12858 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 52 / Tuesday, March 18, 1997 / Notices

Dated: March 12, 1997.

Lewis J. Bellardo,

Deputy Archivist of the United States.

[FR Doc. 97–6720 Filed 3–17–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7515–01–P

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Advisory Committee for Education and

Human Resources; Meeting

In accordance with the Federal

Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–

463, as amended), the National Science

Foundation announces the following

meeting.

Name: Advisory Committee for Education

and Human Resources (#1119).

Date & Time: April 2, 1997, 10:15 am–5

pm; April 3, 1997, 8 am–5 pm

Place: Arlington Hilton Hotel, 950 N.

Stafford Street, Arlington, VA 22203.

Type of meeting: Open.

Contact Persons: Peter E. Yankwich,

Executive Secretary, Directorate for

Education and Human Resources, Room 835,

National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson

Blvd., Arlington, VA 22230. Telephone: (703)

306–1670.

Summary Minutes: May be obtained from

contact listed above.

Purpose of Meeting: To provide advice and

recommendations concerning NSF support

for Education and Human Resources.

Agenda: Review of FY 1997 Programs and

Initiative Strategic Planning for FY 1998 and

Beyond.

Dated: March 13, 1997.

Linda Allen-Benton,

Deputy Director, Division of Human Resource

Management, Acting Committee Management

Officer.

[FR Doc. 97–6801 Filed 3–17–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7555–01–M

Real and Harmonic Analysis Panel in

Mathematical Sciences; Meeting

In accordance with the Federal

Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–

463, as amended), the National Science

Foundation announces the following

meeting.

Name and Committee Code: Real and

Harmonic Analysis in Math Sciences (1204).

Date and Time: April 7–9, 1997; 8:30 a.m.

until 5 p.m.

Place: Room 1060, National Science

Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard,

Arlington, VA 22230.

Type of Meeting: Closed.

Contact Person: Dr. Juan Manfredi,

Program Director, National Science

Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard,

Arlington, VA 22230. Telephone: (703) 306–

1870.

Purpose of Meeting: To provide advice and

recommendations concerning proposals

submitted to NSF for financial support.

Agenda: To review and evaluate the

Analysis Program nominations/applications

as part of the selection process for awards.

Reason for Closing: The proposals being

reviewed include information of a

proprietary or confidential nature, including

technical information; financial data, such as

salaries and personal information concerning

individuals associated with the proposals.

These matters are exempt under 5 U.S.C.

552b(c) (4) and (6) of the Government in the

Sunshine Act.

Dated: March 13, 1997.

Linda Allen-Benton,

Deputy Director, Division of Human Resource

Management, Acting Committee Management

Officer.

[FR Doc. 97–6800 Filed 3–17–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7555–01–M

Special Emphasis Panel in

Undergraduate Education; Notice of

Meeting

In accordance with the Federal

Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–

463, as amended), the National Science

Foundation announces the following

meeting:

Name: Special Emphasis Panel in

Undergraduate Education (1214).

Date and Time: April 6th, 1997 (7:30 p.m.

to 9 p.m.), April 7th, 1997 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

and April 8th, 1997 (8 a.m. to 12 Noon).

Place: Room 310 & 320, NSF, 4201 Wilson

Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230.

Type of Meeting: Closed.

Contact Person: Dr. Terry Woodin, Program

Director, Division of Undergraduate

Education (DUE), Room 835, National

Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd.,

Arlington, VA 22230, Tel: (703) 306–1666.

Purpose of Meeting: To provide advice and

recommendations concerning continued

funding of current projects in their third year.

Agenda: A reverse site panel meeting to

review and evaluate third year projects in the

NSF Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher

Preparation.

Reason for Closing: The proposals being

reviewed includes information of a

proprietary or confidential nature, including

technical information, financial data, such as

salaries; and personal information

concerning individuals associated with the

proposals. These matters are within

exemptions (4) and (6) of 5 U.S.C. 552b(c),

the Government in the Sunshine Act.

Dated: March 13, 1997.

Linda Allen-Benton,

Deputy Director, Division of Human Resource

Management, Acting Committee Management

Officer.

[FR Doc. 97–6799 Filed 3–17–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7555–01–M

NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION

SAFETY BOARD

Sunshine Act Meeting

TIME: 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, March 25,

1997.

PLACE: The Board Room, 5th Floor, 490

L’Enfant Plaza, SW., Washington, DC

20594.

STATUS: Open.

MATTERS TO BE DISCUSSED:

6674A Railroad Accident Report: Near

Head-On Collision and Derailment

of Two New Jersey Transit

Commuter Trains in Secaucus, New

Jersey, February 9, 1996.

NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: Telephone: (202)

314–6100.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Bea

Hardesty, (202) 314–6065.

Dated: March 14, 1997.

Bea Hardesty,

Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 97–6905 Filed 3–14–97; 2:26 pm]

BILLING CODE 7533–01–P

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50–313]

In the Matter of Entergy Operations,

Inc. (Arkansas Nuclear One, Unit 1);

Exemption

I

Entergy Operations, Inc. (the licensee)

is the holder of Facility Operating

License No. DPR–51, which authorizes

operation of Arkansas Nuclear One,

Unit 1. The license provides, among

other things, that the licensee is subject

to all rules, regulations, and orders of

the Commission now or hereafter in

effect.

The facility consists of two

pressurized water reactors, Arkansas

Nuclear One, Units 1 and 2, located at

the licensee’s site in Pope County,

Arkansas.

II

In its letter dated November 26, 1996,

the licensee requested an exemption

from the Commission’s regulations for

Arkansas Nuclear One, Unit 1. Title 10

of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part

50, Section 60 (10 CFR 50.60),

‘‘Acceptance Criteria for Fracture

Prevention Measures for Lightwater

Nuclear Power Reactors for Normal

Operation,’’ states that all lightwater

nuclear power reactors must meet the

fracture toughness and material

surveillance program requirements for
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 52 / Tuesday, March 18, 1997 / Notices 12859

the reactor coolant pressure boundary as

set forth in Appendices G and H to 10

CFR Part 50. Appendix G to 10 CFR Part

50 defines pressure/temperature (P/T)

limits during any condition of normal

operation, including anticipated

operational occurrences and system

hydrostatic tests to which the pressure

boundary may be subjected over its

service lifetime. It is specified in 10 CFR

50.60(b) that alternatives to the

described requirements in Appendices

G and H to 10 CFR Part 50 may be used

when an exemption is granted by the

Commission under 10 CFR 50.12.

The licensee relies on the electromatic

relief valve (ERV) to provide low

temperature overpressure protection

(LTOP). The ERV is mounted on the

pressurizer and helps to control

pressure transients during power

operations. However, when the reactor

is heating up or cooling down and the

primary system pressure and

temperature are reduced, the ERV is

reset to the LTOP mode. In the LTOP

mode the setpoint to open the ERV is

low enough to prevent pressure

transients from exceeding applicable P/

T limits. Some margin should be

maintained between the primary system

pressure and the LTOP setpoint to

prevent the ERV from lifting as a result

of normal operating pressure surges.

The licensee has requested the use of

the American Society of Mechanical

Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure

Vessel Code (Code) Case N–514, ‘‘Low

Temperature Overpressure Protection,’’

which allows exceeding the Appendix G

safety limits by 10 percent. ASME Code

Case N–514, the proposed alternate

methodology, is consistent with

guidelines developed by the ASME

Working Group on Operating Plant

Criteria to define pressure limits during

LTOP events that avoid certain

unnecessary operational restrictions,

provide adequate margins against failure

of the reactor pressure vessel, and

reduce the potential for unnecessary

activation of pressure-relieving devices

used for LTOP. Code Case N–514 has

been approved by the ASME Code

Committee. The content of this code

case has been incorporated into

Appendix G of Section XI of the ASME

Code and published in the 1993

Addenda to Section XI.

III

Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12, the

Commission may, upon application by

any interested person or upon its own

initiative, grant exemptions from the

requirements of 10 CFR Part 50 (1) when

the exemptions are authorized by law,

will not present an undue risk to public

health or safety, and are consistent with

the common defense and security; and

(2) when special circumstances are

present. Special circumstances are

present whenever, according to 10 CFR

50.12(a)(2)(ii), ‘‘Application of the

regulation in the particular

circumstances would not serve the

underlying purpose of the rule or is not

necessary to achieve the underlying

purpose of the rule. * * *’’

The underlying purpose of 10 CFR

50.60, Appendix G, is to establish

fracture toughness requirements for

ferritic materials of pressure-retaining

components of the reactor coolant

pressure boundary to provide adequate

margins of safety during any condition

of normal operation, including

anticipated operational occurrences, to

which the pressure boundary may be

subjected over its service lifetime.

Section IV.A.2 of this appendix requires

that the reactor vessel be operated with

P/T limits at least as conservative as

those obtained by following the

methods of analysis and the required

margins of safety of Appendix G of the

ASME Code.

Appendix G of the ASME Code

requires that the P/T limits be

calculated: (a) Using a safety factor of

two on the principal membrane

(pressure) stresses, (b) assuming a flaw

at the surface with a depth of onequarter (1/4) of the vessel wall thickness

and a length of six (6) times its depth,

and (c) using a conservative fracture

toughness curve that is based on the

lower bound of static, dynamic, and

crack arrest fracture toughness tests on

material similar to the ANO–1 reactor

vessel material.

In determining the setpoint for LTOP

events, the licensee proposed to use

safety margins based on an alternate

methodology consistent with the ASME

Code Case N–514 guidelines. The ASME

Code Case N–514 allows determination

of the setpoint for LTOP events such

that the maximum pressure in the vessel

would not exceed 110 percent of the P/

T limits of the existing ASME Appendix

G. This results in a safety factor of 1.8

on the principal membrane stresses. All

other factors, including assumed flaw

size and fracture toughness, remain the

same. Although this methodology

would reduce the safety factor on the

principal membrane stresses, the

proposed criteria will provide adequate

margins of safety to the reactor vessel

during LTOP transients and, thus, will

satisfy the underlying purpose of 10

CFR 50.60 for fracture toughness

requirements. Further, by relieving the

operational restrictions, the potential for

undesirable lifting of the ERV would be

reduced, thereby improving plant safety.

IV

For the foregoing reasons, the NRC

staff has concluded that the licensee’s

proposed use of the alternate

methodology in determining the

acceptable setpoint for LTOP events will

not present an undue risk to public

health and safety and is consistent with

the common defense and security. The

NRC staff has determined that there are

special circumstances present, as

specified in 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2), in that

application of 10 CFR 50.60 is not

necessary in order to achieve the

underlying purpose of this regulation.

Accordingly, the Commission has

determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR

50.12(a), an exemption is authorized by

law, will not endanger life or property

or common defense and security, and is,

otherwise, in the public interest.

Therefore, the Commission hereby

grants an exemption from the

requirements of 10 CFR 50.60 such that

in determining the setpoint for LTOP

events, the Appendix G curves for P/T

limits are not exceeded by more than 10

percent in order to be in compliance

with these regulations. This exemption

is applicable only to LTOP conditions

during normal operation.

Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the

Commission has determined that the

granting of this exemption will not have

a significant effect on the quality of the

human environment (62 FR 11482).

This exemption is effective upon

issuance.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 12th day

of March 1997.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Samuel J. Collins,

Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation.

[FR Doc. 97–6756 Filed 3–17–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

[Docket No. 50–388]

Susquehanna Steam Electric Station,

Unit 2; Notice of Consideration of

Issuance of Amendment to Facility

Operating License 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–

22, issued to Pennsylvania Power &

Light Company (the licensee), for

operation of the

Susquehanna Steam Electric Station,

Unit 2, located in Luzerne County, PA.

The proposed amendment would

make the following changes to the

Technical Specifications for the plant to

reflect the initiation of a 24-month fuel