[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 10, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3028-3030]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-00263]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-346; NRC-2010-0298]
FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company; Davis-Besse Nuclear Power
Station, Unit No. 1
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact;
issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an amendment to Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-
3 for the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, Unit No. 1 (Davis-Besse),
as requested by FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC, the
licensee).
DATES: The environmental assessment (EA) referenced in this document is
available on January 10, 2017.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2010-0298 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You
may obtain publicly available information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2010-0298. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of
this document.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and
then select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.'' For problems with ADAMS,
please contact the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at
1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by email to [email protected]. The
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ADAMS accession number for each document referenced (if it is available
in ADAMS) is provided the first time that it is mentioned in this
document.
NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Blake Purnell, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-1380; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is considering issuance of an amendment to Renewed Facility
Operating License No. NPF-3, issued to FENOC, for Davis-Besse, located
on the south-western shore of Lake Erie in Ottawa County, Ohio,
approximately 21 miles east of Toledo, Ohio. The proposed amendment
would revise Davis-Besse Technical Specification (TS) 5.5.3,
``Radioactive Effluent Controls Program,'' to allow an increase in the
instantaneous concentrations of radioactive material released in liquid
effluents and an increase in the instantaneous dose rates from
radioactive material released in gaseous effluents. The licensee would
continue to maintain the same TS and regulatory limitations on the
overall level of effluent control at Davis-Besse, including limitations
on the dose to a member of the public in an unrestricted area. In
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as
amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and section 51.21 of title 10 of the
Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), the NRC performed an EA. Based on
the results of the EA that follows, the NRC has concluded that the
proposed action will have no significant environmental impact, and is
issuing a finding of no significant impact.
II. Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would revise the radiological effluent controls
program in Davis-Besse TS 5.5.3, specifically TS 5.5.3.b and TS
5.5.3.g, to be consistent with TS 5.5.4.b and TS 5.5.4.g, respectively,
in NUREG-1430, ``Standard Technical Specifications, Babcock and Wilcox
Plants,'' Revision 4.0, published in April 2012 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML12100A177). TS 5.5.4, ``Radiological Effluent Controls Program,'' of
NUREG-1430, Revision 4.0, contains guidance on the standard format and
content of the TSs for the implementation of certain 10 CFR 50.36a
requirements applicable to Davis-Besse. In June 1999, the NRC approved
Technical Specification Task Force (TSTF) Traveler TSTF-258, Revision
4, ``Changes to Section 5.0, Administrative Controls'' (ADAMS Accession
No. ML040620102), which included similar changes to the radioactive
effluents control program to what the licensee has proposed. The
changes in TSTF-258, Revision 4, were subsequently incorporated into
NUREG-1430.
Davis-Besse TS 5.5.3.b provides limitations on the instantaneous
concentrations of radioactive material in liquid effluents released to
unrestricted areas. Currently, the licensee may release liquid
effluents with instantaneous radioactive material concentrations less
than or equal to the average annual concentration values in 10 CFR part
20, appendix B, Table 2, Column 2. The proposed change would allow the
licensee to release liquid effluents with instantaneous radioactive
material concentrations up to 10 times the annual average concentration
values in 10 CFR part 20, appendix B, Table 2, Column 2. The current
limits are equivalent to a dose rate limit of 50 millirem (mrem) per
year (approximately 0.0057 mrem per hour). The revised limits are
equivalent to a dose rate limit of 500 mrem per year (approximately
0.057 mrem per hour).
Davis-Besse TS 5.5.3.g provides limitations on the instantaneous
dose rate resulting from radioactive material released in gaseous
effluent from the site. The licensee proposes to change the
instantaneous dose rate limits in TS 5.5.3.g such that they are no
longer based on the average annual effluent concentrations in air that
are tabulated in 10 CFR part 20, appendix B, Table 2, Column 1. The
current limits correspond to a dose rate limit of 50 mrem
(approximately 0.0057 mrem per hour) per year for inhalation of the
gaseous effluent, or a dose rate limit of 100 mrem per year
(approximately 0.011 mrem per hour) if submersion in the gaseous
effluent (i.e., external dose) is more limiting.
For noble gases, the revised Davis-Besse TS 5.5.3.g would allow an
increase in the instantaneous whole body external dose rate limit to
500 mrem per year (approximately 0.057 mrem per hour) and an increase
in the instantaneous skin dose rate limit to 3000 mrem per year
(approximately 0.34 mrem per hour). For iodine-131, iodine-133,
tritium, and all radionuclides in particulate form with half-lives
greater than 8 days, the revised Davis-Besse TS 5.5.3.g would establish
an instantaneous organ dose rate limit of 1500 mrem per year
(approximately 0.17 mrem per hour).
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated February 9, 2016 (ADAMS Accession No. ML16041A115).
Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action would provide the licensee with operational
flexibility to temporarily increase the concentrations of radioactive
material in gaseous and liquid effluents released from the site.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC has evaluated the proposed action and concludes that 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.
The licensee would still be required by Davis-Besse TS 5.5.3 to
monitor, sample, and analyze gaseous and liquid effluents, and to
determine the cumulative and projected dose contributions from
radioactive effluents for the current calendar quarter and current
calendar year at least every 31 days. The licensee must continue to
meet the criteria in 10 CFR part 50, appendix I, ``Numerical Guides for
Design Objectives and Limiting Conditions for Operation to Meet the
Criterion `As Low as is Reasonably Achievable' for Radioactive Material
in Light-Water-Cooled Nuclear Power Reactor Effluents,'' which: (1)
Limit the annual public dose from liquid effluents to 3 mrem to the
total body and 10 mrem to any organ, (2) limit the annual air dose due
to gaseous effluents to 10 millirad for gamma radiation and 20 millirad
for beta radiation, and (3) limit annual organ doses to members of the
public to 15 mrem for iodines and particulates. The regulations in 10
CFR 20.1301 require the licensee to limit the dose to members of the
public to 100 mrem total effective dose equivalent annually and 2 mrem
in any 1 hour from external sources. The regulations in 40 CFR part 190
require the licensee to limit the annual dose to a member of the public
to 25 mrem whole body, 75 mrem thyroid, and 25 mrem to any other organ.
As stated above, the revised TSs would limit dose rates from
instantaneous releases to substantially less than 1 mrem per hour.
Thus, the proposed action would allow an increase in the
instantaneous concentrations of radioactive material released in liquid
effluents and an increase in the instantaneous dose rates
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from radioactive material released in gaseous effluents, without
allowing an increase in the dose limits to members of the public in
unrestricted areas specified in 10 CFR 20.1301, Appendix I to 10 CFR
part 50, and 40 CFR 190.
With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed
action does not have any foreseeable impacts to land, air quality, or
water resources, including impacts to biota. In addition, there are
also no known socioeconomic or environmental justice impacts or impacts
to historic and cultural resources associated with the 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 NRC staff considered
denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative).
Denial of the TS amendment request would result in no change in current
environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the proposed TS
amendment request 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 ``Generic Environmental Impact
Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants [NUREG-1437],
Supplement 52, Regarding Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, Final
Report,'' Volumes 1 and 2, dated April 2015 (ADAMS Accession Nos.
ML15112A098 and ML15113A187, respectively).
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The staff did not enter into consultation with any other Federal
agency or with the State of Ohio regarding the environmental impact of
the proposed action.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The licensee has requested an amendment to revise Davis-Besse TS
5.5.3 to provide operational flexibility by allowing an increase in the
instantaneous concentrations of radioactive material released in liquid
effluents and an increase in the instantaneous dose rates from
radioactive material released in gaseous effluents. The licensee would
continue to maintain the TS and regulatory limitations on the overall
level of effluent control at Davis-Besse, including limitations on the
dose to a member of the public in an unrestricted area. Based on 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.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 4th day of January 2017.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Blake A. Purnell,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch III, Division of Operating
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2017-00263 Filed 1-9-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P