[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 115 (Thursday, June 14, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32399-32400]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-14977]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-271]


Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corporation; Vermont Yankee Nuclear 
Power Station; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant 
Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
amending a previously granted approval to dispose of slightly 
contaminated soil under 10 CFR 20.2002 by expanding the allowable waste 
stream to include low levels of radioactively contaminated soil 
generated as a residual byproduct of other types of on-site 
construction activities. This approval is requested by Vermont Yankee 
Nuclear Power Corporation (the licensee), for operation of the Vermont 
Yankee Nuclear Power Station (Vermont Yankee), located in Windham 
County, Vermont.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would amend the previously granted approvals to 
dispose of slightly contaminated septic waste, cooling tower silt, 
soil/sand from roadways and walkways, to include low levels of 
radioactively contaminated construction soil generated as a residual 
byproduct of on-site construction activities such as design change 
implementation and land maintenance.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's request 
dated September 11, 2000.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed to dispose of slightly contaminated 
soil on-site. In accordance with 10 CFR 20.2002, which requires that a 
licensee apply to the Commission for approval of proposed procedures, 
not otherwise authorized in the regulations, to dispose of licensed 
material generated by the licensee's activities. The licensee 
identified 28.3 cubic meters of approved materials (i.e., soil/sand 
from roadways and walkways, and soil from on-site construction-related 
activities including, but not limited to, design change implementation 
and land maintenance) to be disposed of on-site on an annual basis 
until the expiration of the plant's operating license in 2013. Since 
the previous approval did not include disposal of soil generated as a 
result of certain construction-related activities, the licensee is 
requesting approval to amend the previously granted application 
pursuant to 10 CFR 20.2002, dated June 15, 2000.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that the proposed action will be bound by the conditions for 
the on-site disposals previously reviewed and approved by the NRC. The 
licensee will continue to use the designated and approved areas on 
their property (approximately 1.9 acres) and use approximately 10 acres 
which have not been previously used for disposal. The amount of soil 
and soil/sand materials that will be disposed has not increased, and 
will remain at 28.3 cubic meters. Determination of the radiological 
dose impact of the new material has been made based on the same dose 
assessment models and pathway assumptions used in the previous 
submittals. The licensee's proposal was evaluated against the NRC 
staff's guidelines for on-site disposal and found not to be a 
significant radiological environmental impact. The bounding dose 
conditions for the previously approved materials will not be exceeded. 
The potential exposure to members of the general public from the 
radionuclides in material was

[[Page 32400]]

determined to be less than 1 mrem/year and meets the NRC staff's 
guidelines.
    The proposed action 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 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. 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. 
If the proposed action is denied, the licensee may be required to ship 
the material to an off-site low-level radioactive waste disposal 
facility. Transportation impacts would increase as a result of the 
additional volume of low-level waste generated for disposal. 
Furthermore, the costs associated with off-site disposal greatly exceed 
the cost of on-site disposal without no significant benefit to the 
environment.

Alternative Use of Resources

    This action does not involve the use of any resources not 
previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for the 
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on April 12, 2001, the staff 
consulted with the Vermont State Official, William Sherman, of the 
Department of Public Service, 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 September 11, 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 Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) 
Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC web site, 
http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/ADAMS/index.html. If you do not have access to 
ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the documents located in 
ADAMS, contact the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1-
800-397-4209, 301-415-4737 or by email to [email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 8th day of June 2001.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert M. Pulsifer,
Project Manager, Section 2, Project Directorate I, Division of 
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 01-14977 Filed 6-13-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P