[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 248 (Thursday, December 27, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 66948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-31805]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-10, 50-237 and 50-249]
Exelon Generation Company, LLC, Dresden Nuclear Power Station,
Units 1, 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 E, Item IV.F.2.c to Facility
Operating License Nos. DPR-2, DPR-19 and DPR-25, issued to Exelon
Generation Company, LLC (the licensee), for operation of the Dresden
Nuclear Power Station, Units 1, 2 and 3 (DNPS), located in Grundy
County, Illinois. 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 allow a one-time exemption from the
requirements of 10 CFR part 50, Appendix E, Item IV.F.2.c, regarding
conduct of a full-participation exercise of the offsite emergency plan
every 2 years. Under the proposed exemption, the licensee would
reschedule the exercise originally scheduled for September 18, 2001,
and complete the exercise requirements by December 31, 2002.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application for an exemption dated December 18, 2001.
The Need for the Proposed Action
Currently under 10 CFR part 50, Appendix E, Item IV.F.2.c, each
licensee at each site is required to conduct a full-participation
exercise of its offsite emergency plan every 2 years. Federal agencies,
including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, observe these
exercises and evaluate the performance of the licensee, state, and
local authorities having a role under the emergency plan.
The licensee had initially scheduled a full participation biennial
exercise of its onsite and offsite emergency plans for May 26, 2001,
within the required 2-year interval. However, due to flooding
conditions within the state and the need for state and local officials
to address these needs, the exercise was conducted with participation
by only the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety and the licensee. The
offsite portion of the exercise was rescheduled for September 18, 2001.
However, as a result of the national security events occurring in the
United States on September 11, 2001, this exercise was canceled after
consultations with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the
Illinois Emergency Management Agency. Future full participation
exercises for DNPS will be performed on the existing biennial schedule
and are not affected by the requested exemption.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and
concludes that the proposed action involves an administrative activity
unrelated to plant operations.
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 offsite, 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 the 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 proposed action 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 different
than those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement
for DNPS, dated 1973.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
On December 19, 2001, the staff consulted with the Illinois State
official, Frank Niziolek, of the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety,
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 revised
proposed action.
For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the
licensee's letter dated December 18, 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). 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
[email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 19th day of December 2001.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Anthony J. Mendiola,
Chief, Section 2, Project Directorate III, Division of Licensing
Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 01-31805 Filed 12-26-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P