59472 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 194 / Thursday, October 5, 2000 / Notices

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

[Docket No. 40–8778–MLA–2; ASLBP No.

00–775–03–MLA]

Atomic Safety and Licensing Board;

Molycorp, Inc.; Site Decommissioning

Plan; Notice of Hearing

September 29, 2000.

This proceeding involves a proposed

amendment by Molycorp, Inc. to its

Source Materials License No. SMB–

1393, to authorize a site

decommissioning plan (SDP) for the

Licensee’s former processing facility in

Washington, Pennsylvania. The

proposal under review (a modification

of a previously submitted proposal)

represents Part 1 of the SDP. It was

submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory

Commission on June 30, 1999, and

would authorize the decommissioning

to unrestricted levels of a portion of the

site. (Part 2 of the SDP, covering

restricted decommissioning of the

remainder of the site, was submitted to

the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on

August 14, 2000, but an opportunity for

hearing has not yet been noticed.)

Notice is hereby given that, by

Memorandum and Order dated

September 28, 2000, LBP–00–25, 52

NRC , the Presiding Officer has

granted the request for a hearing

submitted by Canton Township,

Pennsylvania, with respect to Part 1 of

the SDP. Parties to this proceeding are

the Licensee, Molycorp, Inc.; Canton

Township, Pennsylvania, Intervenor;

and the Staff of the Nuclear Regulatory

Commission.

This proceeding will be conducted

under the Commission’s informal

hearing procedures set forth in 10 CFR

Part 2, Subpart L. In response to a

Notice of Opportunity for Hearing,

published at 64 FR 62227 (November

16, 1999), Canton Township submitted

a timely hearing request. Administrative

Judge Charles Bechhoefer has been

designated Presiding Officer and,

pursuant to 10 CFR 2.722 and 2.1209,

Administrative Judge Richard F. Cole

has been appointed as Special Assistant

to assist the Presiding Officer in taking

evidence and preparing a suitable

record for review. 65 FR 3258 (January

20, 2000).

During the course of this proceeding,

the Presiding Officer, pursuant to 10

CFR 2.1211(a), will entertain limited

appearance statements from any

member of the public who is not a party

to the proceeding, for the purpose of

stating his or her views on the issues

involved in this proceeding. Although

these statements are not evidence and

do not become part of the decisional

record, they may assist the Presiding

Officer and parties in their

consideration of matters at issue in this

proceeding. Limited appearance

statements should be made in writing. If

the Presiding Officer conducts an oral

argument or in-person prehearing

conference, the Presiding Officer may, at

his discretion, hear oral statements from

members of the public, at a time and

location yet to be determined. Written

statements, and requests to make oral

statements, should be submitted to the

Office of the Secretary, Rulemaking and

Adjudications Staff, U.S. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission, Washington,

D.C. 20555. A copy of such statement or

request should also be served on the

Presiding Officer, T–3 F23, U.S. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission, Washington,

D.C. 20555, or CXB2@nrc.gov.

Documents related to this proceeding,

issued prior to December 1, 1999, are

available in microfiche form (with print

form available on one-day recall) for

public inspection at the Commission’s

Public Document Room (PDR), Room O–

1 F21, NRC One White Flint North,

11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,

Maryland 20852–2738.

Documents issued subsequent to

November 1, 1999 are available

electronically through the Agencywide

Documents Access and Management

System (ADAMS), with access to the

public through NRC’s Internet Web site

(Public Electronic Reading Room Link,

<http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/ADAMS/

index.html>). The PDR and many public

libraries have terminals for public

access to the Internet.

Dated: September 29, 2000.

Charles Bechhoefer,

Administrative Judge, Presiding Officer,

Rockville, Maryland.

[FR Doc. 00–25492 Filed 10–4–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50–266 AND 50–301]

Nuclear Management Company, LLC;

Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and

2 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,

Section 50.60, for Facility Operating

License Nos. DPR–24 and DPR–27,

issued to the Nuclear Management

Company, LLC (the licensee), for

operation of the Point Beach Nuclear

Plant (PBNP), Units 1 and 2, Facility

Operating License Nos. DPR–24 and

DPR–27, respectively, located in the

town of Two Rivers, Manitowoc County,

Wisconsin.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

The proposed action would exempt

the licensee from certain requirements

of 10 CFR 50.60 to allow the application

of American Society of Mechanical

Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel

Code (ASME Code), Section XI, Code

Case N–641, for determining the

pressure-temperature (P–T) limit curves,

the power-operated relief valve setpoint

for low temperature overpressure

protection (LTOP), and the LTOP

effective temperature.

The proposed action is in accordance

with the licensee’s application for an

exemption dated July 14, 2000.

The Need for the Proposed Action

ASME Code Case N–641 is needed to

(1) determine stress intensity factors for

postulated circumferential defects in

circumferential welds, and for

postulated axial defects in plates,

forgings, and axial welds; (2) use the KIC

fracture toughness curve shown in

ASME Code, Section XI, Appendix A,

Figure A–2200–1, in lieu of the KIA

fracture toughness curve of ASME Code,

Section XI, Appendix G, Figure G–

22101, as the lowest bound for fracture

toughness; and (3) determine the LTOP

system effective temperature on a plantspecific basis consistent with ASME

Code, Section XI, Appendix G. Also,

ASME Code Case N–641 is needed to

revise the method used to determine the

RCS P–T limits since continued use of

the present curves unnecessarily

restricts the P–T operating window.

Therefore, application of the code case

will relax the LTOP operating window

and reduce potential challenges to the

reactor coolant system power-operated

relief valves.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed

Action

The NRC staff has completed its

evaluation of the proposed action and

concludes that the exemption described

above would provide an adequate

margin of safety against brittle failure of

the reactor pressure vessels at PBNP,

Units 1 and 2.

The proposed action will not

significantly increase the probability or

consequences of accidents, no changes

are being made in the types of any

effluents that may be released offsite,

and there is no significant increase in

occupational or public radiation