[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 157 (Wednesday, August 13, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47245-47246]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-18702]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 72-27]


Notice of Docketing and Issuance of Amendment to Materials 
License SNM-2514; Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Humboldt Bay 
Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of Issuance of Amendment to Materials License SNM-2514.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James R. Hall, Senior Project Manager, 
Division of Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, Mail Stop EBB-3D-02M, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Telephone: (301) 492-
3319; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 17, 2005, the U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) issued NRC Materials 
License No. SNM-2514 to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) for 
the Humboldt Bay Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI), 
located in Humboldt County, California. The license authorizes PG&E to 
receive, possess, store, and transfer spent nuclear fuel and associated 
radioactive materials resulting from the operation of the Humboldt Bay 
Power Plant in an ISFSI at the power plant site for a term of 20 years. 
The NRC staff also issued an Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact related to the issuance of the initial ISFSI license 
on November 16, 2005, in accordance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act, and in conformance with the applicable requirements of 10 
CFR part 51.
    On March 5, 2008, PG&E submitted an application to NRC, in 
accordance with 10 CFR Part 72, requesting an amendment to NRC 
Materials License No. SNM-2514. PG&E's license amendment request 
proposes to revise the minimum initial fuel enrichment limit identified 
in the Technical Specifications (TS), so that all of the fuel 
assemblies currently stored in the plant's spent fuel pool may be 
transferred and stored in the ISFSI, as intended. Specifically, PG&E 
identified a discrepancy in the minimum initial fuel enrichment limit 
listed in TS Table 2.1-1, ``MPC-HB-HB Fuel Assembly Limits,'' during 
its documentation verification review in preparation for loading spent 
fuel into dry storage casks at the ISFSI. The current license allows 
PG&E to store in the ISFSI spent fuel assemblies that have a minimum 
initial fuel enrichment of 2.09 wt-percent Uranium 235 (U-235). 
Humboldt Bay, however, has some spent fuel assemblies that have an 
initial fuel enrichment of 2.08 wt-percent U-235. NRC approval of the 
proposed change is required so that PG&E can store those fuel 
assemblies with an initial enrichment of 2.08 wt-percent U-235 in the 
Humboldt Bay ISFSI.
    Pursuant to 10 CFR 72.46, the NRC has docketed, approved and issued 
Amendment No. 1 to Materials License No. SNM-2514 held by PG&E for the 
receipt, possession, transfer, and storage of spent fuel at the 
Humboldt Bay ISFSI. Amendment No. 1 authorizes the storage of spent 
fuel assemblies with an initial enrichment of 2.08 wt-percent U-235 in 
the Humboldt Bay ISFSI. Amendment No. 1 is effective as of the date of 
issuance.
    Amendment No. 1 complies with the standards and requirements of the 
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's 
rules and regulations. The Commission has made appropriate findings, as 
required by the Act and the Commission's rules and regulations in 10 
CFR Chapter I, which are set forth Amendment No. 1. The issuance of 
Amendment No. 1 satisfied the criteria specified in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(11) 
for a categorical exclusion. Thus, the preparation of an environmental 
assessment or an environmental impact statement is not required.
    In accordance with 10 CFR 72.46(b)(2), the NRC has determined

[[Page 47246]]

that Amendment No. 1 does not present a genuine issue as to whether 
public health and safety will be significantly affected. Therefore, the 
publication of a notice of proposed action and an opportunity for 
hearing or a notice of hearing is not warranted. Notice is hereby given 
of the right of interested persons to request a hearing on whether the 
action should be rescinded or modified.

Further Information

    For further details with respect to this action, see the 
application dated March 5, 2008, and Amendment No. 1, which are 
available electronically, at NRC's Electronic Reading Room, at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. From this site, you can access NRC's 
Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), which 
provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. The ADAMS 
accession number for the application is ML080710491 and the ADAMS 
accession number for Amendment No. 1 is ML082030222. If you do not have 
access to ADAMS, or if there are problems in accessing the documents 
located in ADAMS, contact NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) Reference 
staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to 
[email protected].
    These documents may also be viewed electronically on the public 
computers located at NRC's PDR, O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR reproduction contractor 
will copy documents, for a fee.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of August, 2008.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
James R. Hall,
Senior Project Manager, Licensing Branch, Division of Spent Fuel 
Storage and Transportation, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and 
Safeguards.
[FR Doc. E8-18702 Filed 8-12-08; 8:45 am]
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