[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 19 (Tuesday, January 29, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4288-4290]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-2142]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-335 and 50-389]


Florida Power and Light Company St. Lucie Nuclear Plant, Units 1 
and 2; Notice of Acceptance for Docketing of the Application and Notice 
of Opportunity for a Hearing Regarding Renewal of Facility Operating 
License Nos. DPR-67 and NPF-16 for an Additional 20-Year Period

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) is 
considering an application for the renewal of Operating License Nos. 
DPR-67 and NPF-16, which authorize Florida Power and Light Company to 
operate St. Lucie Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2, at 2700 megawatts 
thermal. The renewed license would authorize the applicant to operate 
St. Lucie Unit 1 for an additional 20 years beyond the period specified 
in the current license. For St. Lucie Unit 2, the renewed license would 
authorize the applicant to operate for an additional 20 years beyond 
the period specified in the current license or forty years from the 
date of issuance of the new license, whichever occurs first. The 
current

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operating licenses for St. Lucie Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2, expire 
on March 1, 2016, and April 6, 2023, respectively.
    Florida Power and Light Company submitted an application to renew 
the operating licenses for St. Lucie Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2, on 
November 29, 2001. A Notice of Receipt of Application, ``Florida Power 
and Light Company, St. Lucie Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2; Notice of 
Receipt of Application for Renewal of Facility Operating License Nos. 
DPR-67 and NPF-16 for an Additional 20-Year Period,'' was published in 
the Federal Register on December 27, 2001 (66 FR 66946).
    The NRC staff has determined that Florida Power and Light Company 
has submitted information in accordance with 10 CFR 54.19, 54.21, 
54.22, 54.23, and 51.53(c) that is complete and acceptable for 
docketing. The current Docket Nos. 50-335 and 50-389 for Operating 
License Nos. DPR-67 and NPF-16, respectively, will be retained. The 
docketing of the renewal application does not preclude requesting 
additional information as the review proceeds, nor does it predict 
whether the Commission will grant or deny the application.
    Before issuance of each requested renewed license, the NRC will 
have made the findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as 
amended (the Act), and the NRC's rules and regulations. In accordance 
with 10 CFR 54.29, the NRC will issue a renewed license on the basis of 
its review if it finds that actions have been identified and have been 
or will be taken with respect to (1) managing the effects of aging 
during the period of extended operation on the functionality of 
structures and components that have been identified as requiring aging 
management review, and (2) time-limited aging analyses that have been 
identified as requiring review, such that there is reasonable assurance 
that the activities authorized by the renewed license will continue to 
be conducted in accordance with the current licensing basis (CLB) and 
that any changes made to the plant's CLB comply with the Act and the 
Commission's regulations.
    Additionally, in accordance with 10 CFR 51.95(c), the NRC will 
prepare an environmental impact statement that is a supplement to the 
Commission's NUREG-1437, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for 
License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants'' (May 1996). Pursuant to 10 
CFR 51.26, and as part of the environmental scoping process, the staff 
intends to hold a public scoping meeting. Detailed information 
regarding this meeting will be included in a future Federal Register 
notice. The Commission also intends to hold public meetings to discuss 
the license renewal process and the schedule for conducting the review. 
The Commission will provide prior notice of these meetings. As 
discussed further herein, in the event that a hearing is held, issues 
that may be litigated will be confined to those pertinent to the 
foregoing.
    By February 28, 2002, the applicant may file a request for a 
hearing, and any person whose interest may be affected by this 
proceeding and who wishes to participate as a party in the proceeding 
must file a written request for a hearing and a petition for leave to 
intervene with respect to the renewal of the licenses in accordance 
with the provisions of 10 CFR 2.714. Interested persons should consult 
a current copy of 10 CFR 2.714, which is available at the Commission's 
Public Document Room, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor) Rockville, 
Maryland, and on the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov (the Electronic 
Reading Room). If a request for a hearing or a petition for leave to 
intervene is filed by the above date, the Commission or an Atomic 
Safety and Licensing Board designated by the Commission or by the 
Chairman of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel will rule on 
the request(s) and/or petition(s), and the Secretary or the designated 
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will issue a notice of hearing or an 
appropriate order. In the event that no request for a hearing or 
petition for leave to intervene is filed by the above date, the NRC 
may, upon completion of its evaluations and upon making the findings 
required under 10 CFR parts 54 and 51, renew the licenses without 
further notice.
    As required by 10 CFR 2.714, a petition for leave to intervene 
shall set forth with particularity the interest of the petitioner in 
the proceeding and how that interest may be affected by the results of 
the proceeding, taking into consideration the limited scope of matters 
that may be considered pursuant to 10 CFR parts 54 and 51. The petition 
must specifically explain the reasons why intervention should be 
permitted with particular reference to the following factors: (1) The 
nature of the petitioner's right under the Act to be made a party to 
the proceeding; (2) the nature and extent of the petitioner's property, 
financial, or other interest in the proceeding; and (3) the possible 
effect of any order that may be entered in the proceeding on the 
petitioner's interest. The petition must also identify the specific 
aspect(s) of the subject matter of the proceeding as to which 
petitioner wishes to intervene. Any person who has filed a petition for 
leave to intervene or who has been admitted as a party may amend the 
petition without requesting leave of the board up to 15 days before the 
first prehearing conference scheduled in the proceeding, but such an 
amended petition must satisfy the specificity requirements described 
above.
    Not later than 15 days before the first prehearing conference 
scheduled in the proceeding, a petitioner shall file a supplement to 
the petition to intervene that must include a list of the contentions 
that the petitioner seeks to have litigated in the hearing. Each 
contention must consist of a specific statement of the issue of law or 
fact to be raised or controverted. In addition, the petitioner shall 
provide a brief explanation of the bases of each contention and a 
concise statement of the alleged facts or the expert opinion that 
supports the contention and on which the petitioner intends to rely in 
proving the contention at the hearing. The petitioner must also provide 
references to those specific sources and documents of which the 
petitioner is aware and on which the petitioner intends to rely to 
establish those facts or expert opinion. The petitioner must provide 
sufficient information to show that a genuine dispute exists with the 
applicant on a material issue of law or fact. Contentions shall be 
limited to matters within the scope of the action under consideration. 
The contention must be one that, if proven, would entitle the 
petitioner to relief. A petitioner who fails to file such a supplement 
that satisfies these requirements with respect to at least one 
contention will not be permitted to participate as a party.
    Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding, 
subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to intervene, 
and have the opportunity to participate fully in the conduct of the 
hearing, including the opportunity to present evidence and cross-
examine witnesses.
    Requests for a hearing and petitions for leave to intervene must be 
filed with the Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington DC 20555-0001, Attention: Rulemakings and 
Adjudications Staff, or may be delivered to the Commission's Public 
Document Room, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland, 
20852-2738, by the above date. A copy of the request for a hearing and 
the petition to intervene should also be sent to the Office of the 
General Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001, and to Mr. J. A. Stall, Senior Vice

[[Page 4290]]

President, Nuclear and Chief Nuclear Officer, Florida Power and Light 
Company, 700 Universe Boulevard, Post Office Box 029100, Juno Beach, FL 
33408-0420.
    Nontimely filings of petitions for leave to intervene, amended 
petitions, supplemental petitions, and/or requests for a hearing will 
not be entertained absent a determination by the Commission, the 
presiding officer, or the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board that the 
petition and/or request should be granted based upon a balancing of the 
factors specified in 10 CFR 2.714(a)(1)(i)-(v) and 2.714(d).
    Detailed information about the license renewal process can be found 
under the nuclear reactors' icon of the NRC's Web page at http://www.nrc.gov.
    A copy of the application is available for public inspection at the 
Commission's Public Document Room, located at One White Flint North, 
11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland, or on the NRC 
Web site from the NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management 
System (ADAMS). The ADAMS Public Electronic Reading Room is accessible 
from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. The 
staff has verified that a copy of the license renewal application for 
the St. Lucie Nuclear Plant has been provided to the Indian River 
Community College library located at Fort Pierce, Florida.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, the 24th day of January 2002.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Christopher I. Grimes,
Program Director, License Renewal and Environmental Impacts, Division 
of Regulatory Improvement Programs, Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 02-2142 Filed 1-28-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P