[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 37 (Thursday, February 25, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8753-8754]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-3849]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2010-0066; Docket Nos. 50-325 and 50-324]
Carolina Power & Light Company, Brunswick Steam Electric Plant,
Units 1 and 2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant
Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of exemptions, pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR) Section 73.5, ``Specific exemptions,'' from the
implementation date for certain new requirements of 10 CFR part 73,
``Physical protection of plants and materials,'' for Facility Operating
License Nos. DPR 71 and DPR-62, issued to Carolina Power & Light
Company (CP&L, the licensee), for operation of the Brunswick Steam
Electric Plant, Units 1 and 2 (BSEP), located in Brunswick County,
North Carolina. 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 Actions
The proposed actions would exempt the BSEP, Units 1 and 2 from the
required implementation date of March 31, 2010, for two new
requirements of 10 CFR part 73. Specifically, BSEP would be granted
exemptions from being in full compliance with certain new requirements
contained in 10 CFR 73.55, ``Requirements for physical protection of
licensed activities in nuclear power reactors against radiological
sabotage,'' by the March 31, 2010, deadline. CP&L has proposed an
alternate full compliance implementation date of December 20, 2010,
approximately 9 months beyond the date required by 10 CFR part 73. The
proposed actions, extensions of the schedule for completion of certain
actions required by the revised 10 CFR part 73, do not involve any
physical changes to the Units 1 and 2 reactors, fuel, plant structures,
support structures, water, or land at the BSEP site.
The proposed actions are in accordance with the licensee's
application dated November 30, 2009 (Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML093370132).
The Need for the Proposed Actions
The proposed actions are needed to provide the licensee with
additional time to perform the required changes to the BSEP, Units 1
and 2 security systems, which involve significant physical
modifications, e.g., design and construction of a new security building
to support the new physical protection program requirements, relocation
of certain security equipment to the new building, the addition of
uninterrupted power supply, and infrastructure upgrades. In addition,
these modifications must be coordinated with the Unit 1 refueling
outage in spring 2010.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Actions
The NRC has completed its environmental assessment of the proposed
exemptions. The staff has concluded that the proposed actions 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 actions 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 exemptions.
The proposed actions do 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.
[[Page 8754]]
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 exemptions.
Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant
environmental impacts associated with the proposed actions. 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)).
The licensee currently maintains a security system acceptable to
the NRC and will continue to provide acceptable physical protection of
BSEP. Therefore, the extension of the implementation date for certain
new requirements of 10 CFR part 73 to December 20, 2010, would not have
any significant environmental impacts.
The NRC staff's safety evaluation will be provided in the
exemptions that will be issued as part of the letter to the licensee
approving the exemptions to the regulation, if granted.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Actions
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 requests would result in no change in current
environmental impacts. If the proposed actions were denied, the
licensee would have to comply with the March 31, 2010, implementation
deadline. The environmental impacts of the proposed exemptions and the
``no action'' alternative are similar.
Alternative Use of Resources
The actions do not involve the use of any different resources than
those considered in the Final Environmental Statement for the BSEP
dated January 1976, and the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for
License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, NUREG-1437, Supplement 25, dated
March 2006 (ADAMS Accession No. ML060900480).
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on January 19, 2010, the NRC
staff consulted with the North Carolina State official, Mr. Dale
Dusenbury of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural
Resources regarding the environmental impact of the proposed actions.
The State official had no comments.
Finding of No Significant Impact
On the basis of the environmental assessment, the NRC concludes
that the proposed actions 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
actions.
For further details with respect to the proposed actions, see the
licensee's letter dated November 30, 2009. Attachment 1 of the November
30, 2009, submittal contains security-related information and,
accordingly, is not available to the public. Other parts of this
document 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
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 18th day of February 2010.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Farideh E. Saba,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch II-2, Division of
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-3849 Filed 2-24-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P