[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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