[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 176 (Tuesday, September 13, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-22594]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: September 13, 1994]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-409]

 

Dairyland Power Cooperative; La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor; 
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is 
considering the issuance of a Confirmatory Order modifying the August 
7, 1991, Order (the Decommissioning Order) which authorized the 
Dairyland Power Cooperative (DPC, the licensee) to decommission the La 
Crosse Boiling Water Reactor (LACBWR). LACBWR is located 19 miles south 
of La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of Proposed Action

    The proposed action would allow DPC to: (i) make limited changes in 
the facility or procedures as described the Decommissioning Plan; and 
(ii) conduct certain tests and experiments not described in the 
Decommissioning Plan, without prior NRC approval. The licensee 
requested, by letters dated August 2, and August 5, 1994, that the NRC 
issue an order that revises the Decommissioning Order to allow DPC 
limited flexibility under its Decommissioning Plan. This action is 
consistent with the flexibility under 10 CFR 50.59 afforded to a 
licensee authorized to operate a production or utilization facility and 
afforded by other Decommissioning Orders issued by the NRC.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The LACBWR has been shut down since April 30, 1987. All spent fuel 
has been removed from the reactor and is stored in the fuel element 
storage well.
    The licensee's authority to operate LACBWR was removed by license 
Amendment No. 56, dated August 4, 1987. The licensee is authorized to 
possess but not operate the LACBWR. The NRC in its Order 
(Decommissioning Order) of August 7, 1991, directed DPC to decommission 
the reactor facility in accordance with its Decommissioning Plan and 
the Commission's regulations. This action was taken in response to the 
licensee's application for authorization to decommission the facility, 
dated December 21, 1987, as revised February 22, 1988, September 9, 
1988, September 30, 1988, January 26, 1989, March 28, 1989, June 6, 
1989, October 3, 1989, July 25, 1990, May 10, 1991, and July 25, 1991. 
Neither the August 7, 1991, Decommissioning Order which directed the 
licensee to decommission the reactor facility, nor the approved 
Decommissioning Plan, contained an approved procedure that would allow 
the licensee to: (i) make changes in the facility or procedures as 
described the Decommissioning Plan; or (ii) conduct tests or 
experiments not described in the Decommissioning Plan, without prior 
NRC approval. The LACBWR is currently in SAFSTOR in accordance with the 
approved LACBWR Decommissioning Plan. This Confirmatory Order would 
modify the Decommissioning Order and allow the licensee to: (i) make 
limited changes in the facility or procedures as described the 
Decommissioning Plan; or (ii) conduct certain tests or experiments not 
described in the Decommissioning Plan without prior NRC approval.

Environmental Impact of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action, procedural in nature, does not involve any 
significant environmental impacts. The proposed Confirmatory Order 
modifies the Decommissioning Order to allow the licensee to: (i) make 
changes in the facility or procedures as described the Decommissioning 
Plan; or (ii) conduct tests or experiments not described in the 
Decommissioning Plan without prior NRC approval provided they do not 
involve an unreviewed safety question or a significant environmental 
impact not previously evaluated.
    Since the proposed action does not involve a change in plant 
operation or configuration, there is reasonable assurance that the 
proposed action would not increase the probability or the consequence 
of an accident or reduce the margin of safety. No changes would be made 
in the types or quantities of effluent that may be released offsite. 
Further, there would be no significant increase in the allowable 
individual or cumulative radiation exposure.
    Accordingly, the NRC concludes that this proposed action would 
result in no significant radiological environmental impact.
    With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed 
action does not affect non-radiological plant effluent and has no other 
environmental impact. Therefore, the NRC concludes that there are no 
significant non-radiological impacts associated with the proposed 
action.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    Since the NRC has concluded that there are no measurable 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action, any 
alternative with equal or greater environmental impacts need not be 
evaluated. The principal alternative would be to deny the request. This 
would not significantly reduce environmental impacts of plant 
decommissioning and would result in reduced flexibility.

Alternative Use of Resources

    This action does not involve the use of resources not previously 
considered in the Environmental Assessment included as an enclosure to 
the Decommissioning Order.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    This Environmental Assessment was prepared by the NRC staff, 
primarily within the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, 
Rockville, Maryland. The NRC staff consulted with a representative of 
the State of Wisconsin regarding the environmental impact of the 
proposed action, and the State did not provide comments.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    Based upon this Environmental Assessment, the staff concludes that 
the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the quality 
of the human environment. Therefore, the NRC has determined not to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Confirmatory 
Order.
    For further details with respect to this action, see the licensee 
application for the order dated August 2, and August 5, 1994, which is 
available for public inspection at the Commission Public Document Room, 
Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC 20555, and at the 
La Crosse Public Library, 800 Main Street, La Crosse, Wisconsin 54601.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 2nd day of September, 1994.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Michael F. Weber,
Acting Chief, Low-Level Waste and Decommissioning Projects Branch, 
Division of Waste Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and 
Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 94-22594 Filed 9-12-94; 8:45 am]
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