[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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