[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 117 (Friday, June 18, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34776-34777]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-14751]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-250 and 50-251; NRC-2010-0212]


Florida Power & Light Company; Turkey Point Nuclear Generating 
Plant, Units 3 and 4; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an exemption from Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR) Part 26, Section 26.9, for Facility Operating 
License Nos. DPR-31 and DPR-41, issued to Florida Power & Light Company 
(the licensee), for operation of the Turkey Point Nuclear Generating 
Plant, Units 3 and 4, located in Florida City, Florida. Therefore, as 
required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC performed 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 consider approval of an exemption for 
Turkey Point, Units 3 and 4, from certain requirements of 10 CFR part 
26, ``Fitness for Duty Rule.'' Specifically, the licensee requests 
approval of an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 26.205(c), 
``Work hours scheduling,'' and (d), ``Work hour controls.''
    The licensee states that during severe weather conditions, for 
example, tropical storms or hurricane force winds, adherence to all 
work hour controls requirements could impede the licensee's ability to 
use whatever staff resources may be necessary to prepare the site for a 
pending severe weather event and ensure that the plant reaches and 
maintains a safe and secure status.
    The exemption would only apply to severe weather conditions where 
tropical storm or hurricane force winds are predicted onsite requiring 
severe weather preparations and activation and sequestering of the 
Turkey Point storm crew.
    The proposed exemption will allow the licensee not to meet the 
requirements of 10 CFR 26.205(c) and (d), from the time severe weather 
site preparation begins until exit conditions are satisfied. The 
exemption would only apply to individuals on the storm crew who perform 
duties identified in 10 CFR 26.4(a)(1) through (a)(5). When storm crew 
sequestering exit conditions are met, full compliance with 10 CFR 
26.205(c) and (d) will be required.
    The proposed action does not involve any physical changes to the 
reactor, fuel, plant, structures, support structures, water, or land at 
the Turkey Point Units 3 and 4, site.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated October 13, 2009.
    The Need for the Proposed Action:
    Proposed action is needed because the licensee is unable to meet 
the requirements of 10 CFR 26.205(c) and (d) during declarations of 
severe weather conditions that could result due to prevailing tropical 
storm or hurricane force winds impacting the facility.
    Compliance with work hour control requirements could impede the 
licensee's ability to use whatever staff resources may be necessary to 
respond to a plant emergency and ensure that the plant reaches and 
maintains a safe and secure status.
    Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action:
    The NRC staff has completed its environmental assessment of the 
proposed exemption. The NRC staff has concluded that the proposed 
exemption from the implementation of the requirements of 10 CFR 
26.205(c) and (d) during declaration of severe weather conditions, 
would not significantly affect plant safety and would not have a 
significant adverse affect on the probability of occurrence of an 
accident.
    The proposed action would not result in any increased radiological 
hazards beyond those previously evaluated by the NRC staff in the 
Safety Evaluation Report, dated March 15, 1972, related to operation of 
Turkey Point, Units 3 and 4. No changes are being made in the types of 
effluents that may be released offsite. There is no significant 
increase in the amount of any effluent released offsite. There is no 
significant increase in occupational or public radiation exposure. 
Therefore, there are no significant radiological environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed action.
    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 or the plant, or to threatened, 
endangered, or

[[Page 34777]]

protected species under the Endangered 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 
noticeable effect on socioeconomic conditions in the region. Therefore, 
no changes or different types of non-radiological environmental impacts 
are expected as a result of the proposed action. Accordingly, the NRC 
concludes that there are no significant environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed action.
    The licensee currently maintains a Hurricane Plan that provides 
directions for activation of the storm crew. The storm crew is 
activated upon the direction of the Emergency Coordinator, typically 
the site Plant General Manager or designee. This individual is 
qualified as an Emergency Coordinator during a declared emergency. The 
Plan provides specific entry conditions for the start of the emergency 
and specific conditions that will terminate the emergency. The licensee 
states that the impact on personnel manning for implementation of the 
site hurricane staffing and severe weather preparations is similar to 
entering the Emergency Plan. Although the proposed exemption would 
allow the licensee not to meet work hour controls during storm crew 
activation, sufficient numbers of management and supervision will be 
available during storm crew manning and activation to ensure that 
public health and safety is adequately protected.
    The details of the 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 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 were denied, the licensee 
would have to comply with the fatigue rules in 10 CFR 26.205(c) and 
(d). This would cause unnecessary burden on the licensee, without a 
significant benefit in environmental impacts. 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 Turkey 
Point Units 3 and 4, Docket Nos. 50-250 and 50-251, issued in 1972 and 
Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear 
Plants Regarding Turkey Point, Units 3 and 4, Final Report (NUREG-1437, 
Supplement 5), issued January 31, 2002.
    Agencies and Persons Consulted:
    In accordance with its stated policy, on May 13, 2010, the staff 
consulted with the Florida State official, William A Passetti of the 
Bureau of Radiation Control, 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.

Further Information

    For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the 
licensee's letter dated October 13, 2009 (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML092950342). 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 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 9th day of June 2010.
    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jason C. Paige,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch II-2, Division of Operating 
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-14751 Filed 6-17-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P