[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 54 (Monday, March 22, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13607-13608]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-6193]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-313 and 50-368; NRC-2010-0111]


Entergy Operations, Inc., Arkansas Nuclear One, Units 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 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 Facility Operating 
License Nos. DPR-51 and NPF-6, issued to Entergy Operations, Inc. 
(Entergy, the licensee), for operation of the Arkansas Nuclear One, 
Units 1 and 2 (ANO-1 and 2), located in Pope County, Arkansas. 
Therefore, as required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC prepared an 
environmental assessment. Based on the results of the environmental 
assessment, the NRC is issuing a finding of no significant impact.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would exempt Entergy from the required 
implementation date of March 31, 2010, for three new requirements of 10 
CFR Part 73 for ANO-1 and 2. Specifically, Entergy would be granted an 
exemption from being in full compliance with

[[Page 13608]]

certain new requirements contained in 10 CFR 73.55 by the March 31, 
2010, deadline. Entergy has proposed an alternate compliance date to 
October 31, 2010 for two requirements, and August 31, 2011 for the 
third requirement. 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 ANO-1 and 2 site.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated January 14, 2010, as supplemented by letter dated 
January 28, 2010. Portions of the letters dated January 14 and 28, 
2010, contain security-related information and, accordingly, are 
withheld from public disclosure. Redacted versions of the letters dated 
January 14 and 28, 2010, are available to the public in the Agencywide 
Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) in ADAMS Accession Nos. 
ML100190140 and ML100710021, respectively.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed to provide the licensee with 
additional time based on the delayed delivery of critical security 
equipment caused by limited vendor resources and subsequent 
installation and testing time 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 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 Species Act, or 
impacts to essential fish habitat covered by the Magnuson-Stevens Act 
are expected. There would be no impact 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)].
    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 considered in the Final Environmental Statement for the ANO-1, 
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), 1973, ``Final Environmental 
Statement Related to Arkansas Nuclear One, Unit 1,'' as supplemented 
through the ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License 
Renewal of Nuclear Plants: Arkansas Nuclear One, Unit 1--Final Report'' 
(NUREG-1437, Supplement 3), dated April 2001, and for the ANO-2, U.S. 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), 1977, ``Final Environmental 
Statement Related to Operation of Arkansas Nuclear One, Unit 2,'' as 
supplemented through the ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for 
License Renewal of Nuclear Plants: Arkansas Nuclear One, Unit 2--Final 
Report'' (NUREG-1437, Supplement 19), dated April 2005.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on January 26, 2010, the NRC 
staff consulted with the Arkansas State official, Mr. Bernard Beville, 
of the Arkansas 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 letter dated January 14, 2010, as supplemented by letter 
dated January 28, 2010. Portions of the letters dated January 14 and 
28, 2010, contain security-related 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, 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 12th day of March 2010.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Balwant K. Singal,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch LPL4, Division of 
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-6193 Filed 3-19-10; 8:45 am]
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