[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 81 (Thursday, April 25, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18449-18450]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-10177]



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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-373, 50-374]


Commonwealth Edison Company (LaSalle County Station, Unit Nos. 1 
and 2);

Exemption

I

    The Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd, the licensee) is the holder 
of Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-11 and NPF-18, which authorize 
operation of the LaSalle County Station, Units 1 and 2 (the 
facilities). The licenses provide, 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 facilities are boiling water reactors located at the licensee's 
site in LaSalle County, Illinois.

II

    In 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.''
    In 10 CFR 73.55(d), ``Access Requirements,'' paragraph (1), it 
specifies that ``the licensee shall control all points of personnel and 
vehicle access into a protected area.'' Also, 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5) 
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 * * *''
    By letter dated February 20, 1996, the licensee requested an 
exemption from certain requirements of 10 CFR 73.55. 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 LaSalle County Station.

III

    Pursuant to 10 CFR 73.5, ``Specific exemptions,'' the Commission 
may, upon application of any interested person or upon its own 
initiative, grant such exemptions from the requirements of the 
regulations 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. According to 10 CFR 73.55, 
the Commission may 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 LaSalle County Station, Units 1 
and 2, 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 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 off site. In 
addition, in accordance with the plant's physical security plan, the 
licensee's employees are also not allowed to take their picture badges 
off site.
    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

[[Page 18450]]

have authorized unescorted access into the protected area will be 
allowed to keep their picture badges in their possession when departing 
the LaSalle County Station.
    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 
LaSalle County Station.

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 
73.5, this exemption is authorized by 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 LaSalle County 
Station.

    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 (61 FR 17329).

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 19th day of April, 1996.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jack W. Roe,
Director, Division of Reactor Projects--III/IV, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 96-10177 Filed 4-24-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P