[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 249 (Tuesday, December 30, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75291-75292]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-31953]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-423]


Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc.; Millstone Power Station, Unit 
No. 3 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) Sec.  54.17(c) for Facility Operating License No. 
NPF-49, issued to Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc. (DNC), for 
operation of Millstone Power Station, Unit No. 3 (MP3), located in 
Waterford, Connecticut. 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 Action

    The proposed action would grant a schedular exemption from the 
provision of 10 CFR 54.17(c), which stipulates that a licensee may not 
apply for a renewed operating license earlier than 20 years before the 
current license expires. The exemption would allow DNC to submit a 
renewal application for MP3 earlier

[[Page 75292]]

than 20 years before expiration of its operating license.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would allow DNC to submit one application for 
renewal of the operating licenses of both nuclear units located at the 
site, with the goal of attaining efficiencies for preparation and 
review of the application.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that the issuance of the proposed exemption will not have a 
significant environmental impact. The proposed schedular exemption 
pertains solely to the future submission of an application to renew the 
MP3 operating license. It causes no changes to the current design or 
operation of MP3, and imparts no prejudice in the future review of the 
application for license renewal.
    The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability 
or consequences of accidents, no changes are being made in the types or 
amounts of radiological 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 similar.

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 
MP3, dated December 1984.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On November 5, 2003, the NRC staff consulted with the Connecticut 
official, Mr. Michael Firsick of the Connecticut Department of 
Environmental Protection, 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 December 13, 2002, as supplemented on April 28, 
2003, and September 3, 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 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 22nd day of December, 2003.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Victor Nerses,
Senior Project Manager, Section 2, Project Directorate I, Division of 
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 03-31953 Filed 12-29-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P