[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 6, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 36410]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-17016]



[[Page 36410]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. STN 50-528, STN 50-529, and STN 50-530]


Arizona Public Service Company, Palo Verde Nuclear Generating 
Station, Units 1, 2, and 3; 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 for Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-41, NPF-51, and 
NPF-74, for operation of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station 
(Palo Verde, or the licensee), Units 1, 2, and 3, located in Maricopa 
County, Arizona.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would exempt the licensee 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, common to all three 
units, to the NRC no later than 24 calendar months from the previous 
revision. The licensee also requested that the exemption apply to (1) 
revisions made to the quality assurance program (which has been 
incorporated into the UFSAR) pursuant to 10 CFR 50.54(a)(3), (2) the 
safety evaluation summary reports for facility changes made under 10 
CFR 50.59 pursuant to 10 CFR 50.59(b)(2), and (3) the reports of 
changes to the Technical Specification (TS) Bases.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application for exemption dated June 9, 1998, as supplemented by letter 
dated December 21, 1998.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed to reduce undue regulatory burden for 
units that share a common UFSAR regarding the requirements of Section 
50.71(e)(4). Section 50.71(e)(4) requires licensees to submit updates 
to their UFSAR annually or within 6 months after each refueling outage 
provided that the interval between successive updates does not exceed 
24 months. Since all three Palo Verde units share a common UFSAR, the 
licensee must update the same document annually or within 6 months 
after a refueling outage for each 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 permitting a 
licensee to submit its FSAR revisions 6 months after refueling outages 
for its facility, but did not provide in the rule for multiple unit 
facilities sharing a common FSAR. Rather, the Commission stated, ``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) . Allowing the exemption would 
maintain the UFSAR current within 24 months of the last revision. 
Submission of the quality assurance program changes and the 10 CFR 
50.59 design change report with the UFSAR revision, as permitted by 10 
CFR 50.54(a)(3) and 10 CFR 50.59(b)(2), respectively, also would not 
exceed a 24-month interval. In addition, submission of the TS Bases 
changes made in accordance with TS 5.5.14 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 and 
unrelated to plant operations.
    The proposed action will not increase the probability or 
consequences of accidents, no changes are being made in the types of 
any effluents that may be released offsite, and there is no increase in 
occupational or public radiation exposure. Therefore, there are no 
significant radiological environmental impacts associated with the 
proposed action.
    With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed 
action does not involve any historic sites. It does not affect 
nonradiological plant effluents and has no other environmental impacts. 
Therefore, there are no significant nonradiological environmental 
impacts associated with this action.
    Accordingly, the Commission concludes that there are no significant 
environmental impacts associated with this action.

Alternative to the Proposed Action

    As an alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered 
denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative). 
Denial of the application would result in no change in current 
environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the proposed action 
and the alternative action are similar.

Alternative Use of Resources

    The proposed action does not involve the use of any resources not 
previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement Related to 
the Operation of Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 
3, dated February 1982 (NUREG-0841).

Agencies and Persons Contacted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on May 13, 1999, the staff 
consulted with the Arizona State official, Mr. Audbry Godwin of the 
Arizona Radiation Protection Agency, regarding the environmental impact 
of the proposed action. The State official had no comments.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    On the basis of the 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 action.
    For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the 
licensee's letter dated June 9, 1998, as supplemented by letter dated 
December 21, 1998, which are available for public inspection at the 
Commission's Public Document Room, Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, NW., 
Washington DC, and at the local public document room located at the 
Phoenix Public Library, 1221 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85004.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 25th day of June 1999.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Mel B. Fields,
Project Manager, Section 2, Project Directorate IV & Decommissioning 
Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 99-17016 Filed 7-2-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P