[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 244 (Friday, December 19, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 70843]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-31312]



[[Page 70843]]

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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-254 and 50-265]


Exelon Generation Company, LLC and Midamerican Energy Company; 
Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2; Environmental 
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of 
an exemption from 10 CFR 50.75(h)(2) for Facility Operating License 
Nos. DPR-29 and DPR-30, issued to Exelon Generation Company, LLC 
(Exelon) and MidAmerican Energy Company (MEC) (the licensee), for 
operation of the Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2, 
located in Rock Island County, Illinois. 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

    The proposed is an exemption to the requirements of 10 CFR 
50.75(h)(2), as requested by MEC by letter dated November 21, 2003. The 
proposed action would exempt MEC from compliance with requirements of 
the new regulation until MEC's amended nuclear decommissioning trusts 
are approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission.

The Need for the Proposed

    The proposed exemption from 10 CFR 50.75(h)(2) is needed because 
MEC may not obtain approval of the amended nuclear decommissioning 
trusts from the Illinois Commerce Commission prior to December 24, 
2003.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed

    The NRC has completed its safety evaluation of the proposed action 
and concludes that the proposed exemption will not present an undue 
risk to the public health and safety. The details of the staff's safety 
evaluation will be provided in the exemption that will be issued as 
part of the letter to the MEC approving the exemption to the 
regulation.
    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 offsite. There is no significant 
increase in the amount of any effluent released offsite. 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 
the Quad Cities Power Station, Units 1 and 2 dated September 1972 and 
the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (NUREG-1437 
Supplement 16) dated November 2003.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On December 10, 2003, the staff consulted with the Illinois State 
official, Frank Niziiolek, of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, 
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 November 21, 2003. 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 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 at 1-800-
397-4209, or 301-415-4737, or send an e-mail to [email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 15th day of December 2003.

    For the Nuclear Regulation Commission.
Lawrence W. Rossbach,
Project Manager, Project Directorate III, Division of Licensing Project 
Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 03-31312 Filed 12-18-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-U