[Federal Register: August 6, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 151)]
[Notices]
[Page 41054-41055]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06au01-98]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-277 and 50-278]
Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Peach Bottom Atomic Power
Station, Unit Nos. 2 and 3 Environmental Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an exemption from Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR) part 50, section 71(e)(4) to Facility Operating
License Nos. DPR-44 and DPR-56, issued to Exelon Generation Company,
LLC, (the licensee), for operation of the Peach Bottom Atomic Power
Station (PBAPS), Unit Nos. 2 and 3, located in York County,
Pennsylvania.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would exempt the licensee from some
requirements of 10 CFR 50.71(e)(4) regarding submission of revisions to
the Updated Final Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR). The proposed
exemption would allow updates to the combined UFSAR for PBAPS, Unit
Nos. 2 and 3, to be submitted within 6 months following completion of
each PBAPS Unit 2 refueling outage, not to exceed 24 months from the
previous submittal.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application for exemption dated May 30, 2001.
The Need for the Proposed Action
10 CFR 50.71(e)(4), requires licensees to submit updates to their
UFSAR annually or within 6 months after each refueling outage provided
that the interval between successive updates does not exceed 24 months.
Since Units 2 and 3 share a common UFSAR, the licensee must update the
same document annually or within 6 months after a refueling outage for
either unit. The last change to 10 CFR 50.71(e)(4) was published in the
Federal Register (57 FR 39358) on August 31, 1992, and became effective
on October 1, 1992. The underlying purpose of the rule change was to
relieve licensees of the burden of filing annual UFSAR revisions while
assuring that such revisions are made at least every 24 months.
However, as written, the burden reduction can only be realized by
single-unit facilities, or multiple-unit facilities that maintain
separate UFSARs for each unit. In the Summary and Analysis of Public
Comments accompanying the 10 CFR 50.71(e)(4)
[[Page 41055]]
rule change published in the Federal Register (57 FR 39355, 1992), the
NRC acknowledged that the final rule did not provide burden reduction
to multiple-unit facilities sharing a common UFSAR. The NRC stated:
``With respect to the concern about multiple facilities sharing a
common FSAR, licensees will have maximum flexibility for scheduling
updates on a case-by-case basis.'' Granting this exemption would
provide burden reduction to PBAPS while still assuring that revisions
to the UFSAR are made at least every 24 months.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and
concludes that it involves administrative activities unrelated to plant
operation.
The proposed action will not increase the probability or
consequences of accidents, no changes are being made in the types of
any effluents that may be released off site, and there is no increase
in occupational or public radiation exposure. Therefore, there are no
significant radiological environmental impacts associated with the
proposed action.
With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed
action does not involve any historic sites. It does not affect non-
radiological plant effluents and has no other environmental impact.
Therefore, there are no significant non-radiological 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 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
This action does not involve the use of any resources not
previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for PBAPS.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on June 18, 2001, the NRC
staff consulted with the Pennsylvania State official, Dennis Dyckman,
of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Nuclear
Safety Division, 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 May 30, 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 Systems (ADAMS)
Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC web site,
http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/ADAMS/index.html. Persons who do not have access
to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located
in ADAMS may contact the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) Reference staff
by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to
pdr@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 31st day of July, 2001.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John P. Boska,
Project Manager, Section 2, Project Directorate I, Division of
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 01-19593 Filed 8-3-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P