered into with ERA. ERA intends that any such Consent Decree would cover actions outside the byproduct material d i s p o s a l site needed to implement the ROD remedy.
V I.
D I S P U T E R E S O L U T I O N In the event of di s put e between EPA and the NRC concerning site activities, the persons designated by each Agency as primary or, in their absence, alternate contact points w i l l attempt to promptly resolve such d i s p u t e s.
If di s put es cannot be resolved at this l e v e l, the problem w i l l be referred to the supervisors of these persons for further consultation.
The supervisory referral and resolution process w i l l continue, if necessary to resolve the d i s p u t e,
to the level of the Regional Administrators of the NRC and EPA.
001893
10
-.oth Parties shall continue to maintain their respective rights or responsibilites
.nder the MOU during the dispute resolution process.
V I I.
E X E C U T I O N A N D M O D I F I C A T I O N This agreement shall take e f f e c t upon execution by ERA and the NRC. It snail remain in e f f e c t for the duration of the program addressed herein unless terminated by mutual agreement by the two Agencies; or, the MOU may be terminated r a l l y if any of the conditions set forth below are present.
1*
The p l a n n i n g or conduct of groundwater cleanup actions f a i l to meet standards set forth in the Basis for Agreement (Section II) of this MOU.
C LO O
o
- 2.
The site is deleted from the NPL.
- 3.
The site is turned over to the Department of Energy or other responsible State or rederal authority for long term care.
- 4.
Regulatory, Statutory, or other events occur which make this MOU unnecessary, i l l e g a l,
or otherwise inappropriate.
V I I I.
M O D I F I C A T I O N The Parties may modify this MOU from time to time in order to s i m p l i f y ana/or d e f i n e the procedures contained herein.
Each Party shall keep the other informed of any relevant proposed m o d i f i c a t i o n s to its basic statutory or regulatory authority, forms, procedures, or priorities.
This MOU shall be revised, as necessary, by the adoption of such modifications.
The MOU should be reviewed on an annual basis by both the Oirector-URFO, Region IV, NRC, and the Director-Hazardous Waste Management Division, Region VI, £PA or their designated represen-tatives.
001894
11 I /.
R E S E R V A T I O N O F R I G H T S The Parties reserve any ana all ri ght s or authority that t^ey may nave, i n c l u d i n g but not l i mi t ed to l e g a l, equitable, or administrative rights.
T h i s s p e c i f i c a l l y includes E P A ' s a n d N R C ' s authority t o conduct, direct, oversee, and/or require environmental response in connection w'th the site, as well as the authority to enter the site and require the production of information, LV 1 LM I fl K
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RoEertf "D. Martin Regional Administrator U.S. Nuc l e ar Regulatory Commiss Region I V, A r l i n g t o n,
- ion, Robert E. layton Jrv; P.E.
1' Regional Ad m i n i s t r a t o r U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Region VI, D a l l a s,
Texas ate 001895