[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 222 (Tuesday, November 17, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73298-73299]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-25297]



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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 72-17; NRC-2020-0238]


Portland General Electric Company; Trojan 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 
amendment request from Portland General Electric Company (PGE) to amend 
License No. SNM-2509 for the Trojan Independent Spent Fuel Storage 
Installation (ISFSI), located in Columbia County, Oregon. The amendment 
would revise the safety analysis report (SAR) description of the 
licensee's evaluation of explosion accident events. As part of its 
review, the NRC performed an environmental assessment (EA) of the 
proposed action. 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 amendment.

DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document became available on 
November 16, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2020-0238 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 Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov/ and search for Docket ID NRC-2020-0238. Address 
questions about Docket IDs to Jennifer Borges; telephone: 301-287-9127; 
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 https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, 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.
     Attention: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies 
of public documents is currently closed. You may submit your request to 
the PDR via email at [email protected] or call 1-800-397-4209 
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (EST), Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Allen, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555; telephone: 301-415-6877; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction

    In August 2012, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers installed an 
anchor buoy for a new Prescott Anchorage Area on the Columbia River 
just outside the Trojan ISFSI Controlled Area Boundary. During a 2015 
inspection, an NRC inspector questioned if the supporting analyses for 
Trojan Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) Sections 2.2.3.1 
``Explosions'' and Section 8.2.8 ``Explosions of Chemicals, Flammable 
Gasses, and Munitions'' remained bounding due to the new anchorage. To 
address this issue, PGE reviewed the Trojan FSAR explosion event 
evaluation description, and concluded that certain statements 
pertaining to the deterministic evaluation of the design basis 
explosion event could not be confirmed. Therefore, PGE commissioned a 
comprehensive new evaluation of potential impacts on the Trojan ISFSI 
due to explosion events from both rail and waterborne vessel traffic. 
The evaluation also accounted for waterborne vessels periodically 
moored at the new Prescott Anchorage Area.
    PGE submitted a license amendment application to update the Trojan 
FSAR evaluation of explosion accident events originating from cargo 
transported by rail and waterborne vessels that could potentially 
affect the ISFSI and requested NRC approval of the subject FSAR change. 
The NRC is reviewing the amendment request from PGE dated March 10, 
2020 (ADAMS Package Accession No. ML20083G798).

II. Environmental Assessment Summary

    Under the requirements of sections 51.21 and 51.30(a) of title10 of 
the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), the NRC staff developed an EA 
(ADAMS Accession No. ML20287A234) to evaluate the proposed action, 
which is for the NRC to approve the PGE amendment request to revise the 
SAR description of the licensee's evaluation of explosion accident 
events.
    The EA defines the NRC's proposed action (i.e., to approve the 
amendment request) as well as the purpose of and the need for the 
proposed action. The EA evaluates the potential environmental impacts 
of approving the amendment to update the Trojan FSAR evaluation of 
explosion accident events originating from cargo transported by rail 
and waterborne vessels that could potentially affect the ISFSI. The EA 
also provides the NRC's conclusion.
    The NRC staff finds that the environmental effects from this 
amendment request are bounded by the environmental impacts discussed in 
the June 26, 2019 EA for renewal of the Trojan ISFSI license. That EA 
found that continued operation of the Trojan ISFSI for an additional 40 
years will not significantly affect the quality of the environment 
(ML19058A264). The NRC staff finds that the environmental impacts from 
PGE's amendment request are bounded by the previous EA for the 
following reasons. First, PGE's requested amendment involves no changes 
to the ISFSI design or operation. Second, the SAR revision is limited 
to adding a more comprehensive evaluation of offsite explosion events. 
Third, the evaluation results remain the same. The new evaluation 
concludes, consistent with the prior evaluation, that offsite 
explosions would not have radiological consequences.
    Because the evaluation results, the ISFSI design, and the ISFSI 
operation remain unchanged, the proposed action does not change the 
types or quantities of effluents that may be released offsite, and it 
does not increase occupational or public radiation exposure. Therefore, 
there are no significant radiological environmental impacts associated 
with the proposed action. There is no change to non-radiological 
effluents because the proposed action only requires revising the FSAR 
and does not have other environmental impacts. Thus, the proposed 
action will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human 
environment and the environmental impacts of the proposed action are no 
greater than those described in the EA for renewal of SNM-2509.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The NRC provided the Oregon Health Authority a draft copy of the EA 
for review in an email dated August 27, 2020 (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML20244A153). The NRC staff has determined that this amendment would

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have no impact on historic and cultural resources or ecological 
resources. Consequently, no consultations are necessary under Section 
106 of the National Historic Preservation Act or Section 7 of the 
Endangered Species Act.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    Based on its review of the proposed action in the EA, in accordance 
with the requirements in 10 CFR part 51, the NRC staff has concluded 
that the proposed action, approval of the requested amendment, will not 
significantly impact the quality of the human environment, as the 
environmental impacts are bounded by the previous EA for renewal of 
SNM-2509.
    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: November 12, 2020.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John B. McKirgan,
Chief, Storage and Transportation Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel 
Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2020-25297 Filed 11-16-20; 8:45 am]
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