Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 84 / Tuesday, May 1, 2001 / Notices 21787

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

Docket No. 50–305

Nuclear Management Company LLC;

Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant

Environmental Assessment and

Finding of No Significant Impact

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (NRC) is considering

issuance of exemptions from 10 CFR

50.61 and apendices G and H to part 50

to Facility Operating License No. DPR–

43 issued to the Nuclear Management

Company, LLC (NMC or the licensee),

for operation of the Kewaunee Nuclear

Power Plant (KNPP or Kewaunee),

located in Kewaunee County,

Wisconsin.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

The proposed action allows the

incorporation of the use of fracture

toughness (KJC) test data for evaluating

the integrity of the Kewaunee Nuclear

Power Plant (KNPP) reactor pressure

vessel (RPV) circumferential beltline

weld. The licensee submittal requested

NRC staff approval of a new

methodology for assessing the integrity

of the RPV circumferential beltline weld

based on the use of the 1997 Edition of

American Society for Testing and

Materials (ASTM) Standard Test

Method E–1921 and American Society

for Mechanical Engineering (ASME)

Code Case N–629. The licensee

submittal included: (1) An exemption

from 10 CFR 50.61 to use a proposed

alternative methodology based on

ASME Code Case N–629 and WCAP–

15075; (2) an exemption from Appendix

H to Part 50, which specifies use of

ASTM E185–82 for testing of

surveillance materials, to use a

proposed alternative, ASTM E185–98,

which allows use of ASTM E1921–97

for testing of surveillance capsule

material; (3) an exemption from

appendices G and H to part 50, which

specifies Charpy V–Notch impact and

drop weight testing, to use a proposed

alternative ASTM E1921–97; and, (4) a

reassessment of the KNPP RPV’s

compliance with 10 CFR 50.61

(concerning pressurized thermal shock,

PTS) for end of license (EOL) condition.

The proposed action is in accordance

with the licensee’s application for

exemptions dated June 7, 1999, as

supplemented by letters dated February

4, September 26, and December 18,

2000.

The Need for the Proposed Action

KNPP is a pressurized water reactor

(PWR) which commenced commercial

operation in 1974, and its current

operating license will expire in

December 2013. The proposed action,

exemptions from 10 CFR 50.61,

Appendix G of Part 50, and appendix H

of part 50, is needed to allow the use of

the proposed alternative methodology.

The exemption is necessary since the

alternative methodology differs from the

current methodology specified in the

regulations. The proposed exemptions

would permit the use of a proposed

methodology to use fracture toughness

data as an alternative to the Charpy Vnotch and to use a drop weight-based

methodology to adequately evaluate the

integrity of the KNPP RPV, establish

pressure-temperature limit curves, and

ensure that the RPV is protected from

failure by PTS.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed

Action

The NRC has completed its evaluation

of the proposed action and concludes

that the exemptions and assessment

methodology described above would

provide an adequate evaluation of the

reactor vessel fracture toughness for

KNPP for end of license (EOL)

condition. The proposed action would

use an alternate methodology from the

methodology currently utilized. The

proposed action does not result in any

physical or operational changes to the

plant.

The proposed action will not

significantly increase the probability or

consequences of accidents, no changes

are being made in the types of any

effluents that may be released off site,

and there is no significant increase in

occupational or public exposure.

Therefore, there are no significant

radiological environmental impacts

associated with the proposed action.

With regard to potential

nonradiological impacts, the proposed

action does not involve any historic

sites. It does not affect nonradiological

plant effluents and has no other

environmental impact. Therefore, there

are no significant nonradiological

environmental impacts associated with

the proposed action.

Accordingly, the NRC concludes that

there are no significant environmental

impacts associated with this action.

Alternatives to the Proposed

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 significant 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 Kewaunee.

Agencies and Persons Contacted

In accordance with its stated policy,

on November 14, 2000, the NRC staff

consulted with the Wisconsin State

official, S. Jenkins of the Wisconsin

Public Service Commission, 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 June 7, 1999, as supplemented by

letters dated February 4, September 26,

and December 18, 2000, which are

available for public inspection at the

NRC’s Public Document Room, located

at One White Flint North, 11555

Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville,

Maryland. Publicly available records are

accessible electronically from the

ADAMS Public Library component on

the NRC Web site, http:www.nrc.gov

(the Electronic Reading Room).

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 12th day

of February, 2001.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Tae J. Kim,

Acting Section Chief, Section 1, Project

Directorate III, Division of Licensing Project

Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation.

[FR Doc. 01–10824 Filed 4–30–01; 8:45am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

Sunshine Act Meeting

AGENCY HOLDING THE MEETING: Nuclear

Regulatory Commission.

DATES: Weeks of April 30, May 7, 14, 21,

28, June 4, 2001.

PLACE: Commissioners’ Conference

Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,

Maryland.

STATUS: Public and Closed.