63562 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 211 / Tuesday, November 2, 2004 / Notices 

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Scott P. Wall, 

Project Manager, Section 2, Project 

Directorate I, Division of Licensing Project 

Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor 

Regulation.

[FR Doc. 04–24388 Filed 11–1–04; 8:45 am] 

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[Docket No. 50–219] 

AmerGen Energy Company, LLC; 

Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating 

Station; Environmental Assessment 

and Finding of No Significant Impact 

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) is considering 

issuance of an exemption from certain 

requirements of Title 10 of the Code of 

Federal Regulations (10 CFR) part 50, 

appendix J, for Facility Operating 

License No. DPR–16, which authorizes 

operation of the Oyster Creek Nuclear 

Generating Station (OCNGS), a boilingwater reactor facility, located in Ocean 

County, New Jersey. Therefore, as 

required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC is 

issuing this environmental assessment 

and finding of no significant impact. 

Environmental Assessment 

Identification of the Proposed Action 

Title 10 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations (10 CFR) part 50, appendix 

J, Option B, section III.B., ‘‘Type B and 

C Tests,’’ states, in part, that 

containment leakage tests must 

demonstrate that the sum of the leakage 

rates at accident pressure of Type B 

tests, and pathway leakage rates from 

Type C tests, is less than the 

performance criterion (La) with margin 

as specified in the Technical 

Specifications (TSs). In this context, 

‘‘accident pressure,’’ Pa, was previously 

analyzed to be 35 psig at OCNGS. 

Accordingly, for main steam isolation 

valves (MSIVs), leakage rate testing is to 

be done at the peak containment 

calculated pressure related to the 

design-basis accident. 

The licensee requested a permanent 

exemption from the requirements of the 

subject provision of appendix J, such 

that the MSIVs may be tested at lower 

pressures but not lower than 20 psig. By 

separate application also dated 

December 23, 2003, the licensee 

proposed to revise the OCNGS TSs, 

section 4.5.D, to specify the lower test 

pressure and associated leakage test 

rate; the NRC staff will address the 

proposed amendment by separate 

correspondence. 

The proposed action is in accordance 

with the licensee’s application for 

exemption dated December 23, 2003. 

The Need for the Proposed Action 

The licensee stated that, as a result of 

the design of the inboard and outboard 

MSIVs on each steam line, the preferred 

method of Type C testing is through the 

use of a between-the-valves test tap. 

Periodic Type C testing verifies that the 

leakage assumed in the radiological 

analysis is not exceeded. The licensee is 

requesting this exemption in order to 

reduce the probability of lifting the 

inboard MSIVs during testing. Testing of 

the two valves simultaneously at Pa, by 

pressurizing between the valves tends to 

lift the disc of the inboard valve. This 

results in test results which may not 

accurately reflect the isolation 

capabilities of the MSIVs. 

The licensee proposed an exemption 

from the requirements of 10 CFR part 

50, appendix J, Option B, section III.B, 

by specifying testing at a minimum of 

20 psig, instead of Pa, between the 

inboard and outboard MSIVs. This 

pressure would avoid lifting the disc of 

the inboard MSIV. The measured 

leakage rate for any one main steam line 

through the isolation valves will be 

limited to a proposed pathway leakage 

value of 11.9 standard cubic feet per 

hour (this proposed value will be 

evaluated in the safety evaluation of the 

associated amendment). All the changes 

addressed by the requested exemption 

(and associated amendment) are 

concerned with MSIV testing only, and 

do not affect MSIV design functions. 

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed 

Action 

The NRC has completed its safety 

evaluation of the proposed action and 

concludes that the alternative measures 

proposed by the licensee and discussed 

above will provide assurance that the 

primary reactor containment is an 

essentially leak tight barrier against 

uncontrolled release of radioactivity to 

the environment. The performance of 

the containment, including the MSIVs, 

will not be negatively affected by the 

proposed exemption. The details of the 

NRC staff’s safety evaluation will be 

provided in the exemption. 

The proposed exemption will not 

significantly increase the probability or 

consequences of accidents. No changes 

are being made in the types or quantities 

of radiological effluents that may be 

released. There is no significant increase 

in occupational or public radiation 

exposure. Therefore, there are no 

significant radiological environmental 

impacts associated with the proposed 

action. 

With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed 

action does not have a potential to affect 

any historic sites. It does not affect nonradiological plant effluents and has no 

other environmental impact. Therefore, 

there are no significant non-radiological 

environmental impacts associated with 

the proposed action. 

Accordingly, the NRC staff concludes 

that there are no significant 

environmental impacts associated with 

the proposed action. 

Environmental Impacts of the 

Alternatives to the Proposed Action 

As an alternative to the proposed 

action, the NRC staff considered denial 

of the proposed action (i.e., the ‘‘noaction’’ alternative). Denial of the 

application would result in no change 

in current environmental impacts. The 

environmental impacts of the proposed 

action and the alternative action are 

similar. 

Alternative Use of Resources 

The action does not involve the use of 

any different resources than those 

previously considered in the Final 

Environmental Statement for OCNGS, 

dated December 1974, published by the 

Atomic Energy Commission. 

Agencies and Persons Consulted 

In accordance with its stated policy, 

on October 13, 2004, the NRC staff 

consulted with the New Jersey State 

official, Mr. Rich Pinney of the New 

Jersey Department of Environmental 

Protection, Bureau of Nuclear 

Engineering, regarding the 

environmental impact of the proposed 

action. The State official had no 

comments. 

Finding of No Significant Impact 

On the basis of the environmental 

assessment, the NRC concludes that the 

proposed action will not have a 

significant effect on the quality of the 

human environment. Accordingly, the 

NRC has determined not to prepare an 

environmental impact statement for the 

proposed action. 

For further details with respect to the 

proposed action, see the licensee’s letter 

dated December 23, 2003. Documents 

may be examined, and/or copied for a 

fee, at the NRC’s Public Document 

Room (PDR), located at One White Flint 

North, Public File Area O1F21, 11555 

Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, 

Maryland. Publicly available records 

will be accessible electronically from 

the Agencywide Documents Access and 

Management System (ADAMS) Public 

Electronic Reading Room on the Internet 

at the NRC Web site, http://

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 211 / Tuesday, November 2, 2004 / Notices 63563

www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. 

Persons who do not have access to 

ADAMS or who encounter problems in 

accessing the documents located in 

ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR 

Reference staff by telephone at 1–800–

397–4209 or 301–415–4737, or by e-mail 

to pdr@nrc.gov.

(NOTE: Public access to ADAMS has been 

temporarily suspended so that security 

reviews of publicly available documents may 

be performed and potentially sensitive 

information removed. Please check the NRC 

Web site for updates on the resumption of 

ADAMS access.)

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 27th day 

of October 2004.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Peter S. Tam, 

Senior Project Manager, Section 1, Project 

Directorate I,Division of Licensing Project 

Management,Office of Nuclear Reactor 

Regulation.

[FR Doc. 04–24387 Filed 11–1–04; 8:45 am] 

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Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste, 

Meeting on Planning and Procedures; 

Notice of Meeting 

The ACNW will hold a Planning and 

Procedures meeting on November 16, 

2004, Room T–2B3, 11545 Rockville 

Pike, Rockville, Maryland. 

The entire meeting will be open to 

public attendance, with the exception of 

a portion that may be closed pursuant 

to 5 U.S.C. 552b(c) (2) and (6) to discuss 

organizational and personnel matters 

that relate solely to internal personnel 

rules and practices of ACNW, and 

information the release of which would 

constitute a clearly unwarranted 

invasion of personal privacy. 

The agenda for the subject meeting 

shall be as follows: 

Tuesday, November 16, 2004—8:30 

a.m.–10 a.m. 

The Committee will discuss proposed 

ACNW activities and related matters. 

The purpose of this meeting is to gather 

information, analyze relevant issues and 

facts, and formulate proposed positions 

and actions, as appropriate, for 

deliberation by the full Committee. 

Members of the public desiring to 

provide oral statements and/or written 

comments should notify the Designated 

Federal Official, Mr. Howard J. Larson 

(telephone: 301/415–6805) between 7:30 

a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (e.t.) five days prior 

to the meeting, if possible, so that 

appropriate arrangements can be made. 

Electronic recordings will be permitted 

only during those portions of the 

meeting that are open to the public. 

Further information regarding this 

meeting can be obtained by contacting 

the Designated Federal Official between 

7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (e.t.). Persons 

planning to attend this meeting are 

urged to contact the above named 

individual at least two working days 

prior to the meeting to be advised of any 

potential changes in the agenda.

Dated: October 27, 2004. 

John H. Flack, 

Acting Branch Chief, ACRS/ACNW.

[FR Doc. 04–24383 Filed 11–1–04; 8:45 am] 

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Advisory Committee on Reactor 

Safeguards Joint Meeting of the ACRS 

Subcommittees on Materials and 

Metallurgy and on Thermal-Hydraulic 

Phenomena and on Reliability and 

Probabilistic Risk Assessment; Notice 

of Meeting 

The ACRS Subcommittees on 

Materials and Metallurgy and on 

Thermal-Hydraulic Phenomena and on 

Reliability and Probabilistic Risk 

Assessment will hold a joint meeting on 

November 30 and December 1, 2004, 

Room T–2B3, 11545 Rockville Pike, 

Rockville, Maryland. 

The entire meeting will be open to 

public attendance. The agenda for the 

subject meeting shall be as follows:

Tuesday, November 30, 2004–8:30 a.m. 

until 5 p.m.

Wednesday, December 1, 2004–8:30 

a.m. until 12 Noon.

The purpose of this joint 

Subcommittee meeting is to discuss the 

PTS technical basis re-evaluation. The 

revised technical basis document and 

peer review comments will be discussed 

during this meeting. Subject to the 

satisfactory review by the 

Subcommittees, this matter will be 

referred to the full Committee for review 

during the December 2004 ACRS 

meeting. The purpose of this meeting is 

to gather information, analyze relevant 

issues and facts, and formulate 

proposed positions and actions, as 

appropriate, for deliberation by the full 

Committee. 

Members of the public desiring to 

provide oral statements and/or written 

comments should notify the Designated 

Federal Official, Dr. Hossein 

Nourbakhsh (Telephone: 301–415–5622) 

five days prior to the meeting, if 

possible, so that appropriate 

arrangements can be made. Electronic 

recordings will be permitted during the 

meeting. 

Further information regarding this 

meeting can be obtained by contacting 

the Designated Federal Officials 

between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. (e.t.). 

Persons planning to attend this meeting 

are urged to contact the above named 

individual at least two working days 

prior to the meeting to be advised of any 

potential changes to the agenda.

Dated: October 26, 2004. 

John H. Flack, 

Acting Branch Chief, ACRS/ACNW.

[FR Doc. 04–24380 Filed 11–1–04; 8:45 am] 

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Advisory Committee on Reactor 

Safeguards, Meeting of the ACRS 

Subcommittee on Reliability and 

Probabilistic Risk Assessment; Notice 

of Meeting 

The ACRS Subcommittee on 

Reliability and Probabilistic Risk 

Assessment will hold a meeting on 

November 16, 2004, Room T–2B1, 

11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 

Maryland. 

The entire meeting will be open to 

public attendance. 

The agenda for the subject meeting 

shall be as follows:

Tuesday, November 16, 2004—12 p.m. 

until 3 p.m.

The purpose of this meeting is to 

discuss the development of guidance on 

the treatment of uncertainties. The 

Subcommittee will hear presentations 

by and hold discussions with 

representatives of the NRC staff and 

other interested persons regarding this 

matter. TheSubcommittee will gather 

information, analyze relevant issues and 

facts, and formulate proposed positions 

and actions, as appropriate, for 

deliberation by the full Committee. 

Members of the public desiring to 

provide oral statements and/or written 

comments should notify the Designated 

Federal Official, Mr. Michael R. 

Snodderly (telephone: 301–415–6927) 

five days prior to the meeting, if 

possible, so that appropriate 

arrangements can be made. Electronic 

recordings will be permitted during the 

meeting. 

Further information regarding this 

meeting can be obtained by contacting 

the Designated Federal Officials 

between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (e.t.). 

Persons planning to attend this meeting 

are urged to contact the above named 

individual at least two working days 

prior to the meeting to be advised of any 

potential changes to the agenda.