[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 153 (Monday, August 10, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42642-42643]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-21301]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket 70-7002]


Notice of Amendment to Certificate of Compliance GDP-2 for the 
U.S. Enrichment Corporation Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant 
Portsmouth, OH

    The Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, has 
made a determination that the following amendment request is not 
significant in accordance with 10 CFR 76.45. In making that 
determination, the staff concluded that: (1) there is no change in the 
types or significant increase in the amounts of any effluents that may 
be released offsite; (2) there is no significant increase in individual 
or cumulative occupational radiation exposure; (3) there is no 
significant construction impact; (4) there is no significant increase 
in the potential for, or radiological or chemical consequences from, 
previously analyzed accidents; (5) the proposed changes do not result 
in the possibility of a new or different kind of accident; (6) there is 
no significant reduction in any margin of safety; and (7) the proposed 
changes will not result in an overall decrease in the effectiveness of 
the plant's safety, safeguards, or security programs. The basis for 
this determination for the amendment request is described below.
    The NRC staff has reviewed the certificate amendment application 
and concluded that it provides reasonable assurance of adequate safety, 
safeguards, and security and compliance with NRC requirements. 
Therefore, the Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and 
Safeguards, is prepared to issue an amendment to the Certificate of 
Compliance for the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS). The 
staff has prepared a Compliance Evaluation Report which provides 
details of the staff's evaluation.
    The NRC staff has determined that this amendment satisfies the 
criteria for a categorical exclusion in accordance with 10 CFR 51.22. 
Therefore, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.22(b), no environmental impact 
statement or environmental assessment need be prepared for this 
amendment.
    USEC or any person whose interest may be affected may file a 
petition, not exceeding 30 pages, requesting review of the Director's 
Decision. The petition must be filed with the Commission not later than 
15 days after publication of this Federal Register Notice. A petition 
for review of the Director's Decision shall set forth with 
particularity the interest of the petitioner and how that interest may 
be affected by the results of the decision. The petition should 
specifically explain the reasons why review of the Decision should be 
permitted with particular reference to the following factors: (1) the 
interest of the petitioner; (2) how that interest may be affected by 
the Decision, including the reasons why the petitioner should be 
permitted a review of the Decision; and (3) the petitioner's areas of 
concern about the activity that is the subject

[[Page 42643]]

matter of the Decision. Any person described in this paragraph (USEC or 
any person who filed a petition) may file a response to any petition 
for review, not to exceed 30 pages, within 10 days after filing of the 
petition. If no petition is received within the designated 15-day 
period, the Director will issue the final amendment to the Certificate 
of Compliance without further delay. If a petition for review is 
received, the decision on the amendment application will become final 
in 60 days, unless the Commission grants the petition for review or 
otherwise acts within 60 days after publication of this Federal 
Register Notice.
    A petition for review must be filed with the Secretary of the 
Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001, Attention: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff, or may be 
delivered to the Commission's Public Document Room, the Gelman 
Building, 2120 L Street, NW, Washington, DC, by the above date.
    For further details with respect to the action see: (1) the 
application for amendment and (2) the Commission's Compliance 
Evaluation Report. These items are 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.
    Date of amendment request: July 30, 1997.
    Brief description of amendment: On July 30, 1997, the United States 
Enrichment Corporation (USEC) requested an amendment to the certificate 
of compliance for PORTS. The request is to clarify Technical Safety 
Requirement (TSR) 2.1.3.11 dealing with the minimum required number of 
operable smoke detector alarm circuits in the autoclave facilities at 
PORTS. Responding to an NRC request for additional information, the 
amendment request was modified by USEC on May 29, 1998.
    USEC has proposed to revise the Limiting Condition for Operation 
(LCO) for TSR 2.1.3.11 from requiring fifty percent of the installed 
autoclave UF6 smoke detection heads to be operable to simply 
requiring the autoclave UF6 smoke detection systems to be 
operable. In addition to modifying the LCO, USEC has proposed to 
clarify TSR 2.1.3.11, Actions Statements, to normally require at least 
one operable smoke detector alarm circuit to cover an area above each 
autoclave in buildings X-342A (Feed Vaporization Facility) and X-344A 
(Toll Enrichment Services Facility) and above each autoclave pair in 
building X-343 (Feed Vaporization and Sampling Facility). USEC has also 
proposed to normally require at least four of the eight detector heads 
operable at all times in the X-343 facility. This is to alleviate any 
potential adverse effects on timely detection of a release in the event 
of winds inside the building when one or both crane doors or hatches 
are open. Changes were also made to Chapter 3, ``Facility and Process 
Description,'' of the Safety Analysis Report (SAR). These changes 
involve the addition of new sections 3.2.1.1.6, ``UF6 Leak 
Detection System'' and 3.2.1.2.6, ``UF6 Leak Detection 
System,'' and a new paragraph to section 3.2.1.3.6, ``UF6 
Leakage Detectors.'' The SAR changes describe the operations and 
locations of the UF6 detection systems.
    Basis for finding of no significance:
    1. The proposed amendment will not result in a change in the types 
or significant increase in the amounts of any effluents that may be 
released offsite.
    Clarifying the minimum number of smoke detector alarm circuits 
required to be operable in autoclave buildings X-342A, X-343, and X-
344A will not result in an increase in the amounts of effluents that 
may be released offsite or result in any impact to the environment.
    2. The proposed amendment will not result in a significant increase 
in individual or cumulative occupational radiation exposure.
    The proposed clarification of identifying the minimum number of 
smoke detector alarm circuits required to be operable for autoclave 
buildings X-342A, X-343, and X-344A will not increase individual or 
cumulative occupational radiation exposure.
    3. The proposed amendment will not result in a significant 
construction impact.
    The proposed changes will not result in any construction, 
therefore, there will be no construction impacts.
    4. The proposed amendment will not result in a significant increase 
in the potential for, or radiological or chemical consequences from, 
previously analyzed accidents.
    The proposed changes which involve clarifying the minimum number of 
smoke detector alarm circuits required to be operable for autoclave 
buildings X-342A, X-343, and X-344A will not result in an increase in 
the potential for UF6 releases. The proposed changes will 
also not result in an increase in the potential for, or radiological 
consequences from previously evaluated criticality accidents. 
Therefore, the proposed changes will not result in a significant 
increase in the potential for, or radiological or chemical consequences 
from, previously analyzed accidents.
    5. The proposed amendment will not result in the possibility of a 
new or different kind of accident.
    The proposed changes will not result in the possibility of a new or 
different kind of accident.
    6. The proposed amendment will not result in a significant 
reduction in any margin of safety.
    The proposed changes, clarifying the minimum number of smoke 
detector alarm circuits required to be operable in autoclave buildings 
X-342A, X-343 and X-344A, will not reduce the margin of safety as 
defined in the Technical Safety Requirement. In fact, an operable smoke 
detector directly above an autoclave (potential UF6 release 
point) would enhance safety by likely providing a more timely detection 
capability as compared to an operable smoke detector that is not 
directly above the autoclave.
    7. The proposed amendment will not result in an overall decrease in 
the effectiveness of the plant's safety, safeguards, or security 
programs.
    Identifying the minimum number of smoke detector alarm circuits 
required to be operable in autoclave buildings X-342A, X-343 and X-344A 
will not result in a decrease in the overall effectiveness of the 
plant's safety program. The staff has also not identified any 
safeguards or security related implications from the proposed 
amendment.
    Effective date: 30 days after issuance of amendment.
    Certificate of Compliance No. GDP-2: Amendment will revise the 
Technical Safety Requirement.
    Local Public Document Room location: Portsmouth Public Library, 
1220 Gallia Street, Portsmouth, Ohio 45662.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 31st day of July 1998.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Malcolm R. Knapp,
Acting Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 98-21301 Filed 8-7-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P