[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 107 (Tuesday, June 6, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26144-26145]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-11687]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 72-1014, 72-59, and 50-271; NRC-2017-0134]


Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.; Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power 
Station, Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation

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 an 
exemption request from Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (Entergy) to 
allow the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station (VYNPS) to load higher 
enriched fuel assemblies with certain lower enriched fuel assemblies in 
the same HI-STORM 100 multi-purpose canister (MPC) using Certificate of 
Compliance (CoC) No. 1014, Amendment No. 10. The NRC prepared an 
environmental assessment (EA) documenting its finding. The NRC 
concluded that the proposed action would have no significant 
environmental impact. Accordingly, the NRC staff is issuing a finding 
of no significant impact (FONSI) associated with the proposed 
exemption.

DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on 
June 6, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2017-0134 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-2017-0134. 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 
ADAMS accession number for each document referenced in this document 
(if that document is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time 
that a document is referenced.
     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: Yen-Ju Chen, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555; telephone: 301-415-1018; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction

    The NRC is reviewing an exemption request from Entergy, dated 
November 9, 2016 (ADAMS Accession No. ML16319A102), and supplemented by 
letter dated January 9, 2017 (ADAMS

[[Page 26145]]

Accession No. ML17010A300). Entergy is requesting an exemption from the 
requirements of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 
sections 72.212(a)(2), 72.212(b)(3), 72.212(b)(5)(i), 72.214, and the 
portion of section 72.212(b)(11) that requires compliance with the 
terms, conditions, and specifications of the CoC No. 1014, for spent 
fuel storage at the VYNPS independent spent fuel storage installation 
(ISFSI).
    Specifically, Entergy requested an exemption from Appendix B, Table 
2.1-3, Note 19 of Amendment No. 10 to CoC No. 1014, therefore allowing 
certain lower enriched channeled fuel assemblies classified as 
``undamaged'' per the CoC to be loaded with higher enriched fuel 
assemblies in the same MPC.

II. Environmental Assessment Summary

    Under the requirements of 10 CFR 51.21 and 51.30(a), the NRC staff 
developed a draft EA (ADAMS Accession No. ML16343A859) to evaluate the 
proposed Federal action, which is for the NRC to grant an exemption to 
Entergy to allow storing certain lower enriched fuel assemblies with 
higher enriched fuel assemblies in a HI-STORM 100 MPC at the VYNPS 
site.
    The EA defines the NRC's proposed action (i.e., to grant Entergy's 
exemption request per 10 CFR 72.7) and the purpose of and need for the 
proposed action. Evaluations of the potential environmental impacts of 
the proposed action and alternatives to the proposed action are 
presented, followed by the NRC's conclusion.
    This EA evaluates the potential environmental impacts of granting 
the exemption to allow loading of higher enriched fuel assemblies with 
certain lower enriched fuel assemblies in a HI-STORM 100 MPC at the 
VYNPS ISFSI. The potential environmental impact of using NRC-approved 
storage casks was initially analyzed in the EA for the rulemaking to 
provide for the storage of spent fuel under a general license on July 
18, 1990 (55 FR 29181). The EA for using the HI-STORM 100, Amendment 
No. 10, cask system (81 FR 13265) tiers off of the EA for the 1990 
final rule.
    There is no change to the types or quantities of effluents that may 
be released offsite, and there is no increase in occupational or public 
radiation exposure. Therefore, there are no significant radiological 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. There is no 
change to the non-radiological effluents. The proposed action will take 
place within the site boundary, and does not have other environmental 
impacts. Therefore, the proposed action will not have a significant 
effect on the quality of the human environment. Therefore, the 
environmental impacts of the proposed action are no greater than those 
described in the EA for the rulemaking to add the HI-STORM 100, 
Amendment No. 10, cask system to 10 CFR 72.214.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    The NRC staff has prepared an EA and associated FONSI in support of 
the proposed action. The NRC staff has concluded that the proposed 
action, for the NRC to grant an exemption, allowing the loading of 
certain lower enriched fuel assemblies with higher enriched fuel 
assemblies in the same HI-STORM 100 MPC, will not significantly impact 
the quality of the human environment, and that the proposed action is 
the preferred alternative. The environmental impacts are bounded by the 
previous NRC EA for the rulemaking to add the HI-STORM 100, Amendment 
No. 10, cask system to 10 CFR 72.214.
    The NRC provided the Vermont Department of Health (VDOH) with a 
draft copy of the EA for a 30-day review on February 7, 2017 (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML17038A468). On March 16, 2017, the VDOH provided its 
comments (ADAMS Accession No. ML17080A475). The NRC staff responded to 
VDOH's comments on May 23, 2017 (ADAMS Accession No. ML17144A045). The 
NRC did not make changes to this EA as a result of VDOH's comments; 
however, the NRC will consider the VDOH's comments during the 
preparation of the safety evaluation report.
    The NRC staff informed the Vermont State Historic Preservation 
Office (SHPO) of the NRC's ``no effects'' determination by letter dated 
February 9, 2017 (ADAMS Accession No. ML17040A337). The Vermont SHPO 
concurred on the NRC's determination by email on February 24, 2017 
(ADAMS Accession Package No. ML17055A594, including ADAMS Accession 
Nos. ML17055A626 and ML17055A636). The staff reviewed the updated 
listings of endangered species and critical habitats, and no changes 
were identified since the staff's review in 2007 (ADAMS Accession Nos. 
ML072050012 and ML072050013).
    The NRC staff has determined that this exemption would have no 
impact on historic and cultural resources or ecological resources, and 
therefore no consultations are necessary under Section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act and Section 7 of the Endangered 
Species Act.
    Therefore, the NRC finds that there are no significant 
environmental impacts from the proposed action, and that preparation of 
an environmental impact statement is not warranted. Accordingly, the 
NRC has determined that a FONSI is appropriate.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 25th day of May, 2017.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John McKirgan,
Chief, Spent Fuel Licensing Branch, Division of Spent Fuel Management, 
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2017-11687 Filed 6-5-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P