[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 189 (Thursday, September 30, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52800-52802]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-25471]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-341]


Detroit Edison Company, Fermi 2; Environmental Assessment and 
Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is 
considering issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating License No. 
NPF-43, issued to the Detroit Edison Company (the licensee) for 
operation of Fermi 2, located in Monroe County, Michigan.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed amendment would replace the current Technical 
Specifications (CTS) in their entirety with Improved Technical 
Specifications (ITS) based on the guidance provided in NUREG-1433, 
Revision 1, ``Standard Technical Specifications, General Electric 
Plants BWR/4,'' dated April 1995. The proposed action is in accordance 
with the licensee's application for amendment dated April 3, 1998, as 
supplemented by letters dated September 28, October 19, and December 
10, 1998, and January 8, January 26, February 24, March 30, April 8, 
April 30, May 7, June 2, June 24, June 30, July 7, July 13, July 26, 
August 4, August 17, August 25, and September 8, 1999.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    It has been recognized that nuclear safety in all plants would 
benefit from improvement and standardization of Technical 
Specifications (TSs). The ``NRC Interim Policy Statement on Technical 
Specification Improvements for Nuclear Power Reactors'' (52 FR 3788) 
contained proposed criteria for defining the scope of TSs. Later, the 
``NRC Final Policy Statement on TS Improvement for Nuclear Power 
Reactors'' (58 FR 39132) incorporated lessons learned since publication 
of the interim policy statement and formed the basis for a revision to 
10 CFR 50.36. The ``Final Rule'' (60 FR 36953) codified criteria for 
determining the content of TSs. To facilitate the development of 
standard TSs, each reactor vendor owners group and the NRC staff 
developed standard TSs (STS). The NRC Committee to Review Generic 
Requirements reviewed the STS, made note of their safety merits, and 
indicated its support of conversion by operating plants to the STS. For 
Fermi 2, the STS are NUREG-1433, Revision 1, ``Standard Technical 
Specifications, General Electric Plants BWR/4,'' dated April 1995. This 
document formed the basis for the Fermi 2 ITS conversion.

Description of the Proposed Change

    The proposed revision of the CTS is based on NUREG-1433, and on 
guidance provided in the Final Policy Statement. Its objective is to 
completely rewrite, reformat, and streamline the CTS. Emphasis is 
placed on human factors principles to improve clarity and

[[Page 52801]]

understanding. The Bases section has been significantly expanded to 
clarify and better explain the purpose and foundation of each 
specification. In addition to NUREG-1433, portions of the CTS were also 
used as the basis for the development of the Fermi 2 ITS. Plant-
specific issues (unique design features, requirements, and operating 
practices) were discussed at length with the licensee.
    The proposed changes from the CTS can be grouped into four general 
categories. These groupings are characterized as administrative 
changes, technical changes-relocations, technical changes-more 
restrictive, and technical changes-less restrictive. They are described 
as follows:
    1. Administrative changes are those that involve restructuring, 
renumbering, rewording, interpretation, and rearranging of requirements 
and other changes not affecting technical content or substantially 
revising an operational requirement. The reformatting, renumbering, and 
rewording processes reflect the attributes of NUREG-1433 and do not 
involve technical changes to the CTS. The proposed changes include (a) 
providing the appropriate numbers, etc., for NUREG-1433 bracketed 
information (information that must be supplied on a plant-specific 
basis, and which may change from plant to plant), (b) identifying 
plant-specific wording for system names, etc., and (c) changing NUREG-
1433 section wording to conform to existing licensee practices. Such 
changes are administrative in nature and do not affect initiators of 
analyzed events or assumed mitigation of accident or transient events.
    2. Technical changes--relocations are those changes involving 
relocation of requirements and surveillances from the CTS to licensee-
controlled documents. The relocated requirements do not satisfy or fall 
within any of the four criteria specified in the Commission's Final 
Policy Statement and 10 CFR 50.36(c)(2)(ii)(A)-(D), and may be 
relocated to appropriate licensee-controlled documents.
    The licensee's application of the screening criteria is described 
in Volume 1 of its April 3, 1998, application, ``Fermi 2 Improved 
Technical Specifications Submittal, Cover Letter and Split Report.'' 
The affected structures, systems, components, or variables are not 
assumed to be initiators of events analyzed in the Updated Final Safety 
Analysis Report (UFSAR) and are not assumed to mitigate accident or 
transient events analyzed in the UFSAR. The requirements and 
surveillances for these affected structures, systems, components, or 
variables will be relocated from the CTS to administratively controlled 
documents such as the UFSAR, the Bases, or other licensee-controlled 
documents. Changes made to these documents will be made pursuant to 10 
CFR 50.59 or other appropriate control mechanisms.
    3. Technical Changes--more restrictive are those changes that 
involve more stringent requirements for operation of the facility or 
eliminate existing flexibility. These more stringent requirements do 
not result in operation that will alter assumptions relative to 
mitigation of an accident or transient event. In general, these more 
restrictive technical changes have been made to achieve consistency, 
correct discrepancies, and remove ambiguities from the specifications.
    4. Technical changes--less restrictive are changes where current 
requirements are relaxed or eliminated, or new flexibility is provided. 
The more significant ``less restrictive'' requirements are justified on 
a case-by-case basis. When requirements have been shown to provide 
little or no safety benefit, their removal from the ITS may be 
appropriate. In most cases, relaxations granted to individual plants on 
a plant-specific basis were the result of (a) generic NRC actions, (b) 
new NRC staff positions that have evolved from technological 
advancements and operating experience, or (c) resolution of comments 
from the owners groups on the ITS. Generic relaxations contained in 
NUREG-1433 were reviewed by the NRC staff and found to be acceptable 
because they are consistent with current licensing practices and NRC 
regulations. Each less restrictive change in the Fermi 2 conversion was 
justified by the licensee in a Discussion of Change and reviewed by the 
NRC staff.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The Commission has completed its evaluation of the proposed 
revision to the CTS. Changes which are administrative in nature have 
been found to have no effect on the technical content of the TSs and 
are acceptable. The increased clarity and understanding these changes 
bring to the TSs are expected to improve the operators' control of the 
plant in normal and accident conditions. Relocation of requirements to 
other licensee-controlled documents does not change the requirements 
themselves nor does 10 CFR 50.36(c)(2)(ii) mandate that the TSs include 
these requirements. Further changes to these requirements may be made 
by the licensee under 10 CFR 50.59 or other NRC-approved control 
mechanisms that ensure continued maintenance of adequate requirements. 
All such relocations have been found to be in conformance with the 
guidelines of NUREG-1433 and the Final Policy Statement, and are, 
therefore, acceptable.
    Changes involving more restrictive requirements have been found to 
enhance plant safety and to be acceptable.
    Changes involving less restrictive requirements have been reviewed 
individually. When requirements have been shown to provide little or no 
safety benefit or to place unnecessary burden on the licensee, their 
removal from the TSs was justified. In most cases, relaxations 
previously granted to individual plants on a plant-specific basis were 
the result of a generic action, or of agreements reached during 
discussions with the Owners Groups and found to be acceptable for Fermi 
2. Generic relaxations contained in NUREG-1433 have also been reviewed 
by the NRC staff and have been found to be acceptable.
    In summary, the proposed revisions to the CTS were found to provide 
control of plant operations such that reasonable assurance will be 
provided that the health and safety of the public will be adequately 
protected.
    These TS changes 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 significant increase in 
occupational or public radiation exposure. Therefore, there are no 
significant radiological environmental impacts associated with the 
proposed TS amendment.
    With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed 
amendment involves features located entirely within the restricted area 
as defined in 10 CFR Part 20 and does not involve any historical sites. 
It does not affect nonradiological plant effluents and has no other 
environmental impact. Therefore, there are no significant 
nonradiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed TS 
amendment.
    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

[[Page 52802]]

action and the alternative action are similar.

Alternative Use of Resources

    This action does not involve the use of any resources not 
previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for the 
Fermi 2.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on September 2, 1999, the 
Commission consulted with the State official, Mr. Michael McCarty of 
the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, 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 application dated April 3, 1998, as supplemented by letters 
dated September 28, October 19, and December 10, 1998, and January 8, 
January 26, February 24, March 30, April 8, April 30, May 7, June 2, 
June 24, June 30, July 7, July 13, July 26, August 4, August 17, August 
25, and September 8, 1999, which are available for public inspection at 
the Commission's Public Document Room, The Gelman Building, 2120 L 
Street, NW., Washington, D.C. 20555, and at the local public document 
room located at the Monroe County Library System, Ellis Reference and 
Information Center, 3700 South Custer Road, Monroe, Michigan 48161.

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

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Andrew J. Kugler,
Project Manager, Section 1, Project Directorate III, Division of 
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 99-25471 Filed 9-29-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P