[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 236 (Monday, December 9, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72983-72984]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-31000]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-261]


Carolina Power & Light Company; H. B. Robinson Steam Electric 
Plant, Unit No. 2; 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 55.59(c) for Facility Operating 
License No. DPR-23, issued to Carolina Power & Light Company (the 
licensee), for operation of the H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, 
Unit No. 2 (HBRSEP2), located in Darlington County, South Carolina. 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 basis 
from the schedular requirements of 10 CFR 55.59(c) for conducting the 
licensed operator requalification annual operating test and biennial 
comprehensive written examination at HBRSEP2.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application for exemption dated October 11, 2002.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would extend the date for the licensee to 
complete the licensed operator requalification annual operating test 
and biennial comprehensive written examinations at HBRSEP2. The 
proposed action would extend the date for completing the examinations 
from December 31, 2002, to March 31, 2003, therefore extending the 
examination schedules by 3 months over the schedules required by 10 CFR 
55.59(c). This proposed action is needed to allow HBRSEP2 to complete 
an unusually heavy workload associated with a plant refueling outage 
and a power uprate, including conducting associated additional training 
and modifying the plant-specific simulator, in a timely and safe 
fashion without undue hardship to plant personnel and licensed plant 
operators.

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 from December 31, 2002, to March 31, 2003.
    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 resources than 
those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for 
HBRSEP2.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On November 26, 2002, the staff consulted with the South Carolina 
State official, regarding the environmental

[[Page 72984]]

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 October 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 2nd day of December 2002.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Allen G. Howe,
Chief, Section 2, Project Directorate II, Division of Licensing Project 
Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 02-31000 Filed 12-6-02; 8:45 am]
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