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Home My WebLink AboutDSHW-2015-010316 - 0901a0688058634eOrbital ATK September 28, 2015 8200-FY16-036 Scott T. Anderson Utah Department of Environmental Quality Division of Waste Management Radiation Control PO Box 144880 Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4880 Div of Waste Management and Radiation Control OCT - 5 2015 RE: Request for Emergency Permit to Burn Aircraft Dropped or Ground Launched Flares in Place at the Kosmo Test Range, ATK Launch Systems-Promontory. September 29, 2015 - December 27, 2015; UTD009081357K Dear Mr. Anderson: ATK Launch Systems, Inc. (ATK) requests a 90-day emergency permit to burn aircraft dropped and ground launched flares in-place if they fail to ignite, partially ignite or are otherwise deemed unsafe after deployment. The time period for this permit would be from September 29 - December 27, 2015. ATK currently has contracts in-place with the Department of Defense to manufacture decoy and illumination flares over the next few years. These contracts require regular testing of flares. The test requirements mandate flare deployment in the method they were designed. As such, they must be ground launched or dropped from aircraft to simulate actual field conditions. A small percentage of these flares may not deploy as designed and may land partially or completely unburned. As a result, the ignition system may become compromised making it unsafe to move the flare(s). ATK's Test Services and the Safety Department have determined that in this instance, the only safe way to handle these un- burned flares is to burn them in-place. Testing of these flares is conducted between Salt Wells Flat and Monument Point in Box Elder County, in an area commonly called Kosmo. ATK has an agreement issued by the Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands to perform these tests. The special use lease agreement number is #30000038. The flares to be tested and covered under this permit include the LUU-19, LUU-1, LUU2- C/B, M257 and M278. These flares range in weight from 5 to 30 lbs. and contain various combinations of the following ingredients: • sodium nitrate • magnesium powder • potassium nitrate • cesium nitrate • silicon • hexamine • polyester binder Orbital ATK, Inc. • P.O. Box 707, Brigham City, UT 84302-0707 • 435-863-3511 September 28, 2015 Mr. Scott T. Anderson, Director Utah Division of Waste Management Radiation Control Orbital ATK In addition, a new developmental flare called the P215 is expected to be tested at Kosmo sometime during this 90 day period. P215 flares use boron potassium nitrate (BKN03) as the active ingredient. Records will be kept for the P215 flare tracking the number of articles tested and any demining or recovery efforts needed. After testing or burning in-place is completed for a given day, the flare residue and debris is collected and transported to our Promontory facility for proper disposal. ATK will notify the following agencies prior to each use of this permit, or as directed by the agency: • Box Elder Fire Marshall's Office • Bear River Health Department • Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands Upon expiration of the emergency permit, ATK will request a new permit for an additional 90 days to allow continued testing at the Kosmo range. Likewise, a report will be prepared describing our activities during the previous permitting period. ATK appreciates the Division's cooperation in enabling us to manage these unburned flares in a safe and responsible manner. If you have any questions or need additional clarifications, please contact Jason Wells at (435)-863-6895. Sincerely, George Gooch Manager, Environmental Services C: JeffVandel, DSHW Central File