65450 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 239 / Friday, December 12, 1997 / Notices

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Frank J. Miraglia,

Acting Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation.

[FR Doc. 97–32524 Filed 12–11–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50–321 and 50–366]

In the Matter of Southern Nuclear

Operating Company, Inc., et al. Edwin

I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2;

Exemption

I

Southern Nuclear Operating

Company, Inc., et al. (the licensee) is the

holder of Facility Operating License

Nos. DPR–57 and NPF–5 for the Edwin

I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2.

The licenses provide, among other

things, that the licensee is subject to all

rules, regulations, and orders of the

Commission in effect now and hereafter.

The facility consists of two 4-loop

boiling water reactors located in

Appling County, Georgia.

II

Title 10 of the Code of Federal

Regulations (10 CFR), Section 73.55,

‘‘Requirements for Physical Protection

of Licensed Activities in Nuclear Power

Reactors Against Radiological

Sabotage,’’ paragraph (a), in part, states

that ‘‘The licensee shall establish and

maintain an onsite physical protection

system and security organization which

will have as its objective to provide high

assurance that activities involving

special nuclear material are not inimical

to the common defense and security and

do not constitute an unreasonable risk

to the public health and safety.’’

Section 73.55(d), ‘‘Access

Requirements,’’ paragraph (1), specifies

that ‘‘The licensee shall control all

points of personnel and vehicle access

into a protected area.’’ Section

73.55(d)(5) requires that ‘‘A numbered

picture badge identification system shall

be used for all individuals who are

authorized access to protected areas

without escort.’’ Section 73.55(d)(5) also

states that an individual not employed

by the licensee, e.g., contractor, but who

requires frequent and extended access to

protected and vital areas may be

authorized access to such areas without

escort provided the individual ‘‘receives

a picture badge upon entrance into the

protected area which must be returned

upon exit from the protected area

* * *.’’

The licensee has proposed to

implement an alternative unescorted

access control system that would

eliminate the need to issue, store, and

retrieve badges from a central location

onsite and would allow all individuals

with unescorted access to keep their

badges when departing the site.

An exemption from 10 CFR

73.55(d)(5) is required to allow

contractors who have unescorted access

to take their badges offsite instead of

returning them when exiting the site. By

letter dated July 2, 1997, the licensee

requested an exemption from the

requirements of 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5) for

this purpose.

III

Pursuant to 10 CFR 73.5, ‘‘Specific

exemptions,’’ the Commission may,

upon application of any interested

person or upon its own initiative, grant

such exemptions in this part as it

determines are authorized by law and

will not endanger life or property or the

common defense and security, and are

otherwise in the public interest.

Pursuant to 10 CFR 73.55, the

Commission may authorize a licensee to

provide alternative measures for

protection against radiological sabotage

provided the licensee demonstrates that

the alternative measures have ‘‘the same

high assurance objective’’ and meet ‘‘the

general performance requirements’’ of

the regulation, and ‘‘the overall level of

system performance provides protection

against radiological sabotage

equivalent’’ to that which would be

provided by the regulation.

Currently, unescorted access into the

protected areas at the Hatch site is

controlled through the use of a

photograph on a badge/keycard

(hereafter, referred to as ‘‘badge’’). The

security officers use the photograph on

the badge to visually identify the

individual requesting access. The

licensee’s employees and contractor

personnel who have been granted

unescorted access are issued badges

upon entrance to the protected area and

the badges are returned upon exit. In

accordance with 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5),

contractors are not allowed to take these

badges offsite.

Under the proposed biometric system,

individuals who are authorized

unescorted entry into protected areas

would have the physical characteristics

of their hand (i.e., hand geometry)

registered, along with their badge

number, in the access control system.

When registered users enter their badge

into the card reader and place their

hand onto the measuring surface, the

system detects that the hand is properly

positioned, and records the image. The

unique characteristics of the hand image

are then compared with the previously

stored template in the access control

computer system corresponding to the

badge to verify authorization for entry.

Individuals, including Hatch plant

employees and contractors, would be

allowed to keep their badges when they

depart the site and, thus, eliminate the

need to issue, retrieve, and store badges

at the entrance stations to the plant.

Badges do not carry any information

other than a unique identification

number. All other access processes,

including search function capability,

would remain the same. This system

would not be used for persons requiring

escorted access, e.g., visitors.

On the basis of the Sandia report, ‘‘A

Performance Evaluation of Biometrics

Identification Devices,’’ SAND91–0276/

UC–906, Unlimited Release, June 1991,

that concluded hand geometry

equipment possesses strong

performance and high detection

characteristics, and on its own

experience with the current photoidentification system, the licensee

determined that the proposed hand

geometry system would provide the

same high level of assurance as the

current system that access is only

granted to authorized individuals. The

biometrics system has been in use for a

number of years at several sensitive

Department of Energy facilities and,

recently, at some nuclear power plants.

The licensee will implement a process

for testing the proposed system to

ensure continued overall level of

performance equivalent to that specified

in the regulation. When the changes are

implemented, the respective Physical

Security Plan will be revised to include

implementation and testing of the hand

geometry access control system and to

allow Hatch plant employees and

contractors to take their badges offsite.

When implemented, the licensee will

control all points of personnel access

into a protected area under the

observation of security personnel

through the use of a badge and a hand

geometry verification system. The

numbered picture badge identification

system will continue to be used for all

individuals who are authorized

unescorted access to protected areas.

Badges will continue to be displayed by

all individuals while inside the

protected areas.

Since both the badge and hand

geometry would be necessary for access

into the protected areas, the proposed

system would provide a positive

verification process. The potential loss

of a badge by an individual as a result

of taking the badge offsite would not

enable an unauthorized entry into

protected areas.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 239 / Friday, December 12, 1997 / Notices 65451

IV

For the foregoing reasons, pursuant to

10 CFR 73.55, the NRC staff has

determined that the proposed

alternative measures for protection

against radiological sabotage meet ‘‘the

same high assurance objective,’’ and

‘‘the general performance requirements’’

of the regulation and that ‘‘the overall

level of system performance provides

protection against radiological sabotage

equivalent’’ to that which would be

provided by the regulation.

Accordingly, the Commission has

determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR

73.5, this exemption is authorized by

law and will not endanger life or

property or common defense and

security, and is otherwise in the public

interest. Therefore, the Commission

hereby grants the requested exemption

from the requirements of 10 CFR

73.55(d)(5) to allow individuals not

employed by the licensee (i.e.,

contractors) to take their photoidentification badges offsite, provided

that the proposed hand geometry

biometrics system is in effect to control

access into protected areas at the Hatch

nuclear plant.

Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the

Commission has determined that the

granting of this exemption will not

result in any significant adverse

environmental impact (62 FR 49539).

For further details with respect to this

action, see the request for exemption

dated July 2, 1997, which is available

for public inspection at the

Commission’s Public Document Room,

The Gelman Building, 2120 L Street,

NW., Washington, DC, and at the local

public document room located at the

Burke County Public Library, 412

Fourth Street, Waynesboro, Georgia.

This exemption is effective when

modifications, procedures, and training

to implement the hand geometry

biometrics system have been completed

and the corresponding revisions to the

Physical Security Plan for the Hatch

plant have been submitted to the NRC

staff.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 8th day

of December 1997.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Frank J. Miraglia,

Acting Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation.

[FR Doc. 97–32523 Filed 12–11–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL

MANAGEMENT

Nonforeign Area Cost-of-Living

Allowances Price and Background

Surveys; Proposed Collection;

Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of Personnel

Management.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the

Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

seeks comments on its intention to

request a reinstatement, with change, of

two previously approved information

collections for which approval has

expired. OPM uses the two collections—

a price survey and a background

survey—to gather data to be used in

determining cost-of-living allowances

for certain Federal employees in Alaska,

Hawaii, Guam and the Commonwealth

of the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto

Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The

price survey is conducted generally on

an annual basis. The background survey

is conducted approximately once every

5 years, but the survey is also conducted

on a limited basis in preparation for

each of the price surveys.

DATES: Submit comments on or before

February 10, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments: Send or deliver

comments to Donald J. Winstead,

Assistant Director for Compensation

Administration, Workforce

Compensation and Performance Service,

Office of Personnel Management, Room

7H31, 1900 E Street NW., Washington,

DC 20415, or FAX comments to (202)

606–4264, or email comments over the

Internet to cola@opm.gov. Copies: For

copies of this proposal, contact Jim

Farron at (202) 418–3208 or by email at

jmfarron@opm.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kurt

M. Springmann, (202) 606–2838.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OPM is

soliciting comments on the

reinstatement of its Nonforeign Area

Cost-of-Living Allowances Price and

Background Surveys for an additional 3

years. As set out in Office of

Management and Budget (OMB)

regulations at 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1),

comments are requested to—

• Evaluate whether the surveys are

necessary and have practical utility;

• Evaluate the accuracy of the burden

estimate, including the assumptions and

methodological validity used in

determining the burden estimate;

• Enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and

• Minimize the burden on

respondents.

OMB approval of this information

collection was originally scheduled to

expire on June 30, 1997. Because of

delays in conducting the price survey

during the first quarter of 1997 as

planned, OPM requested an emergency

extension of the clearance. OMB granted

an extension until September 30, 1997.

Title: Nonforeign Area Cost-of-Living

Allowances Price Survey and

Background Survey.

OMB Control Number: 3206–0199.

Summary: The Nonforeign Area Costof-Living Allowances Price Survey is

used by OPM to collect price data in the

allowance areas under four cost

components: consumption goods and

services, transportation, housing, and

miscellaneous expenses. The price

survey is conducted on approximately

an annual basis.

The Nonforeign Area Cost-of-Living

Allowances Background Survey is used

by OPM to collect information to

identify the services, items, quantities,

outlets, and locations that will be

surveyed in the annual price surveys. It

is also used to collect information on

local trade practices, consumer buying

patterns, taxes and fees, and other

economic characteristics related to

living costs. The background survey is

conducted approximately once every 5

years but is also used on a limited basis

in preparation for each of the price

surveys.

Need/Use for Surveys: The price

survey is necessary for collecting livingcost data used to determine cost-ofliving allowances (COLA’s) paid to

General Schedule, U.S. Postal Service,

and certain other Federal employees in

the nonforeign allowance areas. The

information is used to compare costs in

the allowance areas with costs in the

Washington, DC, area, and to derive a

COLA rate when the local cost of living

significantly exceeds that in the DC

area. The background survey is

necessary to determine the continued

appropriateness of items, services, and

businesses selected for the annual price

surveys. OPM uses the information

collected under this survey to define the

sources and parameters for the price

surveys and to improve the COLA

methodology.

Respondents: OPM will survey

selected retail, service, realty, and other

businesses and local governments in the

nonforeign allowance areas and in the

Washington, DC, area. Approximately

5,600 establishments will be contacted

in the price survey and approximately

300 establishments will be contacted in

the background survey.