[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 15, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13435-13437]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-3714]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 72-17]


Portland General Electric; Trojan Independent Spent Fuel Storage 
Installation; Issuance of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact Regarding a License Amendment

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Issuance of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jill S. Caverly, Project Manager, 
Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and 
Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555. 
Telephone: (301) 415-6699; Fax number: (301) 415-8555; E-mail: 
[email protected].

Introduction

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC, or the staff) is 
considering issuance of a license amendment to the Portland General 
Electric Company (PGE, or the licensee) for Special Nuclear Materials 
License SNM-2509. An Environmental Assessment was issued at the time of 
the application for the license and a determination of a Finding of No 
Significant Impact was finalized on November 11, 1996. The current 
amendment request was submitted to the NRC under letter dated May 23, 
2005, [ADAMS Accession Number ML051460408]. The request is in

[[Page 13436]]

accordance with 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 72.48(c)(2) and 10 
CFR 72.56 for a license amendment that would approve a change that 
would result in a departure from a method of evaluation described in 
the Trojan Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) Safety 
Analysis Report (SAR). An ISFSI is defined in 10 CFR part 72 as ``a 
complex designed and constructed for the interim storage of spent 
nuclear fuel, solid reactor related waste * * * and other radioactive 
materials associated with spent fuel. * * *'' The result of the 
amendment would be revised methodology used to determine the controlled 
area boundary for the ISFSI, which would reduce the controlled area 
(controlled area as defined in 10 CFR part 20) from 300 meters from the 
edge of the concrete storage pad to 200 meters from the edge of the 
pad.

Environmental Assessment (EA)

I. Identification of Proposed Action

    The Trojan ISFSI is located at PGE's former Trojan Nuclear Plant 
near Rainier, Oregon. The proposed action before the NRC is the 
approval of methodology for determining the controlled area at the 
ISFSI that will result in moving the boundary of the controlled area. 
PGE has requested a license amendment in accordance with 10 CFR 
72.48(c)(2) and 10 CFR 72.56 to revise the method of evaluation used in 
the SAR for determining the controlled area of the Trojan ISFSI. The 
current Trojan ISFSI Controlled Area boundary was established at 300 
meters based on the results of the Trojan ISFSI shielding and 
confinement analyses and the requirements of 10 CFR 72.104 and 72.106. 
The current shielding analysis was performed prior to loading the ISFSI 
storage casks to conservatively predict dose rates. For the proposed 
license amendment, PGE revised the shielding calculation to include 
actual direct radiation measurements. The revised calculations show 
that the requirements of 10 CFR part 72 are met if the controlled area 
is reduced from 300 meters from the edge of the pad to 200 meters to 
the edge of the pad. The proposed action will not require any physical 
changes to fences or construction at the site but will relocate 
dosimeters to 200 meters from the edge of the pad.

II. Need for the Proposed Action

    PGE is seeking this reduction of the Trojan ISFSI Controlled Area 
primarily to facilitate the efficient long-term management and security 
of the spent nuclear fuel and fuel-related materials stored in the 
ISFSI. This change would eliminate the Trojan ISFSI's program and 
procedural requirements for access controls on site areas for which 
such controls are not necessary or warranted to ensure the protection 
of the health and safety of the public and the environment. PGE has 
completed decommissioning of the adjoining 10 CFR part 50 site and 
seeks to consolidate the remaining area of its responsibility. The area 
between the current and revised controlled area has been analyzed for 
contamination under the Trojan Nuclear Plant's decommissioning program. 
A final radiologic survey will be required at the time of ISFSI 
decommissioning.

III. Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The staff has determined that although the proposed action will 
result in a reduction in the current controlled area boundary, the 
ISFSI will continue to meet the requirements of 10 CFR part 72. The 
proposed action does not involve a significant increase in the 
probability or consequences of an event or accident previously 
evaluated nor does it create a possibility of a new or different kind 
of event. The staff concludes that there is reasonable assurance that 
the proposed changes in the methodology will have no impact on off-site 
radiation doses. Additionally, the staff has determined that there 
would be no impacts to the environment from the proposed action.

IV. Alternative to the Proposed Action

    As an alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered 
denial of the amendment request (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative). 
Thus, the no action alternative would leave the current controlled area 
boundary in place at 300 meters from the edge of the concrete storage 
pad. No environmental impacts would result from the no action 
alternative.

V. Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The NRC staff prepared this environmental assessment (EA). The U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service's Threatened and Endangered Species System 
was consulted and reviewed as well the species analysis in the EA 
conducted for the original ISFSI license (November 1996). Based on the 
very limited activity of moving dosimeters and the staff's overall 
analysis, involvement of the human environment is minimal for this 
proposed action and essentially the same as the current environmental 
conditions. Hence, this action does not warrant consultation for 
further input and analysis under section 7 of the Endangered Species 
Act or section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

VI. Conclusions

    The staff analysis of the PGE proposed amendment concludes that 
issuing the amendment to allow for a revised methodology to calculate 
the boundary of the controlled area in the SAR will not result in 
significant environmental consequences. Hence, the staff recommends a 
Finding of No Significant Impact.

VII. Sources

    NRC, Environmental Assessment dated November 1996.
    PGE, application dated May 23, 2005.
    PGE, Safety Analysis Report, Rev 6., dated July 21, 2005.
    U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Threatened and Endangered Species 
System (http://www.fws.gov).

Finding of No Significant Impact

    The environmental impacts of the proposed action have been reviewed 
in accordance with the requirements set forth in 10 CFR part 51. Based 
upon the foregoing EA, the NRC finds that the proposed action of 
approving the amendment to the license will not significantly impact 
the quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the NRC has 
determined that an environmental impact statement for the proposed 
amendment is not warranted.

Further Information

    In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of NRC's ``Rules of Practice,'' 
final NRC records and documents regarding this proposed action, 
including the amendment request dated May 23, 2005, are publicly 
available in the records component of NRC's Agencywide Documents Access 
and Management System (ADAMS). These documents may be inspected at 
NRC's Public Electronic Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. These documents may also be viewed electronically on the 
public computers located at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), 
O1F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 
20852. The PDR reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee. 
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 6th day of March 2006.


[[Page 13437]]


    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jill Caverly,
Project Manager, Licensing Section, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office 
of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
 [FR Doc. E6-3714 Filed 3-14-06; 8:45 am]
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