[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 60 (Wednesday, March 27, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21286-21288]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-06491]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-321, 50-366, 50-348, 50-364, 50-424, 50-425, 52-025,
and 52-026; NRC-2024-0038]
Southern Nuclear Operating Company; Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant,
Units 1 and 2; Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2; Vogtle
Electric Generating Plant, Units 1, 2, 3, and 4; Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice; issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is making a
finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for a proposed issuance of
exemptions to
[[Page 21287]]
Southern Nuclear Operating Company (SNC, the licensee), for Edwin I.
Hatch Nuclear Power Plant (Hatch), Units 1 and 2, Joseph M. Farley
Nuclear Plant (Farley), Units 1 and 2, and Vogtle Electric Generating
Plant (Vogtle), Units 1, 2, 3, and 4 (SNC Fleet), located in Appling
County, Georgia, Houston County, Alabama, and Burke County, Georgia,
respectively. The proposed action would grant the licensee partial
exemption from the physical barrier requirements in the NRC's
regulations, to allow SNC to continue using vertical, rather than
angled, barbed wire fence toppings in certain limited protected area
sections onsite. The NRC is considering exemptions to Renewed Facility
Operating License No. DPR-57, and No. NPF-5, at Hatch, Units 1 and 2,
issued on January 15, 2002, Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-
2, and No. NPF-8, at Farley, Units 1 and 2, issued on May 12, 2005,
Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-68, and No. NPF-81, at
Vogtle, Units 1 and 2, issued on June 3, 2009, and Facility Combined
License No. NPF-91, and NPF-92, at Vogtle, Units 3 and 4, issued on
February 10, 2012, and held by SNC for the operation of the SNC Fleet.
DATES: The environmental assessment referenced in this document is
available on March 27, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2024-0038 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-2024-0038. 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, at 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: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies
of publicly available documents, is open by appointment. 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
a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (ET), Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John G. Lamb, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-3100; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is considering issuance of partial exemptions, pursuant to
section 73.5 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR),
``Specific exemptions,'' from the physical barrier requirement of 10
CFR 73.2, specifically with respect to the design criteria specified in
10 CFR 73.2, ``Physical barrier,'' paragraph 1, as it applies to the
angular specification for brackets used to support the required barbed
wire (or similar material) topper. These partial exemptions would be
issued to SNC for Hatch, Units 1 and 2, Farley, Units 1 and 2, and
Vogtle, Units 1, 2, 3, and 4, in Appling County, Georgia, Houston
County, Alabama, and Burke County, Georgia, respectively.
Prior environmental reviews include NUREG-1437, ``Generic
Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants,''
Supplement 4--Final Report (ADAMS Package Accession No. ML011590310),
regarding Hatch, Units 1 and 2, published in May 2001; NUREG-1437,
``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear
Plants,'' Supplement 18--Final Report (ADAMS Accession No.
ML050680297), regarding Farley, Units 1 and 2, published in March 2005;
NUREG-1437, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License
Renewal of Nuclear Plants,'' Supplement 34--Final Report (ADAMS
Accession No. ML083380325), regarding Vogtle, Units 1 and 2, published
in December 2008; and NUREG-1947, ``Final Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement for Combined License (COLs) for Vogtle Electric
Generating Plant Unit 3 and 4'' Final Report (ADAMS Accession No.
ML11076A010) published in March 2011.
In accordance with 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC has prepared an
environmental assessment (EA) that analyzes the environmental effects
of the proposed action. Based on the results of the EA and in
accordance with 10 CFR 51.31(a), the NRC has prepared a FONSI for the
proposed exemption.
II. Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would grant the licensee partial exemption from
the physical barrier requirement of 10 CFR 73.2, specifically with
respect to the design criteria specified in 10 CFR 73.2, ``Physical
barrier,'' paragraph 1, as it applies to the angular specification for
brackets used to support the required barbed wire (or similar material)
topper. As stated in 10 CFR 73.2, fences must be constructed of No. 11
American wire gauge, or heavier wire fabric, topped by three strands or
more of barbed wire or similar material on brackets angled inward or
outward between 30 and 45 degrees from the vertical, with an overall
height of not less than eight feet, including the barbed topping. If
approved, the partial exemption would allow the licensee to continue to
use, without modification, the current configuration of vertical barbed
wire fence toppings in limited protected area sections on-site, as
specified on the maps submitted by the licensee in its exemption
application dated July 7, 2023 (ADAMS Accession No. ML23188A163), as
supplemented by letters dated February 5 and 12, 2024 (ML24036A292 and
ML24043A186, respectively), to meet the regulatory requirements of 10
CFR part 73, ``Physical protection of plants and materials.''
Specifically, barbed wire on top of physical barrier fencing on gates,
near gates, near interfaces with buildings, and on corners is oriented
vertically.
Need for the Proposed Action
Physical protection consists of a variety of measures to protect
nuclear facilities and material against sabotage, theft, diversion, and
other malicious acts. The NRC and its licensees use a graded approach
for physical protection, consistent with the significance of the
facilities or material to be protected. In so doing, the NRC
establishes the regulatory requirements and assesses compliance, and
licensees are responsible for providing the protection.
Since design criteria in 10 CFR 73.2 require the barbed wire fence
toppings to be angled, the proposed action is needed to allow the
licensee to continue to use, without modification, the current
configuration of vertical barbed wire fence toppings in certain limited
protected area sections on-site.
Separate from this EA, the NRC staff is evaluating the licensee's
proposed
[[Page 21288]]
action, which will be documented in staff evaluation reports for each
site. The NRC staff's review will determine whether there is reasonable
assurance that the SNC Fleet maintains adequate protection with the
current physical barriers in accordance with the requirements in 10 CFR
part 73.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC has completed its environmental evaluation of the proposed
action. The proposed action would grant the licensee partial exemption
from the design criteria specified in 10 CFR 73.2, ``Physical
barrier,'' paragraph 1, as it applies to the angular specification for
brackets used to support the required barbed wire (or similar material)
topper. This will allow the licensee to continue using vertical, rather
than angled, barbed wire fence toppings in certain limited protected
area sections at the SNC Fleet sites.
The proposed action would have no direct impacts on land use or
water resources. Impacts to terrestrial and aquatic biota would be
negligible as the proposed action involves no new construction or
modification of plant operational systems. There would be no changes to
the quality or quantity of non-radiological effluents. No changes to
the plant's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit are
needed. In addition, there would be no noticeable effect on air
pollutant emissions, socio-economic conditions in the region, no
environment justice impacts, and no impacts to historic and cultural
resources. Therefore, there would be no significant non-radiological
impacts associated with the proposed action.
The NRC has concluded that the proposed action would not have a
significant adverse effect on the probability of an accident occurring.
There would be no change to radioactive effluents that affect radiation
exposures to plant workers and members of the public. No changes would
be made to plant buildings or the site property. Therefore,
implementing the proposed action would not result in a change to the
radiation exposures to the public or radiation exposure to plant
workers.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed action, the NRC considered denial
of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative). Denial of
the exemption request would result in the licensee having to replace
the vertical barbed wire fence toppings with angled barbed wire that
meets the definition of ``Physical barrier'' in 10 CFR 73.2. This could
result in temporary, minor changes in vehicular traffic and associated
air pollutant emissions due to any construction-related impacts of
performing the necessary modifications, but no significant changes in
ambient air quality would be expected.
Alternative Use of Resources
There are no unresolved conflicts concerning alternative uses of
available resources under the proposed action.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC staff did not enter into consultation with any other
Federal agency or with the States of Georgia and Alabama regarding the
environmental impact of the proposed action.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The licensee has requested exemptions from the physical barrier
requirement of 10 CFR 73.2, specifically with respect to the design
criteria specified in 10 CFR 73.2, ``Physical barrier,'' paragraph 1,
to allow the licensee to continue using vertical, rather than angled,
barbed wire fence toppings in limited protected area sections on site.
The NRC is considering issuing the requested exemption. The proposed
action would not have a significant adverse effect on the probability
of an accident occurring and would not have any significant
radiological and non-radiological impacts. This FONSI incorporates by
reference the EA in Section II of this notice. Based on the EA, 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: March 22, 2024.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John Lamb,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch II-1, Division of
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2024-06491 Filed 3-26-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P