81_FR_11646 81 FR 11603 - Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units 1, 2 and 3; Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation

81 FR 11603 - Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units 1, 2 and 3; Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 43 (March 4, 2016)

Page Range11603-11605
FR Document2016-04750

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of an exemption to Exelon Generation Company, LLC (hereafter, EGC or the applicant). EGC is the general licensee operating the Dresden Nuclear Power Station (DNPS) Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) located in Morris, Illinois. Specifically, EGC seeks authorization to load and store one DNPS Unit 1 thoria rod canister containing 18 DNPS Unit 1 thoria rods in a Holtec International, Inc., multi-purpose canister (MPC)-68M. Thoria rods are not approved for storage in the MPC-68M per Certificate of Compliance (CoC) No. 1014, Amendment 8, Rev. 1 \1\ Appendix B, ``Approved Contents and Design Features.'' EGC plans to load and store Holtec HI-STORM 100 spent fuel casks utilizing Amendment 8, Rev. 1 to CoC No. 1014 in the 2016 DNPS spent fuel loading campaign (SFLC). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Federal Register, Volume 81 Issue 43 (Friday, March 4, 2016)
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 43 (Friday, March 4, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11603-11605]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-04750]


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

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-010, 50-237, 50-249 and 72-37; NRC-2016-0047]


Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Dresden Nuclear Power 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 Exelon Generation Company, LLC (hereafter, 
EGC or the applicant). EGC is the general licensee operating the 
Dresden Nuclear Power Station (DNPS) Independent Spent Fuel Storage 
Installation (ISFSI) located in Morris, Illinois. Specifically, EGC 
seeks authorization to load and store one DNPS Unit 1 thoria rod 
canister containing 18 DNPS Unit 1 thoria rods in a Holtec 
International, Inc., multi-purpose canister (MPC)-68M. Thoria rods are 
not approved for storage in the MPC-68M per Certificate of Compliance 
(CoC) No. 1014, Amendment 8, Rev. 1 \1\ Appendix B, ``Approved Contents 
and Design Features.'' EGC plans to load and store Holtec HI-STORM 100 
spent fuel casks utilizing Amendment 8, Rev. 1 to CoC No. 1014 in the 
2016 DNPS spent fuel loading campaign (SFLC).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ The licensee's application referred to Amendment 8; since 
that time, Amendment 8 has been revised. (On February 16, 2016, 
Amendment 8, Rev. 1 to CoC 1014 became effective.) This revision 
does not impact the exemption request that is the subject of this 
environmental assessment because none of the changes in the revision 
revised the thoria contents or the physical characteristics of the 
storage cask.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2016-0047 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-2016-0047. 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]. For 
the convenience of the reader, the ADAMS accession numbers are provided 
in a table in the ``Availability of Documents,'' Section IV of this 
document.

[[Page 11604]]

     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: Bernard White, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-6577, email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction

    The NRC is considering issuance of an exemption from the spent fuel 
storage requirements applicable to EGC to operate an ISFSI at the DNPS 
located in Morris, Illinois. As required by Sec.  51.30 of title 10 of 
the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), the NRC performed an 
environmental assessment. Based on the results of the environmental 
assessment, the NRC has determined not to prepare an environmental 
impact statement for the exemption, and is issuing a finding of no 
significant impact.
    Exelon Generation Company holds a general license under 10 CFR part 
72 for the storage of spent fuel in the DNPS ISFSI. The applicant is 
subject to 10 CFR 72.212, which provides in part that the general 
license is limited to storage of spent fuel in casks approved under the 
provisions of 10 CFR part 72. The general licensee must ensure that 
each cask used conforms to the terms, conditions, and specifications of 
a CoC, or an amended CoC, listed in Section 72.214.
    The applicant requested an exemption which would allow storage in 
the Holtec HI-STORM MPC-68M of a DNPS Unit 1 thoria rod canister 
containing 18 DNPS Unit 1 thoria rods. Specifically, the applicant 
requested an exemption from 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3) and the portion of 10 
CFR 72.212(b)(11) that requires compliance with the terms, conditions, 
and specifications of CoC No. 1014, Amendment No. 8, Rev. 1. In 
evaluating the request, the NRC is also considering, pursuant to 
authority in 72.7, exemption from similar requirements in 10 CFR 
72.212(a)(2), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(5)(i); and 10 CFR 72.214, ``List of 
approved spent fuel storage casks.'' The NRC staff is performing a 
technical review of the exemption request and will prepare a separate 
Federal Register notice to document the NRC review of the structural 
integrity, criticality control, thermal, shielding, and confinement 
design functions for a loaded DNPS Unit 1 thoria rod canister. The NRC 
staff's decision whether to issue the exemption to EGC as proposed, 
will be based on the results of the NRC staff's review as documented in 
this environmental assessment and in the separate Federal Register 
Notice.

II. Environmental Assessment

Description of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would exempt EGC from specific portions of the 
requirements of 10 CFR 72.212, ``Conditions of general license issued 
under Sec.  72.210,'' specifically 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 10 CFR 
72.212(b)(3), 72.212(b)(5)(i), a portion of 72.212(b)(11), and 10 CFR 
72.214, ``List of approved spent fuel storage casks.'' The proposed 
exemption request pertains to the requirements of CoC No. 1014, 
Amendment 8, Rev. 1, Appendix B, ``Approved Contents and Design 
Features,'' Table 2.1-1, ``Fuel Assembly Limits.'' The addition of a 
new multi-purpose canister (MPC)-68M to the approved models included in 
CoC No. 1014 was one of the additions included in Amendment 8. Thoria 
rods are approved content for the MPC-68F, MPC-68, and MPC-68FF. 
However, Appendix B, Table 2.1-1, Section VI, does not include, as 
approved content, thoria rods for storage in the MPC-68M. For the DNPS 
ISFSI, the exemption would allow ECG to deviate from the requirements 
of CoC No. 1014, Amendment 8, Rev. 1 by permitting the storage of 
thoria rods in the MPC-68M.

Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would relieve the applicant from requirements 
of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 72.212(b)(3), 72.212(b)(5)(i), the portion of 
72.212(b)(11) which states that ``The licensee shall comply with the 
terms, conditions, and specifications of the CoC . . .'', and 10 CFR 
72.214, ``List of approved spent fuel storage casks.'' The applicant 
maintains that loading the thoria rod canister during the 2016 DNPS 
SFLC is part of a program to ensure full core discharge capability. If 
not loaded during the 2016 DNPS SFLC, EGC states that it would not be 
able to load and store the DNPS Unit 1 thoria rod canister until 2018.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    In the preparation of this Environmental Assessment, the staff used 
guidance in NUREG-1748, ``Environmental Review Guidance for Licensing 
Actions Associated with NMSS Programs.''
    The staff evaluated the environmental impacts associated with this 
exemption. The NRC staff determined that non-radiological environmental 
impacts from approval of the exemption would not change from those 
evaluated in CoC 1014, Amendment Nos. 1 and 8, because: (1) The 
proposed action would not involve any construction activities, land 
disturbance, excavation, physical changes to the DNPS facilities, or 
changes in land use; (2) operation of the ISFSI does not require usage 
of water resources; and (3) the ISFSI does not generate gaseous, 
liquid, or solid effluents or wastes during operation. Therefore, there 
are no significant non-radiological impacts associated with the 
proposed action.
    The NRC staff also determined that the radiological doses to 
workers and to the public associated with the proposed action are 
bounded by previous analyses for CoC 1014, Amendment No. 8, and that 
radiological doses would be below the NRC's regulatory limits in 10 CFR 
part 20 and Part 72. In prior NRC staff reviews of CoC 1014, Amendment 
Nos. 1 and 8, the NRC staff concluded that the Metamic-HT basket in the 
MPC-68M has very little effect on the external dose rate; and a single 
thoria rod canister, while unbounded in part of the gamma source 
spectrum, will not impact cask external dose rates. Additionally, the 
NRC staff determined that the proposed action will not increase the 
probability or consequences of accidents since the exemption would 
authorize loading of a different type of fuel assembly, but use the 
same procedures for loading, preparation for storage, and storage as 
all other fuel assemblies. No changes are being made in the types or 
quantities of 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. Based on these findings, the NRC 
concludes that there are no significant environmental impacts 
associated with the approval of the exemption.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    An alternative to the proposed exemption request would be for 
Holtec, the CoC holder, to submit an amendment request for Certificate 
of Compliance No. 1014, which the NRC would need to review for 
approval. The NRC review and approval of an amendment request would 
result in a delay in the loading and storage of the DNPS Unit 1 thoria 
rod canister. EGC plans to load the thoria rod canister during the DNPS 
2016 SFLC as part of a program to ensure full core discharge 
capability. In order to load the thoria

[[Page 11605]]

rod canister during the spring 2016 SFLC campaign, EGC stated that it 
must finalize fuel loading package documentation by December 2015.
    Based on the amount of time generally required to review and 
approve CoC amendment requests (e.g., 18 months to 27 months), there 
would not be adequate time for development of fuel loading packages. 
The timing constraints would also extend beyond the scheduled start of 
the DNPS SFLC campaign in Spring 2016. According to EGC, delaying the 
approval to mid-2016 or beyond would delay EGC's ability to have full-
core offload capability in the DNPS spent fuel pool until spring 2018. 
This alternative is not considered further because it does not meet the 
purpose and need of the proposed action.
    As another alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered 
denial of the exemption request (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative). 
This alternative would have the same environmental impacts as the 
proposed action. In the event that the NRC denied the requested 
exemption, EGC would continue to operate under the requirements of the 
current Holtec HI-STORM CoC, which has previously been determined to 
have no significant impacts. The potential environmental impact of 
using the Holtec HI-STORM system was initially analyzed in the 
environmental assessment for the final rule (65 FR 25241; May 1, 2000) 
to add the Holtec HI-STORM system to the list of approved spent fuel 
storage casks in 10 CFR 72.214. The environmental assessment for the 
May 1, 2000, final rule concluded that there would be no significant 
environmental impact for adding the Holtec HI-STORM system, and 
therefore, the NRC issued a finding of no significant impact.

Alternative Use of Resources

    This action does not impact any resource implications discussed in 
previous environmental reviews.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The staff consulted with Mr. Joseph Klinger, Assistant Director of 
the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) by email, regarding the 
environmental impact of the proposed action. The State's response was 
received by email dated October 28, 2015. The email response states 
that IEMA reviewed the draft environmental assessment and found ``no 
basis for denial of this Exemption Request.'' Mr. Klinger concurred 
with the environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact.
    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 within the established DNPS site boundary. 
Therefore, no consultation is required under Section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    The NRC staff has reviewed EGC's exemption request to authorize EGC 
to load and store one DNPS Unit 1 thoria rod canister containing 18 
DNPS Unit 1 thoria rods in the DNPS ISFSI. Based on its review of the 
proposed action, in accordance with the requirements in 10 CFR part 51, 
the NRC staff has determined that approval of the exemption from the 
requirements of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3), 
72.212(b)(5)(i), a portion of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(11), and 10 CFR 72.214 
to allow EGC to load and store one DNPS Unit 1 thoria rod canister 
containing 18 DNPS Unit 1 thoria rods in CoC No. 1014, Amendment 8, 
Revision 1, will not significantly affect the quality of the human 
environment. For these reasons, NRC has determined that pursuant to 10 
CFR 51.31, preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement is not 
required for the proposed action, and pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, a 
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate.

IV. Availability of Documents

    The documents identified in the following table are available to 
interested persons through one or more of the methods indicated in the 
ADDRESSES section.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                               ADAMS
                        Document                           Accession No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exelon Generation Company (EGC) application dated            ML15029A334
 January 29, 2015.......................................
EGC supplement dated June 8, 2015.......................     ML15159A745
NRC email dated October 21, 2015, to Illinois Emergency      ML15323A022
 Management Agency (IEMA) forwarding draft environmental
 assessment and IEMA response dated October 28, 2015, to
 draft environmental assessment.........................
Holtec HI-STORM final rule..............................     ML010670391
NUREG-1748, ``Environmental Review Guidance for              ML032450279
 Licensing Actions Associated with NMSS Programs''......
------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 25th day of February, 2016.
    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Steve Ruffin,
Acting Chief, Spent Fuel Licensing Branch, Division of Spent Fuel 
Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2016-04750 Filed 3-3-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P



                                                                                  Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 43 / Friday, March 4, 2016 / Notices                                                      11603

                                                  therefore, special circumstances are                    administrative in nature, and does not                SUMMARY:   The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
                                                  present.                                                impact the probability or consequences                Commission (NRC) is considering
                                                                                                          of accidents.                                         issuance of an exemption to Exelon
                                                  Eligibility for Categorical Exclusion
                                                                                                            (vi) The requirements from which an                 Generation Company, LLC (hereafter,
                                                  From Environmental Review
                                                                                                          exemption is sought involve:                          EGC or the applicant). EGC is the
                                                     With respect to the exemption’s                        (B) Reporting requirements;                         general licensee operating the Dresden
                                                  impact on the quality of the human                        The exemption request involves                      Nuclear Power Station (DNPS)
                                                  environment, the NRC has determined                     submitting an updated COL application                 Independent Spent Fuel Storage
                                                  that this specific exemption request is                 by DEP and                                            Installation (ISFSI) located in Morris,
                                                  eligible for categorical exclusion as                     (G) Scheduling requirements;                        Illinois. Specifically, EGC seeks
                                                  identified in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25) and                     The proposed exemption relates to the               authorization to load and store one
                                                  justified by the NRC staff as follows:                  schedule for submitting a COL                         DNPS Unit 1 thoria rod canister
                                                     (c) The following categories of actions              application update to the NRC.                        containing 18 DNPS Unit 1 thoria rods
                                                  are categorical exclusions provided that:                                                                     in a Holtec International, Inc., multi-
                                                     (i) There is no significant hazards                  IV. Conclusion
                                                                                                                                                                purpose canister (MPC)–68M. Thoria
                                                  consideration;                                             Accordingly, the Commission has                    rods are not approved for storage in the
                                                     The criteria for determining whether                 determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR                   MPC–68M per Certificate of Compliance
                                                  there is no significant hazards                         50.12(a), the exemption is authorized by              (CoC) No. 1014, Amendment 8, Rev. 1 1
                                                  consideration are found in 10 CFR                       law, will not present an undue risk to                Appendix B, ‘‘Approved Contents and
                                                  50.92. The proposed action involves                     the public health and safety, and is                  Design Features.’’ EGC plans to load and
                                                  only a schedule change regarding the                    consistent with the common defense                    store Holtec HI–STORM 100 spent fuel
                                                  submission of an update to the                          and security. Also special circumstances              casks utilizing Amendment 8, Rev. 1 to
                                                  application for which the licensing                     are present. Therefore, the Commission                CoC No. 1014 in the 2016 DNPS spent
                                                  review has been suspended. Therefore,                   hereby grants DEP a one-time exemption                fuel loading campaign (SFLC).
                                                  there are no significant hazards                        from the requirements of 10 CFR part 50
                                                  considerations because granting the                                                                           ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID
                                                                                                          Appendix E, Section I.5 pertaining to
                                                  proposed exemption would not:                                                                                 NRC–2016–0047 when contacting the
                                                                                                          the Harris Units 2 and 3 COL
                                                     (1) Involve a significant increase in                                                                      NRC about the availability of
                                                                                                          application to allow submittal of the
                                                  the probability or consequences of an                                                                         information regarding this document.
                                                                                                          revised COL application that complies
                                                  accident previously evaluated; or                                                                             You may obtain publicly-available
                                                                                                          with the enhancements to the EP rules
                                                     (2) Create the possibility of a new or                                                                     information related to this document
                                                                                                          prior to any request to the NRC to
                                                  different kind of accident from any                                                                           using any of the following methods:
                                                                                                          resume the review, and in any event, no                  • Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to
                                                  accident previously evaluated; or                       later than December 31, 2016.
                                                     (3) Involve a significant reduction in                                                                     http://www.regulations.gov and search
                                                                                                             Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.22, the
                                                  a margin of safety.                                                                                           for Docket ID NRC–2016–0047. Address
                                                                                                          Commission has determined that the
                                                     (ii) There is no significant change in                                                                     questions about NRC dockets to Carol
                                                                                                          exemption request meets the applicable
                                                  the types or significant increase in the                                                                      Gallagher; telephone: 301–415–3463;
                                                                                                          categorical exclusion criteria set forth in
                                                  amounts of any effluents that may be                                                                          email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. For
                                                                                                          10 CFR 51.22(c)(25), and the granting of
                                                  released offsite;                                                                                             technical questions, contact the
                                                     The proposed action involves only a                  this exemption will not have a
                                                                                                                                                                individual listed in the FOR FURTHER
                                                  schedule change which is                                significant effect on the quality of the
                                                                                                                                                                INFORMATION CONTACT section of this
                                                  administrative in nature, and does not                  human environment.
                                                                                                                                                                document.
                                                  involve any changes to be made in the                      This exemption is effective upon                      • NRC’s Agencywide Documents
                                                  types or significant increase in the                    issuance.                                             Access and Management System
                                                  amounts of effluents that may be                          Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 26th day         (ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-
                                                  released offsite.                                       of February 2016.                                     available documents online in the
                                                     (iii) There is no significant increase in              For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.              ADAMS Public Documents collection at
                                                  individual or cumulative public or                      Francis M. Akstulewicz,                               http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
                                                  occupational radiation exposure;                        Director, Division of New Reactor Licensing,          adams.html. To begin the search, select
                                                     Since the proposed action involves                   Office of New Reactors.                               ‘‘ADAMS Public Documents’’ and then
                                                  only a schedule change which is                         [FR Doc. 2016–04850 Filed 3–3–16; 8:45 am]            select ‘‘Begin Web-based ADAMS
                                                  administrative in nature, it does not                   BILLING CODE 7590–01–P                                Search.’’ For problems with ADAMS,
                                                  contribute to any significant increase in                                                                     please contact the NRC’s Public
                                                  occupational or public radiation                                                                              Document Room (PDR) reference staff at
                                                  exposure.                                               NUCLEAR REGULATORY                                    1–800–397–4209, 301–415–4737, or by
                                                     (iv) There is no significant                         COMMISSION                                            email to pdr.resource@nrc.gov. For the
                                                  construction impact;                                                                                          convenience of the reader, the ADAMS
                                                     The proposed action involves only a                  [Docket No. 50–010, 50–237, 50–249 and 72–
                                                                                                          37; NRC–2016–0047]                                    accession numbers are provided in a
                                                  schedule change which is                                                                                      table in the ‘‘Availability of
                                                  administrative in nature; the application
                                                                                                          Exelon Generation Company, LLC;                       Documents,’’ Section IV of this
                                                  review is suspended until further
                                                                                                          Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units                  document.
                                                  notice, and there is no consideration of
                                                                                                          1, 2 and 3; Independent Spent Fuel
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                                  any construction at this time, and hence                                                                         1 The licensee’s application referred to
                                                  the proposed action does not involve                    Storage Installation
                                                                                                                                                                Amendment 8; since that time, Amendment 8 has
                                                  any construction impact.                                AGENCY:  Nuclear Regulatory                           been revised. (On February 16, 2016, Amendment
                                                     (v) There is no significant increase in              Commission.                                           8, Rev. 1 to CoC 1014 became effective.) This
                                                  the potential for or consequences from                                                                        revision does not impact the exemption request that
                                                                                                          ACTION: Environmental assessment and                  is the subject of this environmental assessment
                                                  radiological accidents; and                             finding of no significant impact;                     because none of the changes in the revision revised
                                                     The proposed action involves only a                                                                        the thoria contents or the physical characteristics of
                                                                                                          issuance.
                                                  schedule change which is                                                                                      the storage cask.



                                             VerDate Sep<11>2014   15:22 Mar 03, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00096   Fmt 4703   Sfmt 4703   E:\FR\FM\04MRN1.SGM   04MRN1


                                                  11604                           Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 43 / Friday, March 4, 2016 / Notices

                                                    • NRC’s PDR: You may examine and                      issue the exemption to EGC as                         radiological environmental impacts
                                                  purchase copies of public documents at                  proposed, will be based on the results                from approval of the exemption would
                                                  the NRC’s PDR, Room O1–F21, One                         of the NRC staff’s review as documented               not change from those evaluated in CoC
                                                  White Flint North, 11555 Rockville                      in this environmental assessment and in               1014, Amendment Nos. 1 and 8,
                                                  Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.                        the separate Federal Register Notice.                 because: (1) The proposed action would
                                                  FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:                                                                              not involve any construction activities,
                                                                                                          II. Environmental Assessment                          land disturbance, excavation, physical
                                                  Bernard White, Office of Nuclear
                                                  Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S.                    Description of the Proposed Action                    changes to the DNPS facilities, or
                                                  Nuclear Regulatory Commission,                                                                                changes in land use; (2) operation of the
                                                                                                             The proposed action would exempt
                                                  Washington, DC 20555–0001; telephone:                                                                         ISFSI does not require usage of water
                                                                                                          EGC from specific portions of the
                                                  301–415–6577, email: Bernard.White@                                                                           resources; and (3) the ISFSI does not
                                                                                                          requirements of 10 CFR 72.212,
                                                  nrc.gov.                                                                                                      generate gaseous, liquid, or solid
                                                                                                          ‘‘Conditions of general license issued
                                                                                                                                                                effluents or wastes during operation.
                                                  SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:                              under § 72.210,’’ specifically 10 CFR
                                                                                                                                                                Therefore, there are no significant non-
                                                                                                          72.212(a)(2), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3),
                                                  I. Introduction                                                                                               radiological impacts associated with the
                                                                                                          72.212(b)(5)(i), a portion of                         proposed action.
                                                     The NRC is considering issuance of an                72.212(b)(11), and 10 CFR 72.214, ‘‘List                 The NRC staff also determined that
                                                  exemption from the spent fuel storage                   of approved spent fuel storage casks.’’               the radiological doses to workers and to
                                                  requirements applicable to EGC to                       The proposed exemption request                        the public associated with the proposed
                                                  operate an ISFSI at the DNPS located in                 pertains to the requirements of CoC No.               action are bounded by previous analyses
                                                  Morris, Illinois. As required by § 51.30                1014, Amendment 8, Rev. 1, Appendix                   for CoC 1014, Amendment No. 8, and
                                                  of title 10 of the Code of Federal                      B, ‘‘Approved Contents and Design                     that radiological doses would be below
                                                  Regulations (10 CFR), the NRC                           Features,’’ Table 2.1–1, ‘‘Fuel Assembly              the NRC’s regulatory limits in 10 CFR
                                                  performed an environmental                              Limits.’’ The addition of a new multi-                part 20 and Part 72. In prior NRC staff
                                                  assessment. Based on the results of the                 purpose canister (MPC)–68M to the                     reviews of CoC 1014, Amendment Nos.
                                                  environmental assessment, the NRC has                   approved models included in CoC No.                   1 and 8, the NRC staff concluded that
                                                  determined not to prepare an                            1014 was one of the additions included                the Metamic-HT basket in the MPC–
                                                  environmental impact statement for the                  in Amendment 8. Thoria rods are                       68M has very little effect on the external
                                                  exemption, and is issuing a finding of                  approved content for the MPC–68F,                     dose rate; and a single thoria rod
                                                  no significant impact.                                  MPC–68, and MPC–68FF. However,                        canister, while unbounded in part of the
                                                     Exelon Generation Company holds a                    Appendix B, Table 2.1–1, Section VI,                  gamma source spectrum, will not
                                                  general license under 10 CFR part 72 for                does not include, as approved content,                impact cask external dose rates.
                                                  the storage of spent fuel in the DNPS                   thoria rods for storage in the MPC–68M.               Additionally, the NRC staff determined
                                                  ISFSI. The applicant is subject to 10                   For the DNPS ISFSI, the exemption                     that the proposed action will not
                                                  CFR 72.212, which provides in part that                 would allow ECG to deviate from the                   increase the probability or consequences
                                                  the general license is limited to storage               requirements of CoC No. 1014,                         of accidents since the exemption would
                                                  of spent fuel in casks approved under                   Amendment 8, Rev. 1 by permitting the                 authorize loading of a different type of
                                                  the provisions of 10 CFR part 72. The                   storage of thoria rods in the MPC–68M.                fuel assembly, but use the same
                                                  general licensee must ensure that each                                                                        procedures for loading, preparation for
                                                  cask used conforms to the terms,                        Need for the Proposed Action
                                                                                                                                                                storage, and storage as all other fuel
                                                  conditions, and specifications of a CoC,                   The proposed action would relieve                  assemblies. No changes are being made
                                                  or an amended CoC, listed in Section                    the applicant from requirements of 10                 in the types or quantities of effluents
                                                  72.214.                                                 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 72.212(b)(3),                       that may be released offsite, and there
                                                     The applicant requested an exemption                 72.212(b)(5)(i), the portion of                       is no significant increase in
                                                  which would allow storage in the Holtec                 72.212(b)(11) which states that ‘‘The                 occupational or public radiation
                                                  HI–STORM MPC–68M of a DNPS Unit                         licensee shall comply with the terms,                 exposure. Therefore, there are no
                                                  1 thoria rod canister containing 18                     conditions, and specifications of the                 significant radiological environmental
                                                  DNPS Unit 1 thoria rods. Specifically,                  CoC . . .’’, and 10 CFR 72.214, ‘‘List of             impacts associated with the proposed
                                                  the applicant requested an exemption                    approved spent fuel storage casks.’’ The              action. Based on these findings, the NRC
                                                  from 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3) and the                        applicant maintains that loading the                  concludes that there are no significant
                                                  portion of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(11) that                    thoria rod canister during the 2016                   environmental impacts associated with
                                                  requires compliance with the terms,                     DNPS SFLC is part of a program to                     the approval of the exemption.
                                                  conditions, and specifications of CoC                   ensure full core discharge capability. If
                                                  No. 1014, Amendment No. 8, Rev. 1. In                   not loaded during the 2016 DNPS SFLC,                 Environmental Impacts of the
                                                  evaluating the request, the NRC is also                 EGC states that it would not be able to               Alternatives to the Proposed Action
                                                  considering, pursuant to authority in                   load and store the DNPS Unit 1 thoria                   An alternative to the proposed
                                                  72.7, exemption from similar                            rod canister until 2018.                              exemption request would be for Holtec,
                                                  requirements in 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 10                                                                       the CoC holder, to submit an
                                                  CFR 72.212(b)(5)(i); and 10 CFR 72.214,                 Environmental Impacts of the Proposed                 amendment request for Certificate of
                                                  ‘‘List of approved spent fuel storage                   Action                                                Compliance No. 1014, which the NRC
                                                  casks.’’ The NRC staff is performing a                     In the preparation of this                         would need to review for approval. The
                                                  technical review of the exemption                       Environmental Assessment, the staff                   NRC review and approval of an
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                                  request and will prepare a separate                     used guidance in NUREG–1748,                          amendment request would result in a
                                                  Federal Register notice to document the                 ‘‘Environmental Review Guidance for                   delay in the loading and storage of the
                                                  NRC review of the structural integrity,                 Licensing Actions Associated with                     DNPS Unit 1 thoria rod canister. EGC
                                                  criticality control, thermal, shielding,                NMSS Programs.’’                                      plans to load the thoria rod canister
                                                  and confinement design functions for a                     The staff evaluated the environmental              during the DNPS 2016 SFLC as part of
                                                  loaded DNPS Unit 1 thoria rod canister.                 impacts associated with this exemption.               a program to ensure full core discharge
                                                  The NRC staff’s decision whether to                     The NRC staff determined that non-                    capability. In order to load the thoria


                                             VerDate Sep<11>2014   15:22 Mar 03, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00097   Fmt 4703   Sfmt 4703   E:\FR\FM\04MRN1.SGM   04MRN1


                                                                                            Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 43 / Friday, March 4, 2016 / Notices                                                                                     11605

                                                  rod canister during the spring 2016                                    10 CFR 72.214. The environmental                                        Therefore, no consultation is required
                                                  SFLC campaign, EGC stated that it must                                 assessment for the May 1, 2000, final                                   under Section 106 of the National
                                                  finalize fuel loading package                                          rule concluded that there would be no                                   Historic Preservation Act.
                                                  documentation by December 2015.                                        significant environmental impact for
                                                     Based on the amount of time generally                               adding the Holtec HI–STORM system,                                      III. Finding of No Significant Impact
                                                  required to review and approve CoC                                     and therefore, the NRC issued a finding                                    The NRC staff has reviewed EGC’s
                                                  amendment requests (e.g., 18 months to                                 of no significant impact.                                               exemption request to authorize EGC to
                                                  27 months), there would not be                                                                                                                 load and store one DNPS Unit 1 thoria
                                                  adequate time for development of fuel                                  Alternative Use of Resources
                                                                                                                                                                                                 rod canister containing 18 DNPS Unit 1
                                                  loading packages. The timing                                             This action does not impact any
                                                                                                                                                                                                 thoria rods in the DNPS ISFSI. Based on
                                                  constraints would also extend beyond                                   resource implications discussed in
                                                                                                                                                                                                 its review of the proposed action, in
                                                  the scheduled start of the DNPS SFLC                                   previous environmental reviews.
                                                                                                                                                                                                 accordance with the requirements in 10
                                                  campaign in Spring 2016. According to
                                                                                                                         Agencies and Persons Consulted                                          CFR part 51, the NRC staff has
                                                  EGC, delaying the approval to mid-2016
                                                                                                                            The staff consulted with Mr. Joseph                                  determined that approval of the
                                                  or beyond would delay EGC’s ability to
                                                                                                                         Klinger, Assistant Director of the Illinois                             exemption from the requirements of 10
                                                  have full-core offload capability in the
                                                                                                                         Emergency Management Agency (IEMA)                                      CFR 72.212(a)(2), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3),
                                                  DNPS spent fuel pool until spring 2018.
                                                                                                                         by email, regarding the environmental                                   72.212(b)(5)(i), a portion of 10 CFR
                                                  This alternative is not considered
                                                                                                                         impact of the proposed action. The                                      72.212(b)(11), and 10 CFR 72.214 to
                                                  further because it does not meet the
                                                                                                                         State’s response was received by email                                  allow EGC to load and store one DNPS
                                                  purpose and need of the proposed
                                                                                                                         dated October 28, 2015. The email                                       Unit 1 thoria rod canister containing 18
                                                  action.
                                                     As another alternative to the proposed                              response states that IEMA reviewed the                                  DNPS Unit 1 thoria rods in CoC No.
                                                  action, the staff considered denial of the                             draft environmental assessment and                                      1014, Amendment 8, Revision 1, will
                                                  exemption request (i.e., the ‘‘no-action’’                             found ‘‘no basis for denial of this                                     not significantly affect the quality of the
                                                  alternative). This alternative would have                              Exemption Request.’’ Mr. Klinger                                        human environment. For these reasons,
                                                  the same environmental impacts as the                                  concurred with the environmental                                        NRC has determined that pursuant to 10
                                                  proposed action. In the event that the                                 assessment and finding of no significant                                CFR 51.31, preparation of an
                                                  NRC denied the requested exemption,                                    impact.                                                                 Environmental Impact Statement is not
                                                  EGC would continue to operate under                                       The NRC staff has determined that a                                  required for the proposed action, and
                                                  the requirements of the current Holtec                                 consultation under Section 7 of the                                     pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, a Finding of
                                                  HI–STORM CoC, which has previously                                     Endangered Species Act is not required                                  No Significant Impact (FONSI) is
                                                  been determined to have no significant                                 because the proposed action will not                                    appropriate.
                                                  impacts. The potential environmental                                   affect listed species or critical habitat.                              IV. Availability of Documents
                                                  impact of using the Holtec HI–STORM                                    The NRC staff has also determined that
                                                  system was initially analyzed in the                                   the proposed action is not a type of                                      The documents identified in the
                                                  environmental assessment for the final                                 activity that has the potential to impact                               following table are available to
                                                  rule (65 FR 25241; May 1, 2000) to add                                 historic properties because the proposed                                interested persons through one or more
                                                  the Holtec HI–STORM system to the list                                 action would occur within the                                           of the methods indicated in the
                                                  of approved spent fuel storage casks in                                established DNPS site boundary.                                         ADDRESSES section.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   ADAMS
                                                                                                                                        Document                                                                                                Accession No.

                                                  Exelon Generation Company (EGC) application dated January 29, 2015 .........................................................................................                                  ML15029A334
                                                  EGC supplement dated June 8, 2015 .................................................................................................................................................           ML15159A745
                                                  NRC email dated October 21, 2015, to Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) forwarding draft environmental assess-
                                                    ment and IEMA response dated October 28, 2015, to draft environmental assessment ...............................................................                                            ML15323A022
                                                  Holtec HI–STORM final rule ................................................................................................................................................................   ML010670391
                                                  NUREG–1748, ‘‘Environmental Review Guidance for Licensing Actions Associated with NMSS Programs’’ ..................................                                                          ML032450279



                                                     Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 25th day                         NUCLEAR REGULATORY                                                      Week of March 14, 2016—Tentative
                                                  of February, 2016.                                                     COMMISSION
                                                     For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.                                                                                                      Tuesday, March 15, 2016
                                                  Steve Ruffin,                                                          [NRC–2016–0001]                                                         9:00 a.m. Briefing on Power Reactor
                                                  Acting Chief, Spent Fuel Licensing Branch,                                                                                                         Decommissioning Rulemaking
                                                  Division of Spent Fuel Management, Office                              Sunshine Act Meeting                                                        (Public Meeting) (Contact: Jason
                                                  of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.                                                                                                         Carneal: 301–415–1451)
                                                  [FR Doc. 2016–04750 Filed 3–3–16; 8:45 am]                             DATES:       March 7, 14, 21, 28, April 4, 11,
                                                                                                                                                                                                   This meeting will be webcast live at
                                                  BILLING CODE 7590–01–P                                                 2016.
                                                                                                                                                                                                 the Web address—http://www.nrc.gov/.
                                                                                                                         PLACE:Commissioners’ Conference
                                                                                                                                                                                                 Thursday, March 17, 2016
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                                                                                                         Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
                                                                                                                         Maryland.                                                               9:30 a.m. Meeting with the Advisory
                                                                                                                         STATUS:       Public and Closed.                                            Committee on the Medical Uses of
                                                                                                                                                                                                     Isotopes (Public Meeting) (Contact:
                                                                                                                         Week of March 7, 2016                                                       Douglas Bollock: 301–415–6609)
                                                                                                                           There are no meetings scheduled for                                     This meeting will be webcast live at
                                                                                                                         the week of March 7, 2016.                                              the Web address—http://www.nrc.gov/.


                                             VerDate Sep<11>2014        15:22 Mar 03, 2016        Jkt 238001     PO 00000       Frm 00098       Fmt 4703      Sfmt 4703      E:\FR\FM\04MRN1.SGM             04MRN1



Document Created: 2018-02-02 15:05:53
Document Modified: 2018-02-02 15:05:53
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.
ContactBernard White, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-6577, email: [email protected]
FR Citation81 FR 11603 

2025 Federal Register | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy
USC | CFR | eCFR