[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 23 (Friday, February 2, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8813-8814]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-2830]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-325 and 50-324]


Carolina Power & Light Company; Brunswick Steam Electric Plant, 
Units 1 and 2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant 
Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an exemption from Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations, Part 50, Section 36a(a)(2) (10 CFR 50.36a(a)(2)) for 
Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-71 and DPR-62, issued to Carolina 
Power & Light Company (CP&L, the licensee) for operation of the 
Brunswick Steam Electric Plant, Units 1 and 2, located in Brunswick 
County, North Carolina.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed

    The proposed action is a one-time exemption from the requirements 
of 10 CFR 50.36a(a)(2) to submit a Radioactive Effluent Release Report 
no later than 12 months from the date of the last report. Under the 
proposed exemption, the licensee would delay the next report by 2 
months, for a total of 14 months from the previous report. This would 
be a one-time exemption.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application for exemption dated December 1, 2000.

The Need for the Proposed

    In accordance with 10 CFR 50.36a(a)(2), each licensee is required 
to submit a report to the Commission annually that specifies the 
quantity of each of the principal radionuclides released to 
unrestricted areas in liquid and in gaseous effluents during the 
previous 12 months, including any other information as may be required 
by the Commission to estimate maximum potential annual radiation doses 
to the public resulting from effluent releases. The report must be 
submitted as specified in Sec. 50.4, and the time between submission of 
the reports must be no longer than 12 months. CP&L has proposed an 
amendment to Technical Specification 5.6.3 to change the submittal date 
for the report to ``prior to May 1.'' The approval of the amendment 
necessitates the required submittal date for the year 2000 report be 
changed to ``prior to May 1, 2001.'' With this change, the licensee 
needs a one-time exemption to allow 14 months between reports.
    In summary, the exemption does not affect the information required 
to be submitted or the time period the report covers, only the date the 
report is submitted.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that the proposed action involves an administrative activity 
(a due date change for a required report) unrelated to plant 
operations.
    The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability 
or consequences of accidents, no changes are being made in the types of 
any 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 NRC 
concludes that there are no significant environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed action.

Alternatives to the Proposed

    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 
Brunswick Steam Electric Station.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on December 20, 2000, the 
staff consulted with Mr. Johnny James of the North Carolina Department 
of

[[Page 8814]]

Environment and Natural Resources, 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 
licensee's letter dated December 1, 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 29th day of January 2001.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Donnie J. Ashley,
Project Manager, Section 2, Project Directorate II, Division of 
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 01-2830 Filed 2-1-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-U