[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 162 (Monday, August 23, 1999)] [Notices] [Pages 45981-45982] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 99-21794] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket Nos. 50-295 and 50-304] Commonwealth Edison Company; Zion Nuclear Power Station, 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 for Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-39 and DPR-48, issued to Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd or the licensee) for the Zion Nuclear Power Station (ZNPS) Units 1 and 2, located in Lake County, Illinois. Environmental Assessment Identification of the Proposed Action The proposed exemption would exempt the ZNPS, because of its permanently shutdown and defueled status, from certain requirements of 10 CFR 50.47(b) regarding onsite and offsite emergency response plans and 10 CFR 50.47(c)(2) to establish plume exposure and ingestion pathway emergency planning zones. The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's application for exemption dated April 13, 1999, as [[Page 45982]] supplemented by letters dated July 8 and July 19, 1999. The Need for the Proposed Action ZNPS was shut down permanently in February 1997. ComEd certified the permanent shutdown on February 13, 1998, and on March 9, 1998, certified that all fuel had been removed from the reactor vessels. In accordance with 10 CFR 50.82(a)(2), upon docketing of the certifications, the facility operating license no longer authorizes ComEd to operate the reactor or to load fuel into the reactor vessel. In this permanently shutdown condition, the facility poses a reduced risk to public health and safety. Because of this reduced risk, certain requirements of 10 CFR 50.47 are no longer required. An exemption is required from portions of 10 CFR 50.47(b) and (c)(2) to allow the licensee to implement a revised defueled station emergency plan (DSEP) that is appropriate for the permanently shutdown and defueled reactor facility. Environmental Impact of the Proposed Action The Commission has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and concludes that the granting of the exemption will not increase the probability or consequences of accidents, no changes are being made in the types of effluents that may be released off site, and there is no significant increase in occupational or public radiation exposure. Therefore, there are no significant radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed action does not involve any historic sites. It does not affect non- radiological plant effluents and has no other environmental impact. Therefore, there are no significant non-radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. Accordingly, the Commission concludes that there are no significant environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. Alternatives 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 This action does not involve the use of resources not previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for the Zion Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2, dated December 1972. Agencies and Persons Consulted In accordance with its stated policy, on August 4, 1999, the staff consulted with the Illinois State official, Mr. Gary Wright, of the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety (IDNS) 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 April 13, 1999, as supplemented by letters dated July 8 and July 19, 1999, which are available for public inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room, The Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, D.C., and at the local public document room located at the Waukegan Public Library, 128 N. County Street, Waukegan, Illinois 60085. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 13th day of August 1999. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Dino C. Scaletti, Project Manager, Decommissioning Section, Project Directorate IV & Decommissioning, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. [FR Doc. 99-21794 Filed 8-20-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P