DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES Radioactive Material License Termination Request [39 Pa.B. 241]
[Saturday, January 10, 2009]The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) has submitted a request to the Department of Environmental Protection (Department) for termination of Radioactive Material License No. PA-1052S in accordance with 25 Pa. Code § 215.1(e) (relating to purpose and scope). The license encompasses residual radioactive material left behind from past operations at the facility. The facility is located in the Quehanna Wild Area of the Moshannon State Forest. The site has a long history of radioactive material use since the construction of the research reactor in 1955. Since then various tenants have been licensed to possess radioactive materials for uses including materials research, production of radiothermal electric generators, and high activity gamma irradiation. The DCNR has taken final facility cleanup responsibility to allow for unrestricted future use. The DCNR has submitted a Final Status Survey Report (FSSR) for review by the Department. If approved, the license will be terminated and the site released for unrestricted use. This request comes following an extensive 10 year cleanup of the facilities and surrounding grounds and disposal of significant volumes of low-level radioactive waste at licensed out-of-State sites. The DCNR feels the FSSR documents that the cleanup has effectively removed and properly disposed of all radiological hazards from past licensed activities. The Department will evaluate the provided documentation and data generated from a confirmatory survey of the site prior to granting license termination.
The FSSR is available for public review and comment. The Department will accept written comments on the DCNR's request until February 10, 2009. Comments should be submitted by mail to Director, Bureau of Radiation Protection, Rachel Carson State Office Building, P. O. Box 8469, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8469 or RA-EPDecommissioning@state.pa.us. Following the public 5comment period, the Department will make a final determination regarding the DCNR's request. Notice of the Department's final determination will be published in a future edition of the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
For additional information concerning the Quehanna site, cleanup activities or DCNR's request, individuals may contact the Bureau of Radiation Protection at (717) 787-2480 or RA-EPDecommissioning@state.pa.us. Persons in need of accommodations as provided for in the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 should contact the Department directly at (717) 787-2480 or through the Pennsylvania AT&T Relay Service at (800) 654-5984 (TDD) to discuss how the Department may accommodate their needs.
MICHAEL DIBERARDINIS,
Secretary[Pa.B. Doc. No. 09-44. Filed for public inspection January 9, 2009, 9:00 a.m.]
