OCR Text |
Show After Years, the Final Environmental Statement Issued on Rio Algom The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has issued a Final Environmental Statement State-ment (FES) on the environmental environ-mental considerations associated associa-ted with the application of Rio Algom Corporation for a license to operate the Humeca Uranium Mill in San Juan County, near Moab in southeast south-east Utah. The uranium ore refining plant will have a capacity of about 700 tons per day. Although the proposed licensing licens-ing action does not extend to mining, the FES considers the environmental impact of the combined mining and milling project to be conducted in the area by Rio Algom. In the FES the staff concludes that from the standpoint of environmental environmen-tal effects, the license may be issued subject to certain conditions. The Draft Statement was issued in December 1972 and the Final Statement was essentially completed in August Aug-ust of 1974. However, publication publica-tion was deferred pending formulation of arrangements ' for assuring that the mill tailings would be appropriately appropriate-ly stabilized, maintained and monitored over an extended period of time. Since then, the company has committed to provide funds, through bonding bond-ing arrangements, for the reclamation and stabilization as well as maintenance costs of the stabilized areas for 50 years after decommissioning. The State of Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining is responsible for implementing state law with respect to uranium mine and mill reclamation recla-mation including tailings stabilization stab-ilization and monitoring. The NRC and the State are working toward resolution of details of bonding and other arrangements arrange-ments which will be implemented imple-mented before a full term license for the mill is issued. In addition to requirements for environmental monitoring, the license would require that any action involving the movement of tailings material must be approved by the NRC; construction of a new tailings basin and dam must be approved by the NRC; the license must comply with all of the tailings procedures and restrictions contained in the FES; and mill tailings would not be transferred from the site at any time without specific specif-ic prior approval of the NRC or the State of Utah. Copies of the Final Environmental Environ-mental Statement will be . available for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room at 1717 H. Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. and in the San Juan-County Library, Monticello, Utah. Copies of the report (Document No. NUREG-0046) may be purchased pur-chased on or about May 6 from the National Technical Information Infor-mation Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161, for $16.25 for paper copy and $2.25 for microfiche. |