[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 206 (Monday, October 26, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57144-57145]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-28584]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-498 and 50-499]


South Texas Project, Units 1 and 2; 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. NPF-76 and NPF-80 for 
the South Texas Project, Units 1 and 2 (STP) issued to the STP Nuclear 
Operating Company (the licensee).

Environmental Assessment

Identification of Proposed Action

    The proposed action is in response to the licensee's application 
dated June 17, 1998, for exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 
50.71(e)(4) regarding submission of revisions to the Updated Final 
Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR). Under the proposed exemption the 
licensee would submit revisions to the UFSAR to the NRC no later than 
24 calendar months from the previous revision. In addition, pursuant to 
10 CFR 50.54(a)(3) and 10 CFR 50.59(b)(2), revisions to the Operations 
Quality Assurance Plan (OQAP) and the safety evaluation summary reports 
for facility changes made under 10 CFR 50.59 for STP, respectively, may 
be submitted on the same schedule as the UFSAR revisions.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    10 CFR 50.71(e)(4) requires licensees to submit updates to their 
UFSAR annually or within 6 months after each refueling outage providing 
that the interval between successive updates does not exceed 24 months. 
Since Units 1 and 2 of STP share a common UFSAR, the licensee must 
update the same document annually or within 6 months after a refueling 
outage for either unit. The underlying purpose of the rule was to 
relieve licensees of the burden of filing annual FSAR revisions while 
assuring that such revisions are made at least every 24 months. The 
Commission reduced the burden, in part, by

[[Page 57145]]

permitting a licensee to submit its FSAR revisions 6 months after 
refueling outages for its facility, but did not provide for multiple 
unit facilities sharing a common FSAR in the rule. Rather, the 
Commission stated that ``With respect to the concern about multiple 
facilities sharing a common FSAR, licensees will have maximum 
flexibility for scheduling updates on a case-by-case basis,'' 57 FR 
39355 (1992). Allowing the exemption would maintain the UFSAR current 
within 24 months of the last revision. Submission of the 10 CFR 50.59 
design change report for either unit together with the UFSAR revision, 
as permitted by 10 CFR 50.59(b)(2), also would not exceed a 24-month 
interval.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The Commission has completed its evaluation of the proposed action 
and concludes that the proposed action is administrative in nature, 
unrelated to plant operations.
    The proposed action will not result in an increase in the 
probability or consequences of accidents or result in a change in 
occupational exposure or offsite dose. Therefore, there are no 
radiological impacts associated with the proposed action.
    The proposed action will not result in a change in nonradiological 
plant effluents and will have no other nonradiological environmental 
impact.
    Accordingly, the Commission concludes that there are no 
environmental impacts associated with this action.

Alternative to the Proposed Action

    Since the Commission has concluded that there is no measurable 
environmental impact associated with the proposed action any 
alternatives with equal or greater environmental impact need not be 
evaluated.
    As an alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered 
denial of the proposed action. Denial of the exemption would result in 
no change in current environmental impacts. The environmental impacts 
of the proposed exemption and this alternative are similar.

Alternative Use of Resources

    This action did not involve the use of any resources not previously 
considered in the ``Final Environmental Statement Related to the 
Operation of South Texas Project, Units 1 and 2,'' dated August 1986, 
in NUREG-1171.

Agencies and Persons Contacted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on September 18, 1998, the 
staff consulted with the Texas State official regarding the 
environmental impact of the proposed action. The State official had no 
comments.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    Based upon the foregoing 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 exemption.
    For further details with respect to this action, see the licensee's 
request for the exemption dated June 17, 1998, which is available for 
public inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room, Gelman 
Building, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington DC, 20555 and at the local 
public document room located at the Wharton County Junior College, J.M. 
Hodges Learning Center, 911 Boling Highway, Wharton, TX 77488.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 15th day of October 1998.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John N. Hannon,
Director, Project Directorate IV-1, Division of Reactor Projects III/
IV, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 98-28584 Filed 10-23-98; 8:45 am]
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