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NRC NEWS
U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION |
Office of Public Affairs |
Telephone: 301/415-8200 |
Washington, DC 20555-001 |
E-mail: opa@nrc.gov |
No. 96-155 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 29, 1996
NRC TERMINATES LICENSE FOR DECOMMISSIONED REACTOR
AT BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has terminated Brigham Young University's
(BYU) license for a closed research reactor on its campus in Provo, Utah, and released the
site for unrestricted use.
BYU asked the NRC in 1990 for permission to dismantle the reactor and dispose of
its component parts. It subsequently sought authorization to terminate the license once
decommissioning had been completed.
On August 1, 1991, the NRC published a Federal Register notice announcing that it
was considering issuing orders to permit the dismantlement and to terminate the license.
The notice offered an opportunity for affected members of the public to request a hearing,
but no requests were received. In July 1992, NRC authorized the university to implement
the decommissioning plan and proceed with dismantlement and component disposal.
BYU has now completely dismantled the reactor facility and shipped the nuclear fuel
to a Department of Energy facility. It conducted a final radiation survey to demonstrate
that residual radioactive contamination at the facility has been cleaned up to meet NRC
criteria.
An NRC contractor conducted an independent survey of the facility in April. The
measurements verified that the facility has complied with NRC guidelines for license
termination and release for unrestricted use.
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