[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 10, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2009-2010]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-731]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-331]


Nuclear Management Company, LLC, Duane Arnold Energy Center; 
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating License No. DPR-49, 
issued to Nuclear Management Company, LLC (the licensed operator) and 
IES Utilities Inc., Central Iowa Power Cooperative, Corn Belt Power 
Cooperative (the licensed owners), for operation of the Duane Arnold 
Energy Center, located in Linn County, Iowa.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed

    The proposed action would revise Facility Operating License No. 
DPR-49 to reflect the change in one of the licensee's names from IES 
Utilities Inc., to Interstate Power and Light Company.
    The proposed action is in accordance with IES Utilities Inc.'s 
application for license amendment dated June 14, 2000, adopted by 
Nuclear Management Company, LLC, by letter to the NRC dated October 5, 
2000.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed to have the license accurately 
reflect the new legal name of the licensee. The proposed action will 
reflect the results of plans by the Alliant Energy Corporation (AEC, 
owner of IES Utilities Inc.) to merge and consolidate another utility 
it owns, Interstate Power Company, with IES Utilities Inc. (IES), and 
change the name of the surviving corporation, IES, to Interstate Power 
and Light Company.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed change to the 
license and concludes that there will be no impact on the status of the 
operating license (OL) or the continued operation of the plant, since 
the proposed change is solely administrative in nature. The proposed 
change updates the OL so that references to the licensee's name will be 
consistent with the new corporate name, Interstate Power and Light 
Company, of the licensee.
    The proposed change is administrative in nature and will not 
increase the probability or consequences of accidents, no changes are 
being made in the types or amounts of any effluents that may be 
released offsite, and there is no significant increase in occupational 
or public radiation exposure. Therefore, the NRC concludes that 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. The proposed change is 
administrative in nature and does not involve any physical features of 
the plant. Thus, the proposed change does not affect nonradiological 
plant effluents and has no other environmental impact. Therefore, there 
are no significant nonradiological environmental impacts associated 
with the proposed action.
    Accordingly, the NRC 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 NRC 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.

[[Page 2010]]

Alternative Use of Resources

    This action does not involve the use of any resources not 
previously considered in the ``Final Environmental Statement Relating 
to the Operation of Duane Arnold Energy Center,'' dated March 1973.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, the NRC staff consulted with 
the Iowa State official, Mr. D. Fleeter of the Department of Public 
Health, 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 NRC concludes 
that the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the 
quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the NRC has determined 
not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed 
action.
    For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the 
application dated June 14, 2000. Documents may be examined, and/or 
copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room, located at One 
White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, 
Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible electronically 
from the ADAMS Public Library component on the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov (the Electronic Reading Room).

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 3rd day of January 2001.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John F. Stang,
Senior Project Manager, Section 1, Project Directorate III, Division of 
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 01-731 Filed 1-9-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P