[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 150 (Thursday, August 5, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47469-47470]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-17852]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-346]


FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company, Davis-Besse Nuclear Power 
Station, Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
amending an exemption from (1) Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR) part 50, Appendix K, section I.D.1, which requires 
that accident evaluations use the combination of emergency core cooling 
system (ECCS) subsystems assumed to be operative ``after the most 
damaging single failure of ECCS equipment has taken place;'' and (2) 
requirements of 50.46(a)(1)(ii), for Facility Operating License No. 
NPF-3, issued to FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC or the 
licensee), for operation of the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station 
(DBNPS), located in Ottawa County, Ohio. 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 original exemption issued on May 5, 2000, exempted the licensee 
from the single-failure requirement for the two systems for preventing 
boric acid precipitation during the long-term cooling phase following a 
loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA). Additionally, the action exempted the 
licensee from the calculation requirements of 50.46(b)(5) and Appendix 
K, section I.A.4 for the second or backup system for preventing boric 
acid precipitation. The proposed action would amend the existing 
exemption by approving a new system to prevent boric acid 
precipitation. This new system would become the primary system and the 
current primary system would become the backup system. The current 
backup system would no longer be credited as part of the licensing 
basis, although it would remain as a third option procedurally. As 
such, the part of the existing exemption related to the calculation 
requirements of 50.46(b)(5) and Appendix K, section I.A.4 would be 
removed from the exemption as it only applied to the current backup 
system and is no longer needed.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated February 13, 2004.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action provides a new active means of preventing boric 
acid precipitation within the reactor vessel core region following a 
LOCA. The new system has fewer vulnerabilities and meets calculation 
requirements without an exemption, unlike the system to be removed from 
the licensing basis.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that the proposed amended exemption would continue to satisfy 
the underlying purpose of 10 CFR 50.46 and 10 CFR part 50, Appendix K. 
Additionally, the proposed action does not involve radioactive wastes, 
release of radioactive material into the atmosphere, solid radioactive 
waste, or liquid effluents released to the environment.
    The DBNPS systems were evaluated in the Final Environmental 
Statement (FES) dated October 1975 (NUREG 75/097). The proposed amended 
exemption will not involve any change in the waste treatment systems 
described in the FES.
    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. There is no significant 
increase in the amount of any effluent released off site. 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 
DBNPS, NUREG 75/097, dated October 1975.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On May 25, 2004, the staff consulted with the Ohio State official, 
C. O'Claire of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, regarding the 
environmental impact of the proposed action. The State official had no 
comments.

[[Page 47470]]

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 February 13, 2004 (ADAMS ML040490242), and the 
existing exemption approved by NRC letter dated May 5, 2000 (ADAMS 
ML003712264). 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 by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-
4737, or send an e-mail to [email protected].

    Dated in Rockville, Maryland, this 29th day of July, 2004.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jon B. Hopkins,
Senior Project Manager, Project Directorate III, Section 2, Division of 
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 04-17852 Filed 8-4-04; 8:45 am]
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