[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 127 (Monday, July 3, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37961-37962]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-10354]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-133]


Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact 
Related to Issuance of Technical Specification Amendment for the 
Humboldt Bay Power Plant Unit 3 License DPR-007, Humboldt, CA

AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Hickman, Division of Waste 
Management and Environmental Protection, Office of Nuclear Material 
Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop: 
T7E18, Washington, DC 20555-00001. Telephone: (301) 415-3017; e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff is considering a 
request dated January 19, 2006, by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company 
(PGE or the Licensee), to approve an amendment to Facility Operating 
License No. DPR-7 that would revise Technical Specification (TS) 3.1.2 
to correct an editorial error, and TS 5.2.2 to allow leaving the Unit 3 
control room temporarily unmanned during emergency conditions requiring 
personnel to evacuate occupied buildings for their safety.

II. Environmental Assessment

Background

    Humboldt Bay Power Plant (HBPP) was permanently shut down in July 
1976, and until recently was in safe storage condition (SAFSTOR). 
SAFSTOR is defined as a method of decommissioning in which the nuclear 
facility is placed and maintained in safe condition for an extended 
period of time to permit radioactive material to decay to levels that 
ease subsequent decontamination and decommissioning of the facility. A 
Decommissioning Plan was approved in July 1988. Subsequent to the 1996 
decommissioning rule, the licensee converted its decommissioning plan 
into its Defueled Safety Analysis Report which is updated every two 
years. A Post Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report was issued by 
the licensee in February 1998. The licensee is now engaged in some 
incremental decommissioning activities. In December 2003, PG&E formally 
submitted a license application to the NRC for approval of a dry-cask 
Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) at the Humboldt Bay 
site. A license and safety evaluation report for the Humboldt Bay ISFSI 
were issued on November 17, 2005. PG&E should begin active 
decommissioning of the facility in 2007.
    On June 14, 2005, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurred 97 miles WNW 
of the Humboldt Bay site and was felt onsite. Subsequently a tsunami 
warning was issued for an area that included the plant site. In 
accordance with plant emergency procedures, site personnel evacuated 
the facility to the high ground evacuation site within the owner 
controlled area of the site. Since TS 5.2.2.c requires continuous 
staffing of the Unit 3 control room, or alternatively of the Units 1 
and 2 control station, this necessitated that the licensee invoke the 
provisions of 10 CFR 50.54(x) for noncompliance with the TS. Based on 
this experience, and that the site will continue to be subject to 
potential earthquakes and tsunamis, the licensee requested the change 
to the TS to allow temporarily not manning the Unit 3

[[Page 37962]]

control room, or the Units 1 or 2 control station, when necessary to 
protect worker health and safety.
    This Environmental Assessment (EA) has been developed in accordance 
with the requirements of 10 CFR 51.21.

Proposed Action

    The change proposed by this LAR will modify TS 3.1.2, Limiting 
Condition for Operation (LCO) 3.1.2, Condition A to replace the word 
``restriction'' with the word ``weight'' so that action is required if 
the load weight, rather than the load restriction, is not within the 
limit. The change will also modify TS 5.2.2.c to allow the Unit 3 
control room, and the associated control station in Units 1 and 2, to 
be temporarily unmanned in an emergency when personnel are required to 
evacuate occupied buildings for their health and safety. The proposed 
action is in accordance with the licensee's application dated January 
19, 2006, requesting approval.

Need for Proposed Action

    The proposed change to TS 3.1.2 will clarify the LCO and is needed 
to ensure that the appropriate limit is maintained. The proposed change 
to TS 5.2.2.c to allow the Unit 3 control room, and the associated 
control station in Units 1 and 2, to be temporarily unmanned in an 
emergency requiring evacuation is needed to protect personnel health 
and safety.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed amendments to 
the Technical Specifications and concludes the changes would have no 
significant impacts to the environment.
    The NRC evaluated the safety impacts of the proposed changes and 
determined that the changes proposed by this license amendment request, 
to clarify an existing requirement and allow the licensee evacuate the 
control room in an emergency that requires site evacuation for the 
protection of site staff health and safety, will better ensure that a 
safety limit is maintained and will not hinder the licensee's response 
to an emergency.
    Allowing the control room operators to evacuate the control room 
during an emergency will not create a situation where response will be 
delayed or less effective due to the absence of the monitoring and 
coordination provided by the control room operators, because the plant 
operators who perform the recovery actions will also be evacuated in a 
life threatening emergency, thereby removing the staff that the control 
room operators would direct in the emergency. Additionally, the 
possible loss of the control room operator in an emergency would 
further delay the site recovery when the emergency condition has 
passed. Therefore, for the hazardous conditions considered, the 
proposed action would best insure that the personnel required for 
recovery are available when the recovery can be performed. Based on the 
above, the proposed action would not increase the probability or 
consequences of accidents, would not change the types of effluents that 
may be released offsite, and would not increase occupation or public 
radiation exposure.
    Since the amendment only affects actions in the industrial portion 
of the facility, the proposed action does not have a potential to 
affect any historic sites.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    The alternative to the proposed action would be to deny the 
request. Denial of this amendment request would have the same 
environmental impact as the proposed action.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    This EA was prepared by John B. Hickman, Project Manager, 
Decommissioning Directorate, Division of Waste Management and 
Environmental Protection (DWMEP). NRC staff determined that the 
proposed action is not a major decommissioning activity and will not 
affect listed or proposed endangered species, nor critical habitat. 
Therefore, no further consultation is required under Section 7 of the 
Endangered Species Act. Likewise, NRC staff determined that the 
proposed action is not the type of activity that has the potential to 
cause previously unconsidered effects on historic properties, as 
consultation for site decommissioning has been conducted previously. 
There are no additional impacts to historic properties associated with 
the disposal method and location for demolition debris. Therefore, no 
consultation is required under Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act. The NRC provided a draft of its EA to the Radiologic 
Health Branch of the California State Department of Health Services. 
The state official had no comments.

III. 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.

IV. Further Information

    For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the 
licensee's letter dated January 19, 2006. (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML060310499) The NRC Public Documents Room is located at NRC 
Headquarters in Rockville, MD, and can be contacted at (800) 397-4209. 
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 Agencywide Documents Access 
and Management System's (ADAMS) Public Library component on the NRC Web 
site, http://www.nrc.gov (the Public Electronic Reading Room). 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 at 
[email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd day of June, 2006.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Keith I. McConnell,
Deputy Director, Decommissioning Directorate, Division of Waste 
Management and Environmental Protection, Office of Nuclear Material 
Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. E6-10354 Filed 6-30-06; 8:45 am]
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