80_FR_53521 80 FR 53350 - Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Oconee Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, and 3; Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation

80 FR 53350 - Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Oconee Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, and 3; Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 171 (September 3, 2015)

Page Range53350-53352
FR Document2015-21819

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of an exemption to Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (Duke Energy or the applicant) related to the operation of Oconee Nuclear Station (Oconee) Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) (Docket No. 72-40). The request is for an exemption from the requirement to comply with Technical Specification 1.2.4a of Attachment A of Certificate of Compliance (CoC or Certificate) No. 1004, Amendment No. 9, for the Standardized NUHOMS[supreg] Horizontal Modular Storage System.

Federal Register, Volume 80 Issue 171 (Thursday, September 3, 2015)
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 171 (Thursday, September 3, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53350-53352]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21819]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 72-40, 50-269, 50-270 and 50-287; NRC-2015-0191]


Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Oconee Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, 
and 3; Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an exemption to Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (Duke Energy or 
the applicant) related to the operation of Oconee Nuclear Station 
(Oconee) Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) (Docket 
No. 72-40). The request is for an exemption from the requirement to 
comply with Technical Specification 1.2.4a of Attachment A of 
Certificate of Compliance (CoC or Certificate) No. 1004, Amendment No. 
9, for the Standardized NUHOMS[supreg] Horizontal Modular Storage 
System.

DATES: The environmental assessment and finding of no significant 
impact are available as of September 3, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2015-0191 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-2015-0191. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. For technical questions, contact 
the individuals 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 pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The 
ADAMS accession number for each document referenced in this document 
(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 Vera, Office of Nuclear Material 
Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, 
DC 20555-

[[Page 53351]]

0001; telephone: 301-415-5790, email: John.Vera@nrc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction

    The NRC is considering issuance of an exemption to Duke Energy, for 
operation of Oconee ISFSI, located in Seneca, South Carolina. Pursuant 
to Sec.  72.7 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), 
``Specific Exemptions,'' on August 28, 2014, as supplemented on 
December 8, 2014, and June 12, 2015 (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML14255A005, 
ML14346A008, and ML15169B103, respectively), Duke Energy submitted its 
request for exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3), 10 
CFR 72.212(b)(5)(i), and the portion of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(11) that 
requires compliance with the terms, conditions, and specifications of 
CoC No. 1004, Amendment No. 9, for the Standardized NUHOMS[supreg] 
Horizontal Modular Storage System. In evaluating the request, the NRC 
also considered exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2) 
and 10 CFR 72.214 that are applicable to the request, and the NRC has 
weighed these regulations in its review.
    Duke Energy loaded spent nuclear fuel into several 24PHB dry 
shielded canisters (DSCs). Subsequent to the loading, the applicant 
identified a discrepancy on a test report processed from the helium 
leak rate instrument vendor. The discrepancy was that the temperature 
coefficient was stated as four (4) percent per degree Celsius (%/
[deg]C), when previously this value was three (3) %/[deg]C. The 
applicant stated that the instrument vendor confirmed that the three 
(3) %/[deg]C coefficient was incorrect for this instrument and that 
canisters loaded at ambient temperatures greater than (>) 23 [deg]C 
would have had a non-conservative temperature coefficient applied to 
the helium leak rate measurement. The applicant stated that the 
incorrect value had been used to calculate the leak rates of forty-
seven (47) dry shielded canisters DSCs.
    According to the applicant, forty-two (42) of the forty-seven (47) 
DSCs affected were verified to meet the TS. The applicant's re-
evaluation involved verifying the ambient temperature when the DSCs 
were loaded and applying the appropriate temperature coefficient. 
However, the applicant stated that the actual temperature correction 
value datasheets could not be found for DSCs 93, 94, 100, 105, and 106 
and that these canisters were loaded in the summer months when ambient 
conditions during helium leak testing would likely have exceeded 23 
[deg]C, so the revised temperature correction factor would have been 
applicable. The applicant stated that confirmation that the TS was met 
with the revised temperature coefficient for these DSCs, without 
evidence of the actual ambient temperature or test value, was not 
possible.

II. Environmental Assessment

Background

    Oconee Nuclear Station is located on Lake Keowee in Oconee County, 
South Carolina, 8 miles north of Seneca, South Carolina. Unit 1 began 
commercial operation in 1973, followed by Units 2 and 3 in 1974. Since 
1997, Oconee has been storing spent fuel in an ISFSI operating under a 
general license as authorized by 10 CFR part 72, subpart K, ``General 
License for Storage of Spent Fuel at Power Reactor Sites.'' The 
licensee also has a site-specific ISFSI license, which is not affected 
by this exemption request and associated environmental assessment (EA).

Identification of Proposed Action

    The CoC is the NRC-approved design for each dry cask storage 
system. The proposed action would grant Duke Energy an exemption from 
the requirements of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3), 10 CFR 
72.212(b)(5)(i), 10 CFR 72.214, and the portion of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(11) 
that requires compliance with the terms, conditions, and specifications 
of CoC No. 1004, Amendment No. 9, for the Standardized NUHOMS[supreg] 
Horizontal Modular Storage System to the extent necessary for Duke 
Energy to maintain DSCs numbers 93, 94, 100, 105, and 106 in their 
current position at the ISFSI associated with the operation of Oconee, 
Units 1, 2, and 3. These regulations require storage of spent nuclear 
fuel under a general license in dry storage casks approved under the 
provisions of 10 CFR part 72 and compliance with the terms and 
conditions set forth in the CoC for each dry storage spent fuel cask 
used by an ISFSI general licensee. Specifically, the exemption would 
relieve Duke Energy from meeting Technical Specification 1.2.4a of 
Attachment A of CoC No. 1004, which limits the leak rate of the inner 
seal weld to 1.0 x 10-7 reference cubic centimeters per second (ref cc/
s) at the highest DSC limiting pressure.

Need for the Proposed Action

    The exemption would relieve the applicant from meeting Technical 
Specification (TS) 1.2.4a of Attachment A of CoC No. 1004, which limits 
the leak rate of the inner seal weld to 1.0 x 10-7 ref cc/s 
at the highest DSC limiting pressure, allowing for continued storage of 
DSCs numbers 93, 94, 100, 105, and 106 at the Oconee Nuclear Station 
ISFSI. According to the applicant's exemption request, confirmation 
that the technical specification is met is not possible. Without the 
exemption, the applicant would be in violation of the technical 
specification with no possibility of demonstrating compliance.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The potential impact of using the TN Standardized NUHOMS[supreg] 
dry cask storage system was initially evaluated in the EA for the 
rulemaking to add the TN Standardized NUHOMS[supreg] Horizontal Modular 
Storage System for Irradiated Nuclear Fuel to the list of approved 
spent fuel storage casks in 10 CFR 72.214.
    The exemption proposed to Amendment No. 9 to CoC No. 1004 would 
permit Duke Energy to maintain DSCs numbers 93, 94, 100, 105, and 106 
in their current position at the ISFSI associated with the operation of 
Oconee, Units 1, 2, and 3. The applicant addressed environmental 
impacts in the application, stating that for the five (5) DSCs 
involved, results of the initial inner seal weld dye penetrant test 
were found to be acceptable, and welded outer top cover plates were 
installed. Additionally, radiological protection group surveys of 
affected HSMs confirmed that there is no leakage occurring from the 
affected canisters. Based on its review of the licensee's application, 
the NRC staff concludes that the proposed action does not result in any 
changes to the types or amounts of any radiological effluents that may 
be released offsite, and there is no significant increase in 
occupational or public radiation exposure as a result of the proposed 
action. Therefore, the staff further concludes there are no significant 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action, which only 
affects the requirements associated with the leak testing of the DSCs 
and does not affect plant effluents, or any other aspects of the 
environment.
    Accordingly, the NRC staff concludes that there are no significant 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.

Alternative to the Proposed Action

    Because there is no significant environmental impact associated 
with the proposed action, alternatives with equal or greater 
environmental impact were not evaluated. As an alternative to the 
proposed action, the NRC staff considered denial of the proposed

[[Page 53352]]

action, which would force Duke Energy to take actions that would 
involve unloading the DSCs from the horizontal storage modules, 
transporting them to the cask handling area, opening, rewelding, and 
retesting the welds, and transporting the DSCs back to the HSMs. Denial 
of the exemption would result in an increase in radiological exposure 
to workers, a small potential for radioactive releases to the 
environment due to radioactive material handling accidents, and 
increased costs to the licensee. Therefore, the NRC staff has 
determined that approving the proposed action has a lesser 
environmental impact than denying the proposed action.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The EA associated with this exemption request was sent to the 
appropriate official of the South Carolina Department of Health and 
Environmental Control (SCDHEC) by email dated January 22, 2015 (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML15055A604). The state response was received by email 
dated February 23, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No. ML15055A620). The email 
states that the SCDHEC has no comments. The NRC staff has determined 
that a consultation under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act is 
not required, because the proposed action will not affect listed 
species or critical habitat. The NRC staff has also determined that the 
proposed action is not a type of activity that has the potential to 
impact historic properties, because the proposed action would occur 
only within the established Oconee site boundary. Therefore, no 
consultation is required under Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    The environmental impacts of the proposed action have been reviewed 
in accordance with the requirements set forth in 10 CFR part 51, 
``Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and 
Related Regulatory Functions.'' Based upon the previously mentioned EA, 
the Commission finds that the proposed action of granting an exemption 
from the requirements of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3), 10 
CFR 72.212(b)(5)(i), 10 CFR 72.214, the portion of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(11) 
that states the licensee shall comply with the terms, conditions, and 
specifications of the CoC, in order to allow Duke Energy to maintain 
DSCs numbers 93, 94, 100, 105, and 106 in their current position at the 
ISFSI associated with the operation of Oconee, Units 1, 2, and 3, will 
not significantly impact the quality of the human environment. 
Accordingly, the Commission has determined that an environmental impact 
statement for the proposed exemption is not warranted and that a 
finding of no significant impact is appropriate.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 14 day of August, 2015.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Michele Sampson,
Branch Chief, Spent Fuel Licensing Branch, Division of Spent Fuel 
Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2015-21819 Filed 9-2-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P



                                              53350                              Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 171 / Thursday, September 3, 2015 / Notices

                                                 vi. 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(vi)—The                                      exemption is sought involve only                                          72.212(b)(11) and 72.214, which state
                                              requirements from which an exemption                                    training, and the exemption is thus                                       that the licensee shall comply with the
                                              is sought involve:                                                      applicable for a categorical exclusion                                    terms, conditions, and specifications of
                                                 (A) Recordkeeping requirements;                                      under 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(vi)(E).                                         the CoC, only with regard to the
                                                 (B) Reporting requirements;                                             Based on the above considerations,                                     requirements of Certificate of
                                                 (C) Inspection or surveillance                                       the NRC staff concludes that the                                          Compliance No. 1031, Amendment No.
                                              requirements;                                                           proposed exemption meets the                                              3, Appendix A, Technical Specifications
                                                 (D) Equipment servicing or                                           eligibility criteria for categorical                                      and Design Features for the
                                              maintenance scheduling requirements;                                    conclusion set forth in 10 CFR                                            MAGNASTOR® System, Section 5.7
                                                 (E) Education, training, experience,                                 51.22(c)(25). Therefore, pursuant to 10                                   ‘‘Training Program.’’ The exemption
                                              qualification, requalification or other                                 CFR 51.22(b), no environmental impact                                     only exempts ZionSolutions from the
                                              employment suitability requirements;                                    statement or environmental assessment                                     requirement to develop training
                                                 (F) Safeguard plans, and materials                                   is required to be prepared in connection                                  modules under the SAT that include
                                              control and accounting inventory                                        with the proposed issuance of the                                         comprehensive instructions for the
                                              scheduling requirements;                                                exemption.                                                                operation and maintenance of the ISFSI
                                                 (G) Scheduling requirements;
                                                 (H) Surety, insurance or indemnity                                   IV. Conclusions                                                           SSCs that are not important to safety.
                                              requirements; or                                                           Based on the above considerations,                                     The SAT training requirements are still
                                                 (I) Other requirements of an                                         the NRC has determined, pursuant to 10                                    applicable to all important to safety
                                              administrative, managerial, or                                          CFR 72.7, that this exemption is                                          components, as required by the CoC.
                                              organizational nature.                                                  authorized by law, will not endanger                                      V. Availability of Documents
                                                 The proposed exemption applies only                                  life or property or the common defense
                                              to developing a training program not                                    and security, and is otherwise in the                                       The documents identified in the
                                              under SAT for operation and                                             public interest. Therefore, the                                           following table are publicly available to
                                              maintenance of ISFSI SSCs that are not                                  Commission hereby grants                                                  interested persons in ADAMS. For
                                              defined in 10 CFR 72.3 as important to                                  ZionSolutions an exemption from 10                                        information on accessing ADAMS see
                                              safety. The requirements from which an                                  CFR parts 72.212(a)(2), 72.212(b)(5)(i),                                  the ADDRESSES section of this document.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               ADAMS
                                                                                                                                   Document                                                                                                 Accession No.

                                              Commonwealth Edison Company letter certifying the permanent cessation of operations at ZNPS, Units 1 and 2 .....................                                                              ML15232A492
                                              Commonwealth Edison Company letter certifying the permanent removal of fuel from the reactor vessels at ZNPS ..................                                                               ML15232A487
                                              NRC order and conforming amendments transferring ownership of ZNPS facility .........................................................................                                         ML090930037
                                              Letter issuing conforming amendments relating to transfer of licenses for ZNPS ..........................................................................                                     ML102290437
                                              Zion exemption request ....................................................................................................................................................................   ML14241A424



                                                 The exemption is effective upon                                      issuance of an exemption to Duke                                          individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER
                                              issuance.                                                               Energy Carolinas, LLC (Duke Energy or                                     INFORMATION CONTACT    section of this
                                                 Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 21st day                          the applicant) related to the operation of                                document.
                                              of August, 2015.                                                        Oconee Nuclear Station (Oconee)                                              • NRC’s Agencywide Documents
                                                 For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.                               Independent Spent Fuel Storage                                            Access and Management System
                                              William C. Allen,
                                                                                                                      Installation (ISFSI) (Docket No. 72–40).                                  (ADAMS): You may obtain publicly
                                                                                                                      The request is for an exemption from                                      available documents online in the
                                              Acting Chief, Spent Fuel Licensing Branch,
                                              Division of Spent Fuel Management, Office
                                                                                                                      the requirement to comply with                                            ADAMS Public Documents collection at
                                              of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.                              Technical Specification 1.2.4a of                                         http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
                                              [FR Doc. 2015–21794 Filed 9–2–15; 8:45 am]
                                                                                                                      Attachment A of Certificate of                                            adams.html. To begin the search, select
                                                                                                                      Compliance (CoC or Certificate) No.                                       ‘‘ADAMS Public Documents’’ and then
                                              BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
                                                                                                                      1004, Amendment No. 9, for the                                            select ‘‘Begin Web-based ADAMS
                                                                                                                      Standardized NUHOMS® Horizontal                                           Search.’’ For problems with ADAMS,
                                              NUCLEAR REGULATORY                                                      Modular Storage System.                                                   please contact the NRC’s Public
                                              COMMISSION                                                              DATES: The environmental assessment                                       Document Room (PDR) reference staff at
                                                                                                                      and finding of no significant impact are                                  1–800–397–4209, 301–415–4737, or by
                                              [Docket Nos. 72–40, 50–269, 50–270 and 50–                              available as of September 3, 2015.                                        email to pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The
                                              287; NRC–2015–0191]                                                     ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID                                      ADAMS accession number for each
                                                                                                                      NRC–2015–0191 when contacting the                                         document referenced in this document
                                              Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Oconee                                                                                                                (if that document is available in
                                              Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, and 3;                                     NRC about the availability of
                                                                                                                      information regarding this document.                                      ADAMS) is provided the first time that
                                              Independent Spent Fuel Storage                                                                                                                    a document is referenced.
                                              Installation                                                            You may obtain publicly-available
                                                                                                                      information related to this document                                         • NRC’s PDR: You may examine and
                                              AGENCY:  Nuclear Regulatory                                             using any of the following methods:                                       purchase copies of public documents at
                                                                                                                         • Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to                                   the NRC’s PDR, Room O1–F21, One
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                              Commission.
                                                                                                                      http://www.regulations.gov and search                                     White Flint North, 11555 Rockville
                                              ACTION: Environmental assessment and
                                                                                                                      for Docket ID NRC–2015–0191. Address                                      Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
                                              finding of no significant impact;
                                              issuance.                                                               questions about NRC dockets to Carol                                      FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John
                                                                                                                      Gallagher; telephone: 301–415–3463;                                       Vera, Office of Nuclear Material Safety
                                              SUMMARY:The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory                                     email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. For                                       and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
                                              Commission (NRC) is considering                                         technical questions, contact the                                          Commission, Washington, DC 20555–


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                                                                        Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 171 / Thursday, September 3, 2015 / Notices                                           53351

                                              0001; telephone: 301–415–5790, email:                   temperature correction factor would                   pressure, allowing for continued storage
                                              John.Vera@nrc.gov.                                      have been applicable. The applicant                   of DSCs numbers 93, 94, 100, 105, and
                                              SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:                              stated that confirmation that the TS was              106 at the Oconee Nuclear Station
                                                                                                      met with the revised temperature                      ISFSI. According to the applicant’s
                                              I. Introduction                                         coefficient for these DSCs, without                   exemption request, confirmation that
                                                 The NRC is considering issuance of an                evidence of the actual ambient                        the technical specification is met is not
                                              exemption to Duke Energy, for operation                 temperature or test value, was not                    possible. Without the exemption, the
                                              of Oconee ISFSI, located in Seneca,                     possible.                                             applicant would be in violation of the
                                              South Carolina. Pursuant to § 72.7 of                                                                         technical specification with no
                                              Title 10 of the Code of Federal                         II. Environmental Assessment                          possibility of demonstrating
                                              Regulations (10 CFR), ‘‘Specific                        Background                                            compliance.
                                              Exemptions,’’ on August 28, 2014, as
                                                                                                         Oconee Nuclear Station is located on               Environmental Impacts of the Proposed
                                              supplemented on December 8, 2014,
                                                                                                      Lake Keowee in Oconee County, South                   Action
                                              and June 12, 2015 (ADAMS Accession
                                              Nos. ML14255A005, ML14346A008,                          Carolina, 8 miles north of Seneca, South                The potential impact of using the TN
                                              and ML15169B103, respectively), Duke                    Carolina. Unit 1 began commercial                     Standardized NUHOMS® dry cask
                                              Energy submitted its request for                        operation in 1973, followed by Units 2                storage system was initially evaluated in
                                              exemption from the requirements of 10                   and 3 in 1974. Since 1997, Oconee has                 the EA for the rulemaking to add the TN
                                              CFR 72.212(b)(3), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(5)(i),               been storing spent fuel in an ISFSI                   Standardized NUHOMS® Horizontal
                                              and the portion of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(11)                 operating under a general license as                  Modular Storage System for Irradiated
                                              that requires compliance with the terms,                authorized by 10 CFR part 72, subpart                 Nuclear Fuel to the list of approved
                                              conditions, and specifications of CoC                   K, ‘‘General License for Storage of Spent             spent fuel storage casks in 10 CFR
                                              No. 1004, Amendment No. 9, for the                      Fuel at Power Reactor Sites.’’ The                    72.214.
                                              Standardized NUHOMS® Horizontal                         licensee also has a site-specific ISFSI                 The exemption proposed to
                                              Modular Storage System. In evaluating                   license, which is not affected by this                Amendment No. 9 to CoC No. 1004
                                              the request, the NRC also considered                    exemption request and associated                      would permit Duke Energy to maintain
                                              exemption from the requirements of 10                   environmental assessment (EA).                        DSCs numbers 93, 94, 100, 105, and 106
                                              CFR 72.212(a)(2) and 10 CFR 72.214 that                 Identification of Proposed Action                     in their current position at the ISFSI
                                              are applicable to the request, and the                                                                        associated with the operation of Oconee,
                                              NRC has weighed these regulations in                       The CoC is the NRC-approved design                 Units 1, 2, and 3. The applicant
                                              its review.                                             for each dry cask storage system. The                 addressed environmental impacts in the
                                                 Duke Energy loaded spent nuclear                     proposed action would grant Duke                      application, stating that for the five (5)
                                              fuel into several 24PHB dry shielded                    Energy an exemption from the                          DSCs involved, results of the initial
                                              canisters (DSCs). Subsequent to the                     requirements of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 10               inner seal weld dye penetrant test were
                                              loading, the applicant identified a                     CFR 72.212(b)(3), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(5)(i),             found to be acceptable, and welded
                                              discrepancy on a test report processed                  10 CFR 72.214, and the portion of 10                  outer top cover plates were installed.
                                              from the helium leak rate instrument                    CFR 72.212(b)(11) that requires                       Additionally, radiological protection
                                              vendor. The discrepancy was that the                    compliance with the terms, conditions,                group surveys of affected HSMs
                                              temperature coefficient was stated as                   and specifications of CoC No. 1004,                   confirmed that there is no leakage
                                              four (4) percent per degree Celsius (%/                 Amendment No. 9, for the Standardized                 occurring from the affected canisters.
                                              °C), when previously this value was                     NUHOMS® Horizontal Modular Storage                    Based on its review of the licensee’s
                                              three (3) %/°C. The applicant stated that               System to the extent necessary for Duke               application, the NRC staff concludes
                                              the instrument vendor confirmed that                    Energy to maintain DSCs numbers 93,                   that the proposed action does not result
                                              the three (3) %/°C coefficient was                      94, 100, 105, and 106 in their current                in any changes to the types or amounts
                                              incorrect for this instrument and that                  position at the ISFSI associated with the             of any radiological effluents that may be
                                              canisters loaded at ambient                             operation of Oconee, Units 1, 2, and 3.               released offsite, and there is no
                                              temperatures greater than (>) 23 °C                     These regulations require storage of                  significant increase in occupational or
                                              would have had a non-conservative                       spent nuclear fuel under a general                    public radiation exposure as a result of
                                              temperature coefficient applied to the                  license in dry storage casks approved                 the proposed action. Therefore, the staff
                                              helium leak rate measurement. The                       under the provisions of 10 CFR part 72                further concludes there are no
                                              applicant stated that the incorrect value               and compliance with the terms and                     significant environmental impacts
                                              had been used to calculate the leak rates               conditions set forth in the CoC for each              associated with the proposed action,
                                              of forty-seven (47) dry shielded                        dry storage spent fuel cask used by an                which only affects the requirements
                                              canisters DSCs.                                         ISFSI general licensee. Specifically, the             associated with the leak testing of the
                                                 According to the applicant, forty-two                exemption would relieve Duke Energy                   DSCs and does not affect plant effluents,
                                              (42) of the forty-seven (47) DSCs                       from meeting Technical Specification                  or any other aspects of the environment.
                                              affected were verified to meet the TS.                  1.2.4a of Attachment A of CoC No. 1004,                 Accordingly, the NRC staff concludes
                                              The applicant’s re-evaluation involved                  which limits the leak rate of the inner               that there are no significant
                                              verifying the ambient temperature when                  seal weld to 1.0 × 10–7 reference cubic               environmental impacts associated with
                                              the DSCs were loaded and applying the                   centimeters per second (ref cc/s) at the              the proposed action.
                                              appropriate temperature coefficient.                    highest DSC limiting pressure.
                                              However, the applicant stated that the                                                                        Alternative to the Proposed Action
                                                                                                      Need for the Proposed Action
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                                              actual temperature correction value                                                                             Because there is no significant
                                              datasheets could not be found for DSCs                    The exemption would relieve the                     environmental impact associated with
                                              93, 94, 100, 105, and 106 and that these                applicant from meeting Technical                      the proposed action, alternatives with
                                              canisters were loaded in the summer                     Specification (TS) 1.2.4a of Attachment               equal or greater environmental impact
                                              months when ambient conditions                          A of CoC No. 1004, which limits the                   were not evaluated. As an alternative to
                                              during helium leak testing would likely                 leak rate of the inner seal weld to 1.0 ×             the proposed action, the NRC staff
                                              have exceeded 23 °C, so the revised                     10¥7 ref cc/s at the highest DSC limiting             considered denial of the proposed


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                                              53352                     Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 171 / Thursday, September 3, 2015 / Notices

                                              action, which would force Duke Energy                   Commission has determined that an                     SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:       OSC is an
                                              to take actions that would involve                      environmental impact statement for the                independent agency responsible for,
                                              unloading the DSCs from the horizontal                  proposed exemption is not warranted                   among other things, (1) investigation of
                                              storage modules, transporting them to                   and that a finding of no significant                  allegations of prohibited personnel
                                              the cask handling area, opening,                        impact is appropriate.                                practices defined by law at 5 U.S.C.
                                              rewelding, and retesting the welds, and                    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 14 day          2302(b), protection of whistleblowers,
                                              transporting the DSCs back to the HSMs.                 of August, 2015.                                      and certain other illegal employment
                                              Denial of the exemption would result in                    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.             practices under titles 5 and 38 of the
                                              an increase in radiological exposure to                                                                       U.S. Code, affecting current or former
                                                                                                      Michele Sampson,
                                              workers, a small potential for                                                                                Federal employees or applicants for
                                                                                                      Branch Chief, Spent Fuel Licensing Branch,
                                              radioactive releases to the environment                                                                       employment, and covered state and
                                                                                                      Division of Spent Fuel Management, Office
                                              due to radioactive material handling                    of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.            local government employees; and (2) the
                                              accidents, and increased costs to the                                                                         interpretation and enforcement of Hatch
                                                                                                      [FR Doc. 2015–21819 Filed 9–2–15; 8:45 am]
                                              licensee. Therefore, the NRC staff has                                                                        Act provisions on political activity in
                                                                                                      BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
                                              determined that approving the proposed                                                                        chapters 15 and 73 of title 5 of the U.S.
                                              action has a lesser environmental                                                                             Code.
                                              impact than denying the proposed                                                                                 Title of Collection: Office of Special
                                              action.                                                 OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL                             Counsel (OSC) Annual Survey; OMB
                                              Agencies and Persons Consulted                          Survey Renewal for FY 2015—Request                    Control Number 3255–0003, Expiration
                                                                                                      for Comment                                           10/31/2015.
                                                 The EA associated with this                                                                                   OSC is required to conduct an annual
                                              exemption request was sent to the                       AGENCY:Office of Special Counsel.                     survey of individuals who seek its
                                              appropriate official of the South
                                                                                                            Second notice for public
                                                                                                      ACTION:                                               assistance. Section 13 of Public Law
                                              Carolina Department of Health and
                                                                                                      comment.                                              103–424 (1994), codified at 5 U.S.C.
                                              Environmental Control (SCDHEC) by
                                                                                                                                                            1212 note, states, in part: ‘‘[T]he survey
                                              email dated January 22, 2015 (ADAMS                     SUMMARY:   In accordance with the                     shall—(1) Determine if the individual
                                              Accession No. ML15055A604). The state                   Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44                   seeking assistance was fully apprised of
                                              response was received by email dated                    U.S.C. Chapter35), and implementing                   their rights; (2) determine whether the
                                              February 23, 2015 (ADAMS Accession                      regulations at 5 CFR part 1320, the U.S.              individual was successful either at the
                                              No. ML15055A620). The email states                      Office of Special Counsel (OSC), plans                Office of Special Counsel or the Merit
                                              that the SCDHEC has no comments. The                    to request approval from the Office of
                                              NRC staff has determined that a                                                                               Systems Protection Board; and (3)
                                                                                                      Management and Budget (OMB) for use                   determine if the individual, whether
                                              consultation under Section 7 of the                     of a previously approved information
                                              Endangered Species Act is not required,                                                                       successful or not, was satisfied with the
                                                                                                      collection consisting of an electronic                treatment received from the Office of
                                              because the proposed action will not                    survey form. The current OMB approval
                                              affect listed species or critical habitat.                                                                    Special Counsel.’’
                                                                                                      for the OSC Survey expires 10/31/15.                     The same section also provides that
                                              The NRC staff has also determined that                  We are submitting the electronic survey
                                              the proposed action is not a type of                                                                          survey results are to be published in
                                                                                                      for renewal, based on its pending                     OSC’s annual reports to Congress.
                                              activity that has the potential to impact               expiration. There are several changes
                                              historic properties, because the                                                                              Copies of prior years’ annual reports are
                                                                                                      being submitted with this request for                 available on OSC’s Web site, at
                                              proposed action would occur only                        renewal of the use of the OSC survey.
                                              within the established Oconee site                                                                            https://osc.gov/Pages/Resources-
                                                                                                      Current and former Federal employees,                 ReportsAndInfo.aspx or by calling OSC
                                              boundary. Therefore, no consultation is                 employee representatives, other Federal
                                              required under Section 106 of the                                                                             at (202) 254–3600. The survey form for
                                                                                                      agencies, state and local government                  the collection of information is available
                                              National Historic Preservation Act.                     employees, and the general public are                 by calling OSC at (202) 254–3600. Type
                                              III. Finding of No Significant Impact                   invited to comment on this for the                    of Information Collection Request:
                                                 The environmental impacts of the                     second time. Comments are invited on:                 Approval of previously approved
                                              proposed action have been reviewed in                   (a) Whether the proposed collection                   collection of information that expires on
                                              accordance with the requirements set                    consisting of our survey is necessary for             10/31/2015, with some revisions. The
                                              forth in 10 CFR part 51, ‘‘Environmental                the proper performance of OSC                         Disclosure Unit was added for the first
                                              Protection Regulations for Domestic                     functions, including whether the                      time to the electronic survey of
                                              Licensing and Related Regulatory                        information will have practical utility;              individuals with cases resolved in FY
                                              Functions.’’ Based upon the previously                  (b) the accuracy of OSC’s estimate of the             2014. The second major change is that
                                              mentioned EA, the Commission finds                      burden of the proposed collection of                  the survey is hosted by Survey Monkey,
                                              that the proposed action of granting an                 information; (c) ways to enhance the                  (https://www.surveymonkey.com) rather
                                              exemption from the requirements of 10                   quality, utility, and clarity of the                  than being an in-house supported IT
                                              CFR 72.212(a)(2), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3),                  information to be collected; and (d)                  tool. A future enhancement will add an
                                              10 CFR 72.212(b)(5)(i), 10 CFR 72.214,                  ways to minimize the burden of the                    additional question to the survey about
                                              the portion of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(11) that                collection of information on                          the user’s experience with our new OSC
                                              states the licensee shall comply with the               respondents, including through the use                Form 14 Wizard and electronic
                                              terms, conditions, and specifications of                of automated collection techniques or                 complaint form, which is currently in
                                                                                                      other forms of information technology.
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                              the CoC, in order to allow Duke Energy                                                                        development.
                                              to maintain DSCs numbers 93, 94, 100,                   DATES: Comments should be received by                    Affected public: Current and former
                                              105, and 106 in their current position at               October 5, 2015.                                      Federal employees, applicants for
                                              the ISFSI associated with the operation                 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karl                 Federal employment, state and local
                                              of Oconee, Units 1, 2, and 3, will not                  Kammann, Chief Financial Officer, at                  government employees, and their
                                              significantly impact the quality of the                 the address shown above; by facsimile                 representatives, and the general public.
                                              human environment. Accordingly, the                     at (202) 254–3711.                                       Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.


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Document Created: 2015-12-15 09:56:43
Document Modified: 2015-12-15 09:56:43
CategoryRegulatory Information
CollectionFederal Register
sudoc ClassAE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
SectionNotices
ActionEnvironmental assessment and finding of no significant impact; issuance.
DatesThe environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact are available as of September 3, 2015.
ContactJohn Vera, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555- 0001; telephone: 301-415-5790, email: [email protected]
FR Citation80 FR 53350 

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