[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 219 (Monday, November 15, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69710-69711]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-28633]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-302; NRC-2010-0105]
Florida Power Corporation, et al.; Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear
Generating Plant Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant
Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an exemption, pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR) Section 73.5, ``Specific exemptions,'' from the
implementation date for certain new requirements of 10 CFR part 73,
``Physical protection of plants and materials,'' for Facility Operating
License No. DPR 72 issued to Florida Power Corporation (the licensee),
for operation of the Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant (CR-
3), located in Citrus County, Florida. In accordance with 10 CFR 51.21,
the NRC prepared an environmental assessment documenting its finding.
The NRC concluded that the proposed actions will have no significant
environmental impact.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would exempt the licensee from the required
implementation date of March 31, 2010, for four new requirements of 10
CFR part 73. Specifically, CR-3 would be granted a second exemption,
further extending the date for full compliance with four new
requirements contained in 10 CFR 73.55, from November 15 and December
15 (the dates specified in a prior exemption granted by NRC on March
25, 2010), until December 15, 2011 and March 15, 2012, respectively.
The licensee has proposed an alternate full compliance implementation
date of March 15, 2012, which is approximately 2 years beyond the
compliance date required by 10 CFR part 73. The proposed action, an
extension of the schedule for completion of certain actions required by
the revised 10 CFR part 73, does not involve any physical changes to
the reactor, fuel, plant structures, support structures, water, or land
at the CR-3 site.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated September 8, 2010.
The Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed second scheduler exemption is needed to provide the
licensee with additional time, beyond the previously approved by the
NRC letter dated March 25, 2010, to implement four specific elements of
the new requirements that involve significant physical upgrades to the
CR-3 security system. The schedules used in the original scheduler
exemption were based on the conceptual design information available to
the licensee at the time of the submittal. At this time, the licensee
has fully developed the design and has completed the discovery phase.
Therefore, due to the unforeseen need for design changes necessary to
achieve full compliance with the Final Rule, additional time is needed
to complete the complex revised design and construction and associated
analysis.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC has completed its environmental assessment of the proposed
exemption. The NRC staff has concluded that the proposed action to
further extend the implementation deadline for two items would not
significantly affect plant safety and would not have a significant
adverse effect on the probability of an accident occurring.
The proposed action would not result in an increased radiological
hazard beyond those hazards previously analyzed in the environmental
assessment and finding of no significant impact made by the Commission
in promulgating its revisions to 10 CFR part 73 as discussed in a
Federal Register notice dated March 27, 2009; 74 FR 13926. There will
be no change to radioactive effluents that affect radiation exposures
to plant workers and members of the public. Therefore, no changes or
different types of radiological impacts are expected as a result of the
proposed exemption.
The proposed action does not result in changes to land use or water
use, or result in changes to the quality or quantity of nonradiological
effluents. No changes to the National Pollution Discharge Elimination
System permit are needed. No effects on the aquatic or terrestrial
habitat in the vicinity of the plant, or to threatened, endangered, or
protected species under the Endangered Species Act, or impacts to
essential fish habitat covered by the Magnuson-Stevens Act are
expected. There are no impacts to the air or ambient air quality.
There are no impacts to historical and cultural resources. There
would be no impact to socioeconomic resources. Therefore, no changes to
or different types of nonradiological environmental impacts are
expected as a result of the proposed exemption.
Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. In addition,
in promulgating its revisions to 10 CFR part 73, the Commission
prepared an environmental assessment and published a finding of no
significant impact [Part 73, Power Reactor Security Requirements, March
27, 2009; 74 FR 13926].
With its request to extend the implementation deadline, the
licensee currently maintains a security system acceptable to the NRC
and that will continue to provide acceptable physical
[[Page 69711]]
protection of CR-3 in lieu of the new requirements in 10 CFR part 73.
Therefore, the extension of the implementation date for four elements
of the new requirements of 10 CFR part 73 to December 15, 2011, and
March 15, 2012, would not have any significant environmental impacts.
The NRC staff's safety evaluation will be provided in the exemption
that will be issued as part of the letter to the licensee approving the
exemption to the regulation, if granted.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed actions, the NRC staff considered
denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative).
Denial of the exemption request would result in no change in current
environmental impacts. If the proposed action was denied, the licensee
would have to comply with the existing implementation deadline for
those specific items of November 15, and December 15, 2010, as extended
by the exemption granted on March 25, 2010. The environmental impacts
of the proposed exemption and the ``no-action'' alternative are
similar.
Alternative Use of Resources
The action does not involve the use of any different resources than
those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for
CR-3, dated May 1973.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on November 4, 2010, the NRC
staff consulted with the Florida State official, Mr. William A. Passeti
of the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Radiation Control
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 September 8, 2010. Portions of the September 8,
2010, submittal contains security-related information and, accordingly,
a redacted version of this letter is available for public review in the
Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), Accession
No. ML102530129. This document may be examined, and/or copied for a
fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White
Flint North, Public File Area O-1F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first
floor), Rockville, Maryland 20852. Publicly available records will be
accessible electronically from the 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 send an e-mail to [email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, on November 5, 2010.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Christopher Gratton,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch II-2, Division of
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-28633 Filed 11-12-10; 8:45 am]
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