80 FR 42129 - ZionSolutions, LLC; Zion Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 136 (July 16, 2015)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact regarding exemptions from specific emergency planning requirements for License Nos. DPR-39 and DPR-48, issued to ZionSolutions, LLC, for the Zion Nuclear Power Station (ZNPS), Units 1 and 2.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 136 (Thursday, July 16, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42129-42130]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-17436]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-295 and 50-304; NRC-2015-0168]


ZionSolutions, LLC; Zion Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact; 
issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an 
environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact regarding 
exemptions from specific emergency planning requirements for License 
Nos. DPR-39 and DPR-48, issued to ZionSolutions, LLC, for the Zion 
Nuclear Power Station (ZNPS), Units 1 and 2.

DATES: The environmental assessment and finding of no significant 
impact referenced in this document is available on July 16, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2015-0168 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain publicly-available information related to this document 
using any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2015-0168. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this document.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents collection at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and 
then select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, 
please contact the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 
1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by email to [email protected]. The 
ADAMS accession number for each document referenced (if that document 
is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is 
referenced.
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Hickman, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-00001; telephone: 301-415-3017; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    The NRC is considering issuance of exemptions from specific 
emergency planning (EP) requirements of part 50 of Title 10 of the Code 
of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), for License Nos. DPR-39 and DPR-48, 
issued to ZionSolutions, LLC (ZS, the licensee), for the ZNPS, Units 1 
and 2. Therefore, as required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC performed an 
environmental assessment. Based on the results of the environmental 
assessment that follows, the NRC has determined not to prepare an 
environmental impact statement for

[[Page 42130]]

the exemptions, and is issuing a finding of no significant impact.
    Section 50.47, ``Emergency plans,'' in 10 CFR part 50 provides in 
part, ``. . . no initial operating license for a nuclear power reactor 
will be issued unless a finding is made by the NRC that there is 
reasonable assurance that adequate protective measures can and will be 
taken in the event of a radiological emergency.'' Appendix E to 10 CFR 
part 50, ``Emergency Planning and Preparedness for Production and 
Utilization Facilities,'' provides in part, ``This appendix establishes 
minimum requirements for emergency plans for use in attaining an 
acceptable state of emergency preparedness.''

II. Environmental Assessment

Description of Proposed Action

    The proposed action would exempt ZS, a 10 CFR part 50 licensee, 
from certain 10 CFR 50.47, and 10 CFR part 50, appendix E, EP 
requirements because ZNPS is a permanently shut-down nuclear facility 
with all spent fuel stored in an independent spent fuel storage 
installation (ISFSI).
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated May 27, 2014, (ADAMS Accession No. ML14148A295).

Need for Proposed Action

    The ZNPS was shut down on February 21, 1997, and is currently in a 
permanently shut-down and defueled condition. In a letter dated May 4, 
1998, the NRC acknowledged that pursuant to 10 CFR 50.82(a)(2), the 10 
CFR part 50 licenses for the ZNPS, Units 1 and 2 no longer authorize 
operation of the reactors, or emplacement or retention of fuel in the 
reactor vessels. Active decommissioning is currently underway. As of 
January 12, 2015, all of the spent fuel at the ZNPS had been 
transferred to the Zion ISFSI.
    The licensee claims that the proposed action is needed because the 
EP regulations impose requirements on the ZNPS that are not necessary 
to meet the underlying purpose of the regulations in view of the 
greatly reduced offsite radiological consequences associated with the 
current plant status as permanently shut down and with the removal of 
all spent fuel from the Spent Fuel Pool and transfer to dry cask 
storage at the ISFSI. Additionally, the license was amended on January 
14, 2015, (ADAMS Accession No. ML14295A716) to remove from the 
Technical Specifications functional, operational and staffing 
requirements associated with the storage of spent fuel in the spent 
fuel pool.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC staff evaluated the environmental impacts of the proposed 
action and concludes that exempting the licensee from the emergency 
planning requirements will not have any adverse environmental impacts. 
With respect to radiological impacts, the NRC has determined that no 
credible events at the ZNPS would result in doses to the public beyond 
the owner controlled area boundary that would exceed the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency Protective Actions Guides at the site 
boundary. The proposed action is wholly procedural and administrative 
in nature. As such, the proposed action will not: Significantly 
increase the probability or consequences of radiological accidents, 
result in any changes to the types of effluents that may be released 
offsite, and result in any 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 involve any construction activities, renovation of 
buildings or structures, ground disturbing activities or other 
alteration to land. The proposed action will not change the site 
activities and therefore will not result in any changes to the 
workforce or vehicular traffic. Furthermore, the proposed action is not 
a type of activity that has the potential to cause effects on historic 
properties or cultural resources, including traditional cultural 
properties. In addition the proposed action will not result in any 
change to non-radiological plant effluents and thus, will have no 
impact on either air or water quality. As the proposed action is wholly 
procedural and administrative in nature, the NRC staff has determined 
that the proposed action will have no effect on listed species or 
critical habitat. Therefore, there are no significant non-radiological 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
    Accordingly, the NRC staff 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 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 because there would be no construction or major 
renovation of any buildings or structures, nor any associated ground 
disturbing activities. Thus, the environmental impacts of the proposed 
action and no-action alternative are similar. Therefore, the no-action 
alternative was not further considered.

Conclusion

    The NRC staff has concluded that the proposed action will not 
significantly impact the quality of the human environment, and that the 
proposed action is the preferred alternative.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The NRC contacted the Illinois Emergency Management Agency via 
email on February 3, 2015, concerning this request. The State official 
replied via email on February 5, 2015, stating that they had no 
questions or concerns and they did not object to the action (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML15168A221).

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    The NRC staff has prepared this EA as part of its review of the 
proposed action. On the basis of this EA, the NRC finds that there are 
no significant environmental impacts from the proposed action, and that 
preparation of an environmental impact statement is not warranted. 
Accordingly, the NRC has determined that a Finding of No Significant 
Impact (FONSI) is appropriate. In accordance with 10 CFR 51.32(a)(4), 
this FONSI incorporates the EA set forth in this notice by reference.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 8th day of July 2015.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Larry W. Camper,
Director, Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery, and Waste 
Programs, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2015-17436 Filed 7-15-15; 8:45 am]
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