[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 234 (Wednesday, December 4, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64378-64379]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-30901]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 72-17 (50-344)]


Portland General Electric Company, et al.; Notice of Issuance of 
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for the 
Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation at Trojan Nuclear Plant

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is 
considering issuance of a materials license under the requirements of 
Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Part 72, to Portland 
General Electric Company, et al. (PGE or the applicant), authorizing 
receipt and storage of spent fuel in an independent spent fuel storage 
installation (ISFSI) located at its Trojan Nuclear Plant (TNP) in 
Columbia County, Oregon. The Commission's Office of Nuclear Material 
Safety and Safeguards, Spent Fuel Project Office, has completed its 
environmental review in support of the issuance of a materials license. 
The ``Environmental Assessment (EA) Related to the Construction and 
Operation of the Trojan Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation'' 
has been issued in accordance with 10 CFR Part 51.

Summary of Environmental Assessment

    Description of the Proposed Action: The proposed licensing action 
would authorize the applicant to construct and operate a dry storage 
ISFSI at the Trojan site. The primary function of the ISFSI is to 
provide interim storage of spent fuel assemblies, fuel debris, and 
greater than Class C (GTCC) waste, which were generated at the Trojan 
Nuclear Plant during its operation.1
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    \1\ At present, licenses issued under the Commission's 
regulations at 10 CFR Part 72 are limited to the storage of spent 
fuel and other radioactive materials associated with spent fuel 
storage in an ISFSI. Storage of GTCC waste is not within the scope 
of a Part 72 license. However, on November 2, 1995, PGE submitted a 
petition for rulemaking requesting that the Commission amend its 
Part 72 regulations to specifically provide for the storage of GTCC 
waste in an ISFSI. See 61 FR 3619 (1996). Consideration of the 
inclusion of this type of waste in the EA for the Trojan ISSFSI 
should obviate the necessity for revisiting the environmental 
impacts of storage of GTCC waste at Trojan if the Commission grants 
PGE's petition and amends its regulations as requested.
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    Currently, the spent fuel and fuel debris are stored in the Trojan 
spent fuel pool.
    PGE has selected a dry storage system using Sierra Nuclear 
Corporation's TranStor Storage System design. The TranStor Storage 
System is a vertical, dry storage system which utilizes a ventilated 
concrete storage cask and a seal-welded steel basket to store spent 
nuclear fuel assemblies, fuel debris and GTCC waste.
    The license for an ISFSI under 10 CFR Part 72 is issued for 20 
years. However, the licensee may apply to the Commission to renew the 
license, if necessary, prior to its expiration.
    Need for the Proposed Action: TNP was shutdown in November 1992, 
and on January 27, 1993, PGE notified the NRC of its decision to 
permanently cease power operation and subsequently defueled the 
reactor, storing the spent fuel in the TNP spent fuel pool. Currently, 
PGE has a possession-only license under 10 CFR Part 50 and applied to 
terminate its license on January 25, 1995, by submitting a 
decommissioning plan. The licensee proposed to decommission the 
facility using a dismantlement or DECON approach as defined in the 
``Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement on Decommissioning of 
Nuclear Facilities,'' NUREG-0586, dated August 1988.
    PGE's plans for decommissioning the TNP include decontamination and 
dismantlement of contaminated structures, systems, and components. To 
facilitate decommissioning, the spent fuel and other contents of the 
spent fuel pool must be relocated. The licensee determined that an 
ISFSI would be the most economical method for the temporary storage of 
the spent fuel until acceptance of the spent fuel by the U.S. 
Department of Energy, which is responsible for the permanent disposal 
of spent fuel. Relocating the spent fuel to an ISFSI would allow TNP to 
proceed with decontamination and dismantlement of the structures, 
systems, and components without impacting the safe storage of spent 
fuel.
    Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action: As discussed in the 
EA, no significant construction impacts are anticipated. Trojan ISFSI 
construction activities will affect only a small fraction of the land 
area of TNP. With good construction practices, the potential for 
fugitive dust, erosion, and noise, typical of the planned construction 
activities, can be controlled to insignificant levels. The only 
resources irretrievably committed are the steel, concrete, and other 
construction materials used in the ISFSI pad, storage casks, and any 
operating equipment.
    As discussed in the EA, there will be no radiological liquid or 
gaseous effluents during normal operation of the ISFSI. The estimated 
doses to both occupational workers and members of the public are below 
regulatory limits.
    As discussed in the EA, no significant radiological impacts are 
expected during operation of the ISFSI. The only environmental 
interface of the ISFSI is

[[Page 64379]]

with the air surrounding the storage casks; the only discharge of waste 
to the environment is heated air from the cask's passive heat 
dissipation system. Climatological effects will be insignificant.
    Alternatives to the Proposed Action: The ``Final Generic 
Environmental Impact Statement (FGEIS) on Handling and Storage of Spent 
Light-Water Power Reactor Fuel,'' NUREG-0575, found that the ISFSIs 
represent a major means of interim storage at a reactor site. While the 
environmental impacts of the dry storage ISFSI option were not 
specifically addressed in the FGEIS, the use of alternative dry passive 
storage techniques for aged fuel appeared to be as feasible as wet 
storage and environmentally acceptable. However, environmental impacts 
need to be considered on a site-specific basis. Several alternatives 
were discussed in the EA, but none were more protective of the 
environment nor was any alternative sufficient to meet the spent fuel 
storage requirements for TNP. Because the Commission has concluded 
there are no significant environmental impacts associated with the 
proposed action, any alternative of equal or greater environmental 
impacts need not be evaluated.
    Alternative Use of Resources: The only resources committed 
irretrievably and not previously considered in environmental documents 
relating to the TNP are the steel, concrete, and other construction 
materials used in the ISFSI.
    Agencies and Persons Contacted: A representative of the Oregon 
Department of Energy was contacted for supporting documentation in 
connection with the preparation of the EA.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    In summary, the TNP ISFSI is located in a small area within the 
confines of the TNP owner-controlled area and will require only a minor 
commitment of land resources. The proposed action is not expected to 
cause any significant release of effluents, and there will be no 
significant increases in individual and collective radiation doses to 
either the public or on-site workers. Potential off-site impacts from a 
postulated worst-case credible accident are a small fraction of the 
regulatory limits of 10 CFR 72.106 and well below the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency's Protective Action Guides. Therefore, 
the proposed action will not significantly affect the quality of the 
human environment. Accordingly, pursuant to the requirements of 10 CFR 
51.31 and 51.32, the Commission has determined that a finding of no 
significant impact is appropriate and that an environmental impact 
statement need not be prepared for the issuance of a materials license 
for the Trojan ISFSI.
    The EA for the proposed action, on which this finding of no 
significant impact is based, relied upon several environmental 
documents, with independent assessment of data, analyses, and results. 
The following documents were utilized: (1) ``Trojan Independent Spent 
Fuel Storage Installation Environmental Report'' (PGE-1070), March 26, 
1996, as supplemented by letter dated May 22, 1996; (2) ``Final 
Environmental Statement Related to the Operation of the Trojan Nuclear 
Plant,'' August 1973; (3) Trojan ISFSI License Application (PGE-1068), 
Safety Analysis Report (PGE-1069), Decommissioning Plan (PGE-1061), and 
related documentation; (4) ``Environmental Assessment by the U.S. 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Related to the Request to Authorize 
Facility Decommissioning--Trojan Nuclear Plant,'' December 1995; (5) 
``Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and 
Related Regulatory Functions, 10 CFR Part 51; (6) ``Final Generic 
Environmental Impact Statement on Handling and Storage of Spent Light 
Water Power Reactor Fuel,'' NUREG-0575, August 1979.
    The EA and other documents related to this proposed action are 
available for public inspection and for copying for a fee at the NRC 
Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20555, and at 
the Local Public Document Room for TNP located at the Branford Price 
Miller Library, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon 97207.

    Dated at Rockville, MD, this 22nd day of November 1996.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Charles J. Haughney,
Acting Director, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material 
Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 96-30901 Filed 12-3-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P