[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 236 (Friday, December 9, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73311-73312]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-7116]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-382]


Entergy Operations, Inc., Waterford Steam Electric Station, Unit 
3; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is 
considering issuance of an exemption from Title 10 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, Appendix E, Section IV.F.2.c for 
Facility Operating License No. NPF-38, issued to Entergy Operations, 
Inc. (EOI or the licensee), for operation of the Waterford Steam 
Electric Station, Unit 3 (Waterford 3), located in St. Charles Parish, 
Louisiana. 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, as described in the licensee's application for 
a one-time exemption to the requirements of 10 CFR part 50, appendix E, 
section IV.F.2.c, dated October 24, 2005, would allow the licensee to 
reschedule the planned offsite full-participation emergency exercise 
from December 7, 2005 to June 28, 2006. Subsequent exercises would be 
scheduled in accordance with the original biennial schedule from the 
year 2005.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed exemption from 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix E, Section 
IV.F.2.c is needed because the licensee anticipates not being able to 
perform the planned full-participation exercise scheduled for December 
7, 2005, due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the ongoing

[[Page 73312]]

restoration efforts at Waterford 3, at the surrounding parishes, and 
the State. In this particular circumstance, it would impose a hardship 
to perform the required emergency preparedness exercise with full 
participation on December 7, 2005.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that the proposed exemption will not present an undue risk to 
public health and safety. 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 
action relates to the exercising of the emergency response plan which 
has no effect on the operation of the facility.
    The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability 
or consequences of accidents, no changes are being made in the types, 
or amounts 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.
    In 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 resources than 
those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement (FES) 
for the Waterford 3 dated September 1981 (NUREG-0779).

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On October 26, 2005, the staff consulted with the Louisiana State 
official, Nan Calhoun of the Louisiana Department of Environmental 
Quality, Radiological Emergency Planning & Response, regarding the 
environmental impact of the proposed action. The State official had no 
comments.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the 
following: (1) The FES, dated September 1981 (NUREG-0779), and (2) the 
Exemption application dated October 24, 2005, (Agencywide Documents 
Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML052990303). 
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 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 at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, 
or send an e-mail to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: N. Kalyanam, Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation, Mail Stop O-7D1, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001, by telephone at (301) 415-1480, or by e-mail 
at [email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 2nd day of December 2005.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
David Terao,
Chief, Plant Licensing Branch G, Division of Operating Reactor 
Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E5-7116 Filed 12-8-05; 8:45 am]
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