[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 185 (Friday, September 24, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58445-58446]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-23958]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-277 AND 50-278; NRC-2010-0303]
Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station
Unit Nos. 2 and 3; 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 50, Appendix R, Section III.G, ``Fire
Protection of Safe Shutdown Capability,'' for the use of operator
manual actions (OMAs) in lieu of the requirements specified in Appendix
R, Section III.G.2, for Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-44
and DPR-56, issued to Exelon Generation Company, LLC (the licensee),
for operation of Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station (PBAPS), Unit Nos. 2
and 3, located in York and Lancaster Counties, Pennsylvania. 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 grant an exemption to 10 CFR Part 50,
Appendix R, Section III.G.2 (III.G.2) for the use of OMAs contained in
the licensee's Fire Protection Program (FPP) in lieu of certain
technical requirements contained in III.G.2. The licensee's FPP
requires that the identified operator manual actions be performed
outside of the control room to achieve shutdown of the reactor
following fires in certain fire areas in the plant. The licensee states
that the documentation provided in the submitted exemption request for
PBAPS, Unit Nos. 2 and 3, demonstrates the feasibility and reliability
of the identified OMAs.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated March 6, 2009, as supplemented by letter dated
February 12, 2010 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS) Accession Nos. ML090680141 and ML100470774, respectively).
The Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed exemption requests the use of OMAs in lieu of meeting
the circuit separation and protection requirements contained in III.G.2
for 11 fire areas described in the PBAPS FPP. The OMAs consist of a
sequence of tasks that are initiated upon confirmation of a fire in the
associated fire area. The proposed exemption is necessary because the
crediting of OMAs to achieve and maintain hot shutdown of the reactor
is not addressed in 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix R, Section III.G.2, and an
exemption is therefore required in accordance with 10 CFR 50.12.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC has completed its evaluation for the proposed action and
concludes that the OMAs addressed in the application are feasible and
can be reliably performed. Further, the NRC concludes that the licensee
has demonstrated sufficient defense-in-depth such that identified
preventative and protective measures in addition to the specified OMAs
demonstrate the licensee's ability to preserve or maintain safe
shutdown capability in the event of a fire in the analyzed fire areas.
The details of the NRC staff's safety evaluation will be provided
in the
[[Page 58446]]
exemption that will be issued as part of the letter to the licensee
approving the exemption to 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix R, Section III.G.2.
The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability
or consequences of accidents. 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.
Based on the nature of the 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 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 historic 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 staff concludes that there are no
significant environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
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 not result in a decrease in current
environmental impacts. If the proposed action was denied, the licensee
would have to perform plant modifications to achieve compliance. The
environmental impacts of the proposed action and the 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
PBAPS Unit Nos. 1, 2, and 3, dated April 1973, and for PBAPS Unit Nos.
2 and 3, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal
of Nuclear Plants,'' (NUREG-1437, Supplement 10), dated January 2003.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on September xx, 2010, the
NRC staff consulted with the Pennsylvania State official, Bradley
Fuller, of the Pennsylvania State Department of Environmental
Protection, 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 March 6, 2009, as supplemented on February 12,
2010 (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML090680141 and ML100470774, 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, Room 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 17th day of September 2010.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John D. Hughey,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch I-2, Division of Operating
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-23958 Filed 9-23-10; 8:45 am]
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