[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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