[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 3, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5631-5632]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-2288]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-482; NRC-2010-0032]
Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation, Wolf Creek Generating
Station; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an exemption, pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR) Sec. 73.5, ``Specific exemptions,'' from the
implementation date for certain new requirements of 10 CFR Part 73,
``Physical protection of plants and materials,'' for Renewed Facility
Operating License No. NPF-42, issued to Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating
Corporation (WCNOC, the licensee), for operation of the Wolf Creek
Generating Station (WCGS), located in Coffey County, Kansas. In
accordance with 10 CFR 51.21, 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 WCGS from the required
implementation date of March 31, 2010, for several new requirements of
10 CFR Part 73. Specifically, WCGS would be granted an exemption from
being in full compliance with certain new requirements contained in 10
CFR 73.55 by the March 31, 2010, deadline. WCNOC has proposed an
alternate full compliance implementation date of December 31, 2010,
approximately 9 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 WCGS site.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated December 15, 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 WCGS security
system due to long lead time for procuring the materials, unfavorable
weather months affecting construction, and resource limitations due to
concurrent project activity.
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 as discussed in a Federal
Register notice dated March 27, 2009 (74 FR 13967). There will be no
change to radioactive effluents that affect 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)].
Therefore, the extension of the implementation date of the new
requirements of 10 CFR Part 73 to December 31, 2010, would not have any
significant environmental impacts.
The NRC 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, if granted.
[[Page 5632]]
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed action, the NRC staff considered
denial of the proposed action (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 for the WCGS,
NUREG-0878, dated June 1982, as supplemented through the ``Generic
Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants:
Wolf Creek Generating Station--Final Report (NUREG-1437, Supplement
32),'' dated May 2008.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on January 12, 2010, the NRC
staff consulted with the Kansas State official, Mr. Tom Conley of the
Kansas Department of Health and Environment, 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 December 15, 2009. Portions of the December 15,
2009, submittal contain security-related and safeguards information
and, accordingly, is being withheld from the public. The redacted
version of the December 15, 2009, letter was submitted by the licensee
on January 12, 2010, and 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 O-1F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville,
Maryland 20852. 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 27th day of January 2010.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Balwant K. Singal,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch IV, Division of
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-2288 Filed 2-2-10; 8:45 am]
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