[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 134 (Friday, July 12, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46217-46218]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-17650]



[[Page 46218]]

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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

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


Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Dresden Nuclear Power Station, 
Units 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 55, section 55(c) for Facility Operating 
License Nos. DPR-19 and DPR-25, issued to Exelon Generation Company, 
LLC (the licensee), for operation of the Dresden Nuclear Power Station, 
Units 2 and 3 (Dresden), located in Morris, 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 exempt the licensee on a one-time-only 
basis from the two-year requirement of 10 CFR 55.59(c) for conducting a 
comprehensive licensed operator requalification written examination at 
Dresden.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application for exemption dated July 2, 2002, as supplemented by letter 
dated July 8, 2002.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would extend the date for the licensee to 
complete the licensed operator requalification comprehensive written 
examinations at Dresden. The proposed action would extend the date for 
completing the examinations to August 2, 2002, (extending the 
examination schedule to 30 months rather than the 24 months required by 
10 CFR 55.59(c)). The need for this proposed action arose due to the 
licensee erroneously scheduling the written examinations at an interval 
greater than the required 24 months.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes, as set forth below, that there are no significant 
environmental impacts associated with the extension of the operator 
requalification examinations to August 2, 2002.
    The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability 
or consequences of accidents, no changes are being made in the types of 
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 have a 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 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:

    The action does not involve the use of any different resources than 
those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for 
Dresden, dated November 1973.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On July 8, 2002, 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 this 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 July 2, 2002, as supplemented by letter dated 
July 8, 2002. 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 Agencywide 
Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic 
Reading Room on the internet at the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. 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 to [email protected].

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day of July, 2002.
Jon B. Hopkins,
Acting Chief, Section 2, Project Directorate III, Division of Licensing 
Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 02-17650 Filed 7-11-02; 8:45 am]
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