[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 172 (Thursday, September 5, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 56860]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-22597]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-269, 50-270, and 50-287]


Duke Energy Corp.; Oconee Nuclear 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 amendments to Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-
38, DPR-47, and DPR-55, issued to Duke Energy Corporation (the 
licensee), for operation of Oconee Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, and 3, 
located in Seneca, South Carolina. 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 is administrative in nature and would 
incorporate several editorial changes in the Technical Specifications.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated July 11, 2002.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action corrects several errors in the Technical 
Specifications.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that there are no environmental impacts.
    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 resource than 
those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for 
the Oconee Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 dated March 1972 and the 
Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (NUREG-1437, 
Supplement 2), dated December 9, 1999.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On August 7, 2002, the staff consulted with the South Carolina 
State official, Mr. Henry Porter of the Division of Waste Management, 
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 letter dated July 11, 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].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 29th day of August 2002.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Leonard N. Olshan,
Project Manager, Section 1, Project Directorate II-1, Division of 
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 02-22597 Filed 9-4-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P