[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 247 (Monday, December 27, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81316-81317]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-32425]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-341]
Detroit Edison Company; FERMI 2; 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, Section IV.F.2.b, for
conducting a biennial emergency preparedness exercise for Facility
Operating License No. NFP-43, issued to Detroit Edison Company (the
licensee), for operation of Fermi 2, located in Monroe County,
Michigan. Therefore, as required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC performed an
environmental assessment. Based on the results of the environmental
assessment, the NRC is issuing a finding of no significant impact.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated August 3, 2010, as supplemented by letters dated
October 22, 2010, and November 15, 2010. Following a telephone
conference with the NRC staff on September 17, 2010, the licensee
determined the postponement of the exercise into calendar year 2011 to
be an acceptable option to the licensee's original request for
crediting the response to a tornado event on June 6, 2010, in place of
the 2010 exercise.
The Need for the Proposed Action
Detroit Edison's Fermi 2 biennial evaluated exercise was scheduled
to be conducted on June 8, 2010. However, on June 6, 2010 at 0217
hours, a tornado warning was issued for Monroe County due to a storm
front moving through southeast Michigan. At 0238 hours, a tornado swept
across the Fermi 2 property. At 0253 hours, the Shift Manager declared
an Unusual Event based on reports of storm damage within the protected
area, including loss of both 345kV lines for Division 2 of offsite
power supply, and the loss of two out of three 120kV lines for Division
1 of offsite power supply.
Review of the actions that occurred during the June 6, 2010 actual
event supplemented by the drills, exercises, and other training
activities conducted since the previous biennial exercise, provides
evidence that Fermi 2 has regularly exercised its emergency response
strategies and personnel in coordination with the offsite authorities
as required by regulations. In addition, due to a refueling outage
during the fourth quarter of 2010, an alternative to schedule and
conduct a biennial exercise in 2010 was ruled out by the licensee.
The proposed action would exempt Fermi 2 from the requirements of
conducting a biennial emergency preparedness exercise in the calendar
year 2010 and postpone it into the calendar year 2011. Granting an
exemption from the requirement of conducting the biennial exercise will
not pose an undue risk to public health and safety and will ensure that
focus is maintained on plant safety and security.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff has completed its evaluation of the proposed action
and concludes that the proposed action is an exemption from the
requirements of conducting a biennial emergency preparedness exercise.
Whether or not the exercise is conducted would have no effect on the
environment since any outdoor activity during an exercise is limited to
minimal use of roads and highways. The staff has concluded that the
changes would not significantly affect plant safety. The proposed
action would not result in an increased radiological hazard beyond
those previously analyzed in the Updated Safety Analysis Report. There
will be no change to radioactive effluents that affect radiation
exposures to plant workers and members of the public. No changes will
be made to plant buildings or the site property. Therefore, no changes
or different types of radiological impacts are expected as a result of
the proposed changes.
There are no federal permits, licenses, approvals and other
entitlements which must be obtained in connection with the proposed
action. The proposed action is not subject to any environmental quality
standards or requirements imposed by Federal, State, regional, or local
agencies having responsibility for environmental protection.
The details of the staff's safety evaluation will be provided in
the exemption issued as part of the letter to the licensee approving
the exemption to the regulation, if granted.
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 offsite. There is no significant
increase in the amount of any effluent released offsite. 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 non-radiological impacts, the proposed
action does not have any foreseeable impacts to land, air, or water
resources, including impacts to biota. In addition, there are no known
socioeconomic or environmental justice impacts associated with such
proposed action. 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.
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 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 resources than
those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for
the Enrico Fermi Atomic Power Plant, Unit 2, NUREG-0769, dated August
1981, as supplemented with Addendum No. 1 in March 1982.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on November 22, 2010, the
staff consulted with the State official, Mr. Ken Yale, of the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources and Environment 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.
[[Page 81317]]
For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the
licensee's letter dated August 3, 2010 (Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML102230442), as supplemented
by letters dated October 22, 2010 (ADAMS Accession No. ML102950490) and
November 15, 2010 (ADAMS Accession No. ML103200126). Documents 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 O1 F21, 11555
Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available
records will be accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System (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, this 14th day of December, 2010.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Mahesh Chawla,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch III-1, Division of Operating
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-32425 Filed 12-23-10; 8:45 am]
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