30236 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 108 / Tuesday, June 5, 2001 / Notices

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50–269, 50–270, and 50–287]

Duke Energy Corporation; Oconee

Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, and 3,

Exemption

1.0 Background

Duke Energy Corporation (the

licensee) is the holder of Facility

Operating License Nos. DPR–38, DPR–

47, and DPR–55, which authorize

operation of the Oconee Nuclear

Station, Units 1, 2, and 3. The licenses

provide, among other things, that the

facility is subject to all rules,

regulations, and orders of the U.S.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC/

the Commission) now or hereafter in

effect.

The facility consists of three

pressurized water reactors located in

Seneca County in South Carolina.

2.0 Request/Action

Title 10 of the Code of Federal

Regulations (10 CFR) § 55.59(a)(1)

requires that each licensed operator

successfully complete a requalification

program developed by the licensee that

has been approved by the Commission.

This program is to be conducted for a

continuous period not to exceed 24

months in duration and upon its

conclusion must be promptly followed

by a successive requalification program.

In addition, pursuant to 10 CFR

55.59(a)(2), each licensed operator must

also pass a comprehensive

requalification written examination and

an annual operating test.

By letter dated March 6, 2001, the

licensee requested an exemption under

10 CFR 55.11 from the requirements of

10 CFR 55.59(a)(1) and (a)(2). The

exemption requested will extend the

current Oconee Nuclear Station

requalification program from June 4,

2001, to July 13, 2001. The requested

exemption would constitute a one-time

extension of the requalification program

duration.

3.0 Discussion

Pursuant to 10 CFR 55.11, the

Commission may, upon application by

an interested person, or upon its own

initiative, grant such exemptions from

the requirements of the regulations in

this part as it determines are authorized

by law and will not endanger life or

property and are otherwise in the public

interest.

The Commission has determined that,

pursuant to 10 CFR 55.11, granting an

exemption to the licensee from the

requirements in 10 CFR 55.59(a)(1) and

(a)(2) is authorized by law, will not

endanger life or property, and is in the

public interest. To require the licensee’s

operators and staff to support the

comprehensive examination and

operating tests schedule during the 24-

month requalification cycle could have

a detrimental effect on the public

interest because it would remove

qualified operators from refueling

operations and place them into the

training program, which could interfere

with the current Oconee Unit 2

refueling outage schedule. Further, this

one-time exemption will provide

additional operator support during plant

shutdown conditions, which would

provide a safety enhancement during

plant shutdown operations and postmaintenance testing. The affected

licensed operators will continue to

demonstrate and possess the required

levels of knowledge, skills, and abilities

needed to safely operate the plant

throughout the transitional period via

continuation of the current satisfactory

licensed operator requalification

program.

4.0 Conclusion

Accordingly, the Commission hereby

grants the licensee an exemption on a

one-time only basis from the

requirements of 10 CFR 55.59(a)(1) and

(a)(2) to allow the current Oconee

Nuclear Station requalification program

to be extended beyond the 24 months,

but not to exceed 26 months and to

expire on July 13, 2001. Upon

completion of the examinations on July

13, 2001, the follow-on cycle will end

on March 8, 2003. Future annual

requalification cycles will run from

March to March.

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 (66 FR 29347).

This exemption is effective upon

issuance and expires on March 8, 2003.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 30th day

of May 2001.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Bruce A. Boger,

Director, Division of Inspection Program

Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation.

[FR Doc. 01–14094 Filed 6–4–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50–389]

Florida Power and Light Company, et

al. St. Lucie Plant, Unit No. 2;

Environmental Assessment and

Finding of No Significant Impact

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (NRC) is considering

issuance of an exemption from 10 CFR

50.55a(f)(ii) and 50.55a(f)(5)(i) for

Facility Operating License No. NPF–16,

issued to Florida Power and Light

Company, et al. (the licensee), for

operation of the St. Lucie Unit 2, located

in St. Lucie County, Florida.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

The proposed action would revise the

second and third 120-month Inservice

Test (IST) intervals for St. Lucie Unit 2.

Currently, St. Lucie Unit 2 is in its

second IST interval, with an end date of

August 7, 2003. The proposed action

would shorten the second IST interval

for St. Lucie Unit 2 by retroactively

changing the end date to February 10,

1998, to coincide with the end date of

the second IST interval for St. Lucie

Unit 1. Thus, the third IST interval for

both units would begin on February 11,

1998, and end on February 10, 2008.

The proposed action is in accordance

with the licensee’s application for

exemption dated November 27, 2000.

The Need for the Proposed Action

The IST intervals for St. Lucie Units

1 and 2 are currently offset by

approximately 5 years, primarily due to

the initial licensing dates of the units.

This requires maintaining distinct but

similar programs, with the

administrative burden of updating them

approximately every 5 years. The

proposed action provides a one-time

schedule exemption, which would

allow the licensee to implement a

combined IST program consistent

between units, requiring compliance

with the same edition of the American

Society of Mechanical Engineers Code

and addenda, and allow both units to be

tested using the same test requirements.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed

Action

The NRC has completed its evaluation

of the proposed action and concludes

that there are no significant

environmental impacts associated with

the proposed action.

The proposed action will not

significantly increase the probability or

consequences of accidents, no changes

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 108 / Tuesday, June 5, 2001 / Notices 30237

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 radiation

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 the proposed

action.

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

This action does not involve the use

of any different resources than those

previously considered in the Final

Environmental Statement for St. Lucie

Unit 2 (NUREG–0842).

Agencies and Persons Consulted

In accordance with its stated policy,

on May 17, 2001, the staff consulted

with the Florida State official, William

Passetti, of the Bureau of Radiation

Control, 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 November 27, 2000. Documents

may be examined, and/or copied for a

fee, at the NRC’s Public Document

Room, located at One White Flint North,

11555 Rockville Pike (first floor),

Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available

records will be accessible electronically

from the ADAMS Public Library

component on the NRC Web site, http:/

/www.nrc.gov (the Public Electronic

Reading Room).

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 30th day

of May 2001.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Brendan T. Moroney,

Project Manager, Section 2, Project

Directorate II Division of Licensing Project

Management Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation

[FR Doc. 01–14093 Filed 6–4–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

Sunshine Act Meeting

AGENCY HOLDING THE MEETING: Nuclear

Regulatory Commission.

DATES: Weeks of June 4, 11, 18, 25, July

2, 9, 2001.

PLACE: Commissioners’ Conference

Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,

Maryland.

STATUS: Public and Closed.

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: 

Week of June 4, 2001

Tuesday, June 5, 2001

9:25 a.m.—Affirmation Session (Public

Meeting) (if needed)

2:00 p.m.—Discussion of Management

Issues (Closed-Ex. 2)

Wednesday, June 6, 2001

10:30 a.m.—All Employees Meeting

(Public Meeting)

1:30 p.m.—All Employees Meeting

(Public Meeting)

Week of June 11, 2001—Tentative

Thursday, June 14, 2001

9:55 a.m.—Affirmation Session (Public

Meeting) (If needed)

10:00 a.m.—Meeting with Nuclear

Waste Technical Review Board

(Public Meeting)

1:30 p.m.—Briefing on License Renewal

Program (Public Meeting) (Contact:

David Solorio, 301–415–1973)

Week of June 18, 2001—Tentative

There are no meetings scheduled for

the Week of June 18, 2001.

Week of June 25, 2001—Tentative

Wednesday, June 27, 2001

9:25 a.m.—Affirmation Session (Public

Meeting) (If needed)

Week of July 2, 2001—Tentative

There are no meetings scheduled for

the Week of July 2, 2001.

Week of July 9, 2001—Tentative

Monday, July 9, 2001

1:25 p.m.—Affirmative Session (Public

Meeting) (If needed)

*The schedule for Commission meetings is

subject to change on short notice. To verify

the status of meetings call (recording)—(301)

415–1292. Contact person for more

information: David Louis Gamberoni, (301)

415–1651.

The NRC Commission Meeting

Schedule can be found on the Internet

at: http://www.nrc.gov/SECY/smj/

schedule.htm

This notice is distributed by mail to

several hundred subscribers; if you no

longer wish to receive it, or would like

to be added to the distribution, please

contact the Office of the Secretary,

Washington, D.C. 20555 (301–415–

1969). In addition, distribution of this

meeting notice over the Internet system

is available. If you are interested in

receiving this Commission meeting

schedule electronically, please send an

electronic message to dkw@nrc.gov.

Dated: May 31, 2001.

David Louis Gamberoni,

Technical Coordinator, Office of the

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–14257 Filed 6–1–01; 2:03 pm]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–M

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE

COMMISSION

[Release No. 35–27409]

Filings Under the Public Utility Holding

Company Act of 1935, as Amended

(‘‘Act’’)

May 29, 2001.

Notice is hereby given that the

following filing(s) has/have been made

with the Commission pursuant to

provisions of the Act and rules

promulgated under the Act. All

interested persons are referred to the

application(s) and/or declaration(s) for

complete statements of the proposed

transaction(s) summarized below. The

application(s) and/or declaration(s) and

any amendment(s) is/are available for

public inspection through the

Commission’s Branch of Public

Reference.

Interested persons wishing to

comment or request a hearing on the

application(s) and/or declaration(s)

should submit their views in writing by

June 22, 2001, to the Secretary,

Securities and Exchange Commission,

Washington, DC 20549–0609, and serve

a copy on the relevant applicant(s) and/

or declaration(s) at the address(es)

specified below. Proof of service (by