[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 3, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44647-44648]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-16719]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket 72-30]


Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company; Independent Spent Fuel Storage 
Installation, Issuance of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact for the Proposed Exemption From Certain Requirements 
of 10 CFR Part 72

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) is 
considering issuance of an exemption to Maine Yankee Atomic Power 
Company (MYAPC or licensee), pursuant to 10 CFR 72.7, from specific 
provisions of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 72.212(b)(2)(i), 72.212(b)(7), and 
72.214. The licensee is planning to use the NAC-UMS Storage System to 
store spent nuclear fuel from the decommissioning reactor. The 
requested exemption would allow MYAPC to deviate from requirements of 
the NAC-UMS Certificate of Compliance No. 1015 (CoC or Certificate), 
Appendix A, Limiting Condition for Operation (LCO) Items 3.2.1.a and 
3.2.1.b, ``CANISTER Surface Contamination.'' Specifically, the 
requested exemption would allow an increase in removable contamination 
limits on the accessible NAC-UMS exterior canister surfaces and 
interior transfer cask surfaces from 1000 dpm/100 cm2 for 
beta-gamma sources and 20 dpm/100 cm2 for alpha sources, 
which is required by the Certificate, to 10,000 dpm/100 cm2 
for beta-gamma sources and 100 dpm/100 cm2 for alpha 
sources. The potential increase in radiation dose to members of the 
public from this exemption request was determined to be up to 1.42 
mrem/year at 100 meters. Even with this potential increase in dose, the 
overall potential dose to members of the public would remain within the 
requirements of 10 CFR 72.104, 10 CFR 72.106 and 10 CFR 20.1301.

Environmental Assessment (EA)

    Identification of Proposed Action: By letter dated October 30, 
2001, as supplemented on November 29, 2001, and February 7, 2002, MYAPC 
requested an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 
72.212(b)(2)(i), 72.212(b)(7), and 72.214 to deviate from the 
requirements in CoC No. 1015, Appendix A, LCO Items 3.2.1.a and 
3.2.1.b. MYAPC has informed the NRC of its plans to store spent nuclear 
fuel under the general licensing provisions of 10 CFR Part 72. The 
licensee indicated that it plans to use the NAC-UMS Storage System to 
store spent fuel from the Maine Yankee Atomic Power Station at an 
Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) located in 
Wiscasset, Maine.
    By exempting MYAPC from 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 72.212(b)(2)(i), 
72.212(b)(7), and 72.214, MYAPC will be authorized to increase the 
removable contamination limits on the accessible exterior canister 
surfaces and interior transfer cask surfaces. The contamination limits 
required by CoC No. 1015 are 1000 dpm/100 cm2 for beta-gamma 
source and 20 dpm/100 cm2 for alpha sources. Instead, MYAPC 
requested to limit removable contamination on the accessible exterior 
canister surface and interior transfer cask surface to 10,000 dpm/100 
cm2 for beta-gamma sources and 100 dpm/100 cm2 
for alpha sources.
    The proposed action before the Commission is whether to grant this 
exemption under 10 CFR 72.7.The NRC staff has reviewed the exemption 
request and determined that the revised LCO contamination limits are 
consistent with the safety analyses previously reviewed for the NAC-UMS 
system, and would have no impact on the design basis and would not be 
inimical to public health and safety.
    Need for the Proposed Action: The MYAPC fuel loading campaign is 
scheduled to begin in July 2002. An avoidance of potential excessive

[[Page 44648]]

radiological exposure to workers during this campaign could be achieved 
if the storage canisters were allowed to be stored with higher surface 
contamination. The licensee calculated that a reduction in radiological 
exposure to the operators, fuel handlers, and security personnel 
involved in handling, preparing and transferring the canisters could be 
over 5 rem during the dry spent fuel loading campaign with the revised 
contamination limits in the exemption request.
    Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action: MYAPC requested the 
exemption to increase storage canister contamination limits. The staff 
performed a safety evaluation of the proposed exemption. The analysis 
in the NAC-UMS Safety Analysis Report (SAR) for radioactive particulate 
release was previously reviewed by NRC staff. The analysis demonstrated 
that residual contamination levels of approximately 157,000 dpm/100 
cm2 from beta-gamma sources, and 524 dpm/100 cm2 
from alpha sources yields a dose from direct exposure of 2 mrem at a 
distance of 100 meters for an array of 20 canisters. MYAPC's proposed 
LCO contamination limits are 10,000 dpm/100 cm2 for beta-
gamma sources, and 100 dpm/100 cm2 for alpha sources. These 
proposed new limits remain significantly less than those assumed in the 
currently approved NAC-UMS SAR. The safety evaluation performed by the 
staff concludes that the NRC has reasonable assurance that increasing 
the removal surface contamination limits to 10,000 dpm/100 
cm2 beta-gamma and 100 dpm/100 cm2 alpha has 
minimal impact on off-site doses, results in a dose savings to workers, 
and meets the requirements of 10 CFR 72.104, 10 CFR 72.106 and 10 CFR 
20.1301, and is therefore acceptable.
    MYAPC submitted two independent calculations to support the 
exemption request. In the first case, MYAPC assumed that a 
contamination release fraction of 5% of the removable surface 
contamination from 20 canisters is instantaneously released through the 
storage overpack vents to the environment. The analysis showed that the 
off-site impact from the event is 0.72 mrem/year at 100 meters. In the 
second analysis, MYAPC conservatively assumed that the entire isotopic 
inventory of the cask surface was released at 100 meters away, ignoring 
the wake effects of the berm surround the cask storage pad. These 
assumptions lead to a calculated does of 1.42 mrem/year at 100 meters. 
The staff reviewed the assumptions and calculation and agrees that the 
analyses are conservative. Therefore, the environmental impact of 
increasing the LCO contamination limits is no greater than the 
environmental impact already assessed in the initial rulemaking for the 
NAC-UMS Storage System (65 FR 62581, dated October 19, 2001).
    The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability 
or consequences of the analyzed accidents, no changes are being made to 
the types of 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. Therefore, the staff has 
determined that there is no reduction in the ability of the system to 
perform its safety function, nor significant environmental impacts, as 
a result of increasing the contamination limits in LCO 3.2.1.a and 
3.2.1.b.
    Alternative to the Proposed Action: Since there is no significant 
environment impact associated with the proposed action, alternatives 
with equal or greater environmental impact are not evaluated. The 
alternative to the proposed action would be to deny approval of the 
exemption. Denial of the exemption request will have the same 
environmental impact, but would result in a potential dose increase to 
workers involved in cask decontamination activities.
    Agencies and Persons Consulted: On March 14, 2002, Mr. Patrick J. 
Dostie of the Office of Nuclear Safety Division of Health Engineering 
for the State of Maine submitted comments to the NRC on the MYAPC 
exemption request. The potential safety issues raised by Mr. Dostie 
were considered by NRC staff in the evaluation of the exemption request 
and did not provide sufficient basis to deny the exemption request. The 
Commission addressed Mr. Dostie's comments in a letter dated June 21, 
2002.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    The environmental impacts of the proposed action have been reviewed 
in accordance with the requirements set forth in 10 CFR Part 51. Based 
upon the foregoing EA, the Commission finds that the proposed action of 
granting the exemption from 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 72.212(b)(2)(i), 
72.212(b)(7), and 72.214 allowing MYAPC to increase contamination 
limits for the accessible exterior surfaces of the storage canisters 
and accessible interior surfaces of the transfer cask from 1000 dpm/100 
cm2 for beta-gamma sources to 10,000 dpm/100 cm2 
and from 20 dpm/100 cm2 for alpha sources to 100 dpm/100 
cm2 will not significantly impact the quality of the human 
environment. Accordingly, the Commission has determined that an 
environmental impact statement for the proposed exemption is not 
warranted.
    The request for exemption was docketed under 10 CFR Part 72, Docket 
72-30. For further details with respect to this action, see the 
exemption request dated October 30, 2001, as supplemented November 29, 
2001, and February 7, 2002. The NRC maintains an Agencywide Documents 
Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image 
files of NRC's public documents. These documents may be accessed 
through the NRC's Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at 
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 e-mail to [email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 25th day of June 2002.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
E. William Brach,
Director, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material Safety 
and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 02-16719 Filed 7-2-02; 8:45 am]
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