[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 219 (Monday, November 15, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69710-69711]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-28633]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-302; NRC-2010-0105]


Florida Power Corporation, et al.; Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear 
Generating Plant Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant 
Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an exemption, pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR) Section 73.5, ``Specific exemptions,'' from the 
implementation date for certain new requirements of 10 CFR part 73, 
``Physical protection of plants and materials,'' for Facility Operating 
License No. DPR 72 issued to Florida Power Corporation (the licensee), 
for operation of the Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant (CR-
3), located in Citrus County, Florida. In accordance with 10 CFR 51.21, 
the NRC prepared an environmental assessment documenting its finding. 
The NRC concluded that the proposed actions will have no significant 
environmental impact.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would exempt the licensee from the required 
implementation date of March 31, 2010, for four new requirements of 10 
CFR part 73. Specifically, CR-3 would be granted a second exemption, 
further extending the date for full compliance with four new 
requirements contained in 10 CFR 73.55, from November 15 and December 
15 (the dates specified in a prior exemption granted by NRC on March 
25, 2010), until December 15, 2011 and March 15, 2012, respectively. 
The licensee has proposed an alternate full compliance implementation 
date of March 15, 2012, which is approximately 2 years beyond the 
compliance date required by 10 CFR part 73. The proposed action, an 
extension of the schedule for completion of certain actions required by 
the revised 10 CFR part 73, does not involve any physical changes to 
the reactor, fuel, plant structures, support structures, water, or land 
at the CR-3 site.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated September 8, 2010.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed second scheduler exemption is needed to provide the 
licensee with additional time, beyond the previously approved by the 
NRC letter dated March 25, 2010, to implement four specific elements of 
the new requirements that involve significant physical upgrades to the 
CR-3 security system. The schedules used in the original scheduler 
exemption were based on the conceptual design information available to 
the licensee at the time of the submittal. At this time, the licensee 
has fully developed the design and has completed the discovery phase. 
Therefore, due to the unforeseen need for design changes necessary to 
achieve full compliance with the Final Rule, additional time is needed 
to complete the complex revised design and construction and associated 
analysis.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its environmental assessment of the proposed 
exemption. The NRC staff has concluded that the proposed action to 
further extend the implementation deadline for two items 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 hazards previously analyzed in the environmental 
assessment and finding of no significant impact made by the Commission 
in promulgating its revisions to 10 CFR part 73 as discussed in a 
Federal Register notice dated March 27, 2009; 74 FR 13926. There will 
be no change to radioactive effluents that affect radiation exposures 
to plant workers and members of the public. Therefore, no changes or 
different types of radiological impacts are expected as a result of the 
proposed 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 nonradiological 
effluents. No changes to the National Pollution Discharge Elimination 
System permit are needed. No effects on the aquatic or terrestrial 
habitat in the vicinity of 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 impact to socioeconomic resources. Therefore, no changes to 
or different types of nonradiological environmental impacts are 
expected as a result of the proposed exemption.
    Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. In addition, 
in promulgating its revisions to 10 CFR part 73, the Commission 
prepared an environmental assessment and published a finding of no 
significant impact [Part 73, Power Reactor Security Requirements, March 
27, 2009; 74 FR 13926].
    With its request to extend the implementation deadline, the 
licensee currently maintains a security system acceptable to the NRC 
and that will continue to provide acceptable physical

[[Page 69711]]

protection of CR-3 in lieu of the new requirements in 10 CFR part 73. 
Therefore, the extension of the implementation date for four elements 
of the new requirements of 10 CFR part 73 to December 15, 2011, and 
March 15, 2012, would not have any significant environmental impacts.
    The NRC staff's safety evaluation will be provided in the exemption 
that will be issued as part of the letter to the licensee approving the 
exemption to the regulation, if granted.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    As an alternative to the proposed actions, the NRC staff considered 
denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative). 
Denial of the exemption request would result in no change in current 
environmental impacts. If the proposed action was denied, the licensee 
would have to comply with the existing implementation deadline for 
those specific items of November 15, and December 15, 2010, as extended 
by the exemption granted on March 25, 2010. The environmental impacts 
of the proposed exemption and the ``no-action'' alternative 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 
CR-3, dated May 1973.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on November 4, 2010, the NRC 
staff consulted with the Florida State official, Mr. William A. Passeti 
of the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Radiation Control 
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 September 8, 2010. Portions of the September 8, 
2010, submittal contains security-related information and, accordingly, 
a redacted version of this letter is available for public review in the 
Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), Accession 
No. ML102530129. This document 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 O-1F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first 
floor), Rockville, Maryland 20852. 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, on November 5, 2010.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Christopher Gratton,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch II-2, Division of 
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-28633 Filed 11-12-10; 8:45 am]
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