[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 140 (Thursday, July 22, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42790-42791]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-17992]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-461; NRC-2010-0252]


Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Clinton Power Station; 
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering changes 
to the Emergency Plan, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.54, ``Conditions of 
licenses,'' paragraph (q), for Facility Operating License No. NPF-62, 
issued to Exelon Generation Company, LLC (the licensee), for operation 
of the Clinton Power Station, located in Clinton, Illinois. 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 environmental impact.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is NRC approval of a licensee's request to 
revise the staffing requirements for the Exelon Nuclear Radiological 
Emergency Plan Annex for Clinton Station, Table B-1, ``Minimum Staffing 
Requirements for the On-Shift Clinton Station Emergency Response 
Organization (ERO),'' to allow an increase in the Non-Licensed Operator 
(NLO) staffing from two to four, allow in-plant protective actions to 
be performed by personnel assigned other functions, and replace a 
Mechanical Maintenance person with a NLO. The regulation at 10 CFR 
50.54(q) states that, ``The nuclear power reactor licensee may make 
changes to these plans without Commission approval only if the changes 
do not decrease the effectiveness of the plans.'' The licensee 
concluded that the proposed action constituted a decrease in the plan's

[[Page 42791]]

effectiveness and has requested NRC's approval of the proposed action.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed to allow an increase in NLO staffing 
from two to four, allow in-plant protective actions to be performed by 
personnel assigned other functions, and replace a Mechanical 
Maintenance person with a NLO. According to the licensee, increasing 
the number of NLO staffing improves the response of site personnel 
whose emergency plan role is to assist with operator and maintenance 
response to the emergency event and provides an increased number of 
personnel for repair and corrective actions.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its environmental assessment of the proposed 
changes to the Clinton Power Station Emergency Plan. The staff has 
concluded that the changes 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 
updated safety analysis report. There will be no change to radioactive 
effluents that effect radiation exposures to plant workers and members 
of the public. The proposed action is an administrative change related 
to plant personnel work assignments. No changes will be made to plant 
buildings or the site property. Therefore, no changes or different 
types of radiological impacts are expected as a result of 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 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 details of the staff's safety evaluation will be provided as 
part of the letter to the licensee approving issuance of the license 
amendment.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Purposed Action

    As an alternative to the proposed actions, the staff considered 
denial of the proposed actions (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative). 
Denial of the license amendment request would result in no change in 
current environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the 
proposed license amendment 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 Clinton 
Power Station, Docket No. 50-461, issued in May, 1982.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on July 7, 2010, the staff 
consulted with the Illinois State official, Mr. Frank Niziolek of the 
Illinois 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 April 2, 2010 (ML100950124). Documents may be 
examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room 
(PDR), located at One White Flint North, 1555 Rockville Pike, 
Rockville, Maryland 20852. Publicly available records will be 
accessible electronically from the Agencywide Document 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 14th day of July 2010.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Nicholas DiFrancesco,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch III-2, Division of Operating 
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-17992 Filed 7-21-10; 8:45 am]
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