[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 244 (Tuesday, December 21, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76483-76485]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-27845]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-315 and 50-316]


Indiana Michigan Power Company; Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant, 
Units 1 and 2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant 
Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of amendments for Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-58 and 
DPR-74, issued to Indiana Michigan Power Company (the licensee) for 
operation of the Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant (CNP), Units 1 and 2, 
located in Berrien County, Michigan. Pursuant to Title 10 of the Code 
of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Sections 51.21 and 51.32, the NRC is 
issuing this environmental assessment and finding of no significant 
impact.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would be a full conversion from the current 
technical specifications (CTS) to a set of improved technical 
specifications (ITS) based on NUREG-1431, ``Standard Technical 
Specifications, Westinghouse Plants,'' Revision 2, dated June 2001. The 
proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's application dated 
April 6, 2004, and the information provided to the NRC staff through 
the joint NRC-Indiana Michigan Power Company CNP ITS Conversion Web 
page. To expedite its review of the application, the NRC staff issued 
its requests for additional information (RAIs) through the CNP ITS 
Conversion Web page and the licensee addressed the RAIs by providing 
responses on the Web page. Entry into the database is protected so that 
only the licensee and NRC reviewers can enter information into the 
database to add RAIs (NRC) or providing responses to the RAIs 
(licensee); however, the public can enter the database to read the 
questions asked and the responses provided. Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.4 
regarding written communications for license amendment requests, and in 
order to have the database on the CNP, Units 1 and 2, dockets before 
the amendments would be issued, the licensee will submit a copy of the

[[Page 76484]]

database to the NRC after there are no further RAIs. The public can 
access the database through the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov by 
the following process: (1) Click on the tab labeled ``Nuclear 
Reactors'' on the NRC home page along the upper part of the web page, 
(2) then click on the link to ``Operating Reactors'' which is under 
``Regulated Activities'' on the left hand side of the web page, (3) 
then click on the link to ``Standard Technical Specifications'' which 
is on right hand side of the page, and (4) finally click on the link to 
``Comments on the application and responses by D. C. Cook,'' near the 
bottom of the web page, to open the database. The RAIs and responses to 
RAIs are organized by ITS Sections 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 3.1 through 3.9, 4.0, 
and 5.0, which are listed first, and the beyond scope issues (BSIs) 1 
through 35, which are listed later. For every listed ITS section or 
BSI, there is an RAI which can be read by clicking on the ITS section 
or BSI number. The licensee's responses are shown by a solid triangle 
adjacent to the ITS section or BSI number. To read the response, click 
on the triangle. To page down through the ITS sections to the BSIs, 
click on ``next'' along the top of the page or on ``previous'' to 
return to the previous page.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The Commission's ``Proposed Policy Statement on Technical 
Specifications Improvements for Nuclear Power Reactors'' (52 FR 3788), 
dated February 6, 1987, contained an Interim Policy Statement that set 
forth objective criteria for determining which regulatory requirements 
and operating restrictions should be included in the technical 
specifications (TS). When it issued the Interim Policy Statement, the 
Commission also requested comments on it. Subsequently, to implement 
the Interim Policy Statement, each reactor vendor owners group and the 
NRC staff began developing standard TS (STS) for reactors supplied by 
each vendor. The Commission then published its ``Final Policy Statement 
on Technical Specifications Improvements for Nuclear Power Reactors'' 
(58 FR 39132), dated July 22, 1993, in which it addressed comments 
received on the Interim Policy Statement, and incorporated experience 
in developing the STS. The Final Policy Statement formed the basis for 
a revision to 10 CFR 50.36 (60 FR 36953), dated July 19, 1995, that 
codified the criteria for determining the content of TS. The NRC 
Committee to Review Generic Requirements reviewed the STS, made note of 
their safety merits, and indicated its support of conversion by 
operating plants to the STS. For CNP, Units 1 and 2, NUREG-1431 
documents the STS and forms the basis for the CNP, Units 1 and 2, 
conversion to the ITS.
    The proposed changes to the CTS are based on NUREG-1431 and the 
guidance provided in the Final Policy Statement. The objective of this 
action is to rewrite, reformat, and streamline the CTS (i.e., to 
convert the CTS to the ITS). Emphasis was placed on human factors 
principles to improve clarity and understanding. The ITS Bases section 
has been significantly expanded to clarify and better explain the 
purpose and foundation of each specification. In addition to NUREG-
1431, portions of the CTS were also used as the basis for the 
development of the CNP, Units 1 and 2, ITS. The NRC staff discussed 
plant-specific issues (i.e., unique design features, requirements, and 
operating practices) with the licensee.
    Relocated specifications include those changes to the CTS that 
relocate certain requirements which do not meet the 10 CFR 50.36 
selection criteria. These requirements may be relocated to the Bases 
section, updated safety analysis report, core operating limits report, 
operational quality assurance plan, plant procedures, or other 
licensee-controlled documents. Relocating requirements to licensee-
controlled documents does not eliminate them, but rather, places them 
under more appropriate regulatory controls (i.e., 10 CFR 50.54(a)(3), 
and 10 CFR 50.59) to manage their implementation and future changes.
    The proposed action is necessary to allow the licensee to implement 
the ITS. The ITS are based on standard Westinghouse Technical 
Specifications and have been implemented by several utilities. They are 
considered an improvement over the CTS.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC staff has completed its evaluation of the proposed action 
and concludes that the proposed TS conversion would not increase the 
probability or consequences of accidents previously analyzed and would 
not affect facility radiation levels or facility radiological 
effluents. Specifically, the proposed TS changes will not increase the 
probability or consequences of accidents. No changes are being made in 
the types or amounts of any effluent that may be released offsite, and 
there is no significant increase in the allowable individual or 
cumulative occupational 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 because 
no previously undisturbed area will be affected by the proposed TS 
changes. 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 and, thus, 
the proposed action will not have any significant impact to the human 
environment.

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 CNP, Units 1 and 2, dated August 1973.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On November 19, 2004, the staff consulted with Mr. Ken Yale of the 
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality regarding the 
environmental impact of the proposed action. The State official agreed 
with the conclusions of the NRC.

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 April 6, 2004, and the information provided to 
the NRC staff through the joint NRC-Indiana Michigan Power Company CNP 
ITS Conversion web page. 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

[[Page 76485]]

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/
''adams.html''. (Note: Public access to ADAMS has been temporarily 
suspended so that security reviews of publicly available documents may 
be performed and potentially sensitive information removed. Please 
check the NRC Web site for updates on the resumption of ADAMS access.) 
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 14th day of December 2004.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Margie Kotzalas,
Acting Chief, Section 1, Project Directorate III, Division of Licensing 
Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 04-27845 Filed 12-20-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P