[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 139 (Thursday, July 21, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43556-43557]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-15566]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-0346; NRC-2022-0138]
Energy Harbor Nuclear Corp. and Energy Harbor Nuclear Generation
LLC; 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, issued on December 8, 2015, and held by Energy Harbor Nuclear Corp.
(EHNC) and Energy Harbor Nuclear Generation LLC for the operation of
Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, Unit No. 1 (Davis-Besse). The
proposed amendment would revise the emergency plan for Davis-Besse by
changing the emergency response organization (ERO) requirements. The
NRC is issuing an environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no
significant impact (FONSI) associated with the proposed license
amendment.
DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on
July 21, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2022-0138 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-2022-0138. Address
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann;
telephone: 301-415-0624; 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 (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, by appointment, at the NRC's PDR, Room P1 B35, One White
Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. To make
an appointment to visit the PDR, please send an email to
[email protected] or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between
8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET), Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Blake A. 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
By letter dated January 19, 2022 (ADAMS Accession No. ML22019A236),
as supplemented by letter dated July 5, 2022 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML22186A121), EHNC submitted a request to amend Renewed Facility
Operating License No. NPF-3, issued to EHNC and Energy Harbor Nuclear
Generation LLC, for the operation of Davis-Besse, which is located in
Ottawa County, Ohio. The proposed amendment would revise the emergency
plan for Davis-Besse by changing the ERO staffing requirements. The
changes include eliminating ERO positions; adding ERO positions;
changing position descriptions, titles, duties, and duty locations;
changing response times; and relocating certain position descriptions
to other parts of the emergency plan or to implementing procedures.
Each licensee for a nuclear power plant is required to establish an
emergency plan to be implemented in the event of an accident in
accordance with section 50.47 and appendix E of title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (10 CFR). The emergency plan covers preparation for
evacuation, sheltering, and other actions to protect individuals near
the plant in the event of an accident. An effective emergency
preparedness program decreases the likelihood of an initiating event at
a nuclear power plant proceeding to a severe accident. Emergency
preparedness cannot affect the probability of the initiating event, but
a high level of emergency preparedness increases the probability of
accident mitigation if the initiating event proceeds beyond the need
for initial operator actions.
The regulations in 10 CFR 50.54(q)(2) require licensees for nuclear
power plants to follow and maintain the effectiveness of an emergency
plan that meets the standards in 10 CFR 50.47(b) and the requirements
in 10 CFR part 50, appendix E. Sections 50.54(q)(3) and (4) specify the
process by which a licensee may make changes to its emergency plan. In
accordance with 10 CFR 50.54(q)(4), EHNC submitted the January 19,
2022, license amendment request, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.90, to obtain
NRC approval of the proposed changes to the Davis-Besse emergency plan
prior to implementation.
The NRC staff is considering approval of the January 19, 2022,
license amendment request for Davis-Besse. Therefore, as required by 10
CFR 51.21, the NRC performed an EA. Based on the results of the EA that
follows, the NRC has determined not to prepare an environmental impact
statement for the proposed licensing action and is issuing a FONSI.
In addition to this EA, the NRC is conducting a safety evaluation
of EHNC's proposed changes to the emergency plan for Davis-Besse, which
will be documented separately. The safety evaluation of the proposed
changes to the emergency plan will determine whether there continues to
be reasonable assurance that adequate protective measures can and will
be taken in the event of a radiological emergency at Davis-Besse, in
accordance with the standards of 10 CFR 50.47(b) and the requirements
in 10 CFR part 50, appendix E.
II. Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would revise the ERO requirements identified in
the emergency plan for Davis-Besse, including the on-shift, minimum,
and full-augmentation ERO staffing requirements. The proposed revisions
include eliminating ERO positions; adding ERO positions; changing
position descriptions, titles, duties, and duty locations; changing
response times, and relocating certain position descriptions to other
parts of the emergency plan or to implementing procedures. Overall,
staffing levels are not expected to increase.
The proposed action is in accordance with EHNC's application dated
January 19, 2022.
Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action would align the emergency plan for Davis-Besse
with the NRC's alternative guidance for EROs provided in a June 12,
2018, letter to the Nuclear Energy Institute (ADAMS Accession No.
ML18022A352). This
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alternative guidance is also included in NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1,
Revision 2, ``Criteria for Preparation and Evaluation of Radiological
Emergency Response Plans and Preparedness in Support of Nuclear Power
Plants,'' dated December 2019 (ADAMS Accession No. ML19347D139). This
change would provide EHNC with greater flexibility in staffing ERO
positions. The application states that EHNC discussed the proposed
changes to the emergency plan with the offsite response organizations
for the State of Ohio, Ottawa County, and Lucas County, and that these
organizations had no concerns.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The proposed action consists of changes related to staffing
positions, position descriptions, titles, duties, duty locations, and
response times specified in the emergency plan for Davis-Besse. The on-
shift, minimum, and full-augmentation ERO staffing requirements listed
in the emergency plan would be revised. The proposed revisions include
eliminating ERO positions; adding ERO positions; changing position
descriptions, titles, duties, and duty locations; changing response
times, and relocating certain position descriptions to other parts of
the emergency plan or to implementing procedures.
The proposed changes would have no impact on nonradiological
resources, such as land use or water resources, including terrestrial
and aquatic biota, as they involve no new construction, ground
disturbing activities, or modification of plant operational systems.
There would be no changes to the quality or quantity of nonradiological
effluents and no changes to the plant's National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System permit as a result of the proposed amendment. The
overall staffing levels are not expected to increase; therefore, worker
vehicle air emissions are not expected to increase, and established
threshold emissions set forth in 40 CFR 93.153(b) for designated
nonattainment or maintenance areas would not be exceeded. Since the
proposed changes will not increase staffing levels and will not involve
ground disturbing activities, modification of plant operation systems,
or new construction, there would be no noticeable effect on
socioeconomic conditions in the region, no environment justice impacts,
and no impacts to historic and cultural resources from the proposed
changes. Therefore, there would be no significant nonradiological
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
With regard to potential radiological environmental impacts, the
proposed action would not increase the probability or consequences of
radiological accidents because the emergency plan must continue to meet
the standards of 10 CFR 50.47(b) and the requirements in 10 CFR part
50, appendix E. There would be no change to the types or amounts of
radioactive effluents that may be released and, therefore, no change in
occupational or public radiation exposure from the proposed changes.
Moreover, no changes would be made to plant buildings or the site
property from the proposed changes. Therefore, there would be no
significant radiological 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 license amendment request (i.e., the ``no-action''
alternative). Denial of the license amendment request would result in
no change to current environmental impacts. Accordingly, the
environmental impacts of the proposed action and the no-action
alternative would be similar.
Alternative Use of Resources
There are no unresolved conflicts concerning alternative uses of
available resources under the proposed action.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
No additional agencies or persons were consulted regarding the
environmental impact of the proposed action.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
EHNC has requested a license amendment pursuant to 10 CFR 50.90 to
revise the emergency plan for Davis-Besse by eliminating ERO positions;
adding ERO positions; changing position descriptions, titles, duties,
and duty locations; changing response times, and relocating certain
position descriptions to other parts of the emergency plan or to
implementing procedures. The NRC staff is considering issuance of the
requested amendment.
Consistent with 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC staff conducted an EA of the
proposed action, which is provided in Section II of this notice and is
incorporated by reference in this FONSI. Based on this EA, the NRC
staff has concluded that the proposed action will not have a
significant impact on the quality of the human environment.
Accordingly, the NRC staff has determined there is no need to prepare
an environmental impact statement for the proposed action.
Previous considerations regarding the environmental impacts of
operating Davis-Besse, in accordance with its renewed facility
operating license, are described in NUREG-1437, Supplement 52,
``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear
Plants: Regarding Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station,'' Final Report,
Volumes 1 and 2 (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML15112A098 and ML15113A187,
respectively), dated April 2015.
This FONSI and other related environmental documents may be
examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's PDR, located at Room P1
B35, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland
20852. Publicly available records are also accessible online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://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's PDR reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-
4737, or by email to [email protected].
Dated: July 14, 2022.
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. 2022-15566 Filed 7-20-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P