Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 65 / Friday, April 4, 1997 / Notices 16203

availability of this additional storage

capacity may cause a reduction in the

power operation or temporary shutdown

of Units 1 and 2. The applicant’s

proposed action would provide the

additional capacity required to store

spent fuel that is expected to be

generated at the North Anna Nuclear

Power Station through the end of its

currently licensed operating life.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed

Action

Construction of the proposed ISFSI

will affect approximately 4.4 ha (11

acres) of the 422 ha (1,043 acres) site

area which is committed to nuclear

power plant development. With good

construction practices, the potential for

fugitive dust, erosion, and noise impacts

typical of the planned construction

activities can be controlled to

insignificant levels. The only resources

committed irretrievably are the steel,

concrete, and other construction

materials in the ISFSI slab and storage

cask. Therefore, no significant

construction impacts are anticipated.

The routine operation of the proposed

ISFSI involves only dry storage of spent

nuclear fuel that is sealed in containers

(TN–32 casks); there will be no gaseous

or liquid effluents released to the

environment. External exposure to

direct and scattered radiation is the

primary pathway of radiation exposure

to workers and the general public. The

dose to the nearest resident from routine

ISFSI operation is estimated to be about

10 μSv/yr (1.0 mrem/yr). The combined

dose to the nearest resident from the

ISFSI and the nuclear power plant

operation is about 58 μSv/yr (5.8 mrem/

yr). These doses are well below the 250

μSv/yr (25 mrem/yr) limit specified in

10 CFR 72.104. These doses are a small

fraction of the natural background from

terrestrial and cosmic radiation of about

1,100 μSv/yr (110 mrem/yr) in the State

of Virginia.

The dose to an individual at the

nearest site boundary from a

hypothetical accident has been

calculated to be 0.49 mSv (0.049 rem)

(whole-body) which is well below the

50 mSv (5 rem) criteria set forth in 10

CFR 72.106(b) and by the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency’s

protective action guidelines.

There are no nonradiological impacts

resulting from the routine ISFSI

operation. The operational noise

associated with the proposed action will

result from the transfer of casks from the

North Anna Nuclear Power Station

protected area to the ISFSI. Noise

associated with this operation is onsite

and is expected to be minimal; no

adverse impacts to the general public

are anticipated.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

If a permanent Federal repository

were available, the preferred alternative

would be to ship spent fuel to the

repository for disposal. The Department

of Energy is currently working to

develop a repository, as required under

the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, but is not

likely to have a licensed repository

ready to receive spent fuel before 2010.

Although DOE recommended that a

Monitored Retrievable Storage (MRS)

facility be constructed and operated for

interim storage, this proposed action has

not taken place so far. Given the

uncertainties of schedules for a

repository and MRS, these alternatives,

therefore, do not meet the near-term

interim storage needs of the applicant.

Given these conditions, a number of

alternatives for the storage of spent fuel

prior to the selection of the dry storage

ISFSI are discussed in the EA. These

alternatives included: (a) expansion of

the existing pool, (b) construction of a

new storage pool, (c) increasing capacity

of the existing pool, (d) spent fuel rod

consolidation, (e) transshipment to

Surry Nuclear Power Station ISFSI, (f)

reduction in rate of spent fuel

generation by using high burnup fuel or

by reduction in operation, and (g) no

action alternative. As discussed in the

EA, the Commission has concluded

there are no significant environmental

impacts associated with the proposed

dry storage ISFSI, and other alternatives

were not chosen because of the time

required for the design and licensing, its

high cost, or the storage limitation for

expanding existing pool storage at the

North Anna Nuclear Power Station.

Agencies and Persons Contacted

Officials from the State of Virginia

Bureau of Radiological Health, as well

as the Department of Environmental

Quality, were contacted in preparing

this assessment.

Finding of No Significant Impact

The staff has reviewed the

environmental impacts of the proposed

ISFSI relative to the requirements set

forth in 10 CFR Part 51 and prepared an

EA. Based on the EA, the staff concludes

that there are no significant radiological

or non-radiological impacts associated

with the proposed action and that

issuance of a license will have no

significant impact on the quality of the

human environment. Therefore,

pursuant to 10 CFR 51.31 and 51.32, a

finding of no significant impact is

appropriate and an environmental

impact statement need not be prepared

for the issuance of a materials license

for the North Anna ISFSI.

For further details related to this

proposed action, the EA and the

application, dated May 9, 1995, as

supplemented, are available for public

inspection, and for copying for a fee, at

the NRC Public Document Room,

Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, NW,

Washington, DC 20555 and at the Local

Public Document Room for North Anna

located at the University of Virginia,

Alderman Library, Charlottesville,

Virginia 22903.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 28th day

of March 1997.

For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission.

Charles J. Haughney,

Deputy Director, Spent Fuel Project Office,

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and

Safeguards.

[FR Doc. 97–8646 Filed 4–3–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

Advisory Committee on Reactor

Safeguards; Meeting of the ACRS

Subcommittee on Materials and

Metallurgy; Notice of Meeting

The ACRS Subcommittee on Materials

and Metallurgy will hold a meeting on

April 15–16, 1997, Room T–2B3, 11545

Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland.

The entire meeting will be open to

public attendance.

The agenda for the subject meeting

shall be as follows:

Tuesday April 15, 1997—1:00 p.m. until

the conclusion of business

Wednesday April 16, 1997—8:30 a.m.

until the conclusion of business

The Subcommittee will discuss

generic letters regarding steam generator

tube inspection techniques, effective use

of ultrasonic testing techniques in

inservice inspection programs,

degradation of steam generator

internals, and degradation of reactor

vessel head penetrations. The

Subcommittee will also discuss the

status of issues related to reactor

pressure vessel integrity. The purpose of

this meeting is to gather information,

analyze relevant issues and facts, and to

formulate proposed positions and

actions, as appropriate, for deliberation

by the full Committee.

Oral statements may be presented by

members of the public with the

concurrence of the Subcommittee

Chairman; written statements will be

accepted and made available to the

Subcommittee. Electronic recordings

will be permitted only during those

portions of the meeting that are open to

the public, and questions may be asked
16204 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 65 / Friday, April 4, 1997 / Notices

only by members of the Subcommittee,

its consultants, and staff. Persons

desiring to make oral statements should

notify the cognizant ACRS staff engineer

named below five days prior to the

meeting, if possible, so that appropriate

arrangements can be made.

During the initial portion of the

meeting, the Subcommittee, along with

any of its consultants who may be

present, may exchange preliminary

views regarding matters to be

considered during the balance of the

meeting.

The Subcommittee will then hear

presentations by and hold discussions

with representatives of the NRC staff

regarding this review.

Further information regarding topics

to be discussed, whether the meeting

has been cancelled or rescheduled, the

Chairman’s ruling on requests for the

opportunity to present oral statements,

and the time allotted therefor can be

obtained by contacting the cognizant

ACRS staff engineer, Mr. Noel F. Dudley

(telephone 301/415–6888) between 7:30

a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (EST). Persons

planning to attend this meeting are

urged to contact the above named

individual one or two working days

prior to the meeting to be advised of any

potential changes to the agenda, etc.,

that may have occurred.

Dated: March 31, 1997.

Sam Duraiswamy,

Chief, Nuclear Reactors Branch.

[FR Doc. 97–8645 Filed 4–3–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

Regulatory Guide; Issuance,

Availability

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission

has issued a revision to a guide in its

Regulatory Guide Series. This series has

been developed to describe and make

available to the public such information

as methods acceptable to the NRC staff

for implementing specific parts of the

Commission’s regulations, techniques

used by the staff in evaluating specific

problems or postulated accidents, and

data needed by the staff in its review of

applications for permits and licenses.

Revision 1 of Regulatory Guide 5.15,

‘‘Tamper-Indicating Seals for the

Protection and Control of Special

Nuclear Material,’’ describes features of

systems and types of security seals that

are acceptable to the NRC staff for

tamper-safing containers of special

nuclear material. A tamper-indicating

seal is a device used to detect

unauthorized removal of material.

The NRC has verified with the Office

of Management and Budget the

determination that this regulatory guide

is not a major rule.

Comments and suggestions in

connection with items for inclusion in

guides currently being developed or

improvements in all published guides

are encouraged at any time. Written

comments may be submitted to the

Rules Review and Directives Branch,

Division of Freedom of Information and

Publications Services, Office of

Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission, Washington, DC 20555.

Regulatory guides are available for

inspection at the Commission’s Public

Document Room, 2120 L Street NW.,

Washington, DC. Single copies of

regulatory guides may be obtained free

of charge by writing the Office of

Administration, Attention: Distribution

and Services Section, U.S. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission, Washington,

DC 20555–0001, or by fax at (301)415–

2260. Issued guides may also be

purchased from the National Technical

Information Service on a standing order

basis. Details on this service may be

obtained by writing NTIS, 5285 Port

Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161.

Regulatory guides are not copyrighted,

and Commission approval is not

required to reproduce them.

(5 U.S.C. 552(a))

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 20th day

of March 1997.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

David L. Morrison,

Director, Office of Nuclear Regulatory

Research.

[FR Doc. 97–8651 Filed 4–3–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

PENSION BENEFIT GUARANTY

CORPORATION

Exemption From the Bond/Escrow

Requirement Relating to the Sale of

Assets by an Employer Who

Contributes to a Multiemployer Plan;

Dunham-Bush, Inc.

AGENCY: Pension Benefit Guaranty

Corporation.

ACTION: Notice of exemption.

SUMMARY: The Pension Benefit Guaranty

Corporation has granted a request by

Dunham-Bush, Inc. for an exemption

from the bond/escrow requirement of

section 4204(a)(1)(B) of the Employee

Retirement Income Security Act of 1974,

as amended, with respect to the Sheet

Metal Workers’ National Pension Fund.

A notice of the request for an exemption

from the requirement was published on

December 20, 1996 (61 FR 67355). The

effect of this notice is to advise the

public of the decision on the exemption

request.

ADDRESSES: The non-confidential

portions of the request for an exemption

and the PBGC response to the request

are available for public inspection at the

PBGC Communications and Public

Affairs Department, Suite 240, 1200 K

Street NW., Washington, DC 20005–

4026, between the hours of 9 a.m. and

4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Thomas T. Kim, Office of the General

Counsel, Pension Benefit Guaranty

Corporation, 1200 K Street NW.,

Washington, DC 20005–4026; telephone

202–326–4020 ext. 3581 (202–326–4179

for TTY and TDD). These are not tollfree numbers.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Section 4204 of the Employee

Retirement Income Security Act of 1974,

as amended by the Multiemployer

Pension Plan Amendments Act of 1980

(‘‘ERISA’’ or ‘‘the Act’’), provides that a

bona fide arm’s-length sale of assets of

a contributing employer to an unrelated

party will not be considered a

withdrawal if three conditions are met.

These conditions, enumerated in section

4204(a)(1)(A)-(C), are that—

(A) The purchaser has an obligation to

contribute to the plan with respect to

the operations for substantially the same

number of contributions base units for

which the seller was obligated to

contribute;

(B) The purchaser obtains a bond or

places an amount in escrow, for a period

of five plan years after the sale, in an

amount equal to the greater of the

seller’s average required annual

contribution to the plan for the three

plan years preceding the year in which

the sale occurred or the seller’s required

annual contribution for the plan year

preceding the year in which the sale

occurred (the amount of the bond or

escrow is doubled if the plan is in

reorganization in the year in which the

sale occurred); and

(C) The contract of sale provides that

if the purchaser withdraws from the

plan within the first five plan years

beginning after the sale and fails to pay

any of its liability to the plan, the seller

shall be secondarily liable for the

liability it (the seller) would have had

but for section 4204.

The bond or escrow described above

would be paid to the plan if the

purchaser withdraws from the plan or

fails to make any required contributions

to the plan within the first five plan

years beginning after the sale.