[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 177 (Friday, September 12, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53760-53761]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-23254]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-498 and 50-499]


STP Nuclear Operating Company, et al., South Texas Project, Units 
1 and 2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of amendments to delete the anti-trust conditions contained in 
Appendix C to Facility Operating Licenses (FOLs) Nos. NPF-76 and NPF-
80, issued to STP Nuclear Operating Company (the licensee), for 
operation of South Texas Project (STP), Units 1 and 2, respectively. 
STP, Units 1 and 2, are located in Matagorda County, Texas. Therefore, 
as required by Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 
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 delete the antitrust conditions contained 
in Appendix C to the FOLs for STP, Units 1 and 2.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated August 20, 2002.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed, according to the licensee's 
application, in order to, among other things, remove certain 
requirements that are no longer necessary following Texas's adoption of 
a comprehensive restructuring system.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that the proposed license amendments represent 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 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 the same.

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 
STP, Units 1 and 2, dated August 1986.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On August 27, 2003, the staff consulted with the Texas State 
official, Mr. Arthur Tate of the Texas Department of Health, Bureau of 
Radiation Control, 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 August 20, 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, Public File Area Room O1-F21, 11555 
Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available 
records will be accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents 
Access and

[[Page 53761]]

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 5th day of September, 2003.

    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. 03-23254 Filed 9-11-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P