[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 166 (Monday, August 28, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44516-44517]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-21286]



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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-293]


Boston Edison Company (Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station); Exemption

I

    The Boston Edison Company (BECo/licensee) is the holder of Facility 
Operating License No. DPR-35, which authorizes operation of the Pilgrim 
Nuclear Power Station (the facility). The license provides, among other 
things, that the facilities are subject to all the rules, regulations, 
and orders of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) 
now or hereafter in effect.
    The facility is a boiling-water reactor located at the licensee's 
site in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

II

    The Code of Federal Regulations at 10 CFR 73.55, ``Requirements for 
physical protection of licensed activities in nuclear power reactors 
against radiological sabotage,'' paragraph (a), in part, states that 
``the licensee shall establish and maintain an onsite physical 
protection system and security organization which will have as its 
objective to provide high assurance that activities involving special 
nuclear material are not inimical to the common defense and security 
and do not constitute an unreasonable risk to the public health and 
safety.''
    The Code of Federal Regulations at 10 CFR 73.55(d), ``Access 
Requirements,'' paragraph (1), specifies that, ``the licensee shall 
control all points of personnel and vehicle access into a protected 
area.'' The Code of Federal Regulations at 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5) also 
requires that, ``A numbered picture badge identification system shall 
be used for all individuals who are authorized access to protected 
areas without escort.'' It further states that individuals not employed 
by the licensee (e.g., contractors) may be authorized access to 
protected areas without escort provided that the individual, ``receives 
a picture badge upon entrance into a protected area which must be 
returned upon exit from the protected area. . . .''
    The licensee proposes to implement an alternative unescorted access 
system which would eliminate the need to issue and retrieve picture 
badges at the entrance/exit location to the protected area and would 
allow all individuals, including contractors, to keep their picture 
badges in their possession when departing the Pilgrim site.
    By letter dated June 21, 1995, the licensee requested an exemption 
from certain requirements of 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5). Specifically, the 
requested exemption would allow contractors who have unescorted access 
to retain possession of their picture badges instead of returning them 
as they exit the protected area.

III

    Pursuant to 10 CFR 73.55, ``Specific exemptions,'' the Commission 
may upon application of any interested person or upon its own 
initiative, grant such exemption in this part as it determines are 
authorized by law and will not endanger life or property or the common 
defense and security, and are otherwise in the public interest. The 
Code of Federal Regulations at 10 CFR 73.55 allows the Commission to 
authorize a licensee to provide alternative measures for protection 
against radiological sabotage provided the licensee demonstrates that 
the alternative measures have the same ``high assurance'' objective, 
that the proposed measures meet the general performance requirements of 
the regulation, and that the overall level of system performance 
provides protection against radiological sabotage equivalent to that 
which would be provided by the regulation.
    Currently, unescorted access into the protected area for both 
employee and contractor personnel into the Pilgrim Nuclear Power 
Station is controlled through the use of picture badges. Positive 
identification of personnel which are authorized and request access 
into the protected area is established by security personnel making a 
visual comparison of the individual requesting access and that 
individual's picture badge. In accordance with 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5), 
contractor personnel are not allowed to take their picture badges 
offsite. In addition, in accordance with the plant's physical security 
plan, the licensee's employees are also not allowed to take their 
picture badges offsite.
    The proposed system will require that all individuals with 
authorized unescorted access 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 badge to gain access to 
the protected area, but must also have their hand geometry confirmed. 
All individuals, including contractors, who have authorized unescorted 
access into the protected area will be allowed to keep their picture 
badges in their possession when departing the Pilgrim site.
    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 
bullet-resistant structure. It should also be noted that the proposed 
system is only for individuals with authorized unescorted access and 
will not be used for those individuals requiring escorts.
    Sandia National Laboratories conducted testing which demonstrated 
that the hand geometry equipment possesses strong performance 
characteristics. Details of the testing performed are in the Sandia 
report, ``A Performance Evaluation of Biometric Identification 
Devices,'' SAND91--0276 UC--906 Unlimited Release, June 1991. Based on 
the Sandia report and the licensee's experience using the current photo 
picture identification system, the false acceptance rate for the 
proposed hand geometry system would be at least equivalent to that of 
the current system. To assure that the proposed system will continue to 
meet the general performance requirements of 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5), the 
licensee will implement a process for testing the system. The site 
security plans will also be revised to allow implementation of the hand 
geometry system and to allow employees and contractors with unescorted 
access to keep their picture badges in their possession when leaving 
the Pilgrim site.

IV

    For the foregoing reasons, the NRC staff has determined that the 
proposed alternative measures for protection against radiological 
sabotage meet the same high assurance objective and the general 
performance requirements of 10 CFR 73.55. In addition, the staff has 
determined that the overall level of the proposed system's performance 
will provide protection against radiological sabotage equivalent to 
that which is provided by the current system in accordance with 10 CFR 
73.55.
    Accordingly, the Commission has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR 
73.55, this exemption is authorized by 

[[Page 44517]]
law, will not endanger life or property or common defense and security, 
and is otherwise in the public interest. Therefore, the Commission 
hereby grants the following exemption:
    The requirement of 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5) that individuals who have 
been granted unescorted access and are not employed by the licensee are 
to return their picture badges upon exit from the protected area is no 
longer necessary. Thus, these individuals may keep their picture badges 
in their possession upon leaving the Pilgrim site.
    Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the 
granting of this exemption will not result in any significant adverse 
environmental impact (60 FR 42924).
    This Exemption is effective upon issuance.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 21st day of August 1995.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Steven A. Varga,
Director, Division of Reactor Projects--I/II, Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 95-21286 Filed 8-25-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P