[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 248 (Thursday, December 27, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 66948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-31805]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-10, 50-237 and 50-249]


Exelon Generation Company, LLC, Dresden Nuclear Power Station, 
Units 1, 2, and 3; 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 (10 CFR) Part 50, Appendix E, Item IV.F.2.c to Facility 
Operating License Nos. DPR-2, DPR-19 and DPR-25, issued to Exelon 
Generation Company, LLC (the licensee), for operation of the Dresden 
Nuclear Power Station, Units 1, 2 and 3 (DNPS), located in Grundy 
County, Illinois. Therefore, as required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC is 
issuing this environmental assessment and finding of no significant 
impact.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would allow a one-time exemption from the 
requirements of 10 CFR part 50, Appendix E, Item IV.F.2.c, regarding 
conduct of a full-participation exercise of the offsite emergency plan 
every 2 years. Under the proposed exemption, the licensee would 
reschedule the exercise originally scheduled for September 18, 2001, 
and complete the exercise requirements by December 31, 2002.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application for an exemption dated December 18, 2001.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    Currently under 10 CFR part 50, Appendix E, Item IV.F.2.c, each 
licensee at each site is required to conduct a full-participation 
exercise of its offsite emergency plan every 2 years. Federal agencies, 
including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, observe these 
exercises and evaluate the performance of the licensee, state, and 
local authorities having a role under the emergency plan.
    The licensee had initially scheduled a full participation biennial 
exercise of its onsite and offsite emergency plans for May 26, 2001, 
within the required 2-year interval. However, due to flooding 
conditions within the state and the need for state and local officials 
to address these needs, the exercise was conducted with participation 
by only the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety and the licensee. The 
offsite portion of the exercise was rescheduled for September 18, 2001. 
However, as a result of the national security events occurring in the 
United States on September 11, 2001, this exercise was canceled after 
consultations with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the 
Illinois Emergency Management Agency. Future full participation 
exercises for DNPS will be performed on the existing biennial schedule 
and are not affected by the requested exemption.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that the proposed action involves an administrative activity 
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 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 have the potential to affect 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.

Environmental Impacts of the 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 proposed action 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 different 
than those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement 
for DNPS, dated 1973.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On December 19, 2001, the staff consulted with the Illinois State 
official, Frank Niziolek, of the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety, 
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 revised 
proposed action.
    For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the 
licensee's letter dated December 18, 2001. Documents may be examined, 
and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), 
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 Public Electronic Reading Room). Persons 
who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing 
the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR Reference 
staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail at 
[email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 19th day of December 2001.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Anthony J. Mendiola,
Chief, Section 2, Project Directorate III, Division of Licensing 
Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 01-31805 Filed 12-26-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P