[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 193 (Wednesday, October 6, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61779-61780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-25158]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-244; NRC-2010-0317]
R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC; R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power
Plant 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. DPR-18,
issued to R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC (the licensee), for
operation of the R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant (Ginna), located in
Ontario, New York. 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 proposed action would upgrade selected Emergency Action Levels
(EALs) based on NEI 99-01, Revision 5, ``Methodology for Development of
Emergency Action Levels,'' using the guidance of NRC Regulatory Issue
Summary 2003-18, Supplement 2, ``Use of Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)
99-01, Methodology for Development of Emergency Action Levels.''
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated November 30, 2009 (Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML093370215), as supplemented
by letter dated May 14, 2010 (ADAMS Accession No. ML101400133).
The Need for the Proposed Action
The current Ginna NUMARC/NESP-007 based Emergency Plan EALs were
developed in 1994 and approved by the NRC in February 1995. Currently,
loss of annunciators to a single control room panel requires the
licensee to declare a Notice of Unusual Event (NOUE), as experienced in
2007 and 2009. Improvements have since been made to the Ginna control
room indication and annunciation systems and the licensee has
determined that the current EALs are more conservative than the intent
of NEI 99-01. Overly conservative criteria could lead to the premature
declaration of an NOUE. The licensee has requested NRC approval of EALs
based on NEI 99-01 to match the level of EAL conservatism with the
industry standard.
The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and
concludes that the proposed changes to the Ginna EALs meet the guidance
of NEI 99-01, which the staff considers to be an acceptable alternative
for development of an EAL scheme that meets regulatory requirements.
Based on this, the staff concludes that the proposed EALs 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
EAL changes to the R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant. 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 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
[[Page 61780]]
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 with
the license amendment that will be issued to the licensee approving the
EAL 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 R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, dated December 1973, and Supplement
14 to the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of
Nuclear Plants (NUREG-1437) dated January 2004.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on August 17, 2010, the staff
consulted with the New York State official, Alyse Peterson, P.E., of
the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, 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 November 30, 2009, as supplemented by letter
dated May 14, 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 Agencywide Documents 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 28th day of September 2010.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Douglas V. Pickett,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch I-1, Division of
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-25158 Filed 10-5-10; 8:45 am]
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