[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 237 (Monday, December 12, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-30456]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: December 12, 1994]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-237, 50-249, 50-254, and 50-265]

 

Commonwealth Edison Company; Environmental Assessment and Finding 
of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is 
considering issuance of an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 
part 50, appendix J, to Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-19, DPR-25, 
DPR-29, and DPR-30, issued to Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd, the 
licensee) for the Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units 2 and 3, located 
in Grundy County, Illinois, and the Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station, 
Units 1 and 2, located in Rock Island County, Illinois.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of Proposed Action

    The proposed action would grant an exemption from certain 
requirements of appendix J to 10 CFR part 50 in response to the 
licensee's request of October 4, 1994. More specifically, for each two-
ply bellows that has been identified to leak through both plies, the 
exemption being proposed will relax the requirement to perform a Type A 
test every refuel outage as specified in an Exemption to the appendix J 
requirements dated February 6, 1992. The proposed revised exemption 
will allow the option of: (1) Conducting a Type B test of the leaking 
bellows prior to the return to service during the present outage, or 
(2) conducting a Type A test to be followed up, at the next subsequent 
outage, with replacement of the bellows or conducting a Type B test of 
the leaking bellows to demonstrate license limits are met.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed to relax an unnecessary requirement 
to perform a Type A test each refuel outage in which a two-ply bellows 
has been identified as leaking through both plies. The licensee has 
developed alternative Type B testing methods to assure a valid Type B 
test could be performed on these non-Type B testable bellows. The 
requirement to Type A test and to replace all bellows that leak through 
both plies could result in significant costs being incurred 
unnecessarily with no safety benefit in return.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The proposed exemption revision substitutes an alternative testing 
and replacement program for the Type A testing requirements of the 
original exemption. The alternative testing program would allow, upon 
completion of the two-ply bellows special testing program, the 
following to be accomplished for those two-ply bellows that were found 
to leak through both plies: (1) Performance of a Type B test to ensure 
license limits are met prior to return to service, or (2) performance 
of a Type A test before the return to service followed by replacement 
of the bellows or performance of a Type B test to ensure license limits 
are met before the return to service from a subsequent refuel outage. 
Thus, this revised exemption will not change the types, or allow an 
increase in the amounts, of effluents that may be released offsite and 
will not result in an increase in individual or cumulative occupational 
radiation exposure. With regard to potential non-radiological 
environmental impacts, the proposed revised exemption does not affect 
non-radiological plant effluents and has no other environmental impact. 
Therefore, the Commission concludes that there are no significant 
radiological or non-radiological environmental impacts associated with 
the proposed exemption.

Alternative Use of Resources

    This action does not involve the use of any resources not 
previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement 
(construction permit and operating license) for Dresden Nuclear Power 
Station, Units 2 and 3, dated November 1973, and for Quad Cities 
Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2, dated September 1972.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    Since the Commission concluded that there are no significant 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed exemption, any 
alternatives with equal or greater environmental impact need not be 
evaluated. The principal alternative to the exemption would be to 
require rigid compliance with the requirements of the original 
Exemption requiring a Type A test every refuel outage and in the 
subsequent refuel outage replace bellows that had a leak, however 
small, on both plies. Such action would not enhance the protection of 
the environment and would result in unwarranted licensee expenditures 
of engineering and construction resources, as well as associated 
capital costs.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The staff consulted with the Illinois State official regarding the 
environmental impact of the proposed action. The State official had no 
comments.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    Based upon the forgoing environmental assessment, the Commission 
concludes that the proposed action will not have a significant effect 
on the quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the Commission 
has determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the 
proposed exemption.
    For further details with respect to this action, see the licensee's 
letter of October 4, 1994. This document is available for public 
inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room, the Gelman 
Building, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, D.C., and at the local public 
document room located at the Morris Public Library, 604 Liberty Street, 
Morris, Illinois 60450, and at the Dixon Public Library, 221 Hennepin 
Avenue, Dixon, Illinois 61021.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 5th day of December, 1994.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert A. Capra,
Director, Project Directorate III-2, Division of Reactor Projects III/
IV, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 94-30456 Filed 12-9-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M