[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 127 (Monday, July 3, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37964-37965]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-10355]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-029]


Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact 
Related to Exemption From the Recordkeeping Requirements of Title 10 of 
the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50.71(c); 10 CFR Part 50, 
Appendix A; 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B for the Yankee Atomic Electric 
Company License DPR-003, Rowe, MA

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) is considering 
granting a partial exemption from the Recordkeeping requirements of 
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 50.71(c); 10 CFR 
part 50, Appendix A; 10 CFR part 50, Appendix B; and 10 CFR 
50.59(d)(3), for the Yankee Nuclear Power Station (YNPS) as requested 
by Yankee Atomic Electric Company (YAEC or the Licensee) on February 
15, 2006, as supplemented on March 23, 2006. An environmental 
assessment (EA) was performed by the NRC staff in support of its review 
of the exemption request.

II. Environmental Assessment

Background

    YNPS is a deactivated pressurized-water nuclear reactor located in 
northwestern Massachusetts in Franklin County, near the southern 
Vermont border. The YNPS plant was constructed between 1958 and 1960 
and operated commercially at 185 megawatts electric (after a 1963 
upgrade) until 1992. In 1992, YAEC determined that closing of the plant 
would be in the best economic interest of its customers. In December 
1993, NRC amended the YNPS operating license to retain a ``possession-
only'' status. YAEC began dismantling and decommissioning activities at 
that time. Transfer of the spent fuel from the Spent Fuel Pit (SFP) to 
the Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) was completed 
in June 2003. With the exception of the greater than class C waste 
stored at the ISFSI, the reactor and all associated systems and 
components, including those associated with storage of spent fuel in 
the SFP, have been removed from the facility and disposed of offsite. 
In addition, the structures housing these systems and components have 
been demolished. Physical work associated with the decommissioning of 
YNPS is scheduled to be completed in 2006.
    This Environmental Assessment (EA) has been developed in accordance 
with the requirements of 10 CFR 51.21.

Proposed Action

    Yankee Atomic Electric Company (YAEC) is requesting the following 
exemption, for records pertaining to systems, structures, or components 
(SSCs) and/or activities associated with the nuclear power generating 
unit, Spent Fuel Pit, and associated support systems, from the 
retention requirements of: (1) 10 CFR part 50 Appendix A Criterion 1 
which requires certain records be retained ``throughout the life of the 
unit''; (2) 10 CFR part 50 Appendix B Criterion XVII which requires 
certain records be retained consistent with regulatory requirements for 
a duration established by the licensee; (3) 10 CFR 50.59(d)(3) which 
requires certain records be maintained until ``termination of a license 
issued pursuant to'' part 50; and (4) 10 CFR 50.71(c) which requires 
records retention for the period specified in the regulations or until 
license termination.

Need for Proposed Action

    The requested exemption and application of the exemption will 
eliminate the requirement to maintain records that are no longer 
necessary due to the permanently shutdown status of the facility and 
thereby reduce the financial burden on ratepayers associated with the 
storage of a large volume of records.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is purely administrative in nature and will not 
significantly increase the probability or consequences of accidents. No 
changes are being made in the types of effluents that may be released 
off site and there is no significant increase in the amount of any 
effluent released offsite. There is no significant increase in 
occupational or public radiation exposure. Therefore, there are no 
significant radiological environmental impacts associated with the 
proposed action.
    With 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 it has no other 
environmental impact. Therefore, there are no significant 
nonradiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed 
action.
    Accordingly, the NRC concludes that the proposed action will have 
no significant effect on the environment.

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). 
Under this alternative YNPS would continue to store the records in 
question until license termination which would result in no change in 
current environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the 
proposed action and the alternative action are similar.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    None.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    Based on this review, the NRC staff has concluded that there are no 
significant impacts on the quality of the human environment. 
Accordingly, the staff has determined that preparation of an 
Environmental Impact Statement is not warranted, and a Finding of No 
Significant Impact is appropriate.

IV. Further Information

    For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the 
licensee's letter

[[Page 37965]]

dated February 15, 2006, (ADAMS Accession No. ML060550077) as 
supplemented on March 23, 2006. (ADAMS Accession No. ML060960065) 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 McConnell,
Deputy Director, Decommissioning Directorate, Division of Waste 
Management and Environmental Protection, Office of Nuclear Material 
Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. E6-10355 Filed 6-30-06; 8:45 am]
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