August 19, 2011 Ms. Mary Hopkins State Historic Preservation Officer Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office 2301 Central Avenue Barrett Building, Third Floor Cheyenne, WY 82002
SUBJECT: INITIATION OF SECTION 106 CONSULTATION FOR STRATA ENERGY, INC PROPOSED ROSS URANIUM RECOVERY PROJECT LICENSE REQUEST
(Docket 040-09091)
Dear Ms. Hopkins:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received an application from Strata Energy, Inc. (Strata) for a source materials license to authorize Strata to construct and operate an in-situ uranium recovery (ISR) facility at the proposed Ross project site in Crook County, Wyoming. The facility, if licensed, would use an ISR technology to extract uranium at the Ross Project site. The proposed project area consists of 1,720 acre (696 ha) located in Oshoto, approximately 38 km (24 mi) north of Moorcroft on County Route 68 in Crook County, Wyoming (in portions of Sections 7, 17, 18, and 19, Township 53 North, Range 67 West, and portions of Sections 12, 13, and 24, Township 53 North, Range 68 West).
The area of potential effect for this review is the area at the Ross site and its immediate environs, which may be impacted by activities associated with the construction and operation of the proposed facility. A map showing the proposed project location is enclosed. Two known traditional cultural properties, the Missouri Buttes and Devils Tower, are located near the proposed project area. The Missouri Buttes are approximately 8 miles to the east-northeast and Devils Tower is approximately 11 miles to the east of the project area. As part of the environmental review, the NRC will prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for In-Situ Leach Facilities (NUREG-1910).
The SEIS would be prepared in accordance with the regulatory provisions in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 51 (10 CFR Part 51). These regulations implement the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S, C 4321, et seq.), which requires the Federal government to assess the potential environmental impacts of major federal actions that may significantly affect the human environment.
In accordance with 36 CFR Part 800.8 (Coordination with the NEPA), the SEIS will also include analyses of impacts to historic properties. The NRC staff is using this process to comply with its obligations under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, in lieu of the procedures set forth in 36 CFR 800.3 through 800.6. M. Hopkins 2 To enhance the scope and quality of our review and facilitate the identification of tribal historic sites and/or cultural resources, specifically, sites that may have traditional religious or cultural significance to Native American Tribes that may be interested in and/or affected by the proposed action, the NRC sent consultation letters to 24 tribes. The NRC has invited all interested Tribes to a site visit, and will be hosting a Tribal Consultation Meeting in September 2011.
The NRC plans to issue the SEIS in the summer of 2012. At that time, we will send you a copy for your review and comment. For additional information regarding the proposed undertaking, Stratas license application is publicly available from the NRC's Agency Wide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). The ADAMS Public Electronic Reading Room is accessible at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. The accession number for the environmental portion of the Strata source materials application is ML110120063, and is available online through ADAMS, or directly from the project's web page at http://www.nrc.gov/materials/uranium-recovery/license-apps/ross.html.
If you have any specific questions or comments on the proposed project, or need any additional information regarding the license application and the environmental review process, please contact Mr. Alan Bjornsen of my staff by telephone at 301-415-1195, or by email at [email protected]. The NRC looks forward to working with you on this matter.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Andrew Persinko, Deputy Director Environmental Protection and Performance Assessment Directorate
Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs
Docket No.: 40-9091 Enclosure: Map
cc: T. Simpson, Strata C. Pugsley, Thompson and Pugsley A. Tratebas, BLM R. Nation, BIA M. Hopkins
To enhance the scope and quality of our review and facilitate the identification of tribal historic sites and/or cultural resources, specifically, sites that may have traditional religious or cultural significance to Native American Tribes that may be interested in and/or affected by the proposed action, the NRC sent consultation letters to 24 tribes. The NRC has invited all interested Tribes to a site visit, and will be hosting a Tribal Consultation Meeting in September 2011.
The NRC plans to issue the SEIS in the summer of 2012. At that time, we will send you a copy for your review and comment. For additional information regarding the proposed undertaking, Strata's license application is publicly available from the NRC's Agency Wide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). The ADAMS Public Electronic Reading Room is accessible at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. The accession number for the environmental portion of the Strata source materials application is ML110120063, and is available online through ADAMS, or directly from the project's web page at http://www.nrc.gov/materials/uranium-recovery/license-apps/ross.html.
If you have any specific questions or comments on the proposed project, or need any additional information regarding the license application and the environmental review process, please contact Mr. Alan Bjornsen of my staff by telephone at 301-415-1195, or by email at [email protected]. The NRC looks forward to working with you on this matter.
Sincerely,
Andrew Persinko, Deputy Director Environmental Protection and Performance Assessment Directorate Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs
Docket No.: 40-9091 Enclosure: Map
cc: T. Simpson, Strata C. Pugsley, Thompson and Pugsley A. Tratebas, BLM R. Nation, BIA
(20min delay)