[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 138 (Wednesday, July 19, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37110-37112]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-17722]



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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-206, 50-361, 50-362]


Southern California Edison Company; San Onofre Nuclear Generating 
Station, Unit Nos. 1, 2, and 3; Environmental Assessment and Finding of 
No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is 
considering issuance of an exemption from certain requirements of its 
regulations to Facility Operating License Nos. DPR 13, NPF-10, and NPF-
15, issued to Southern California Edison (the licensee), for operation 
of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3, 
located in San Diego County, California.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed exemption would allow individuals not employed by the 
licensee (i.e., contractors) who have unescorted access to retain 
possession of their picture badges instead of returning them as they 
exit the protected area.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated 

[[Page 37111]]
March 13, 1995, for exemption from certain requirements of 10 CFR 
73.55, ``Requirements for physical protection of licensed activities in 
nuclear power plant reactors against radiological sabotage.''

The Need for the Proposed Action

    Paragraph (1) of 10 CFR 73.55(a), the licensee is required to 
establish and maintain an onsite physical system and security 
organization.
    Paragraph (1) of 10 CFR 73.55(d), ``Access Requirements,'' 
specifies in part that ``The licensee shall control all points of 
personnel and vehicle access into a protected area.'' It is specified 
in 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5), ``A numbered picture badge identification system 
shall be used for all individuals who are authorized access to 
protected areas without escort.'' It further indicates that an 
individual not employed by the licensee (e.g., contractors) may be 
authorized access to protected areas without an escort provided the 
individual, ``receives a picture badge upon entrance into the protected 
area which must be returned upon exit from the protected area.''
    Currently, unescorted access for both employee and contractor 
personnel into the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is controlled 
through the use of picture badges. Positive identification of personnel 
who are authorized and request access into the protected area is 
established by security personnel making visual comparison of the 
individual requesting access and that individual's picture badge. The 
picture badges are issued, stored, and retrieved at the entrance/exit 
locations to the protected area. These picture badges are not taken 
offsite. This current practice is in accordance with the applicable 
requirements of 10 CFR Part 73 discussed above.
    The licensee proposes to revise its security plan to implement an 
alternative unescorted access control system which would eliminate the 
need for site security personnel to issue and retrieve picture badges 
at the entrance/exit locations to the protected area. The proposal 
would enable the licensee to revise the SONGS security plan to allow 
all individuals, including contractors, who have unescorted access to 
the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station to retrieve their own badges 
before entering the protected area and return their badges when exiting 
the protected area for retrieval for their next entrance. Thus, an 
exemption is required from 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5) to allow individuals, 
including contractors, who have unescorted access to keep their picture 
badges in their possession when departing the San Onofre Nuclear 
Generating Station.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The Commission has completed its evaluation of the proposed action. 
In addition to their picture badges, all individuals with authorized 
unescorted access will have the physical characteristics of their hand 
(hand geometry) registered with their picture badge number in a 
computerized access control system. Therefore, all authorized 
individuals must not only have their picture badges to gain access into 
the protected area, but must also have their hand geometry confirmed.
    All other access processes, including search function capability 
and access revocation, will remain the same. A security officer 
responsible for access control will continue to be positioned within a 
hardened cubicle. The proposed system is only for individuals with 
authorized unescorted access and will not be used for individuals 
requiring escorts.
    The underlying purpose for requiring that individuals not employed 
by the licensee must receive and return their picture badges at the 
entrance/exit is to provide reasonable assurance that the access badges 
could not be compromised or stolen with a resulting risk that an 
unauthorized individual could potentially enter the protected area. 
Although the proposed exemption will allow individuals to take their 
picture badges offsite, the proposed measures require not only that the 
picture badge be provided for access to the protected area, but also 
that verification of the hand geometry registered with the badge be 
performed as discussed above. Thus, the proposed system provides an 
identity verification process that is equivalent to the existing 
process.
    Accordingly, the Commission concludes that the exemption to allow 
individuals to take their picture badges offsite will not result in an 
increase in the risk that an unauthorized individual could potentially 
enter the protected area. The change will not increase the probability 
or consequences of accidents, no changes are being made in the types of 
any effluents that may be released offsite, and there is no significant 
increase in the allowable individual or cumulative occupational 
radiation exposure. Accordingly, the Commission concludes that there 
are no significant radiological environmental impacts associated with 
the proposed action.
    With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed 
actions does involve features located entirely within the restricted 
area as defined in 10 CFR Part 20. It does not affect nonradiological 
plant effluents and has no other environmental impact. Accordingly, the 
Commission concludes that there are no significant nonradiological 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    Since the Commission has concluded there is no measurable 
environmental impact associated with the proposed action, any 
alternatives with equal or greater environmental impact need not be 
evaluated. The principal alternative to the action would be to deny the 
request. Such action would not significantly enhance the protection of 
the environment in that the proposed action will result in a process 
that is equivalent to the existing identification verification process.

Alternative Use of Resources

    This action does not involve the use of any resources not 
previously considered in the Environmental Assessment related to the 
conversion of the Provisional Operating License to a Full Term 
Operating License issued to Southern California Edison Company for the 
San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 1, on September 26, 1991, 
or the Final Environmental Report Related to the Operation of San 
Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, units 2 and 3 (April 1981).

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on June 19, 1995, the staff 
consulted with the California State official, Mr. Stephen Hsu of the 
California Department of health Services, regarding the environmental 
impact of the proposed action. The State official had no comments.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    Based upon the 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 action.
    For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the 
licensee's letter dated March 13, 1995, which is available for public 
inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room, The Gelman 
Building, 2120 L Street, NW, Washington, DC, and at the local public 
document room located at the Main Library, University of California, 

[[Page 37112]]
Post Office Box 19557, Irvine, California 92713.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 13th day of July 1995.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Seymour H. Weiss,
Director, Non-Power Reactor's and Decommissioning Project Directorate, 
Division of Project Support, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 95-17722 Filed 7-18-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M