Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 54 / Thursday, March 20, 1997 / Notices 13403

SUMMARY: This notice establishes the

date when the application period for

New Lands Grazing Permits will close.

This action is necessary to comply with

25 CFR 700.709.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul

Tessler (Legal Counsel), Office of Navajo

and Hopi Indian Relocation, at (520)

779–2727.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 9,

1992, the Office of Navajo and Hopi

Indian Relocation (ONHIR) published in

the Federal Register (Vol. 57, No. 111,

at p. 24363) a final rule regarding New

Lands Grazing privileges. The rule, 25

CFR 700.709(d) provided that the

ONHIR will determine when the

application period for New Lands

Grazing Permits will close and that a

notice of that date would be published.

The ONHIR has determined that

pursuant to 25 CFR 700.709, persons on

the list of permittees eligible to receive

grazing permits must file an application

for a New Lands Grazing Permit by June

2, 1997, or they will lose their priority

status for receiving permits.

The ONHIR also intends to notify

each of the approximately 65 persons

eligible to receive a New Lands Grazing

Permit by writing to them personally.

Dated: March 11, 1997.

Christopher J. Bavasi,

Executive Director, Office of Navajo and Hopi

Indian Relocation.

[FR Doc. 97–6967 Filed 3–19–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7560–01–M

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Proposed Collection;

Comment request

AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (NRC).

ACTION: Notice of pending NRC action to

submit an information collection

request to OMB and solicitation of

public comment.

SUMMARY: The NRC is preparing a

submittal to OMB for review of

continued approval of information

collections under the provisions of the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44

U.S.C. Chapter 35).

Information pertaining to the

requirement to be submitted:

1. The title of the information

collection: 10 CFR Part 50, ‘‘Domestic

Licensing of Production and Utilization

Facilities’’.

2. Current OMB approval number:

3150–0011.

3. How often the collection is

required: As necessary in order for NRC

to meet its responsibilities to conduct a

detailed review of applications for

licenses and amendments thereto to

construct and operate nuclear power

plants, preliminary or final design

approvals, design certifications,

research and test facilities, reprocessing

plants and other utilization and

production facilities, licensed pursuant

to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as

amended (the Act) and to monitor their

activities.

4. Who is required or asked to report:

Licensees and applicants for nuclear

power plants and non-power reactors

(research and test facilities).

5. The number of annual respondents:

154.

6. The number of hours needed

annually to complete the requirement or

request: 5.5M (approximately 2.8M

reporting hours and 2.6M recordkeeping

hours); an average of 35.6K per

respondent.

7. Abstract: 10 CFR Part 50 of the

NRC’s regulations, ‘‘Domestic Licensing

of Production and Utilization

Facilities,’’ specifies technical

information and data to be provided to

the NRC or maintained by applicants

and licensees so that the NRC may make

determinations necessary to promote the

health and safety of the public, in

accordance with the Act. The reporting

and recordkeeping requirements

contained in 10 CFR Part 50 are

mandatory for the affected licensees and

applicants.

Submit, by May 19, 1997, comments

that address the following questions:

1. Is the proposed collection of

information necessary for the NRC to

properly perform its functions? Does the

information have practical utility?

2. Is the burden estimate accurate?

3. Is there a way to enhance the

quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected?

4. How can the burden of the

information collection be minimized,

including the use of automated

collection techniques or other forms of

information technology?

A copy of the draft supporting

statement may be viewed free of charge

at the NRC Public Document Room,

2120 L Street NW (lower level),

Washington, DC. Members of the public

who are in the Washington, DC, area can

access this document via modem on the

Public Document Room Bulletin Board

(NRC’s Advanced Copy Document

Library), NRC subsystem at FedWorld,

703–321–3339. Members of the public

who are located outside of the

Washington, DC, area can dial

FedWorld, 1–800–303–9672, or use the

FedWorld Internet address:

fedworld.gov (Telnet). The document

will be available on the bulletin board

for 30 days after the signature date of

this notice. If assistance is needed in

accessing the document, please contact

the FedWorld help desk at 703–487–

4608. Additional assistance in locating

the document is available from the NRC

Public Document Room, nationally at 1–

800–397–4209, or within the

Washington, DC, area at 202–634–3273.

Comments and questions about the

information collection requirements

may be directed to the NRC Clearance

Officer, Brenda Jo. Shelton, U.S. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission, T–6 F33,

Washington, DC, 20555–0001, by

telephone at (301) 415–7233, or by

Internet electronic mail at

BJS1@NRC.GOV.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 13th day

of March 1997.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Gerald F. Cranford,

Designated Senior Official for Information

Resources Management.

[FR Doc. 97–7059 Filed 3–19–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

[Docket Nos. STN 50–454, STN 50–455, STN

50–456 and 50–457]

Commonwealth Edison Company;

Byron Station, Units 1 and 2;

Braidwood Station, Units 1 and 2;

Environmental Assessment and

Finding of No Significant Impact

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (the Commission) is

considering issuance of an amendment

to Facility Operating License Nos. NPF–

37, NPF–66, NPF–72 and NPF–77,

issued to Commonwealth Edison

Company (ComEd, the licensee), for

operation of Byron Station, Units 1 and

2, located in Ogle County, Illinois and

Braidwood Station, Units 1 and 2,

located in Will County, Illinois.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

The proposed action would revise the

technical specifications (TS) to take

credit for soluble boron in the spent fuel

pool in maintaining an acceptable

margin of subcriticality. The proposed

change would remain in effect until

December 31, 1997, at which time the

licensee is expected to implement longterm corrective actions.

The Need for the Proposed Action

The proposed action is required in

order for the licensee to be in

compliance with its TS. Heretofore, the

compliance with the requirement to

maintain criticality (keff) in the spent

fuel pool to less than 0.95 with
13404 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 54 / Thursday, March 20, 1997 / Notices

unborated water was accomplished

through the use of Boraflex, a neutron

absorber. However, recent tests have

indicated that the Boraflex is showing

degradation induced by gamma

radiation. Maintaining boron

concentration of 2000 parts per million

in the spent fuel pool is more than

sufficient to ensure that the keff is

maintained below 0.95.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed

Action

The Commission has completed its

evaluation of the proposed action and

concludes that the licensee’s proposal to

take credit for soluble boron in the spent

fuel pool water to maintain keff less than

or equal to 0.95 is acceptable.

The change will not 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 the allowable

individual or cumulative occupational

radiation exposure. Accordingly, the

Commission concludes that there are no

significant radiological environmental

impacts associated with the proposed

action.

With regard to potential

nonradiological impacts, the proposed

action involves features located entirely

within the restricted area as defined in

10 CFR Part 20. It does not affect

nonradiological plant effluents and has

no other environmental impact.

Accordingly, the Commission concludes

that there are no significant

nonradiological environmental impacts

associated with the proposed action.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

Since the Commission has concluded

there is no measurable environmental

impact associated with the proposed

action, any alternatives with equal or

greater environmental impact need not

be evaluated. As an alternative to the

proposed action, the staff considered

denial of the proposed action. 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

This action does not involve the use

of any resources not previously

considered in the Final Environmental

Statement for the Byron Station, Units 1

and 2, and Braidwood Station, Units 1

and 2.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

In accordance with its stated policy,

on February 11, 1997, the staff

consulted with Frank Niziolek of the

Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety,

regarding the environmental impact of

the proposed action. The State official

had no comments.

Finding of No Significant Impact

Based upon the environmental

assessment, the Commission concludes

that the proposed action will not have

a significant effect on the quality of the

human environment. Accordingly, the

Commission 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 November 5, 1996, 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 rooms located at: for

Byron, the Byron Public Library District,

109 N. Franklin, P.O. Box 434, Byron,

Illinois 61010; for Braidwood, the

Wilmington Public Library, 201 S.

Kankakee Street, Wilmington, Illinois

60481.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 13th day

of March 1997.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Robert A. Capra,

Director, Project Directorate III–2, Division

of Reactor Projects—III/IV, Office of Nuclear

Reactor Regulation.

[FR Doc. 97–7060 Filed 3–19–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

Advisory Committee on Reactor

Safeguards; Meeting Notice

In accordance with the purposes of

Sections 29 and 182b. of the Atomic

Energy Act (42 U.S.C. 2039, 2232b), the

Advisory Committee on Reactor

Safeguards will hold a meeting on April

3–5, 1997, in Conference Room T–2B3,

11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville,

Maryland. The date of this meeting was

previously published in the Federal

Register on Thursday, January 23, 1997

(62 FR 3539).

Thursday, April 3, 1997

8:30 A.M.–8:45 A.M.: Opening Remarks by

the ACRS Chairman (Open)—The ACRS

Chairman will make opening remarks

regarding conduct of the meeting and

comment briefly regarding items of current

interest. During this session, the Committee

will discuss priorities for preparation of

ACRS reports.

8:45 A.M.–9:45 A.M.: Proposed Regulatory

Approach Associated with Steam Generator

Integrity (Open)—The Committee will hear

presentations by and hold discussions with

representatives of the NRC staff regarding the

proposed regulatory approach for dealing

with steam generator integrity issues.

Representatives of the nuclear industry

will participate, as appropriate.

10:00 A.M.–11:30 A.M.: Consequences of

Reactor Water Cleanup System Line Break

Outside Containment (Open)—The

Committee will hear presentations by and

hold discussions with representatives of the

NRC staff regarding the results of the study

performed by the staff on the consequences

of reactor water cleanup system line break

outside containment.

Representatives of the nuclear industry

will participate, as appropriate.

11:30 A.M.–11:45 A.M.: Subcommittee

Report (Open)—The Committee will hear a

report by the Chairman of the ThermalHydraulic Phenomena Subcommittee

regarding the items discussed during the

March 28, 1997 subcommittee meeting.

11:45 A.M.–12:00 Noon: Reconciliation of

ACRS Comments and Recommendations

(Open)—The Committee will discuss

responses from the NRC Executive Director

for Operations (EDO) to comments and

recommendations included in recent ACRS

reports. The EDO responses are expected to

be provided to the ACRS prior to the

meeting.

1:00 P.M.–2:30 P.M.: Proposed Regulatory

Guidance Related to Implementation of 10

CFR 50.59 Requirements (Open)—The

Committee will hear presentations by and

hold discussions with representatives of the

NRC staff regarding the proposed regulatory

guidance for assessing the adequacy of the

licensees process for implementing the

requirements of 10 CFR 50.59, ‘‘Changes,

Tests and Experiments.’’

Representatives of the nuclear industry

will participate, as appropriate.

2:45 P.M.–6:30 P.M.: Preparation of ACRS

Reports (Open)—The Committee will discuss

proposed ACRS reports on matters

considered during this meeting, as well as

proposed reports considered during previous

meetings on issues such as shutdown

operations risk and plant-specific safety

goals.

Friday, April 4, 1997

8:30 A.M.–8:35 A.M.: Opening Remarks by

the ACRS Chairman (Open)—The ACRS

Chairman will make opening remarks

regarding conduct of the meeting.

8:35 A.M–10:00 A.M.: Boraflex Degradation

in Spent Fuel Pool Storage Racks (Open)—

The Committee will hear presentations by

and hold discussions with representatives of

the NRC staff regarding the resolution of

issues associated with the degradation of

Boraflex used in spent fuel pool storage racks

and licensee responses to Generic Letter 96–

04, ‘‘Boraflex Degradation in Spent Fuel

Storage Racks.’’

Representatives of the nuclear industry

will participate, as appropriate.

10:15 A.M.–11:45 A.M.: Use of Potassium

Iodide After a Severe Accident (Open)—The

Committee will hear presentations by and

hold discussions with the representatives of

the NRC staff regarding the NRC policy on

the use of potassium iodide after a severe

accident and other related issues.

1:15 P.M.–1:45 P.M.: Future ACRS

Activities (Open)—The Committee will

discuss the recommendations of the Planning