[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 71 (Thursday, April 12, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18986-18987]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-9050]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-293]


Entergy Nuclear Generation Company Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station; 
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering

[[Page 18987]]

issuance of an exemption from certain requirements of appendix G to 
part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR part 50) 
for Facility Operating License No. DPR-35, issued to Entergy Nuclear 
Generation Company, (the licensee), for operation of the Pilgrim 
Nuclear Power Station (Pilgrim), located in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would exempt the licensee from certain 
requirements of Appendix G to 10 CFR Part 50 to allow the application 
of the methodology approved for determining the pressure-temperature 
(P-T) limit curves in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 
Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME Code), Section XI, Code Case N-
640 entitled, ``Alternate Reference Fracture Toughness for Development 
of P-T Curves for ASME Section XI, Division I.''
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application for an exemption dated January 19, 2001, as supplemented by 
letter dated February 8, 2001.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The licensee would like to revise the currently approved 
methodology for P-T limit calculations to incorporate the methodology 
approved for use in Code Case N-640. Code Case N-640 allows the use of 
KIC fracture toughness curve instead of Kla 
fracture toughness curve, as required by Appendix G to Section XI, for 
determining P-T limits for reactor pressure vessel (RPV) materials. The 
exemption is needed because the methodology in Code Case N-640 is less 
conservative in determining P-T limits than the approved methodology in 
Appendix G of Section XI. The proposed action also supports the 
licensee's application for a license amendment, dated November 22, 
2000, as supplemented on January 30 and February 2, 2001, to revise the 
Technical Specifications (TSs) P-T limits for the remainder of 
operating cycles 13 and 14.
    In the associated exemption, the staff has determined that, 
pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii), the underlying purpose of the 
regulation will continue to be served by the implementation of the code 
case.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that the exemption described above would provide an adequate 
margin of safety against brittle failure of the RPV at Pilgrim.
    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 nonradiological impacts, the proposed 
action does not involve any historic 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 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 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 
Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station dated May 1972.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on March 14, 2001, the staff 
consulted with the Massachusetts State official, James Muckerheide of 
the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, 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 January 19, 2001, as supplemented by letter 
dated February 8, 2001. 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 6th day of April 2001.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Alan B. Wang,
Project Manager, Section 2, Project Directorate I, Division of 
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 01-9050 Filed 4-11-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P