[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 238 (Wednesday, December 12, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70619-70620]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-24087]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-341]


Detroit Edison Company; FERMI 2; Environmental Assessment and 
Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an exemption from Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR) Part 74, section 74.19(c), for Facility Operating 
License No. NPF-43, issued to Detroit Edison Company (the licensee), 
for operation of Fermi 2, located in Monroe County, Michigan. 
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 would exempt the licensee from the requirement 
in 10 CFR 74.19(c) to conduct a physical inventory of all special 
nuclear material (SNM) at intervals not to exceed 12 months. 
Specifically, the request is for exemption from the physical inventory 
requirements for those fuel assemblies that are stored under the Holtec 
Overhead Platforms (HOPs) when the HOPs are installed in the spent fuel 
racks.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated April 27, 2007, as supplemented by letter dated 
November 9, 2007.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would allow the licensee to not have to perform 
physical inventory of fuel assemblies below the HOPs when the HOPs are 
installed. Therefore, the licensee would not have to empty and remove 
the HOPs to perform the annual SNM physical inventory.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its safety evaluation of the proposed action 
and concludes that exempting the licensee from performing a physical 
inventory of fuel assemblies under the HOPs when the HOPs are installed 
is acceptable.
    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 proposed action 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. There is no significant 
increase in the amount of any effluent released off site. 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 non-radiological impacts, the proposed 
action does not have a potential to affect any historic sites. It does 
not affect non-radiological plant effluents and has no other 
environmental impact. Therefore, there are no significant non-
radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
    Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.

[[Page 70620]]

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 for 
Fermi 2, NUREG-0769, dated August 1981 and NUREG-0769, Addendum No. 1 
dated March 1982.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on December 4, 2007, the 
staff consulted with the Michigan State official, Thor Strong of the 
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Radiological Protection 
Section, regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action. The 
State official had no comments.

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.
    For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the 
licensee's letter dated April 27, 2007, as supplemented by letter dated 
November 9, 2007. The licensee requested that the enclosures to both 
letters be withheld from public disclosure because they contain 
security-related sensitive information. Publicly available records will 
be accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and 
Management System (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 by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or send 
an e-mail to [email protected]. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for 
a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White 
Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first 
floor), Rockville, Maryland.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 5th day of December 2007.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Adrian Mu[ntilde]iz,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch III-1, Division of Operating 
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E7-24087 Filed 12-11-07; 8:45 am]
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