Standard Review Plan for Conventional Uranium Mill and Heap Leach Facilities — Draft Report for Comment (NUREG-2126)

This NUREG-series publication was issued for public comment. The comment period is now closed.

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Publication Information

Manuscript Completed: May 2014
Date Published: November 2014

Douglas T. Mandeville, NRC Project Manager

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001

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Abstract

A U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission source and byproduct materials license is required under the provisions of Title 10 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Part 40 (10 CFR Part 40), "Domestic Licensing of Source Material," for the operation of a uranium mill and the disposal of ‘tailings,” wastes produced by the extraction of concentration of source material from ores processed primarily for their source material content. Appendix A to Part 40 establishes technical and other criteria related to siting, operation, decontamination, decommissioning, and reclamation of mills and tailings at mill sites. An applicant for a new license, or for the renewal or amendment of an existing license, is required to provide detailed information on the facilities, equipment, and procedures used and an environmental report that discusses the effects of proposed operations on the health and safety of the public and on the environment.

The standard review plan is prepared for the guidance of staff reviewers, in the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, in performing safety reviews of applications to develop and operate conventional uranium mills or heap leach facilities. It provides guidance for new license applications, renewals, and amendments. The principal purpose of the standard review plan is to assure the quality and uniformity of staff reviews and to present a well-defined base from which to evaluate changes in the scope and requirements of a review.

The standard review plan is written to cover a variety of site conditions and facility designs. Each section is written to provide a description of the areas of review, review procedures, acceptance criteria, and evaluation findings. However, for a given application, the staff reviewers may select and emphasize particular aspects of each standard review plan section, as appropriate for the application.