[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 3, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 9315]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-4438]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-315 and 50-316; NRC-2009-0094]
Indiana Michigan Power Company; Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant,
Units 1 and 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 50, Section 36a(a)(2) [10 CFR 50.36a(a)(2)],
for Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-58 and DPR-74, issued to
Indiana Michigan Power Company (the licensee), for operation of the
Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant, Unit 1 and Unit 2, located in Berrien
County. 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 regulation 10 CFR 50.36(a)(2) specifies that the Radioactive
Effluent Release Report submittal interval must not exceed 12 months.
By application dated October 21, 2008 (Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System (ADAMS) Accession Number ML082970187), the licensee
proposed an amendment to Technical Specification 5.6.3 which would
change the submittal date from ``within 90 days of January 1 of each
year'' (i.e., prior to April 1, 2009) to ``prior to May 1 of each
year.''
In the October 21, 2008, application, the licensee also requested a
one-time exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 50.36a(a)(2) to
support the implementation of the proposed amendment which results in
the 2008 Radioactive Effluent Release Report submittal exceeding the
12-month requirement.
The Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action is required to support the implementation of
the proposed amendment to Technical Specification 5.6.3. This amendment
eliminates an undue administrative burden by extending the required
submittal date for the Radioactive Effluent Release Report one
additional month. As specified in 10 CFR 50.36a(a)(2), the interval
between submittals must not exceed 12 months. A one-time exemption is
required because the proposed amendment would result in the 2008
Radioactive Effluent Release Report submittal exceeding the 12-month
requirement.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC has completed its safety evaluation of the proposed action
and concludes that there are no environmental impacts associated with
the proposed exemption. 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 offsite. 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 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.
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
other than those previously considered in the Final Environmental
Statement for the Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2, dated
August 1973, and the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License
Renewal of the Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 (NUREG-1437,
Supplement 20), dated May 2005.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
On February 9, 2009, the staff consulted with the Michigan State
official, Mr. Ken Yale, of the Michigan Department of Environmental
Quality, 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 October 21, 2008. 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. 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].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day of February 2009.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Terry A. Beltz,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch III-1, Division of
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E9-4438 Filed 3-2-09; 8:45 am]
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