US FR on MARSSIM Availability

[Mike Grissom <mikeg@SLAC.Stanford.EDU>]

Radsafers,

The anticipated announcement of hardcopy availability
of the MARSSIM has finally been published in the US Federal Register.  Due
to its obvious importance to the readership
of this list, and probably to those in non-US D&D operations
around the world as a reference, I have reproduced the entire
FR entry for your information:

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Federal Register: February 11, 1998 (Volume 63, Number
28, 6915).

Section: Notices

Agency: NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Title:	Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation
	Manual

Action: Notice of availability.

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Docket No. A-96-44]

Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual

Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission.

SUMMARY: The Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy
(DOE), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) are announcing the
availability for use of the "Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and
Site Investigation Manual" (MARSSIM). The MARSSIM provides
information on planning, conducting, evaluating, and documenting
environmental radiological surveys of surface soils and building
surfaces for demonstrating compliance with regulations. The
MARSSIM, now finalized, is a multi-agency consensus document. The
agencies previously have sought public comment in order to
receive feedback from the widest range of interested parties and
to ensure that all information relevant to developing the
document was received. The agencies reviewed public comments
received on the draft MARSSIM as well as comments from a
concurrent, independent, technical peer review.  Suggested changes
were incorporated, where appropriate, in response to those
comments.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft and the final MARSSIM and all
public and technical peer review comments received may be
examined or copied for a fee at the EPA Docket Room M1500,
Docket No. A-96-44, First Floor Waterside Mall, 401 M Street,
S.W., Washington D.C. 20460; and the NRC Public Document Room,
2120 L Street, NW, Washington DC 20555-0001. The EPA docket may
be inspected from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday,
excluding Federal holidays in Room M1500 at the address above.
NRC documents may be inspected from 7:45 am to 4:15 pm, Monday
through Friday, excluding Federal holidays in the lower level of
the building at the address above. Copies of the MARSSIM may be
purchased by requests in writing to: The Superintendent of
Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, P.O. Box 37082,
Washington, DC 20402- 9328. The NRC document number is
NUREG-1575, and the EPA document number is EPA 402-R-97-016.
The manual is also available through the Internet at:

	http://www.epa.gov/radiation/marssim

or by linkage from the NRC home page at:

	http://www.nrc.gov ;

or the DOE home page at:

	http://www.doe.gov .

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any of the following points of
contact for each agency for technical information (see
"Addresses" section above for directions on obtaining a copy
of the MARSSIM): DOE: Kenneth Duvall, Phone: (202) 586-0242, U.S.
Department of Energy (EH-412), 1000 Independence Avenue, SW,
Washington, DC 20585, e-mail kenneth.duvall@hq.doe.gov; EPA: Mark
Doehnert; Phone: (202) 564-9386, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Mail Stop 6602J, 401 M. Street, SW, Washington DC 20460,
e-mail doehnert.mark@epamail.epa.gov; NRC: Robert A. Meck,
Phone: (301) 415-6205, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, MS
T-9C24, Washington DC 20555, e-mail ram2@nrc.gov. Questions
concerning the multi-agency document development project should
be addressed to CDR Colleen Petullo, U.S. Public Health Service
at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, R&IE, PO Box 98517,
Las Vegas, NV 89193-8517, (702) 798-2476, e-mail
petullo.colleen@epamail.epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The MARSSIM provides information on
planning, conducting, evaluating, and documenting environmental
radiological surveys of surface soil and building surfaces for
demonstrating compliance with regulations. The MARSSIM, now
finalized, is a multi-agency consensus document.

The MARSSIM was developed collaboratively over the past four
years by the technical staffs of four Federal agencies having
authority for control of radioactive materials: DOD, DOE, EPA,
and NRC. Members of the public and contractors to the Federal
agencies have been present during the open meetings of the
MARSSIM work group and have been provided opportunities for
input.

The MARSSIM's objective is to describe standardized and
consistent approaches for surveys of soil surfaces and building
surfaces, which provide a high degree of assurance that
established release criteria, limits, guidelines, and conditions
of the regulatory agencies are satisfied, while at the same
time encouraging an effective use of resources. The techniques,
methodologies, and philosophies that form the bases of this
manual were developed to be consistent with current Federal
limits, guidelines, and procedures.

The MARSSIM benefited from extensive internal, public, and
technical peer reviews and public comments. Before the
publication of the draft for public comment, the Federal
agencies performed an internal review. Those internal review
comments that reflected a technical error or flaw in logic or
information flow were addressed before public comments were
requested. The other comments, e.g., clarifications, editorial
suggestions, etc., from the Federal agencies were addressed
along with the public comments. The public review was a
necessary step in the development of a final multi-agency
consensus document. In addition to written comments, the work
group provided the public with the opportunity to comment during
the open meetings. The document also received formal technical
peer review under the auspices of the EPA Science Advisory Board
(SAB). The results of the peer review and the responses to
comments by the EPA will be publicly available for examination
and may be copied for a fee (see "Addresses" section above for
directions).

Reviewers were requested to focus on technical accuracy and
understandability. Reviewers were also requested to address five
questions while reviewing the MARSSIM. In consideration of the
responses to the questions, other comments, and the changes
incorporated into the final version of the MARSSIM, the answers
to the questions are listed as follows:

1. Does the MARSSIM provide a practical and implementable approach
   to performing radiation surveys and site investigations? Are
   there any major drawbacks to the proposed methods?

Answer: The MARSSIM has been shown to be practical and
implementable in field tests. Identified difficulties in
establishing a suitable background reference area for
radionuclides in common with natural or ubiquitous radionuclides are
intrinsic to the situations, and such difficulties exist regardless
of the measurement method. The MARSSIM provides technically defensible and
efficient methods to demonstrate compliance with
radiological criteria.

2. Is the MARSSIM technically accurate?

Answer: Within the scope of the MARSSIM, the methods are
technically accurate and applicable over a large range of
situations.

3. Does the MARSSIM provide benefits that are not available using
   current methods? What is the value of the MARSSIM in
   comparison with other currently available alternatives?

Answer: The MARSSIM provides a technically defensible process
over a broad range of situations.  Results to date indicate that
the MARSSIM process requires fewer measurements in comparison to
other methods for demonstrating compliance for radiological sites.
The MARSSIM also provides a performance based approach and has a
strong focus on planning.

4. What are the costs associated with the MARSSIM in comparison
   with other currently available alternatives?

Answer: The MARSSIM process optimizes the number of samples
needed to demonstrate compliance with radiological criteria
within the accepted decision errors. Other methods may either
overestimate or underestimate the number of samples needed to
demonstrate compliance or may not take decision errors into
account. The MARSSIM generally involves more planning and less
re-work than other currently available methods.

5. Is the information in the MARSSIM understandable and presented
   in a logical sequence? How can the presentation of material be
   modified to improve the understandability of the manual?

Answer: Several Chapters in the MARSSIM were significantly
revised for clarity, understandability, and elaboration in
response to comments. The overall basic processes and methods
did not change.

The author agencies solicit comments arising from review and use
of the final MARSSIM. Comments will be reviewed periodically by
the author agencies, resolved as appropriate, and incorporated
into revisions of the MARSSIM. Members of the public are invited
to submit written comments to EITHER the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, ATTN: Air and Radiation Docket, Mail Stop
6102, Air Docket No. A-96-44, Room M1500, First Floor Waterside
Mall, 401 M Street, S.W., Washington D.C. 20460 or the Chief,
Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington DC 20555-0001.
Copies of all comments received by one agency will be
periodically copied and sent to the others.  Revised pages
resulting from the resolution of comments will be available on
the Internet at the world wide web site:

	http://www.epa.gov/radiation/marssim .

This EPA world wide web site is also accessible by links from
the NRC home page at:

	http:www.nrc.gov ;

and the DOE home page at:

	http://www.doe.gov .

Title: Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation
	Manual.

For the Department of Defense, dated this 15th day of January
1998.

Gary D. Vest,
Principal Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for
Environmental Security.

For the U. S. Department of Energy, dated this 22nd day of
December 1997.

Raymond P. Berube,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment.

For the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, dated this 23rd
day of December 1997.

Lawrence G. Weinstock,
Acting Director, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air.

For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, dated this 18th day
of December 1997.

Malcolm R. Knapp,
Acting Director, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.

[FR Doc. 98-3432 Filed 2-10-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P