[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 247 (Monday, December 27, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81316-81317]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-32425]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-341]


Detroit Edison Company; FERMI 2; 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 E, Section IV.F.2.b, for 
conducting a biennial emergency preparedness exercise for Facility 
Operating License No. NFP-43, issued to Detroit Edison Company (the 
licensee), for operation of Fermi 2, located in Monroe County, 
Michigan. 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 is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated August 3, 2010, as supplemented by letters dated 
October 22, 2010, and November 15, 2010. Following a telephone 
conference with the NRC staff on September 17, 2010, the licensee 
determined the postponement of the exercise into calendar year 2011 to 
be an acceptable option to the licensee's original request for 
crediting the response to a tornado event on June 6, 2010, in place of 
the 2010 exercise.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    Detroit Edison's Fermi 2 biennial evaluated exercise was scheduled 
to be conducted on June 8, 2010. However, on June 6, 2010 at 0217 
hours, a tornado warning was issued for Monroe County due to a storm 
front moving through southeast Michigan. At 0238 hours, a tornado swept 
across the Fermi 2 property. At 0253 hours, the Shift Manager declared 
an Unusual Event based on reports of storm damage within the protected 
area, including loss of both 345kV lines for Division 2 of offsite 
power supply, and the loss of two out of three 120kV lines for Division 
1 of offsite power supply.
    Review of the actions that occurred during the June 6, 2010 actual 
event supplemented by the drills, exercises, and other training 
activities conducted since the previous biennial exercise, provides 
evidence that Fermi 2 has regularly exercised its emergency response 
strategies and personnel in coordination with the offsite authorities 
as required by regulations. In addition, due to a refueling outage 
during the fourth quarter of 2010, an alternative to schedule and 
conduct a biennial exercise in 2010 was ruled out by the licensee.
    The proposed action would exempt Fermi 2 from the requirements of 
conducting a biennial emergency preparedness exercise in the calendar 
year 2010 and postpone it into the calendar year 2011. Granting an 
exemption from the requirement of conducting the biennial exercise will 
not pose an undue risk to public health and safety and will ensure that 
focus is maintained on plant safety and security.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC staff has completed its evaluation of the proposed action 
and concludes that the proposed action is an exemption from the 
requirements of conducting a biennial emergency preparedness exercise. 
Whether or not the exercise is conducted would have no effect on the 
environment since any outdoor activity during an exercise is limited to 
minimal use of roads and highways. The staff has concluded that the 
changes would not significantly affect plant safety. 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.
    There are no federal permits, licenses, approvals and other 
entitlements which must be obtained in connection with the proposed 
action. The proposed action is not subject to any environmental quality 
standards or requirements imposed by Federal, State, regional, or local 
agencies having responsibility for environmental protection.
    The details of the staff's safety evaluation will be provided in 
the exemption issued as part of the letter to the licensee approving 
the exemption to the regulation, if granted.
    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.
    With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed 
action does not have any foreseeable impacts to land, air, or water 
resources, including impacts to biota. In addition, there are no known 
socioeconomic or environmental justice impacts associated with such 
proposed action. Therefore, there are no significant non-radiological 
environmental impacts associated with 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 
the Enrico Fermi Atomic Power Plant, Unit 2, NUREG-0769, dated August 
1981, as supplemented with Addendum No. 1 in March 1982.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on November 22, 2010, the 
staff consulted with the State official, Mr. Ken Yale, of the Michigan 
Department of Natural Resources and Environment 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.

[[Page 81317]]

    For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the 
licensee's letter dated August 3, 2010 (Agencywide Documents Access and 
Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML102230442), as supplemented 
by letters dated October 22, 2010 (ADAMS Accession No. ML102950490) and 
November 15, 2010 (ADAMS Accession No. ML103200126). 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 14th day of December, 2010.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Mahesh Chawla,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch III-1, Division of Operating 
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-32425 Filed 12-23-10; 8:45 am]
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