[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 191 (Monday, October 4, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61219-61220]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-24808]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-458; NRC-2010-0315]


Entergy Operations, Inc.; River Bend Station, Unit 1; 
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. DPF-47, 
issued Entergy Operations, Inc. (Entergy, the licensee), for operation 
of the River Bend Station, Unit 1 (RBS), located in West Feliciana 
Parish, Louisiana. In accordance with 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 guidance in NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1, Table B-1, ``Minimum 
Staffing Requirements for NRC Licensees for Nuclear Power Plant 
Emergencies,'' for repair and corrective actions states that two 
individuals, one Mechanical Maintenance/Radwaste Operator and one 
Electrical Maintenance/Instrumentation and Control (I&C) technician, 
should be designated for each shift, but their functions may be carried 
out by shift personnel assigned other duties. The licensee is committed 
to the guidance in NUREG-0654, but has requested a deviation. 
Specifically, the proposed action would revise Section 13.3.4.2.2.4, 
``Plant Systems Engineering, Repair, and Corrective Actions,'' and 
Table 13.3-17, ``Shift Staffing and Augmentation Capabilities,'' of the 
RBS Emergency Plan (E-Plan). The revision will allow two maintenance 
positions on shift to be filled with any combination of the three 
maintenance craft disciplines. Currently, Table 13.3-17 of the E-Plan 
only allows Electrical or I&C technicians to fill these two positions.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated January 28, 2010 (Agencywide Documents Access and 
Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML100320044).

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed change will allow the required shift complement of two 
technicians to be any combination from the three maintenance groups. 
Since the

[[Page 61220]]

repair and corrective action function is currently filled by I&C 
technicians, additional actions will be taken to ensure basic 
electrical/l&C tasks can be performed by Mechanical Maintenance 
personnel. Mechanical Maintenance personnel will receive training in 
basic electrical and I&C tasks to ensure that tasks related to these 
disciplines can be performed if needed in the first 90 minutes of an 
event. The proposed change will reduce the burden related to scheduling 
of only selected maintenance technicians on shift.
    The NRC staff has concluded that the proposed change will provide 
greater initial coverage than the NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1, Table B-1 
requirement and will continue to provide maintenance support capability 
in the early stages of an event. Based on the on-shift staffing 
complement designated in the proposed E-Plan change for Repair and 
Corrective Actions (which is in excess of Table B-1 of NUREG-0654/FEME-
REP-1) and the training that will be provided to the Mechanical 
Maintenance personnel in basic electrical and I&C tasks, the NRC staff 
believes that adequate on-shift resources exist to support Repair and 
Corrective Actions within 90 minutes of an event, prior to being 
relieved by the augmenting Emergency Response Organization.
    In addition, the proposed changes to the on-shift and 90-minute 
augmented I&C Maintenance staffing result in a total of nine personnel 
designated for Repair and Corrective actions which is in excess of 
NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1, Table B-1's minimum staffing guidance. This will 
increase the licensee's capability to perform the Repair and Corrective 
actions during an event.
    Based on the above, the NRC staff concludes that the proposed 
changes to the E-Plan meet the standards of 10 CFR 50.47(b) and the 
requirements of Appendix E to 10 CFR part 50 and provide reasonable 
assurance that the licensee will take adequate protective measures in a 
radiological emergency.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its environmental assessment of the proposed 
changes to the RBS E-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 affect 
radiation exposures to plant workers and members of the public. 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 changes.
    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 NRC staff's safety evaluation will be provided 
with the license amendment that will be issued to the licensee 
approving the E-Plan changes.

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 application would result in no change in current 
environmental impacts. 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 
the RBS, dated January 1985.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on September 21, 2010, the 
NRC staff consulted with the Louisiana State official, Ms. Ji Wiley, of 
the Louisiana Emergency and Radiological Services Division, Louisiana 
Department of Environmental Quality, 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 28, 2010. 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 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 28th day of September 2010.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Alan B. Wang,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch IV, Division of Operating 
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-24808 Filed 10-1-10; 8:45 am]
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