82 FR 3028 - FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company; Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, Unit No. 1

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 6 (January 10, 2017)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of an amendment to Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF- 3 for the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, Unit No. 1 (Davis-Besse), as requested by FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC, the licensee).

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 10, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3028-3030]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-00263]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-346; NRC-2010-0298]


FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company; Davis-Besse Nuclear Power 
Station, Unit No. 1

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

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

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an amendment to Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-
3 for the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, Unit No. 1 (Davis-Besse), 
as requested by FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC, the 
licensee).

DATES: The environmental assessment (EA) referenced in this document is 
available on January 10, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2010-0298 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-2010-0298. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this document.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents collection at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and 
then select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, 
please contact the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 
1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by email to [email protected]. The

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ADAMS accession number for each document referenced (if it is available 
in ADAMS) is provided the first time that it is mentioned in this 
document.
     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: Blake Purnell, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-1380; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    The NRC is considering issuance of an amendment to Renewed Facility 
Operating License No. NPF-3, issued to FENOC, for Davis-Besse, located 
on the south-western shore of Lake Erie in Ottawa County, Ohio, 
approximately 21 miles east of Toledo, Ohio. The proposed amendment 
would revise Davis-Besse Technical Specification (TS) 5.5.3, 
``Radioactive Effluent Controls Program,'' to allow an increase in the 
instantaneous concentrations of radioactive material released in liquid 
effluents and an increase in the instantaneous dose rates from 
radioactive material released in gaseous effluents. The licensee would 
continue to maintain the same TS and regulatory limitations on the 
overall level of effluent control at Davis-Besse, including limitations 
on the dose to a member of the public in an unrestricted area. In 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 
amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and section 51.21 of title 10 of the 
Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), the NRC performed an EA. Based on 
the results of the EA that follows, the NRC has concluded that the 
proposed action will have no significant environmental impact, and is 
issuing a finding of no significant impact.

II. Environmental Assessment

Description of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would revise the radiological effluent controls 
program in Davis-Besse TS 5.5.3, specifically TS 5.5.3.b and TS 
5.5.3.g, to be consistent with TS 5.5.4.b and TS 5.5.4.g, respectively, 
in NUREG-1430, ``Standard Technical Specifications, Babcock and Wilcox 
Plants,'' Revision 4.0, published in April 2012 (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML12100A177). TS 5.5.4, ``Radiological Effluent Controls Program,'' of 
NUREG-1430, Revision 4.0, contains guidance on the standard format and 
content of the TSs for the implementation of certain 10 CFR 50.36a 
requirements applicable to Davis-Besse. In June 1999, the NRC approved 
Technical Specification Task Force (TSTF) Traveler TSTF-258, Revision 
4, ``Changes to Section 5.0, Administrative Controls'' (ADAMS Accession 
No. ML040620102), which included similar changes to the radioactive 
effluents control program to what the licensee has proposed. The 
changes in TSTF-258, Revision 4, were subsequently incorporated into 
NUREG-1430.
    Davis-Besse TS 5.5.3.b provides limitations on the instantaneous 
concentrations of radioactive material in liquid effluents released to 
unrestricted areas. Currently, the licensee may release liquid 
effluents with instantaneous radioactive material concentrations less 
than or equal to the average annual concentration values in 10 CFR part 
20, appendix B, Table 2, Column 2. The proposed change would allow the 
licensee to release liquid effluents with instantaneous radioactive 
material concentrations up to 10 times the annual average concentration 
values in 10 CFR part 20, appendix B, Table 2, Column 2. The current 
limits are equivalent to a dose rate limit of 50 millirem (mrem) per 
year (approximately 0.0057 mrem per hour). The revised limits are 
equivalent to a dose rate limit of 500 mrem per year (approximately 
0.057 mrem per hour).
    Davis-Besse TS 5.5.3.g provides limitations on the instantaneous 
dose rate resulting from radioactive material released in gaseous 
effluent from the site. The licensee proposes to change the 
instantaneous dose rate limits in TS 5.5.3.g such that they are no 
longer based on the average annual effluent concentrations in air that 
are tabulated in 10 CFR part 20, appendix B, Table 2, Column 1. The 
current limits correspond to a dose rate limit of 50 mrem 
(approximately 0.0057 mrem per hour) per year for inhalation of the 
gaseous effluent, or a dose rate limit of 100 mrem per year 
(approximately 0.011 mrem per hour) if submersion in the gaseous 
effluent (i.e., external dose) is more limiting.
    For noble gases, the revised Davis-Besse TS 5.5.3.g would allow an 
increase in the instantaneous whole body external dose rate limit to 
500 mrem per year (approximately 0.057 mrem per hour) and an increase 
in the instantaneous skin dose rate limit to 3000 mrem per year 
(approximately 0.34 mrem per hour). For iodine-131, iodine-133, 
tritium, and all radionuclides in particulate form with half-lives 
greater than 8 days, the revised Davis-Besse TS 5.5.3.g would establish 
an instantaneous organ dose rate limit of 1500 mrem per year 
(approximately 0.17 mrem per hour).
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated February 9, 2016 (ADAMS Accession No. ML16041A115).

Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would provide the licensee with operational 
flexibility to temporarily increase the concentrations of radioactive 
material in gaseous and liquid effluents released from the site.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has evaluated the proposed action and concludes that the 
proposed action will not significantly increase the probability or 
consequences of accidents. No changes are being made in the types of 
effluents that may be released offsite.
    The licensee would still be required by Davis-Besse TS 5.5.3 to 
monitor, sample, and analyze gaseous and liquid effluents, and to 
determine the cumulative and projected dose contributions from 
radioactive effluents for the current calendar quarter and current 
calendar year at least every 31 days. The licensee must continue to 
meet the criteria in 10 CFR part 50, appendix I, ``Numerical Guides for 
Design Objectives and Limiting Conditions for Operation to Meet the 
Criterion `As Low as is Reasonably Achievable' for Radioactive Material 
in Light-Water-Cooled Nuclear Power Reactor Effluents,'' which: (1) 
Limit the annual public dose from liquid effluents to 3 mrem to the 
total body and 10 mrem to any organ, (2) limit the annual air dose due 
to gaseous effluents to 10 millirad for gamma radiation and 20 millirad 
for beta radiation, and (3) limit annual organ doses to members of the 
public to 15 mrem for iodines and particulates. The regulations in 10 
CFR 20.1301 require the licensee to limit the dose to members of the 
public to 100 mrem total effective dose equivalent annually and 2 mrem 
in any 1 hour from external sources. The regulations in 40 CFR part 190 
require the licensee to limit the annual dose to a member of the public 
to 25 mrem whole body, 75 mrem thyroid, and 25 mrem to any other organ. 
As stated above, the revised TSs would limit dose rates from 
instantaneous releases to substantially less than 1 mrem per hour.
    Thus, the proposed action would allow an increase in the 
instantaneous concentrations of radioactive material released in liquid 
effluents and an increase in the instantaneous dose rates

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from radioactive material released in gaseous effluents, without 
allowing an increase in the dose limits to members of the public in 
unrestricted areas specified in 10 CFR 20.1301, Appendix I to 10 CFR 
part 50, and 40 CFR 190.
    With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed 
action does not have any foreseeable impacts to land, air quality, or 
water resources, including impacts to biota. In addition, there are 
also no known socioeconomic or environmental justice impacts or impacts 
to historic and cultural resources associated with the proposed action. 
Therefore, there are no significant non-radiological environmental 
impacts associated with the proposed action.
    Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    As an alternative to the proposed action, the NRC staff considered 
denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative). 
Denial of the TS amendment request would result in no change in current 
environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the proposed TS 
amendment request and the ``no action'' alternative are similar.

Alternative Use of Resources

    The action does not involve the use of any different resources than 
those previously considered in the ``Generic Environmental Impact 
Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants [NUREG-1437], 
Supplement 52, Regarding Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, Final 
Report,'' Volumes 1 and 2, dated April 2015 (ADAMS Accession Nos. 
ML15112A098 and ML15113A187, respectively).

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The staff did not enter into consultation with any other Federal 
agency or with the State of Ohio regarding the environmental impact of 
the proposed action.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    The licensee has requested an amendment to revise Davis-Besse TS 
5.5.3 to provide operational flexibility by allowing an increase in the 
instantaneous concentrations of radioactive material released in liquid 
effluents and an increase in the instantaneous dose rates from 
radioactive material released in gaseous effluents. The licensee would 
continue to maintain the TS and regulatory limitations on the overall 
level of effluent control at Davis-Besse, including limitations on the 
dose to a member of the public in an unrestricted area. Based on the 
environmental assessment, the NRC concludes that the proposed action 
will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human 
environment. Accordingly, the NRC has determined not to prepare an 
environmental impact statement for the proposed action.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 4th day of January 2017.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Blake A. Purnell,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch III, Division of Operating 
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2017-00263 Filed 1-9-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P