[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 191 (Monday, October 4, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61225-61226]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-24811]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-397; NRC-2010-0029]


Energy Northwest; Columbia Generating 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-21, 
issued to Energy Northwest (EN, the licensee) for operation of the 
Columbia Generating Station (CGS), located in Benton County, 
Washington. 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 revise the Emergency Plan to support U.S. 
Department of Energy (DOE) non-intrusive surveillance and 
characterization activities within the 618-11 High-Level Waste Burial 
Ground (618-11). The 618-11 site is an 8-acre parcel located on DOE 
property that is directly adjacent to land leased by EN from the DOE, 
and is located wholly within CGS's Exclusion Area Boundary. The site 
was used from 1962 through 1967 and contains low- to high-activity 
waste, fission products, some plutonium-contaminated waste, and 
toxicological waste. The DOE intends to remediate 618-11 and other 
waste burial ground locations on the Hanford Site. The licensee 
proposes to modify the Emergency Plan to address inter-agency 
coordination, cooperation, and responsibilities for potential 618-11 
site events and to add specific emergency action level criteria and 
actions associated with any potential toxic, flammable, or radioactive 
material release from an abnormal event at the 618-11 site that could 
pose a threat to the health and safety of licensee staff or visitors 
within the CGS exclusion area.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated April 28, 2010 (Agencywide Documents Access and 
Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML101250340), as supplemented 
by letter dated August 9, 2010 (ADAMS Accession No. ML102300537).

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The 618-11 site is an 8-acre parcel located on DOE property that is 
directly adjacent to land leased by EN from the DOE, and is located 
wholly within CGS's Exclusion Area Boundary. The site was used from 
1962 through 1967 and contains low- to high-activity waste, fission 
products, some plutonium-contaminated waste, and toxicological waste. 
The Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order between the 
DOE, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the State of 
Washington, is the legal document that binds DOE to milestones to 
remediate the 618-11 site, among other waste burial ground locations, 
on the Hanford Site. The non-intrusive surveillance and 
characterization activities will obtain data and information necessary 
for planning future intrusive activities and remediation strategies. 
The licensee proposes to modify the Emergency Plan to address inter-
agency coordination, cooperation, and responsibilities for potential 
618-11 site events during the DOE's non-intrusive surveillance and 
characterization activities and to add specific emergency action level 
criteria and actions associated with any potential toxic, flammable, or 
radioactive material release from an abnormal event at the 618-11 site 
that could pose a threat to the health and safety of licensee staff or 
visitors within the CGS exclusion area.
    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that the proposed changes to the CGS Emergency 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. The NRC 
staff's safety evaluation will be provided with the license amendment 
that will be issued to the licensee approving the changes to the 
Emergency Plan.
    In its application, the licensee also requested changes to the CGS 
Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR). The NRC staff's determination 
regarding the proposed changes to the FSAR will be provided by separate 
correspondence.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its environmental assessment of the proposed 
Emergency Plan changes to CGS. 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 Final 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.

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 
CGS dated December 1981.

[[Page 61226]]

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on September 21, 2010, the 
NRC staff consulted with the Washington State official, Mr. R. Cowley 
of the Office of Radiation 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 April 28, 2010, as supplemented by letter dated 
August 9, 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.
Carl F. Lyon,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch IV, Division of Operating 
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-24811 Filed 10-1-10; 8:45 am]
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