[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 180 (Monday, September 17, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48070-48071]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-23151]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket 72-30]
Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company (MYAPC) Maine Yankee
Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) Issuance of
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) is
considering issuance of an exemption, pursuant to 10 CFR 72.7, from
specific provisions of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 72.212(b)(2)(i),
72.212(b)(7), and 72.214 to MYAPC. The requested exemption would allow
MYAPC to deviate from the requirements of Certificate of Compliance No.
1015 (the Certificate), Appendix A, Surveillance Requirement (SR)
3.1.2.1, ``CANISTER Vacuum Drying Pressure,'' and SR 3.1.3.1,
``CANISTER Helium Backfill Pressure,'' which provide the surveillance
frequencies for verifying the drying pressure and backfill pressure are
within limits. The requested exemption would allow the surveillances to
be performed ``Prior to TRANSPORT OPERATIONS'' instead of ``Once within
10 hours . . . after completion of CANISTER draining,'' which is
required by the Certificate.
Environmental Assessment (EA)
Identification of Proposed Action: By letter dated August 9, 2001,
MYAPC requested an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR
72.212(b)(2)(i), 72.212(b)(7), and 72.214 to deviate from the
requirements of Certificate of Compliance No. 1015, Appendix A, SR
3.1.2.1 and SR 3.1.3.1. Staff has also considered an exemption from 10
CFR 72.212(a)(2). MYAPC is a general licensee, authorized by NRC to use
spent fuel storage casks approved under 10 CFR Part 72, Subpart K.
MYAPC plans to use the NAC-UMS Cask System to store spent nuclear
fuel, generated at the Maine Yankee Atomic Power Station, at an ISFSI
located in Wiscasset, Maine, approximately 1200 feet north of the
reactor plant. The Maine Yankee ISFSI has been constructed for interim
dry storage of spent nuclear fuel.
By exempting MYAPC from 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 72.212(b)(2)(i),
72.212(b)(7), and 72.214, MYAPC will be authorized to delay performance
of SR 3.1.2.1, ``CANISTER Vacuum Drying Pressure,'' and SR 3.1.3.1,
``CANISTER Helium Backfill Pressure,'' which provide the surveillance
frequencies for verifying the drying pressure and backfill pressure are
within limits.
The surveillances, SR 3.1.2.1 and SR 3.1.3.1, shall be performed
``Prior to TRANSPORT OPERATIONS.''
The surveillance frequencies above would be in lieu of those in the
current Certificate of Compliance No. 1015, Rev. 1, Appendix A, SR
3.1.2.1 and SR 3.1.3.1. The definition of TRANSPORT OPERATIONS is
provided in section A 1.1 of Certificate of Compliance No. 1015, Rev.
1, Appendix A (ADAMS Accession #ML010260245). The proposed action
before the Commission is whether to grant this exemption under 10 CFR
72.7.
On February 20, 2001, NRC approved Amendment 1 to the NAC-UMS
Certificate of Compliance, which provided, in part, a change to
Limiting Condition for Operation (LCO) 3.1.1 allowing longer times for
spent fuel cask loading operations based on the reduced canister heat
loads. The Amendment application did not include a corresponding
revision to the surveillance frequences, in SR 3.1.2.1 and SR 3.1.3.1
and, as a result, the surveillance frequencies were not revised.
The NRC staff has reviewed the exemption request and determined
that the revised surveillance frequencies are consistent with the
safety analyses previously reviewed for Amendment 1, and would have no
impact on the design basis and would not be inimical to public health
and safety.
Need for the Proposed Action: NAC International, the owner of the
NAC-UMS design, requested Amendment 2 to the Certificate on October 17,
2000. This application, as supplemented, would correct the
inconsistencies with SR 3.1.2.1 and SR 3.1.3.1. However, the rulemaking
on this amendment will not be completed in time to support the planned
schedule for Maine Yankee cask loading. Therefore, this errror in not
revising the inconsistent surveillance frequencies may provide
insufficient surveillance frequency times to avoid unnecessarily
entering into the Required Actions for the associated LCOs 3.1.2 and
3.1.3. The NRC is proposing to grant this exemption based on the
staff's technical review of information submitted by MYAPC.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action: The potential
environmental impact of using the NAC-UMS system was initially
presented in the EA for the Final Rule to add the NAC-UMS to the list
of approved spent fuel storage casks in 10 CFR 72.214 (65 FR 62581
(October 19, 2000)).
The staff performed a safety evaluation of the proposed exemption.
[[Page 48071]]
The staff found that the proposed exemption is consistent with the
analyses presented in the Safety Analysis Report for the NAC-UMS Cask
System and does not reduce the ability of the system to perform its
safety function. The staff has determined that changing the
surveillance frequencies for verification of vacuum drying pressure and
helium backfill pressure does not pose any increased risk to public
health and safety.
The proposed action will not significantly 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
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.
Therefore, the staff has determined that there is no reduction in
the ability of the system to perform its safety function, nor
significant environmental impacts as a result of revising the
surveillance frequencies for SR 3.1.2.1 and SR 3.1.3.1 from ``Once
within 10 hours . . . after completion of CANISTER draining'' to
``Prior to TRANSPORT OPERATIONS.'' Therefore, the proposed action now
under consideration would not change the potential environmental
effects assessed in the initial rulemaking (65 FR 62581).
Alternative to the Proposed Action: Since there is no significant
environmental impact associated with the proposed action, alternatives
with equal or greater environmental impact are not evaluated. The
alternative to the proposed action would be to deny approval of the
exemption. Denial of the exemption request will have the same
environmental impact.
Agencies and Persons Consulted: On August 20, 2001, Mr. Dale
Randall of the State of Maine, Department of Human Services, Division
of Health Engineering was contacted about the Environmental Assessment
for the proposed action. On August 23, 2001, Ms. Paula Craighead, State
Nuclear Safety Advisor for the State of Maine was also contacted.
Ms. Craighead responded by letter dated August 24, 2001, (ADAMS
Accession#ML012480279) with two comments on the proposed exemption
request. The first comment was a request to place in the record of
exemption the location of the definition of TRANSPORT OPERATIONS within
Certificate of Compliance No. 1015, and to also indicate where the
document could be found in the public record. This first comment has
been incorporated into this notice, and will also be indicated in the
exemption response. The second comment concerned ensuring written
communication occurs between NRC and DOE on all matters concerning
handling of spent fuel and Greater Than Class C material. On August 28,
2001, this second comment was discussed with Ms. Craighead. Ms.
Craighead clarified that the State's concern was not that every related
document be provided to DOE, but that communications relevant to DOE's
activities occur. It was mutually agreed that the NRC will continue to
involve DOE in relevant discussions and correspondence on spent fuel
and Greater Than Class C material.
Finding of No Significant Impact
The environmental impacts of the proposed action have been reviewed
in accordance with the requirements set forth in 10 CFR part 51. Based
upon the foregoing EA, the Commission finds that the proposed action of
granting an exemption from 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 72.212(b)(2)(i),
72.212(b)(7), and 72.214 so that MYAPC may load NAC-UMS Cask Systems
with revised surveillance frequencies (as specified above) for
verifying canister vacuum drying pressure and helium backfill pressure
at the Maine Yankee ISFSI will not significantly impact the quality of
the human environment. Accordingly, the Commission has determined not
to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed
exemption.
The request for exemption was docketed under 10 CFR part 72, Docket
72-30. For further details with respect to this action, see the
exemption request dated August 9, 2001. The NRC maintains an Agencywide
Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and
image files of NRC's public documents. These documents may be accessed
through the NRC's Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at
http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/ADAMS/index.html. If you do not have access to
ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the documents located in
ADAMS, contact the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1-
800-397-4209, 301-415-4737 or by email to [email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of September 2001.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Charles L. Miller,
Deputy Director, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 01-23151 Filed 9-14-01; 8:45 am]
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