[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 197 (Wednesday, October 14, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52823-52824]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-24722]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2009-0452; Docket Nos. 50-413 and 50-414]


Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC; Catawba Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 
2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of amendments to Facility Operating License No. NPF-35 and 
Facility Operating License No. NPF-52, issued to Duke Energy Carolinas, 
LLC (the licensee), for operation of the Catawba Nuclear Station, Units 
1 and 2 (Catawba 1 and 2), located in York County, South Carolina, in 
accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 
part 50. Therefore, as required by 10 CFR part 51, the NRC performed an 
environmental assessment. Based on the results of the environmental 
assessment, the NRC is issuing a finding of no significant impact.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would revise the Technical Specifications (TSs) 
by removing and updating portions of the TSs which are outdated or are 
obsolete including footnotes and references. The proposed changes are 
editorial or administrative in nature as they update the current TSs to 
reflect changes previously approved by the NRC.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated October 8, 2008, as supplemented by letter dated May 
5, 2009.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed to update the TSs and remove out of 
date and obsolete information.

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 
granting the subject license amendment updating the TSs to remove 
outdated or obsolete information. The details of the NRC staff's safety 
evaluation will be provided in a letter to the licensee upon approval 
of the license amendment.
    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 any foreseeable impacts to land, air, or water 
resources, including impacts to biota. In addition, there are also no 
known socioeconomic or environmental justice impacts associated with 
such proposed action. 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 than 
those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for 
Catawba Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2, NUREG-0921, dated January 1983 
and Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (NUREG-1437, 
Supplement 9) dated December 2002.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On September 23, 2009, the NRC staff consulted with the South 
Carolina State official, Mr. Michael Gandy, Department of Health and 
Environmental Control, 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. No substantial changes to the 
facility or its operation are associated with the proposed license 
amendment. 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 8, 2008, as supplemented

[[Page 52824]]

by letter dated May 5, 2009. 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 7th day of October 2009.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jon Thompson,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch II-1, Division of Operating 
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E9-24722 Filed 10-13-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P