18942 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 73 /Thursday, April 16, 1998 / Notices

Foundation announces the following

meeting.

Name: Special Emphasis Panel in

Experimental & Integrative Activities (1193).

Date and Time: May 6, 1998 from 8:30 AM

to 5:00 PM.

Place: Room 310, National Science

Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington,

VA 22230.

Type of Meeting: Closed.

Contact Person: Dragana Brzakovic, Major

Research Instrumentation, Experimental &

Integrative Activities, Room 1160, National

Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd.,

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

1981.

Purpose of Meeting: To provide advice and

recommendations concerning proposals

submitted to the National Science

Foundation for financial support.

Agenda: To review and evaluate CISE

Major Research Instrumentation proposals 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: April 13, 1998.

M. Rebecca Winkler,

Committee Management Officer.

[FR Doc. 98–10163 Filed 4–15–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7555–01–M

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Advisory Panel for Genetics; 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: Advisory Panel for Genetics (1149)

(Panel A).

Date and Time: Monday, May 4 and

Tuesday, May 5, 1998, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.

Place: National Science Foundation, 4201

Wilson Boulevard, Rm. 380, Arlington, VA

22230.

Type of Meeting: Closed.

Contact Person: Dr. Philip Harriman,

Program Director for Microbial Genetics,

Division of Molecular and Cellular

Biosciences, Room 655, National Science

Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard,

Arlington, VA 22230. (703) 306–1439.

Purpose of Meeting: To provide advice and

recommendations concerning proposals

submitted to NSF for financial support.

Agenda: To review and evaluate research

proposals submitted to the Microbial

Genetics Program 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: April 13, 1998.

M. Rebecca Winkler,

Committee Management Officer.

[FR Doc. 98–10166 Filed 4–15–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7555–01–M

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Special Emphasis Panel in

Mathematical Sciences; 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

Mathematical Sciences (1204).

Date and Time: May 7–8, 1998, 8:30 a.m.–

5:00 p.m.

Place: Room 1020 National Science

Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard,

Arlington, VA 22230.

Type of Meeting: Closed.

Contact Person: Alvin I. Thaler, Program

Officer, Infrastructure Program, Room 1025

National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson

Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230. Telephone:

(703) 306–1880.

Purpose of Meeting: To provide advice and

recommendations concerning applications

submitted to NSF for financial support.

Agenda: To review and evaluate proposals

concerning the Scientific Computing

Research Environments for the Mathematical

Science (SCREMS) program 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: April 13, 1998.

M. Rebecca Winkler,

Committee Management Officer.

[FR Doc. 98–10161 Filed 4–15–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7555–01–M

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50–286]

In the Matter of Power Authority of the

State of New York; (Indian Point

Nuclear Generating Unit No. 3);

Exemption

I

The Power Authority of the State of

New York (the licensee) is the holder of

Facility Operating License No. DPR–64,

which authorizes operation of the

Indian Point Nuclear Generating Unit

No. 3 (IP3). The license provides that

the licensee is subject to all rules,

regulations, and orders of the U.S.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the

Commission) now or hereafter in effect.

The facility is a pressurized water

reactor located in Westchester County,

New York.

II

The Code of Federal Regulations 10

CFR 50.60, states that the reactor

coolant pressure boundaries for light

water reactors must meet the fracture

toughness and material surveillance

program requirements set forth in

Appendices G and H to 10 CFR Part 50.

By letter dated January 28, 1998, the

licensee requested an exemption from

10 CFR 50.60 to allow the use of an

alternate methodology for the

development of pressure-temperature

(P–T) curves. As an alternative, the

licensee proposed to use a methodology

by ABB Combustion Engineering

Nuclear Operations (the CE

methodology).

References in 10 CFR 50.60 and

Appendix G require the use of a

methodology at least as conservative as

that found in Appendix G to the 1989

Edition of Section XI of the ASME Code

(the 1989 ASME Appendix G

methodology or the 1989 methodology);

therefore, the staff must review and

approve the use of the CE methodology.

The staff has reviewed the licensee’s

request and approves the use of the CE

methodology in place of the 1989

methodology for the construction of

reactor vessel pressure-temperature (P–

T) limits as described in 10 CFR Part 50,

Appendix G. The CE methodology was

used in the licensee’s P–T limit

amendment submittal dated February

27, 1998.

III

The NRC has established

requirements in 10 CFR Part 50 to

protect the integrity of the reactor

coolant system pressure boundary. As a

part of these, 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 73 /Thursday, April 16, 1998 / Notices 18943

G requires that P–T limits be established

for reactor pressure vessels (RPVs)

during normal operation and vessel

hydrostatic testing. In particular, 10 CFR

Part 50, Appendix G, Section IV.2.b.,

requires that these limits must be ‘‘at

least as conservative as limits obtained

by following the methods of analysis

and the margins of safety of Appendix

G of Section XI of the ASME Code.’’ The

Code of Federal Regulations at 10 CFR

50.55(a) specifies that the applicable

ASME Code is the 1989 Edition. The

Code of Federal Regulations at 10 CFR

50.60, which broadly addresses the

establishment of criteria for fracture

prevention, states that ‘‘proposed

alternatives to the described

requirements in Appendices G and H of

this part or portions thereof may be used

when an exemption is granted by the

Commission under § 50.12.’’ The

licensee used the CE methodology for

constructing its P–T limits in place of

the 1989 ASME Appendix G

methodology approved by the staff in

the regulations; therefore, the licensee

applied for an exemption to use the CE

methodology.

IV

In the submittal, the exemption was

requested under the special

circumstances given in 10 CFR

50.12(a)(2)(ii). The provisions of this

section state that special circumstances

are present whenever ‘‘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.’’ In the application,

the licensee stated that ‘‘The use of

ABB–CE alternate methodology

requested by this exemption provides

greater operational flexibility while still

maintaining reactor vessel integrity. In

addition, the use of the ABB–CE

methodology to generate pressuretemperature curves yields comparable

results to the use of the ASME

Appendix G methodology. Therefore,

the reactor vessel is protected against

nonductile failure and the underlying

purpose of the rule is achieved.’’

The staff reviewed the licensee’s

application and the CE methodology

and has concluded that this alternative

method meets the underlying intent of

the regulations. The thermal analysis

method of the CE methodology consists

of a plant-specific thermal analysis and

a fracture mechanics analysis based on

influence coefficients from finite

element analyses under thermal loading.

The staff review determined that this

thermal analysis method is more

rigorous than that of the 1989

methodology and that the rest of the CE

methodology is the same as the 1989

ASME Appendix G methodology. The

staff concludes, therefore, that an

exemption under the special

circumstances of 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii)

is appropriate, and that the application

of the CE methodology meets the

underlying intent of the regulations.

V

For the foregoing reasons, the NRC

staff has concluded that the licensee’s

proposed use of the alternative

methodology in determining the P–T

limits 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)(ii), 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, this exemption is authorized by

law, will not present an undue risk to

public health and safety, and is

consistent with the common defense

and security.

Therefore, the Commission hereby

grants the following exemption:

The Power Authority of the State of

New York is exempt from the

requirements of 10 CFR 50.60 in that

they are permitted to use the CE

methodology detailed in their

application for exemption dated January

28, 1998, for developing P–T limits for

the Indian Point Nuclear Generating

Station Unit No. 3.

Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the

Commission has determined that the

granting of this exemption will have no

significant impact on the quality of the

human environment (63 FR 17902).

This exemption is effective upon

issuance.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 10th day

of April 1998.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Samuel J. Collins,

Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation.

[FR Doc. 98–10102 Filed 4–15–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50–286]

In the Matter of Power Authority of the

State of New York; (Indian Point

Nuclear Generating Unit No. 3);

Exemption

I

The Power Authority of the State of

New York (the licensee) is the holder of

Facility Operating License No. DPR–64,

which authorizes operation of the

Indian Point Nuclear Generating Unit

No. 3 (IP3). The license provides that

the licensee is subject to all rules,

regulations, and orders of the U.S.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the

Commission) now or hereafter in effect.

The facility is a pressurized water

reactor located in Westchester County,

New York.

II

The Code of Federal Regulations, 10

CFR 50.60, states that the reactor

coolant pressure boundaries for light

water reactors must meet the fracture

toughness and material surveillance

program requirements set forth in

Appendices G and H to 10 CFR Part 50.

By letter dated November 3, 1997, the

licensee requested an exemption from

10 CFR 50.60 to allow the use of the

American Society of Mechanical

Engineers (ASME) Code Case N–514 for

the determination of the low

temperature overpressurization system

(LTOP) parameters in place of the

margins required by Appendix G to 10

CFR Part 50. The Code Case limits the

overpressurization system (OPS) curve

to not greater than 110% of the pressure

determined to satisfy Appendix G,

paragraph G–2215 of ASME Code,

Section XI, Division 1, further reduced

to allow for static head due to elevation

differences and dynamic head effect of

the operation of the four reactor coolant

pumps. The Code Case also allows some

latitude in determining the OPS enable

temperature.

III

The NRC has established

requirements in 10 CFR Part 50 to

protect the integrity of the reactor

coolant system pressure boundary. As a

part of these, 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix

G, requires that P–T limits be

established for reactor pressure vessels

(RPVs) during normal operation and

vessel hydrostatic testing and as stated

in Appendix G, ‘‘The appropriate

requirements on * * * the pressuretemperature limits * * * must be met

for all conditions.’’ The Code of Federal