[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 60 (Tuesday, March 30, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15185-15186]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-7762]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[DOCKET 72-17]


Portland General Electric Company; Issuance of Environmental 
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact Regarding the Proposed 
Exemption From Certain Requirements of 10 CFR Part 72

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is 
considering issuance of an exemption, pursuant to 10 CFR 72.7, from 
certain requirements of 10 CFR 72.70(a), to Portland General Electric 
Company (PGE). Exemption from portions of 10 CFR 72.70(a) would release 
PGE from submitting the final Safety Analysis Report (SAR) at least 90 
days prior to the receipt of fuel at its independent spent fuel storage 
installation (ISFSI) at the Trojan Nuclear Plant (Docket Nos. 72-17 and 
50-344) in Columbia County, Oregon.

Environmental Assessment (EA)

Identification of Proposed Action

    By letter dated February 9, 1999, PGE requested an exemption from 
the requirement in 10 CFR 72.70(a) which states, in part, that the ``. 
. . information submitted in the Safety Analysis Report shall be 
updated and submitted to the Commission ``. . . with final Safety 
Analysis Report completion and submittal to the Commission at least 90 
days prior to the planned receipt of spent fuel . . .''
    The proposed action before the Commission is whether to grant this 
exemption under 10 CFR 72.7 to release PGE from submitting the final 
SAR to NRC 90 days prior to receipt of spent fuel at the Trojan ISFSI 
in accordance with 10 CFR 72.70(a).

Need for the Proposed Action

    The exemption from 10 CFR 72.70(a) is necessary because, while PGE 
has submitted all major changes to the SAR within the 90-day limit, a 
number of minor changes have been submitted in a timeframe that would 
not permit PGE to receive spent fuel at the ISFSI on its planned 
schedule if it must comply with the 90-day limit. A delay of 90 days to 
receive fuel at the Trojan ISFSI would cause an unnecessary burden to 
PGE.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    PGE last submitted a major revision to the SAR on October 31, 1998. 
Since that time PGE has submitted several minor changes to the SAR. NRC 
staff has reviewed all SAR changes through March 11, 1999, in 
consideration for issuing PGE a license, pursuant to 10 CFR Part 72, to 
operate an ISFSI at Trojan Nuclear Plant. Therefore, the staff has 
concluded that a period of 90 days would not be required to review the 
final SAR. Based on the review of the Trojan ISFSI SAR as supplemented 
through March 11, 1999, the staff further concluded that a period of 5 
days would be sufficient to review the final SAR and, if necessary, 
take additional regulatory action prior to PGE receiving fuel at the 
Trojan ISFSI. Accordingly, the Commission concludes that this proposed 
exemption will have no significant environmental impacts.

Alternative to the Proposed Action

    Since there is no significant environmental impact associated with 
the proposed action, any alternatives with equal or greater 
environmental impact are not evaluated. The alternative to the proposed 
action would be to deny approval of the 10 CFR 72.70(a) exemption and 
require the final SAR update at least 90 days before the receipt of 
spent fuel at the ISFSI. This alternative would also have no 
significant environmental impact.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On March 1, 1999, Adam Bless from the Oregon Office of Energy was 
contacted about this EA for the proposed action and had no concerns.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    The environmental impacts of the proposed action have been reviewed 
in accordance with the requirements set forth in 10 CFR Part 51. Based 
upon the foregoing EA, granting an exemption from 10 CFR 72.70(a) to 
release PGE from submitting the final SAR at least 90 days prior to the 
receipt of fuel at its ISFSI at the Trojan Nuclear Plant and instead 
require the final SAR be submitted at least 5 days prior to the receipt 
of fuel at the Trojan ISFSI will not significantly impact the quality 
of the human environment. Accordingly, the Commission concludes that an 
environmental impact statement is not required for the proposed 
exemption.
    This application was docketed under 10 CFR Part 72, Docket 72-17. 
For further details with respect to this

[[Page 15186]]

action, see the application for an ISFSI license dated March 26, 1996, 
and the request for exemption dated February 9, 1999, which are 
available for public inspection at the Commission's Public Document 
Room, 2120 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20555, and the Local Public 
Document Room at the Portland State University, Branford Price Millar 
Library, 934 SW Harrison, Portland, Oregon 97207.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day of March 1999.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
E. William Brach,
Director, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material Safety 
and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 99-7762 Filed 3-29-99; 8:45 am]
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