[Federal Register: September 12, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 177)]
[Notices]
[Page 57856-57857]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12se02-122]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-313]
Entergy Operations, Inc., Arkansas Nuclear One, Unit 1;
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance, to Entergy Operations, Inc. (the licensee), of an exemption
from Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50,
Section III.G of Appendix R. The licensee is the holder of Renewed
Facility Operating License No. DPR-51, for operation of Arkansas
Nuclear One, Unit 1 (ANO-1), located in Pope County, Arkansas.
Therefore, as required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC is issuing this
environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would exempt the licensee from certain
requirements of Section III.G of Appendix R, ``Fire Protection Program
for Nuclear Power Facilities Operating Prior to January 1, 1979.''
Specifically, this exemption applies to requirements for fire barriers
for the auxiliary lube oil pump and associated conduits in the ANO-1
makeup pump rooms.
[[Page 57857]]
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated June 8, 2001.
The Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action is needed to resolve an issue involving the
auxiliary lube oil pumps and associated conduits which are used during
the starting of a reactor coolant makeup pump. The licensee was granted
an exemption on March 22, 1983, which exempted the makeup pump rooms
from the requirement to have an automatic fire suppression system. The
equipment identified in the exemption as being needed for safe shutdown
included the makeup pumps, the service water to lube oil cooler
isolation valves, and associated cabling. The licensee subsequently
classified the auxiliary lube oil pump (and associated conduits) as
required for safe shutdown. Because the auxiliary lube oil pump was not
addressed in the previous exemption, the licensee needed to either
request a specific exemption or provide specific fire protection
features for the auxiliary lube oil pump.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and
concludes that the proposed exemption does not involve radioactive
wastes, release of radioactive material into the atmosphere, solid
radioactive waste, or liquid effluents released to the environment.
The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability
or consequences of accidents, no changes are being made in the types or
amounts 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 have a potential to affect 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.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed action, the 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 different resource than
those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement
related to the operation of ANO-1 (NUREG-0254) dated February 1973, and
the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement regarding ANO-1
(NUREG-1437, Supplement 3) dated April 2001.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
On August 26, 2002, the staff consulted with the Arkansas State
official, Jared Thompson, of the Arkansas Department of Health,
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 June 8, 2001. Documents may be examined, and/or
copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), 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 Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site,
http://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 PDR Reference staff by
telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to
pdr@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of September 2002.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert A. Gramm,
Chief, Section 1, Project Directorate IV, Division of Licensing Project
Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 02-23204 Filed 9-11-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P