The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment on a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on a proposed facility in Lea County, N.M., that would deconvert depleted uranium hexafluoride from the uranium enrichment industry to make it more suitable for disposal. The DEIS contains the staff’s preliminary assessment that no large environmental impacts are expected from the proposed facility.

International Isotopes Fluorine Products Inc., a subsidiary of International Isotopes Inc., applied on Dec. 30, 2009, for a license to construct and operate the facility. The facility would deconvert depleted uranium hexafluoride from uranium enrichment facilities into fluorine products for commercial use and depleted uranium oxides for long-term stable disposal. The proposed plant would be located 14 miles west of Hobbs, N.M.

NRC staff will hold a public meeting Feb. 2 to present the DEIS and to accept public comment on the report. The meeting will be held at the Lea County Event Center, 5101 Lovington Highway, in Hobbs, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. For one hour before the meeting, NRC staff will be available to informally discuss the proposed project and the NRC’s environmental review of the application.

The application and information about the NRC license review process are available on the NRC website. The DEIS is available in the NRC’s ADAMS online database by entering Accession Number ML12001A000 in the Content Search box.

The NRC will accept written comments on the DEIS through Feb. 27. Comments may be submitted by email to INIS_EIS.Resource@nrc.gov. They may also be submitted online at www.regulations.gov using Docket ID NRC-2010-0143, or mailed to Cindy Bladey, Chief, Rules, Announcements and Directives Branch (RADB), Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWB-05-B01M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001.

No. 12-004

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