[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 3, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 9315]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-4438]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-315 and 50-316; NRC-2009-0094]


Indiana Michigan Power Company; Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant, 
Units 1 and 2, Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant 
Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an exemption from Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, Section 36a(a)(2) [10 CFR 50.36a(a)(2)], 
for Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-58 and DPR-74, issued to 
Indiana Michigan Power Company (the licensee), for operation of the 
Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant, Unit 1 and Unit 2, located in Berrien 
County. Therefore, as required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC is issuing this 
environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The regulation 10 CFR 50.36(a)(2) specifies that the Radioactive 
Effluent Release Report submittal interval must not exceed 12 months. 
By application dated October 21, 2008 (Agencywide Documents Access and 
Management System (ADAMS) Accession Number ML082970187), the licensee 
proposed an amendment to Technical Specification 5.6.3 which would 
change the submittal date from ``within 90 days of January 1 of each 
year'' (i.e., prior to April 1, 2009) to ``prior to May 1 of each 
year.''
    In the October 21, 2008, application, the licensee also requested a 
one-time exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 50.36a(a)(2) to 
support the implementation of the proposed amendment which results in 
the 2008 Radioactive Effluent Release Report submittal exceeding the 
12-month requirement.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is required to support the implementation of 
the proposed amendment to Technical Specification 5.6.3. This amendment 
eliminates an undue administrative burden by extending the required 
submittal date for the Radioactive Effluent Release Report one 
additional month. As specified in 10 CFR 50.36a(a)(2), the interval 
between submittals must not exceed 12 months. A one-time exemption is 
required because the proposed amendment would result in the 2008 
Radioactive Effluent Release Report submittal exceeding the 12-month 
requirement.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its safety evaluation of the proposed action 
and concludes that there are no environmental impacts associated with 
the proposed exemption. The details of the staff's safety evaluation 
will be provided in the exemption that will be issued as part of the 
letter to the licensee approving the exemption to the regulation.
    The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability 
or consequences of accidents. No changes are being made in the types of 
effluents that may be released offsite. There is no significant 
increase in the amount of any effluent released offsite. There is no 
significant increase in occupational or public radiation exposure. 
Therefore, there are no significant radiological environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed action.
    With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed 
action does not have a potential to affect any historic sites. It does 
not affect non-radiological plant effluents and has no other 
environmental impact. Therefore, there are no significant non-
radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
    Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    As an alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered 
denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative). 
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

    The action does not involve the use of any different resources 
other than those previously considered in the Final Environmental 
Statement for the Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2, dated 
August 1973, and the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License 
Renewal of the Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 (NUREG-1437, 
Supplement 20), dated May 2005.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On February 9, 2009, the staff consulted with the Michigan State 
official, Mr. Ken Yale, of the Michigan Department of Environmental 
Quality, regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action. The 
State official had no comments.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    On the basis of the environmental assessment, the NRC concludes 
that the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the 
quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the NRC 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 October 21, 2008. Documents may be examined, 
and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), 
located at One White Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555 
Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available 
records will be accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents 
Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on 
the Internet at the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter 
problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS should contact the 
NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, 
or send an e-mail to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1f6f7b6d316d7a6c706a6d7c7a5f716d7c31787069"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a8d8ccda86dacddbc7dddacbcde8c6dacb86cfc7de">[email protected]</span></a>.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day of February 2009.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Terry A. Beltz,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch III-1, Division of 
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
 [FR Doc. E9-4438 Filed 3-2-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P


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