60222 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 196 / Tuesday, October 10, 2000 / Notices

Place: NSF, Room 1235, 4201 Wilson

Blvd., Arlington, VA 22230.

Type of Meeting: Open.

Contact Person: Dr. Kenneth M. Brown,

Executive Secretary; Directorate for Social,

Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, NSF,

Suite 905; 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA

22230. Telephone: (703) 292–8741.

Minutes: May be obtained from the contact

person listed above.

Purpose of Meeting: To provide advice and

recommendations to the National Science

Foundation on major goals and policies

pertaining to SBE programs and activities.

Agenda: Discussions on issues, role and

future direction of the NSF Directorate for

Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences.

Dated: October 3, 2000.

Karen J. York,

Committee Management Officer.

[FR Doc. 00–25820 Filed 10–6–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7555–01–M

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Sunshine Act Meeting

Agency Holding Meeting: National

Science Foundation, National Science

Board.

Date and Time: October 19, 2000:

11:45 a.m.–12:00 Noon, Closed Session;

October 19, 2000: 1:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m.,

Closed Session; October 19, 2000: 3:30

p.m.–6:00 p.m., Open Session.

Place: The National Science

Foundation, Room 1235, 4201 Wilson

Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230.

Status: Part of this meeting will be

closed to the public; Part of this meeting

will be open to the public.

Matters to be Considered

Thursday, October 19

Closed Session (11:45 a.m.–12:00 Noon)

—Closed Session Minutes, August 2000

—Personnel

Closed Session (1:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m.)

—Awards and Agreements

—FY 2002 Budget

Open Session (3:30 p.m.–6:00 p.m.)

—Swearing-in, NSB Nominees

—Open Session Minutes, August 2000

—Closed Session Items for December

2000

—Chairman’s Report

—Director’s Report

—NSF Planning Issues

Mathematics Initiative

Workforce Initiative

NSF Stipends

—NSB 50th Anniversary

Commemorative Booklet

—Committee Reports

Marta Cehelsky,

Executive Officer.

[FR Doc. 00–25990 Filed 10–4–00; 4:25 pm]

BILLING CODE 7555–01–M

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. STN 50–528, STN 50–529, and

STN 50–530]

Public Service Company of New

Mexico (Palo Verde Nuclear Generating

Station Units 1, 2, and 3); Order

Approving Application Regarding

Proposed Corporate Restructuring and

Approving Conforming Amendments

I

Public Service Company of New

Mexico (PNM) holds minority

ownership interests (both owned and

leased) in Palo Verde Nuclear

Generating Station (Palo Verde) Units 1,

2, and 3, and in connection therewith is

a holder of Facility Operating Licenses

Nos. NPF–41, NPF–51, and NPF–74 for

Palo Verde. The facility is located in

Maricopa County, Arizona. Other colicensees for Palo Verde are Arizona

Public Service Company (APS) (owner

or lessee of a 29.1 percent share of each

of the three units), Salt River Project

Agricultural Improvement and Power

District (owner of a 17.49 percent share),

El Paso Electric Company (owner of a

15.8 percent share), Southern California

Edison Company (owner of a 15.8

percent share), Southern California

Public Power Authority (owner of a 5.91

percent share), and Los Angeles

Department of Water and Power (owner

of a 5.70 percent share). APS is the

licensed operator of the Palo Verde

units. The remaining licensees hold

possession-only licenses.

II

Pursuant to Section 184 of the Atomic

Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and 10

CFR 50.80, PNM filed an application

dated March 3, 2000, requesting

approval of the indirect transfer of the

Palo Verde licenses, to the extent held

by PNM, to a new holding company,

Manzano Corporation (Manzano).

Supplemental information on this

application was forwarded to the NRC

by PNM’s outside counsel, Shaw

Pittman, in letters dated August 14,

August 17, and September 7, 2000.

Manzano, presently a subsidiary of

PNM, was formed to implement the

public utility restructuring requirements

of the New Mexico Electric Utility

Industry Restructuring Act of 1999. The

proposed restructuring encompasses the

formation of Manzano and Manzano

becoming the holding company for

PNM, the transfer by PNM of its electric

and gas transmission and distribution

businesses to an affiliated company to

be named ‘‘Public Service Company of

New Mexico’’ (with PNM and such

affiliated company being under common

control by Manzano), and a change in

PNM’s name to Manzano Energy

Corporation (Manzano Energy). By

application dated April 26, 2000, APS

requested approval, pursuant to 10 CFR

50.90, of proposed conforming

amendments to reflect in the Palo Verde

licenses the name change of PNM to

Manzano Energy Corporation that will

occur in connection with the

restructuring. APS will retain its

existing ownership interest in, and

remain the licensed operator of Palo

Verde after the restructuring of PNM,

and is not otherwise involved in the

restructuring. Similarly, none of the

other co-licensees are involved in the

restructuring of PNM. No physical

changes to the facility or operational

changes are being proposed in the

applications filed by PNM and APS.

Notice of the applications and an

opportunity for hearing was published

in the Federal Register on May 26, 2000

(65 FR 34370). No written comments or

hearing requests were filed.

Under 10 CFR 50.80, no license shall

be transferred, directly or indirectly,

through transfer of control of the

license, unless the Commission gives its

consent in writing. Upon review of the

information submitted by PNM in its

application, the supplements thereto,

and other information before the

Commission, the NRC staff has

determined that the proposed

restructuring will not affect the

qualifications of PNM to hold the

licenses referenced above to the same

extent now held by PNM, and that the

indirect transfer of the licenses, to the

extent effected by the restructuring, is

otherwise consistent with applicable

provisions of law, regulations, and

orders issued by the Commission,

subject to the conditions set forth

herein. The NRC staff has further found

that the application for the proposed

license amendments complies with the

standards and requirements of the

Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended,

and the Commission’s rules and

regulations set forth in 10 CFR Chapter

I; the facility will operate in conformity

with the application, the provisions of

the Act and the rules and regulations of

the Commission; there is reasonable

assurance that the activities authorized

by the proposed license amendments

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 196 / Tuesday, October 10, 2000 / Notices 60223

can be conducted without endangering

the health and safety of the public and

that such activities will be conducted in

compliance with the Commission’s

regulations; the issuance of the

proposed license amendments will not

be inimical to the common defense and

security or to the health and safety of

the public; and the issuance of the

proposed amendments will be in

accordance with 10 CFR Part 51 of the

Commission’s regulations and all

applicable requirements have been

satisfied. These findings are supported

by a Safety Evaluation dated September

29, 2000.

III

Accordingly, pursuant to Sections

161b, 161i, 161o, and 184 of the Atomic

Energy Act of 1954, as amended, 42

USC 2201(b), 2201(i), 2201(o) and 2234;

and 10 CFR 50.80, it is hereby ordered

That the application regarding the

proposed restructuring of PNM and

indirect license transfers is approved,

subject to the following conditions:

1. Manzano Energy shall provide the

Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation a copy of any application, at

the time it is filed, to transfer (excluding

grants of security interests or liens) from

Manzano Energy to its proposed parent,

or to any other affiliated company,

facilities for the production,

transmission, or distribution of electric

energy having a depreciated book value

exceeding ten percent (10%) of

Manzano Energy’s consolidated net

utility plant, as recorded on Manzano

Energy’s books of account.

2. Manzano Energy shall continue to

provide decommissioning funding

assurance, to be held in its

decommissioning trusts for Palo Verde

Units 1, 2, and 3, from the date of the

indirect license transfers, as represented

in the respective March 3, 2000,

application, as supplemented. In

addition, Manzano Energy shall ensure

that contractual arrangements with its

transmission and distribution affiliate to

obtain necessary decommissioning

funds for Palo Verde through nonbypassable charges will be established

and maintained until the

decommissioning trusts are fully

funded.

3. Manzano Energy shall enter into an

agreement with its transmission and

distribution affiliate that shall require

the deposit of funds collected for

decommissioning funding from wires

charges into Manzano Energy’s

decommissioning trust accounts. A copy

of the agreement shall be forwarded to

the NRC prior to the completion of the

proposed restructuring of PNM.

4. Manzano Energy shall take all

necessary steps to ensure that its

decommissioning trusts are maintained

in accordance with the March 3, 2000,

application, as supplemented, and the

requirements of this Order approving

the respective indirect transfers, and

consistent with the safety evaluation

supporting this Order.

5. Manzano Energy shall inform the

Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation within 30 days of approval

by the New Mexico Public Regulation

Commission of the stranded cost

mechanism of recovering

decommissioning costs. Within such 30-

day period, Manzano Energy shall state

the total decommissioning costs subject

to stranded cost recovery and the

schedule for funding decommissioning

costs.

6. Manzano Energy’s

decommissioning trust agreements for

each of the three units shall provide

that:

a. The use of assets in both the

qualified and non-qualified funds shall

be limited to expenses related to

decommissioning of the unit as defined

by the NRC in its regulations and

issuances, and as provided in the unit’s

license and any amendments thereto.

However, upon completion of

decommissioning, as defined above, the

assets may be used for any purpose

authorized by law.

b. Investments in the securities or

other obligations of Manzano Energy or

affiliates thereof, or their successors or

assigns, shall be prohibited. In addition,

except for investments tied to market

indexes or other non-nuclear sector

mutual funds, investments in any entity

owning one or more nuclear power

plants shall be prohibited.

c. No disbursements or payments

from the trust, other than for ordinary

administrative expenses, shall be made

by the trustee unless the trustee has first

given the NRC 30 days prior written

notice of the payment. In addition, no

such disbursements or payments from

the trust shall be made if the trustee

receives prior written notice of objection

from the Director of the Office of

Nuclear Reactor Regulation.

d. The trust agreement shall not be

modified in any material respect

without 30 days prior written

notification to the Director of the Office

of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.

e. The trustee, investment advisor, or

anyone else directing the investments

made in the trust shall adhere to a

‘‘prudent investor’’ standard, as

specified in 18 CFR 35.32(3) of the

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission’s regulations.

It is further ordered That, consistent

with 10 CFR 2.1315(b), license

amendments as indicated in Enclosure 2

to the cover letter forwarding this Order

to reflect the subject restructuring action

and conditions of this Order are

approved. The amendments shall be

issued and made effective at the time

the proposed restructuring action is

completed.

This Order is effective upon issuance.

For further details with respect to this

action, see the initial application dated

March 3, 2000, supplemental

application and submittals dated April

26, August 14, August 17, and

September 7, 2000, and the Safety

Evaluation dated September 29, 2000,

which are available for public

inspection at the Commission’s Public

Document Room, located at One White

Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first

floor), Rockville, Maryland, and

accessible electronically through the

ADAMS Public Electronic Reading

Room link at the NRC Web site (http:/

/www.nrc.gov).

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 29th day

of September 2000.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Samuel J. Collins,

Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation.

[FR Doc. 00–25916 Filed 10–6–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–U

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50–364]

Southern Nuclear Operating Company;

Notice of Consideration of Issuance of

Amendment to Facility Operating

License, Proposed No Significant

Hazards Consideration Determination,

and Opportunity for a Hearing

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (the Commission) is

considering issuance of an amendment

to Facility Operating License No. NPF–

8, issued to Southern Nuclear Operating

Company (the licensee), for operation of

the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant, Unit

2, located in Houston County, Alabama.

The proposed amendment would

eliminate the requirement to cycle the

Unit 2 pressurizer power-operated relief

valve (PORV) block valves during the

remainder of operating cycle 14 and

provides additional compensatory

action. Cycle 14 is presently scheduled

to end on February 24, 2001. This

change is needed because excessive

packing leakage from at least one of the

Unit 2 PORV block valves occurs during

valve surveillance testing (stroking).