[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 14 (Tuesday, January 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3757-3759]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-987]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-133]


Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact 
Related to Issuance of Exemption 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 Federal and State 
Materials and Environmental Management Programs, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop: T8F5, Washington, DC 20555-0001. 
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 October 30, 2007, by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company 
(PG&E or the Licensee), to approve a request for exemption from the 
values of the Inhalation Annual Limits on Intake (ALIs) and Derived Air 
Concentrations (DACs) that appear in 10 CFR Part 20, Appendix B, Table 
1, for use at Humboldt Bay Power Plant, Unit 3 (HBPP). PG&E proposes 
replacing the 10 CFR Part 20, Appendix B, Table 1 ALI and DAC values, 
derived using previous (1977) recommendations of the International 
Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), with ALI and DAC values 
derived using more recent (1995) ICRP recommendations.
    This Environmental Assessment (EA) has been developed in accordance 
with the requirements of 10 CFR 51.21.

II. Environmental Assessment

Background

    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 facilitate subsequent decontamination 
and decommissioning of the facility. A Decommissioning Plan was 
approved in July 1988. Subsequent to the 1997 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. 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 
preliminary license and safety evaluation report for the Humboldt Bay 
ISFSI was issued on August 24, 2005. The ISFSI is currently under 
construction and the licensee is now engaged in some incremental 
decommissioning activities.
    Fuel failures occurred at HBPP in the past when the reactor was 
operating, resulting in contamination from alpha emitters which pose an 
inhalation hazard to workers. The inhalation of airborne radioactive 
materials in restricted areas poses a potential internal radiation 
hazard and the NRC regulations in 10 CFR Part 20 require licensees to 
assess these radiation hazards and to implement protective measures to 
minimize that hazard to workers, the public and the environment. These 
actions and measures include air sampling, posting airborne 
radioactivity area warning signs, the use of respiratory protection, 
and bioassay monitoring of workers. These actions and measures are 
triggered when air concentrations in the workplace reach specified 
fractions of the DAC values in 10 CFR Part 20, Appendix B.

Proposed Action

    HBPP has requested that NRC allow an exemption under 10 CFR 20.2301 
to allow the use of DAC and ALI values calculated using ICRP-68, ``Dose 
Coefficients for Intake of Radionuclides by Workers,'' (Ref. 3) dose 
coefficients and parameters instead of the DAC and ALI values in 10 CFR 
Part 20, Appendix B, Table 1, Occupational Values. HBPP believes that 
this change will result in greater worker efficiency in decommissioning 
work activities and should result in an overall reduction in worker 
dose. The ICRP 68 parameters used in calculating DAC and ALI values are 
generally accepted as more representative models of the actual

[[Page 3758]]

physical and biological mechanisms involved in the inhalation and 
deposition of aerosols in the human body. The Department of Energy 
(DOE) adopted the ICRP-68 recommendations for DAC and ALI values in a 
revision to 10 CFR Part 835, Occupational Radiation Protection, earlier 
this year (Ref. 4). Also, the Commission has indicated in Staff 
Requirements Memoranda for SECY-01-148 (Ref. 5) and SECY-99-077 (Ref. 
6) that the NRC staff should consider and approve, as appropriate, 
licensee requests to use more recent ICRP radiation protection 
recommendations on a case-by-case basis. The licensee states that the 
exemption is allowed by NRC regulations and will not result in any new 
or increased hazard to life of property.

Need for Proposed Action

    To protect plant workers from doses due to inhalation of alpha 
emitters, the HBPP internal exposure control program requires the use 
of respirators when performing certain activities. Using a respirator 
reduces worker efficiency and requires workers to remain in radiation 
areas longer than if respirators were not used. By remaining in a 
radiation area longer than necessary, workers receive higher external 
doses due to gamma radiation. At the present time, plant workers are 
actively performing preparatory decommissioning activities that are 
scheduled to increase in mid-2008 after spent nuclear fuel assemblies 
and fuel fragment containers are transferred from the spent fuel pool 
to the ISFSI.

III. Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

Radiological Impacts

    The DAC and ALI values in 10 CFR Part 20, Appendix B, Table 1, were 
calculated using ICRP 26 and ICRP 30 radiation dosimetry methodology. 
This methodology was adopted by the ICRP in 1977 and 1978, 
respectively. The ICRP has continued to update and revise its 
dosimetric models and input parameters as new information became 
available. The current ICRP basic radiation protection recommendations 
are in ICRP 60 which was adopted in 1991. HBPP proposes to use the dose 
coefficients for intake of radionuclides by workers in ICRP-68 which 
were adopted for use by ICRP in 1995.
    The differences in the values between the current NRC DAC values 
and values for most radionuclides using more recent ICRP methodology 
are generally two-fold or less. However, the difference between some 
radionuclides is larger--especially for uranium and some of the 
transuranic radionuclides. HBPP has provided a comparison of inhalation 
ALIs for these radionuclides. ICRP-68 inhalation ALI values are greater 
than ICRP-30 values by a factor of 4.9 for U-235; 6.1 for Pu-238; 2.0 
for Am-241; and 5.0 for Np-237.
    Engineering controls are the preferred method to control airborne 
radioactive materials, but this is more difficult to implement for the 
changing conditions in decommissioning activities than during routine 
operations. The use of ICRP-68 dose coefficients and parameters to 
develop DAC and ALI values should result in less conservative values 
than those currently in 10 CFR Part 20. This should reduce the reliance 
on respirators to prevent the inhalation of airborne radioactivity by 
workers, and this should improve worker's ability to better identify 
and avoid industrial safety hazards and also should reduce physical 
stresses on workers. The reduced reliance on respirators will also 
allow workers to perform activities in radiation areas more 
efficiently, reducing external radiation dose due to gamma rays, and 
resulting in reduced overall dose received. Therefore, PG&E's request 
for an exemption under 10 CFR Part 20.2301 is acceptable because it 
gives its workers equivalent radiological protection as required by 10 
CFR Part 20.

Non-Radiological Impacts

    The NRC has determined that there are no adverse non-radiological 
impacts associated with the proposed action.

Cumulative Impacts

    The NRC has determined that there are no adverse cumulative impacts 
associated with this proposed action.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    The alternative to considering the exemption request for approval 
is to deny the request. The alternative was rejected by NRC because the 
impacts on workers, the public and the environment were not adversely 
affected by the requested action. The use of ICRP 68 recommendations to 
calculate DAC and ALI values should reduce potential industrial safety 
hazards to workers by lessening reliance on respirators and will not 
increase any hazards to the public or the environment.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The NRC contacted the California Radiologic Health Branch in the 
State Department of Health Services concerning this request. There were 
no comments, concerns or objections from the state official.
    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.

IV. 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 
that preparation of an environmental impact statement is not warranted 
for the proposed action.

V. Further Information

    For further information with respect to the proposed action, see 
the following documents:
    1. J. S. Keenan, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, letter to the 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ``Exemption Request From 10 CFR 20 
Appendix B, Table 1 Values,'' October 30, 2007. (ML073060034)
    2. U.S. Code of Federal Regulation, ``Standards for Protection 
Against Radiation,'' Part 20, Chapter 1, Title 10, Energy.
    3. International Commission on Radiological Protection Publication 
68, Dose Coefficients for Intakes of Radionuclides by Workers, 
published July, 1994 (ISBN 0 08 042651 4). This document is available 
from Elsevier Science Inc., Tarrytown, NY.
    4. Federal Register Notice, Friday, June 8, 2007 (FR Vol. 72, 
No.110, Pages 31904--31941), DOE Final Rule for the adoption of current 
ICRP methodology for DAC and ALI values in 10 CFR 835, Occupational 
Radiation Protection.
    5. SR-SECY-01-148, Staff Requirements--SECY-01-0148--Processes for 
Revision of 10 CFR Part 20 Regarding Adoption of ICRP Recommendations 
on Occupational Dose Limits and Dosimetric Models and Parameters, April 
12, 2002. (ML011580363)

[[Page 3759]]

    6. SR-SECY-99-077, Staff Requirements--SECY-99-0077--To Request 
Commission Approval to Grant Exemptions From Portions of 10 CFR Part 
20, April 21, 1999. (ML042750086)
    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 15th day of January, 2008.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Keith I. McConnell,
Deputy Director, Decommissioning and Uranium Recovery Licensing 
Directorate, Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection, 
Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management 
Programs.
 [FR Doc. E8-987 Filed 1-18-08; 8:45 am]
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