Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
7/18/2014
Mallinckrodt LLC is requesting that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission reduce the financial assurance needed for the remaining work at the Columbium-Tantalum (C-T) decommissioning project in Hazelwood, Mo. The reduction would result in the company only needing financial assurance for $5,660,337, compared to the current $21,113,000 currently required. According to Mallinckrodt, the remaining work at the site is much less than current estimates. The goal of the decommissioning is to return the site to unrestricted release.
Mallinckrodt, which helped supply uranium for the Manhattan Project at the C-T site, opted to do the decommissioning in two phases. The company has already completed Phase 1 of the decommissioning, which involved the decommissioning of buildings and equipment, but it contends that the remaining work is much less than currently needed. Phase 2 is partially complete. This portion of the project called for the remediation of the building slabs and foundations, paved surfaces, and all subsurface material, but the NRC must approve the cleanup for unrestricted use.
The only costs left are associated with the NRC’s review, the company says. “Mallinckrodt contends that the only outstanding work remaining is the NRC’s review and approval of the Draft Final Status Survey Reports for the Phase II remedial field work that has been completed,” a July 11 Federal Register notice said. “Mallinckrodt’s revised estimate includes contractor and consulting fees for the preparation of the Final Status Survey reports and final approval by the NRC, as well as, oversight costs and contingency fees as prescribed by the NRC’s regulatory guidance document.” Any person who may be affected by this approval by the NRC has 60 days to file a request for a hearing and a petition to intervene with respect to issuance of the amendment to the subject facility operating license or combined license.
