NRC ANNOUNCES OPPORTUNITY FOR HEARING ON LICENSE APPLICATION
FOR COMMERCIAL IRRADIATOR IN HONOLULU, HAWAII
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The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced the opportunity to request a hearing on an application from Pa’ina Hawaii, LLC., a Hawaiian-owned company, to build and operate an underwater pool-type commercial irradiator at a location near Honolulu International Airport.

Pa’ina Hawaii stated in its application, submitted June 27, that the device would primarily be used for the irradiation of fresh fruit and vegetables bound for the mainland from the Hawaiian islands. During use, materials to be irradiated are loaded into a stainless steel chamber, then lowered into a water-filled pool where they are exposed to radiation. The company also plans to irradiate cosmetics and pharmaceutical products, conduct research and development activities and irradiate a wide range of other materials as specifically approved by the NRC.

The NRC staff has conducted an initial review of the application and determined that it contains enough information for the required formal review. The NRC reviews irradiator applications to determine whether the proposed facility’s design and operating procedures are sufficient to protect the health and safety of workers and the public, the adequacy of emergency plans and physical security for the facility.

Other federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration are responsible for determining which foods and products intended for human consumption may be safely irradiated. In addition to satisfying NRC regulations, Pa’ini Hawaii must also comply with all applicable federal, state and municipal regulations.

A notice of the NRC’s receipt of the application and the opportunity to request a hearing will be published in the Federal Register. Petitions may be filed within 60 days of publication of the Federal Register notice by anyone whose interest may be affected by the license application and who wishes to participate as a party in the proceeding. A request for a hearing and a petition for leave to intervene must be filed with the Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff.

A copy of the license application (with security-sensitive information redacted) will be available through the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). Use ADAMS number ML052060372. Help in using ADAMS is available by contacting the NRC Public Document Room staff at 1-800-397-4209, or by sending a message to: pdr.resource@nrc.gov.

In addition, copies of the application will be available for inspection at the Honolulu Public Library and the library of the University of Hawaii.

The NRC plans to hold a public meeting on the license application in Honolulu within the next 60 days. Members of the NRC staff will be available to receive comments from interested parties, describe the process that will be used to review the license application, and answer questions from the public. Notices in advance of the meeting will be published in the Federal Register, placed in newspapers, and announced on the NRC’s web site at: www.nrc.gov.

For more information contact Jack Whitten, Chief, Nuclear Materials Licensing Branch, Region IV, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington, Texas, 76011, telephone (817) 860-8197, fax (817) 860-8263: or by email: Jack.Whitten@nrc.gov.

NRC news releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site.

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Thursday, December 11, 2008