[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 155 (Monday, August 12, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52499-52500]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-20343]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-482]


Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation; Wolf Creek Generating 
Station Envrionmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an amendment to revise the antitrust conditions applicable 
to Kansas Gas and Electric Company (KGE) contained in Appendix C to 
Facility Operating License No. NPF-42 for the Wolf Creek Generating 
Station (WCGS), located in Coffey County, Kansas. Wolf Creek Nuclear 
Operating Corporation (the licensee) operates WCGS and acts

[[Page 52500]]

as the agent for KGE, which co-owns the facility. 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 revise the antitrust conditions for KGE 
in Appendix C of Facility Operating License No. NPF-42 to (1) add a 
statement that the antitrust conditions do not restrict the rights of 
Kansas Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. (KEPCo) or the duties of KGE, 
that may exist beyond, and are not inconsistent with, the antitrust 
conditions, (2) define ``KGE members in licensee's service area'' in 
the appendix to include all KEPCo members with facilities in Western 
Resources, Inc.'s and KGE's combined service area, (3) delete license 
conditions restricting KEPCo's use of the power from WCGS, (4) remove 
out-of-date conditions, and (5) update conditions to be consistent with 
the terms and conditions of Western Resources' Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission open access transmission tariff. Western 
Resources is the parent company of KGE. The proposed action is in 
accordance with the licensee's application dated June 27, 2000, as 
supplemented by letters dated January 31, May 2, and October 30, 2001, 
and May 10, 2002.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed, according to the licensee's 
application, to update KGE's antitrust conditions and make the 
antitrust conditions consistent with the terms and conditions of 
Western Resources' Federal Energy Regulatory Commission open access 
transmission tariff.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that the proposed license amendment involves administrative 
actions which have no effect on plant equipment or operation.
    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 non-radiological impacts, the proposed 
action does not have a potential to affect any historic sites. It does 
not affect non-radiological plant effluents and has no other 
environmental impact. Therefore, there are no significant non-
radiological 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 resource than 
those previously considered in NUREG-0878, ``Final Environmental 
Statement Related to the Operation of Wolf Creek Generating Station, 
Unit No. 1,'' dated June 1982.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On August 5, 2002, the staff consulted with the Kansas State 
official, Mr. Thomas A. Conley of the Kansas Department of Health and 
Environment 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 letters dated June 27, 2000, January 31, May 2, and October 
30, 2001, and May 10, 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 at 1-800-
397-4209, or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail at [email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of August 2002.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Stephen Dembek,
Chief, Section 2 Project Directorate IV, Division of Licensing Project 
Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 02-20343 Filed 8-9-02; 8:45 am]
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