[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 193 (Thursday, October 4, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 50696]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-24865]
[[Page 50696]]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-277 and 50-278]
Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Peach Bottom Atomic Power
Station, Units 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, Appendix R, Section III.F, ``Automatic
Fire Detection'', for Facility Operating Licenses Nos. DPR-44 and DPR-
56, issued to Exelon Generation Company, LLC, et al. (the licensee),
for operation of the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station (PBAPS), Units 2
and 3, located in York County, Pennsylvania. 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 grant an exemption from the requirements
of 10 CFR part 50, Appendix R, Section III.F, ``Automatic Fire
Detection,'' to the extent that they require the installation of
automatic fire detection systems in certain areas that contain or
present an exposure fire hazard to safety-related or safe shutdown
systems or components. The licensee is seeking an exemption from the
requirements for an automatic fire detection system for room 222, a
Unit 2 feedwater heater room in the turbine building, and room 429, the
Unit 2 and Unit 3 turbine generator hall in the turbine building.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application for exemption dated June 15, 2001.
The Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed exemption is needed in order to preclude dose exposure
for workers during maintenance and testing of detection systems, and
considerable expense, should plant modifications be required to be
made.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and
concludes that with the proposed exemption there will be an adequate
level of fire protection and the underlying purpose of 10 CFR part 50,
Appendix R, Section III.F, will be met for the affected areas of the
plant such that there would be no significant increase in the risk of
fires at this facility.
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 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 significant 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 for
PBAPS Units 2 and 3, dated April 1973.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
On August 15, 2001, the 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 June 15, 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 ADAMS Public Library component on the NRC Web
site, http://www.nrc.gov (the Public Electronic Reading Room). If you
do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the
documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC PDR Reference staff at 1-
800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail at [email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 28th day of September 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. 01-24865 Filed 10-3-01; 8:45 am]
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