[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 46 (Wednesday, March 10, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11205-11206]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-5091]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[ Docket No. 50-293; NRC-2010-0094]
Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc; Pilgrim Nuclear Power 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) 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 No. DPR-35, issued to Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (Entergy
or the licensee), for operation of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station
(Pilgrim), located in Plymouth County, MA. In accordance with 10 CFR
51.21, the NRC prepared an environmental assessment documenting its
finding. The NRC concluded that the proposed action will have no
significant impact.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would exempt Pilgrim from the required
implementation date of March 31, 2010, for several new requirements of
10 CFR part 73. Specifically, Pilgrim 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. Entergy has proposed
an alternate full compliance implementation date of September 15, 2010,
approximately 6\1/2\ 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,
water, or land at the Pilgrim site.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee=s
application dated January 22, 2010 (Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML100260716), as supplemented
on February 2, 2010 (ADAMS Accession No. ML100351182).
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 Pilgrim
security system due to resource and logistical impacts. The request for
an exemption from the March 31, 2010, implementation date to September
15, 2010, is based on the delivery dates for the new equipment and the
time needed to install this new equipment to meet the revised
requirements.
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)].
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.
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 application 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 action and the ``no action''
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
Pilgrim, dated January 1972, and the ``Generic Environmental Impact
Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants: Regarding Pilgrim
Nuclear Power Station,'' NUREG-1437, Supplement 29, published in July
2007 (ADAMS Accession No. ML071990027).
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on February 5, 2010, the NRC
staff consulted with the Massachusetts State official of the
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency 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 January 22, 2010, as supplemented by letter
dated February 2, 2010. Portions of the submittal dated January 22,
2010, as supplemented by letter dated February 2, 2010, contain
security-related information and, accordingly, are not available to the
public. Publicly-available versions of
[[Page 11206]]
this document are accessible electronically from the ADAMS with
Accession Nos. ML100260716 and ML100351182, respectively.
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 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 3rd day of March 2010.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
James Kim,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch I-1, Division of Operating
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-5091 Filed 3-9-10; 8:45 am]
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