[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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