The provisions of this subpart are applicable to the owner or operator of an active underground uranium mine which:
(a) Has mined, will mine or is designed to mine over 90,720 megagrams (Mg) (100,000 tons) of ore during the life of the mine; or
(b) Has had or will have an annual ore production rate greater than 9,072 Mg (10,000 tons), unless it can be demonstrated to EPA that the mine will not exceed total ore production of 90,720 Mg (100,000 tons) during the life of the mine.
[54 FR 51694, Dec. 15, 1989, as amended at 65 FR 62151, Oct. 17, 2000]
As used in this subpart, all terms not defined here have the meaning given them in the Clean Air Act or subpart A of part 61. The following terms shall have the following specific meanings:
(a) Active mine means an underground uranium mine which is being ventilated to allow workers to enter the mine for any purpose.
(b) Effective dose equivalent means the sum of the products of the absorbed dose and appropriate effectiveness factors. These factors account for differences in biological effectiveness due to the quality of radiation and its distribution in the body of reference man. The unit of the effective dose equivalent is the rem. The method for calculating effective dose equivalent and the definition of reference man are outlined in the International Commission on Radiological Protection's Publication No. 26.
(c) Underground uranium mine means a man-made underground excavation made for the purpose of removing material containing uranium for the principal purpose of recovering uranium.
[54 FR 51694, Dec. 15, 1989, as amended at 65 FR 62151, Oct. 17, 2000]
Emissions of radon-222 to the ambient air from an underground uranium mine shall not exceed those amounts that would cause any member of the public to receive in any year an effective dose equivalent of 10 mrem/y.
(a) Compliance with the emission standard in this subpart shall be determined and the effective dose equivalent calculated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) computer code COMPLY-R. An underground uranium mine owner or operator shall calculate the source terms to be used for input into COMPLY-R by conducting testing in accordance with the procedures described in appendix B, Method 115, or
(b) Owners or operators may demonstrate compliance with the emission standard in this subpart through the use of computer models that are equivalent to COMPLY-R provided that the model has received prior approval from EPA headquarters. EPA may approve a model in whole or in part and may limit its use to specific circumstances.
[54 FR 51694, Dec. 15, 1989, as amended at 65 FR 62151, Oct. 17, 2000]
(a) The mine owner or operator shall annually calculate and report the results of the compliance calculations in § 61.23 and the input parameters used in making the calculations. This report shall cover the emissions of a calendar year and shall be sent to EPA by March 31 of the following year. Each report shall also include the following information:
(1) The name and location of the mine.
(2) The name of the person responsible for the operation of the facility and the name of the person preparing the report (if different).
(3) The results of the emissions testing conducted and the dose calculated using the procedures in § 61.23.
(4) A list of the stacks or vents or other points where radioactive materials are released to the atmosphere, including their location, diameter, flow rate, effluent temperature and release height.
(5) A description of the effluent controls that are used on each stack, vent, or other release point and the effluent controls used inside the mine, and an estimate of the efficiency of each control method or device.
(6) Distances from the points of release to the nearest residence, school, business or office and the nearest farms producing vegetables, milk, and meat.
(7) The values used for all other user-supplied input parameters for the computer models (e.g., meteorological data) and the source of these data.
(8) Each report shall be signed and dated by a corporate officer in charge of the facility and contain the following declaration immediately above the signature line: “I certify under penalty of law that I have personally examined and am familiar with the information submitted herein and based on my inquiry of those individuals immediately responsible for obtaining the information, I believe that the submitted information is true, accurate and complete. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting false information including the possibility of fine and imprisonment. See, 18 U.S.C. 1001.”
(b) lf the facility is not in compliance with the emission standard of § 61.22 in the calendar year covered by the report, the facility must then commence reporting to the Administrator on a monthly basis the information listed in paragraph (a) of this section for the preceding month. These reports will start the month immediately following the submittal of the annual report for the year in noncompliance and will be due 30 days following the end of each month. This increased level of reporting will continue until the Administrator has determined that the monthly reports are no longer necessary. In addition to all the information required in paragraph (a) of this section, monthly reports shall also include the following information:
(1) All controls or other changes in operation of the facility that will be or are being installed to bring the facility into compliance.
(2) If the facility is under a judicial or administrative enforcement decree the report will describe the facilities performance under the terms of the decree.
(c) The first report will cover the emissions of calendar year 1990.
[54 FR 51694, Dec. 15, 1989, as amended at 65 FR 62151, Oct. 17, 2000]
The owner or operator of a mine must maintain records documenting the source of input parameters including the results of all measurements upon which they are based, the calculations and/or analytical methods used to derive values for input parameters, and the procedure used to determine compliance. In addition, the documentation should be sufficient to allow an independent auditor to verify the accuracy of the determination made concerning the facility's compliance with the standard. These records must be kept at the mine or by the owner or operator for at least five years and upon request be made available for inspection by the Administrator, or his authorized representative.
All facilities designated under this subpart are exempt from the reporting requirements of 40 CFR 61.10.