[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 188 (Friday, September 27, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61172-61173]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-24615]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket 72-44]


Arizona Public Service Company; Issuance of Environmental 
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact Regarding a Proposed 
Exemption

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is 
considering issuance of an exemption, pursuant to 10 CFR 72.7, from the 
provisions of 10 CFR 72.72(d) to Arizona Public Service Company (APS or 
applicant). The requested exemption would allow APS to maintain a 
single set of spent fuel, high-level radioactive waste, and reactor-
related GTCC waste records in accordance with the requirements of 10 
CFR 50.71(d)(1), for the Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation 
(ISFSI) at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS) in 
Maricopa County, Arizona.

Environmental Assessment (EA)

    Identification of Proposed Action: By letter dated September 4, 
2001, APS requested an exemption from the requirement in 10 CFR 
72.72(d) which states in part that, ``Records of spent fuel, high-level 
radioactive waste, and reactor-related GTCC waste containing special 
nuclear material meeting the requirements in paragraph (a) of this 
section must be kept in duplicate. The duplicate set of records must be 
kept at a separate location sufficiently remote from the original 
records that a single event would not destroy both sets of records.''
    The proposed action before the Commission is whether to grant this 
exemption pursuant to 10 CFR 72.7.
    Need for the Proposed Action:The applicant stated that ISFSI spent-
fuel, high-level radioactive waste, and reactor-related GTCC waste 
records will be maintained in a manner consistent with the records of 
the PVNGS, which are stored in compliance with the requirements 
established in 10 CFR 50.71(d)(1). No exemption is requested from the 
10 CFR 72.72(d) requirements for the records retention period 
requirements. The applicant seeks to provide consistency in 
recordkeeping maintenance for the PVNGS ISFSI spent fuel, high-level 
radioactive waste, and reactor-related GTCC waste records. The 
exemption request will also preclude the need to construct and operate 
a separate, second records storage facility to store a duplicate set of 
spent-fuel, high-level radioactive waste, and reactor-related GTCC 
waste records.
    10 CFR 50.71(d)(1) provides requirements for the maintenance of 
nuclear power plant records. The regulation states:

    Records which must be maintained pursuant to this part may be 
the original or a reproduced copy or microform if such reproduced 
copy or microform is duly authenticated by authorized personnel and 
the microform is capable of producing a clear and legible copy after 
storage for the period specified by the Commission regulations. The 
record may also be stored in electronic media with the capability of 
producing legible, accurate, and complete records during the 
required retention period. Records such as letters, drawings, 
specifications, must include all pertinent information such as 
stamps, initials, and signatures. The licensee shall maintain 
adequate safeguards against tampering with and loss of records.

    Regulatory Guide 1.88, ``Collection, Storage, and Maintenance of 
Nuclear Power Plant Quality Assurance Records,'' establishes guidance 
for the storage of nuclear plant quality assurance records. APS plans 
to implement Revision 2 of Regulatory Guide 1.88, with minor exceptions 
described in the PVNGS Updated Final Safety Analysis Report, Section 
1.8.
    The requirements in ANSI N45.2.9-1974 have been endorsed by the NRC 
in Regulatory Guide 1.88 as adequate for satisfying the recordkeeping 
requirements of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, which states in part that 
``records shall be identifiable and retrievable.'' Additionally, 
conditions in 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B establish that ``[c]onsistent 
with applicable regulatory requirements [including 10 CFR 50.71(d)(1)], 
the applicant shall establish requirements concerning record retention, 
such as duration, location, and assigned responsibility.'' ANSI 
N.45.2.9-1974 also satisfies the requirements of 10 CFR 72.72 by 
providing for adequate maintenance of records regarding the identity 
and history of the spent fuel in storage. Such records would be subject 
to and need to be protected from the same types of degradation 
mechanisms as nuclear power plant Quality Assurance records.
    Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action: An exemption from the 
requirement to store a duplicate set of ISFSI records at a separate 
location has no impact on the environment. Storage of records does not 
change the methods by which spent fuel will be handled and stored at 
the PVNGS ISFSI and does not change the amount of effluents, 
radiological or non-radiological, associated with the ISFSI.
    Alternative to the Proposed Action: Since there is no environmental 
impact associated with the proposed action, alternatives are not 
evaluated other than the no action alternative. The alternative to the 
proposed action would be to deny approval of the exemption and, 
therefore, not allow storage of ISFSI spent fuel records at a single 
qualified record storage facility. The no action alternative would 
require the applicant to construct or identify a separate storage 
facility; therefore, the environmental impacts of the proposed action 
would be less than, or the same as, the no action alternative.
    Agencies and Persons Consulted: On July 18, 2002, Arizona State 
official, Mr. William Wright, Program Manager of Radioactive Materials 
of the Arizona Radiation Regulatory Agency, was contacted regarding the 
environmental assessment for the proposed action and had no comments.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    The environmental impacts of the proposed action have been reviewed 
in

[[Page 61173]]

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 72.72(d), so that APS may store 
spent fuel records for the ISFSI in a single records storage facility 
which meets the requirements of ANSI N.45.2.9-1974, with the given 
exception listed in the PVNGS Updated Final Safety Analysis Report 
Section 1.8, 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 
necessary.
    For further details with respect to this exemption request, see the 
APS letter dated September 4, 2001. The request for exemption was 
docketed under 10 CFR Part 72, Docket 72-44. 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/reading-rm/adams.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 20th day of September 2002.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
E. William Brach,
Director, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material Safety 
and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 02-24615 Filed 9-26-02; 8:45 am]
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