[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 18 (Thursday, January 28, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4591-4592]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-1753]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-338 and 50-339; NRC-2010-0026]


Virginia Electric and Power Company; North Anna Power Station, 
Unit Nos. 1 and 2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an exemption, pursuant to Section 73.5, ``Specific 
exemptions,'' of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 
part 73, ``Physical protection of plants and materials,'' from the 
implementation date for certain requirements of 10 CFR part 73 for 
Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-4 and NPF-7, issued to Virginia 
Electric and Power Company, (the licensee), for operation of the North 
Anna Power Station, Unit Nos. 1 and 2 (NAPS). In accordance with 10 CFR 
51.21, ``Criteria for and identification of licensing and regulatory 
actions requiring environmental assessments,'' the NRC prepared an 
environmental assessment documenting its finding. The NRC concluded 
that the proposed actions will have no significant environmental 
impact.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would exempt the NAPS from the required 
implementation date of March 31, 2010, for several new requirements of 
10 CFR part 73. Specifically, NAPS would be granted an exemption from 
being in full compliance with certain new requirements contained in 
Section 73.55, ``Requirements for physical protection of licensed 
activities in nuclear power reactors against radiological sabotage,'' 
of 10 CFR part 73 by the March 31, 2010, deadline, Power Reactor 
Security Requirements, 74 FR 13926, 13935 (March 27, 2009). Instead, 
the licensee has proposed an alternate full compliance implementation 
date of August 31, 2010, approximately five months beyond the date 
required by 10 CFR part 73. The proposed action, an extension of the 
schedule for completion of certain actions required by the revised 10 
CFR part 73, does not involve any physical changes to the reactor, 
fuel, plant structures, support structures, water, or land at the NAPS 
site that were not previously considered in the environmental 
assessment and finding of no significant impact made by the Commission 
in promulgating its revision to 10 CFR part 73, 74 FR 13967.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated November 23, 2009.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed to provide the licensee with 
additional time to perform the required upgrades to the NAPS security 
system due to resource and logistical impacts of vendor availability.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its environmental assessment of the proposed 
exemption. The staff has concluded that the proposed action to extend 
the implementation deadline would not significantly affect plant safety 
and would not have a significant adverse effect on the probability of 
an accident occurring.
    The proposed action would not result in an increased radiological 
hazard beyond those previously analyzed in the environmental assessment 
and finding of no significant impact made by the Commission in 
promulgating its revisions to 10 CFR part 73, 74 FR 13967. There will 
be no change to radioactive effluents that effect radiation exposures 
to plant workers and members of the public. Therefore, no changes or 
different types of radiological impacts are expected as a result of the 
proposed exemption.
    The proposed action does not result in changes to land use or water 
use, or result in changes to the quality or quantity of non-
radiological effluents. No changes to the National Pollution Discharge 
Elimination System permit are needed. No effects on the aquatic or 
terrestrial habitat in the vicinity of the plant, or to threatened, 
endangered, or protected species under the Endangered Species Act, or 
impacts to essential fish habitat covered by the Magnuson-Steven's Act 
are expected. There are no impacts to the air or ambient air quality.
    There are no impacts to historical and cultural resources. There 
would be no impact to socioeconomic resources. Therefore, no changes to 
or different types of non-radiological environmental impacts are 
expected as a result of the proposed exemption.
    Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. In addition, 
in promulgating its revisions to 10 CFR part 73, the Commission 
prepared an environmental assessment and published a finding of no 
significant impact [Part 73, Power Reactor Security Requirements, 74 FR 
13926, 13967 (March 27, 2009)].

[[Page 4592]]

    The NRC staff's safety evaluation will be provided in the 
exemption, if granted, that will be issued as part of the letter to the 
licensee approving the exemption to the regulation.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    As an alternative to the proposed actions, the NRC staff considered 
denial of the proposed actions (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative). 
Denial of the exemption request would result in no change in current 
environmental impacts. If the proposed action was denied, the licensee 
would have to comply with the March 31, 2010, implementation deadline. 
The environmental impacts of the proposed exemption and the ``no 
action'' alternative are similar.

Alternative Use of Resources

    The action does not involve the use of any different resources than 
those considered in the Final Environmental Statement Related to the 
Continuation of Construction and the Operation of Units 1 and 2 and the 
Construction of Units 3 and 4, North Anna Power Station, dated April 
1973, as supplemented through the Generic Environmental Impact 
Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants: Supplement 7 Regarding 
North Anna Power Station, Units 1 and 2--Final Report (NUREG-1437, 
Supplement 7), dated November 2002.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on December 30, 2009, the NRC 
staff consulted with the Virginia State official, Mr. Les Foldesi, 
Division of Radiological Health of the Virginia Department of Health, 
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 letters dated November 23, 2009. Portions of the November 
23, 2009, submittal contain proprietary and safeguards information and, 
accordingly, are not available to the public. Other parts of these 
documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public 
Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Room O-1 F21, 
11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland 20852. Publicly 
available records will be accessible electronically from the Agencywide 
Document 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 January 21, 2010.
    For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
V. Sreenivas,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch II-1, Division of Operating 
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-1753 Filed 1-27-10; 8:45 am]
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