[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 139 (Thursday, July 21, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42112-42113]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-14362]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-346]
FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company; Davis-Besse Nuclear Power
Station, Unit 1; 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) Part 50, Appendix R, Section III.G.3 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, Unit 1 (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 proposed action would be an exemption to certain requirements
of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix R, ``Fire Protection Program for Nuclear
Power Facilities Operating Prior to January 1, 1979,'' Section III.G.3,
``Fire Protection of Safe Shutdown Capability.'' Specifically, the
licensee would be exempt from the requirements to install a fixed fire
suppression system in Fire Area HH for DBNPS and to install fire
detection in the approximately 4 percent of Fire Area HH not currently
covered by a fire detection system.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated January 20, 2004 (Agencywide Documents Access
Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML0420220470), as supplemented
by letters dated September 3, 2004 (ADAMS Accession No. ML0402520326),
and February 25, 2005 (ADAMS Accession No. ML050610249).
The Need for the Proposed Action
The requirements specified in 10 CFR 50, Appendix R, Section
III.G.3, require fire detection and fixed fire suppression in areas for
which alternate shutdown capability is provided. The total combustible
loading in Fire Area HH is less than 20,000 BTU/ft \2\. Existing fire
protection capability in the area consists of a fire detection system,
protecting Room 603 (approximately 96 percent of Fire Area HH, not
including Rooms 603A and 603B) and manual fire suppression capability
consisting of portable fire extinguishers and standpipe hose stations
for the protection of the entire area. The exemption is needed because
the current fire detection and fire suppression capability is
sufficient to protect the health and safety of the public.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and
concludes that the proposed exemption does not involve radioactive
wastes, release of radioactive material into the atmosphere, solid
radioactive waste, or liquid effluents released to the environment. 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 licensee
approving the exemption to the regulation.
The DBNPS systems were evaluated in the Final Environmental
Statement (FES) dated October 1975 (NUREG 75/097). The proposed
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, 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 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 resource than
those previously considered in the DBNPS FES dated October 1975.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
On April 8, 2005, the staff consulted with Ohio State official, Ms.
Carol O'Claire of the Ohio 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 letters dated January 20, 2004, September 3, 2004, and
February 25, 2005. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee,
at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint
North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor),
Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible
electronically from the 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-
[[Page 42113]]
397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to [email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of July, 2005.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
William A. Macon, Jr.,
Project Manager, Section 2, Project Directorate III, Division of
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 05-14362 Filed 7-20-05; 8:45 am]
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