[Federal Register: January 14, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 9)]
[Notices]
[Page 1788-1789]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14ja02-90]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-289]
Amergen Energy Company, LLC; Three Mile Island Nuclear Station,
Unit 1 Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an exemption from the requirements of Title 10 of the Code
of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), section 50.44; 10 CFR part 50,
appendix A, General Design Criterion 41; and 10 CFR part 50, appendix
E, section VI, for Facility Operating License No. DPR-50 issued to
AmerGen Energy Company, LLC, (the licensee), for operation of the Three
Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 (TMI-1), located in Dauphin County,
Pennsylvania. Therefore, as required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC is
issuing this environmental assessment and finding of no significant
impact.
[[Page 1789]]
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would exempt TMI-1 from certain requirements of
10 CFR 50.44; 10 CFR part 50, appendix A, General Design Criterion 41;
and part 10 CFR 50, appendix E, section VI, pertaining to the hydrogen
control system requirements (i.e., containment post-accident hydrogen
monitors, recombiners, and hydrogen purge system); and remove these
requirements from the TMI-1 design basis. The licensee's request for an
exemption from the functional requirement for hydrogen monitoring is
not being approved. The NRC staff's position, with respect to each of
the licensee's specific exemption requests, will be documented in the
exemption. Consequently, this environmental assessment addresses only
the exemption from the requirements related to the recombiners and the
hydrogen purge system and the removal of these requirements from the
TMI-1 design basis.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's letter
dated September 20, 2000, as supplemented by letters dated August 2 and
September 28, 2001.
The Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed exemption from the requirements pertaining to
recombiners and the hydrogen purge system, and their associated removal
from the design basis, would improve the safety focus at TMI-1 during
an accident, and provide for a more effective and efficient method of
maintaining adequate protection of public health and safety by
simplifying the Emergency Plan and Emergency Plan Implementing
Procedures. This would reduce the operators' post-accident burden and
allow them to give higher priority to more important safety functions
following postulated plant accidents.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and
concludes, as set forth below, that there are no environmental impacts
associated with the removal of the recombiners and hydrogen purge
system from the TMI-1 design basis.
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 off site, and there is no significant
increase in occupational or public radiation exposure. Therefore, there
are no significant radiological environmental impacts associated with
the proposed action.
With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed
action does not involve any historic sites. It does not affect
nonradiological plant effluents and has no other environmental impact.
Therefore, there are no significant nonradiological environmental
impacts associated with the proposed action.
Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
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 application would result in no change in current
environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the proposed action
and the alternative action are similar.
Alternative Use of Resources
The action does not involve the use of any resources not previously
considered in the Final Environmental Statement for TMI-1, dated
December 1972.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
On December 11, 2001, the staff consulted with the Pennsylvania
State official, Mr. Michael Murphy of the Pennsylvania Bureau of
Radiation Protection, regarding the environmental impact of the
proposed action. The State official had no comments.
Finding of No Significant Impact
On the basis of 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.
For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the
licensee's letter dated September 20, 2000, as supplemented by letters
dated August 2 and September 28, 2001. Documents may be examined, and/
or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room, located at One
White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville,
Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible electronically
from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS)
Public Library component on the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov (the
Public Electronic Reading Room). Persons who do not have access to
ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in
ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-
800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail at pdr@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 8th day of January 2002.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Timothy G. Colburn,
Senior Project Manager, Section 1, Project Directorate l, Division of
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 02-848 Filed 1-11-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P