[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 107 (Monday, June 5, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32377-32379]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-8650]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 72-31]


Yankee Atomic Electric Company; Yankee Atomic Independent Spent 
Fuel Storage Installation; Issuance of Environmental Assessment and 
Finding of No Significant Impact

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Issuance of environmental assessment and finding of no 
significant impact.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stewart W. Brown, Senior Project 
Manager, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material Safety 
and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555. Telephone: (301) 415-8531; Fax number: (301) 415-8555; E-mail: 
[email protected].

I. Introduction

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of exemptions to Yankee Atomic Electric Company (the 
licensee), pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 
CFR) 72.7, from specific provisions of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 
72.212(b)(2)(i), 72.212(b)(7), and 72.214. The licensee is storing 
spent nuclear fuel under the general licensing provisions of 10 CFR 
part 72 in the NAC-MPC System at an independent spent fuel storage 
installation (ISFSI) located at the Yankee Atomic Electric Station in 
Rowe, Massachusetts. The requested exemptions would allow the licensee 
to deviate from requirements of the NAC-MPC Certificate of Compliance 
(CoC) No. 1025, Amendment 3, Appendix A, Technical Specifications for 
the NAC-MPC System, Section A 5.1, Training Program, and Section A 5.4, 
Radioactive Effluent Control Program. Specifically, the exemptions 
would relieve the licensee from the requirements to: (1) Develop 
training modules under its systems approach to training (SAT) program 
that include comprehensive instructions for the operation and 
maintenance of the ISFSI, except for the NAC-MPC System; and (2) submit 
an annual report ``pursuant to 10 CFR 72.44(d)(3) or 10 CFR 50.36(a).''

II. Environmental Assessment (EA)

    Identification of Proposed Action: The proposed action is to exempt 
the licensee from regulatory requirements to develop certain training 
and submit an annual report. By letter dated January 9, 2006, the 
licensee requested exemptions

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from certain regulatory requirements of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 
72.212(b)(2)(i), 72.212(b)(7), and 72.214, which require a general 
licensee to store spent fuel in an NRC-certified spent fuel storage 
cask under the terms and conditions set forth in the CoC. The proposed 
exemptions would allow the licensee to deviate from the requirements in 
CoC No. 1025, Amendment 3, Appendix A, Technical Specifications for the 
NAC-MPC System, Section A 5.1, Training Program, and Section A 5.4, 
Radioactive Effluent Control Program.
    CoC No. 1025, Amendment 3, Appendix A, Technical Specifications for 
the NAC-MPC System, Section A 5.1, Training Program, requires that a 
training program for the NAC-MPC System be developed under the general 
licensee's SAT program. Further, the training modules must include 
comprehensive instructions for the operation and maintenance of both 
the NAC-MPC System and the ISFSI. In addition, CoC No. 1025, Amendment 
3, Appendix A, Technical Specifications for the NAC-MPC System, Section 
A 5.4, Radioactive Effluent Control Program, Item c. requires an annual 
report to be submitted ``pursuant to 10 CFR 72.44(d)(3) or 10 CFR 
50.36(a).'' By exempting the licensee from the requirements of 10 CFR 
72.212(a), 72.212(b)(2)(i), 72.212(b)(7), and 72.214 for this request, 
the licensee will not be required to either develop training modules 
that include comprehensive instructions for the operation and 
maintenance of the ISFSI or submit an annual report ``pursuant to 10 
CFR 72.44(d)(3) or 10 CFR 50.36(a).''
    The proposed action before the NRC is whether to grant these 
exemptions under the provisions of 10 CFR 72.7.
    Need for the Proposed Action: The requirements of CoC No. 1025, 
Amendment 3, Appendix A, Technical Specifications for the NAC-MPC 
System, Section A 5.1, Training Program, and Section A 5.4, Radioactive 
Effluent Control Program impose regulatory obligations, with associated 
costs, that do not provide a commensurate increase in safety. Granting 
the requested exemptions will allow the licensee not to have to: (1) 
Develop training modules under the SAT program that include 
comprehensive instructions for the operation and maintenance of the 
ISFSI, except for the NAC-MPC System; and (2) submit an annual report 
``pursuant to 10 CFR 72.44(d)(3) or 10 CFR 50.36(a).'' Thus, the 
licensee will not incur the costs associated with these activities.
    Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action: The NRC has reviewed 
the exemption requests submitted by the licensee and determined that 
not requiring the licensee to: (1) Develop training modules under its 
SAT program that include comprehensive instructions for the operation 
and maintenance of the ISFSI, except for the NAC-MPC System; and (2) 
submit an annual report ``pursuant to 10 CFR 72.44(d)(3) or 10 CFR 
50.36(a)'' are administrative changes, and would have no significant 
impacts to the environment.
    Further, NRC has evaluated the impact to public safety that would 
result from granting the requested exemptions. NRC determined that 
requiring the licensee to develop training modules under its SAT 
program for the operation and maintenance of ISFSI structures, systems, 
and components considered not-important-to-safety would not provide a 
commensurate increase in public safety associated with the costs. 
Therefore, allowing the licensee to develop these modules separately 
from its SAT program does not impact public safety. Also, NRC has 
determined that not requiring the licensee to submit an annual report 
specifying principal radionuclides released to the environment in 
liquid and in gaseous effluents does not impact public safety because 
the NAC-MPC System is a sealed and leak-tight spent fuel storage 
system. Thus, there should be no releases to the environment of either 
liquid or gaseous effluents from normal operation of the NAC-MPC 
System.
    The proposed action would not increase the probability or 
consequences of accidents, no changes would be made to the types of 
effluents that may be released offsite, and there would be no increase 
in occupational or public radiation exposure. Therefore, there are no 
significant radiological environmental impacts associated with the 
proposed action. Additionally the proposed action would have no 
significant non-radiological impacts.
    Alternative to the Proposed Action: The alternative to the proposed 
action would be to deny approval of these exemptions. Denial of these 
exemption requests would have the same environmental impact as the 
proposed action.
    Agencies and Persons Consulted: The NRC prepared this EA. No other 
sources were used. Further, The NRC has determined that a consultation 
under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act is not required because 
the proposed action will not affect listed species or critical 
habitats. The NRC has also determined that the proposed action is not a 
type of activity having the potential to cause effects on historic 
properties. Therefore, no consultation is required under section 106 of 
the National Historic Preservation Act. Also, a draft copy of this EA 
was provided to the Massachusetts Radiation Control Program for review. 
The Massachusetts Radiation Control Program had no comments.
    Conclusions: The NRC has concluded that the proposed action of 
granting these exemptions and not requiring the licensee to develop 
certain training or submit an annual report will not significantly 
impact the quality of the human environment and does not warrant the 
preparation of an environmental impact statement. Accordingly, it has 
been determined that a Finding of No Significant Impact is appropriate.

III. 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 
granting exemptions from the specific provisions of 10 CFR 72.212(a), 
72.212(b)(2)(i), 72.212(b)(7), and 72.214 and not requiring the 
licensee to: (1) Develop training modules under its SAT program that 
include comprehensive instructions for the operation and maintenance of 
the ISFSI, except for the NAC-MPC System; and (2) submit an annual 
report ``pursuant to 10 CFR 72.44(d)(3) or 10 CFR 50.36(a),'' will not 
significantly impact the quality of the human environment. Accordingly, 
the NRC has determined that an environmental impact statement for these 
proposed exemptions is not warranted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of 
NRC's ``Rules of Practice,'' final NRC records and documents regarding 
this proposed action, including the request for exemptions dated 
January 9, 2006, are publically 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-

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397-4209 or (301) 415-4737, or by e-mail to [email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day of May, 2006.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Stewart W. Brown,
Sr. Project Manager, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. E6-8650 Filed 6-2-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P