[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 204 (Friday, October 22, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57156-57158]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-27684]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-255]


Consumers Energy Company, Palisades Plant; Environmental 
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is 
considering the issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating License 
No. DPR-20 issued to the Consumers Energy Company (the licensee) for 
operation of the Palisades Plant, located in Van Buren County, 
Michigan.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed amendment would replace the current Technical 
Specifications (CTS) in their entirety with improved TSs (ITS) based on 
the guidance provided in NUREG-1432, Revision 1, ``Standard Technical 
Specifications, Combustion Engineering Plants,'' dated April 1995. The 
proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's application for 
amendment dated January 26, 1998, as supplemented by letters dated 
April 30, September 14, October 12, and November 9, 1998, and March 1, 
March 22, March 30, April 7, May 3, June 4, June 11, June 17, July 19, 
July 30, September 17, and September 30, 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

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``NRC Interim Policy Statement on Technical Specification Improvements 
for Nuclear Power Plants'' (52 FR 3788) contained proposed criteria for 
defining the scope of TS. Later, the Commission's ``Final Policy 
Statement on Technical Specifications Improvements for Nuclear Power 
Reactors'' (58 FR 39132) incorporated lessons learned since publication 
of the interim policy statement and formed the basis for revisions to 
10 CFR 50.36, ``Technical Specifications.'' The ``Final Rule'' (60 FR 
36953) codified criteria for determining the content of TSs. Each power 
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 Palisades, the STS are 
NUREG-1432, Revision 1, ``Standard Technical Specifications, Combustion 
Engineering Plants,'' dated April 1995. This document forms the basis 
for the Palisades ITS conversion.

Description of the Proposed Change

    The proposed changes to the CTS are based on NUREG-1432 and on 
guidance provided by the Commission in its Final Policy Statement. The 
objective of the changes is to completely rewrite, reformat, and 
streamline the CTS. Emphasis is placed on human factors principles to 
improve clarity and understanding of the TSs. The Bases section of the 
ITS has been significantly expanded to clarify and better explain the 
purpose and foundation of each specification. In addition to NUREG-
1432, portions of the CTS were also used as the basis for the 
development of the Palisades ITS. Plant-specific issues (e.g., unique 
design features, requirements, and operating practices) were discussed 
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. These categories 
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-1432 and do not 
involve technical changes to the CTS. The proposed changes include (a) 
providing the appropriate numbers, etc., for NUREG-1432 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-
1432 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 January 26, 1998, application, ``Palisades Plant 
Request for Conversion to Improved Technical Specifications.'' 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-1432 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 Palisades 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 
conversion of the CTS to the ITS for Palisades. Changes which are 
administrative in nature have been found to have no effect on the 
technical content of the TS and are acceptable. The increased clarity 
and understanding these changes bring to the TS 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-1432 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 
Palisades. Generic relaxations contained in NUREG-1432 have also been 
reviewed by the NRC staff and have been found to be acceptable.
    In summary, the proposed revisions to the CTS have been found to 
provide control of plant operations such that

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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 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 
Palisades Plant.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on October 4, 1999, the 
Commission consulted with the State official, Ms. Maryanne Elzerman 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 January 26, 1998, as supplemented by 
letters dated April 30, September 14, October 12, and November 9, 1998, 
and March 1, March 22, March 30, April 7, May 3, June 4, June 11, June 
17, July 19, July 30, September 17, and September 30, 1999, which are 
available for public inspection at the Commission's Public Document 
Room, The Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC, and at 
the local public document room located at the Van Wylen Library, Hope 
College, Holland, Michigan 49423-3698.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 18th day of October 1999.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert G. Schaaf,
Project Manager, Section 1 Project Directorate III, Division of 
Licensing Project Management. Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 99-27684 Filed 10-21-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P