[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 50 (Tuesday, March 16, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12580-12581]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-5683]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-361 and 50-362; NRC-2010-0101]
Southern California Edison Company, San Onofre Nuclear Generating
Station, Units 2 and 3; 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 Nos. NPF-10, and NPF-15, issued to Southern California Edison
Company (SCE, the licensee), for operation of the San Onofre Nuclear
Generating Station, Units 2 and 3 (SONGS 2 and 3), located in San Diego
County, California. 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 SCE from the required
implementation date of March 31, 2010, for several new requirements of
10 CFR Part 73. Specifically, SCE 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. SCE has proposed an
alternate full compliance implementation date of January 31, 2011,
approximately 10 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 SONGS 2 and 3 site.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated December 17, 2009.
The Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action is needed to provide the licensee with
additional time to implement two specific elements of the new
requirements that involve significant physical modifications to the
SONGS 2 and 3 security systems.
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 13926). 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
[[Page 12581]]
Species Act, or impacts to essential fish habitat covered by the
Magnuson-Stevens 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 (March 27, 2009)].
With its request to extend the implementation deadline, the
licensee currently maintains a security system acceptable to the NRC
and that will continue to provide acceptable physical protection of
SONGS 2 and 3 in lieu of the new requirements in 10 CFR Part 73.
Therefore, the extension of the implementation date of the new
requirements of 10 CFR Part 73 to January 31, 2011, 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.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed actions, 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 previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for
SONGS Units 2 and 3, dated May 12, 1981.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on March 1, 2010, the NRC
staff consulted with the California State official, Mr. Stephen Hsu of
the California Department of Public 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 letter dated December 17, 2009. Portions of the December 17,
2009, submittal contain safeguards information and, accordingly, a
redacted version of the December 17, 2009, letter is available for
public review in the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS) Accession No. ML093570268. 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 10th day of March 2010.
For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
James R. Hall,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch IV, Division of
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-5683 Filed 3-15-10; 8:45 am]
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