[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 177 (Thursday, September 12, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57856-57857]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-23204]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-313]


Entergy Operations, Inc., Arkansas Nuclear One, Unit 1; 
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance, to Entergy Operations, Inc. (the licensee), of an exemption 
from Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, 
Section III.G of Appendix R. The licensee is the holder of Renewed 
Facility Operating License No. DPR-51, for operation of Arkansas 
Nuclear One, Unit 1 (ANO-1), located in Pope County, Arkansas. 
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 from certain 
requirements of Section III.G of Appendix R, ``Fire Protection Program 
for Nuclear Power Facilities Operating Prior to January 1, 1979.'' 
Specifically, this exemption applies to requirements for fire barriers 
for the auxiliary lube oil pump and associated conduits in the ANO-1 
makeup pump rooms.

[[Page 57857]]

    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated June 8, 2001.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed to resolve an issue involving the 
auxiliary lube oil pumps and associated conduits which are used during 
the starting of a reactor coolant makeup pump. The licensee was granted 
an exemption on March 22, 1983, which exempted the makeup pump rooms 
from the requirement to have an automatic fire suppression system. The 
equipment identified in the exemption as being needed for safe shutdown 
included the makeup pumps, the service water to lube oil cooler 
isolation valves, and associated cabling. The licensee subsequently 
classified the auxiliary lube oil pump (and associated conduits) as 
required for safe shutdown. Because the auxiliary lube oil pump was not 
addressed in the previous exemption, the licensee needed to either 
request a specific exemption or provide specific fire protection 
features for the auxiliary lube oil pump.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that the proposed exemption does not involve radioactive 
wastes, release of radioactive material into the atmosphere, solid 
radioactive waste, or liquid effluents released to the environment.
    The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability 
or consequences of accidents, no changes are being made in the types or 
amounts 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 
related to the operation of ANO-1 (NUREG-0254) dated February 1973, and 
the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement regarding ANO-1 
(NUREG-1437, Supplement 3) dated April 2001.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On August 26, 2002, the staff consulted with the Arkansas State 
official, Jared Thompson, of the Arkansas Department of Health, 
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 June 8, 2001. 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 6th day of September 2002.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert A. Gramm,
Chief, Section 1, Project Directorate IV, Division of Licensing Project 
Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 02-23204 Filed 9-11-02; 8:45 am]
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