[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 222 (Tuesday, November 18, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65094-65095]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-28748]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-309]


Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact 
Related to Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company's Request for Exemption 
From the Recordkeeping Requirements of 10 CFR 50.59(D)(3); 10 CFR Part 
50, Appendix A; 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B

I. Introduction

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
granting an exemption from the Recordkeeping requirements of Title 10 
of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 50.59(d)(3); 10 CFR Part 
50, Appendix A; 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, for the Maine Yankee Plant 
as requested by Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company (MY) on July 14, 
2003. An environmental assessment (EA) was performed by the NRC staff 
in support of its review of the exemption request.

II. Environmental Assessment

Introduction

    MY is the licensee and holder of Facility Operating License No. 
DPR-36 for the Maine Yankee Plant, a permanently shut down 
decommissioning nuclear plant. On August 7, 1997, MY notified NRC that 
operations had permanently ceased and that fuel had been permanently 
removed from the reactor. MY submitted its final revised License 
Termination Plan (LTP) in October 2002, which the NRC approved on 
February 28, 2003. Decommissioning of the MY facility is approximately 
80% complete. The nuclear reactor and all associated systems and 
components necessary for the safe generation of power have been removed 
from the facility and disposed of or sold off-site. In addition, the 
structures necessary for safe power generation are either demolished or 
in an advanced state of demolition. Safety-related structures, systems 
and components (SSCs) remaining total less than five, all associated 
with the spent fuel pool. Removal of fuel from the pool is 
approximately half complete with all fuel scheduled to be removed in 
early 2004.

Purpose and Need for Proposed Action

    The requested exemption and application of the exemption will 
eliminate an unwarranted financial burden on ratepayers associated with 
the storage of a large volume of hardcopy records.

The Proposed Action

    The proposed action would allow the disposal of records, prior to 
termination of MY License No. DPR-36, when: (1) The nuclear power unit 
and associated support systems no longer exist for SSCs associated with 
safe power generation; or (2) spent nuclear fuel has been completely 
transferred from the spent fuel pool for SSCs associated with the safe 
storage of fuel in the spent fuel pool.
    MY is not requesting any exemption associated with recordkeeping 
requirements for storage of spent fuel at its independent spent fuel 
storage installation under 10 CFR 50 or the general license 
requirements of 10 CFR 72.

Alternatives to Proposed Action

    No action. Under this alternative MY would continue to store the 
records in question until license termination.

The Affected Environment and Environmental Impacts

    None. The proposed action is purely administrative in nature and 
will have no effect on the environment.

Agencies and Persons Contacted

    None.

Conclusions

    NRC has determined that the proposed action will have no 
significant effect on the quality of the human environment.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    Based on this review, the NRC staff has concluded that there are no 
significant impacts on the quality of the human environment. 
Accordingly, the staff has determined that preparation of an 
Environmental Impact Statement is not warranted, and a Finding of No 
Significant Impact is appropriate.

IV. Further Information

    The licensee's request for the proposed action (ADAMS Accession No: 
ML032040178) and other related

[[Page 65095]]

documents to this proposed action are available for public inspection 
and copying for a fee at NRC's Public Document Room at NRC 
Headquarters, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 
Maryland 20852. These documents are available for public review through 
ADAMS, the NRC's electronic reading room, at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.
    Any questions with respect to this action should be referred to 
John Buckley, Decommissioning Branch, Mailstop T-7F27, Division of 
Waste Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. 
Telephone: (301) 415-6607.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 5th day of November, 2003.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Claudia M. Craig,
Acting Chief, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Waste Management, 
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 03-28748 Filed 11-17-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P