[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 129 (Thursday, July 5, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39746-39747]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16406]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-336; NRC-2012-0158]


Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc. Millstone Power Station, Unit 
2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is 
considering issuance of an exemption from the requirements of Title 10 
of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, Appendix R, ``Fire 
Protection Program for Nuclear Power Facilities Operating Prior to 
January 1, 1979,'' for Facility Operating License No. DPR-65 issued to 
Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc. (DNC or the licensee), for operation 
of the Millstone Power Station, Unit 2 (MPS2) located in town of 
Waterford, CT. Therefore, as required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC staff 
performed an environmental assessment. Based on the results of the 
environmental assessment, the NRC staff is issuing a finding of no 
significant impact.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    DNC proposed that the NRC grant exemptions to certain NRC 
requirements pertaining to the NRC fire regulations. The proposed 
action is detailed in the licensee's application dated June 30, 2011, 
as supplemented by letter dated February 29, 2012. The licensee's 
application and supplemental submission are accessible electronically 
from the NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS) under Accession Nos. ML11188A213 and ML12069A016.
    Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2006-10, ``Regulatory Expectations 
With Appendix R, Paragraph III.G.2 Operator Manual Actions,'' documents 
the NRC position on the use of operator manual actions (OMAs) as part 
of a compliance strategy to meet the requirements of 10 CFR part 50, 
appendix R, Section III.G.2. The NRC requires plants which credit 
manual actions for 10 CFR part 50, appendix R, Section III.G.2 
compliance to obtain NRC approval for the manual actions using the 
exemption process in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR 50.12. 
In response, the licensee proposed this licensing action which would 
exempt MPS2 from certain requirements of 10 CFR part 50, appendix R, 
Section III.G.2.
    DNC proposed a number of OMAs in lieu of one of the means specified 
in Section III.G.2 to ensure a train of equipment used for hot shutdown 
is available when redundant trains are in the same fire area. 
Therefore, DNC requested exemptions from the requirements of 10 CFR 
part 50, appendix R, Paragraph III.G.2 for MPS2 to the extent that OMAs 
are necessary to achieve and maintain hot shutdown for fire areas in 
which both trains of safe-shutdown cables or equipment are located in 
the same fire area.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is requested to permit the licensee an 
alternate method from those specified in 10 CFR part 50, to achieve and 
maintain hot shutdown conditions in the event of a fire that could 
disable electrical cables and equipment in the fire areas of MPS2 
listed in the licensee's request for exemption.
    The criteria for granting specific exemptions from 10 CFR part 50 
regulations are specified in 10 CFR 50.12. In accordance with 10 CFR 
50.12(a)(1), the NRC is authorized to grant an exemption upon 
determining that the exemption is authorized by law, will not present 
an undue risk to the public health and safety, and is consistent with 
the common defense and security.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC staff has completed its evaluation of the environmental 
impact of the proposed action. The NRC staff has concluded that such 
actions would not adversely affect the environment. The proposed action 
would not result in an increased radiological hazard. There will be no 
change to the radioactive effluent releases that effect radiation 
exposures to plant workers and members of the public. No changes will 
be made to plant structures or the site property. 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 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

[[Page 39747]]

protected species under the Endangered Species Act, or impacts to 
essential fish habitat covered by the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries 
Management Act are expected. There are no impacts to historical and 
cultural resources. There would be no impact to socioeconomic 
resources. Therefore, no changes or different types of non-radiological 
environmental impacts are expected as a result of the proposed 
exemption.
    Accordingly, the NRC staff concludes that there are no significant 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. The details 
of the staff's safety evaluation will be provided in the exemption, 
when it is issued.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    As alternatives to the proposed action, the NRC staff is 
considering denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' 
alternative) or requiring the licensee to modify the facility to 
achieve compliance with Appendix R. 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 U.S. Atomic Energy Commission's 1973 
``Final Environmental Statement Related to the Continuation of 
Construction of Unit 2 and the Operation of Units 1 and 2, Millstone 
Nuclear Power Station.''

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On May 14, 2012, the NRC staff consulted with the Connecticut State 
official, Michael Firsick of the Department of Environmental 
Protection, regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action. 
Mr. Firsick had no comments.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    On the basis of the environmental assessment, the NRC staff 
concludes that the proposed action will not have a significant effect 
on the quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the NRC staff 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 application dated June 30, 2011, as supplemented by letter 
dated February 29, 2012. The licensee's application and supplemental 
submission are accessible electronically under ADAMS Accession Nos. 
ML11188A213 and ML12069A016. Publicly available versions of the 
documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public 
Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Room O1-F21, 
11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland 20852. Publicly 
available documents created or received at the NRC are accessible 
electronically through the ADAMS in the NRC Library at 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 email to [email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 27th day of June 2012.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
James Kim,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch I-1, Division of Operating 
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2012-16406 Filed 7-3-12; 8:45 am]
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