Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 113 / Tuesday, June 12, 2001 / Notices 31699

or safety or protection of the

environment.

Environmental Impacts of Proposed

Action

There are no impacts associated with

the proposed action, as no further

remediation activities will be conducted

at the Revere site. Based on its review,

the NRC staff has concluded that the

environmental impacts associated with

the proposed action do not warrant

either denial of the licensee’s request, or

additional site remediation.

Additionally, in the SER prepared for

this action, the staff has reviewed the

licensee’s proposed action with respect

to the criteria for license termination,

specified in 10 CFR part 20, Subpart E,

and has no basis for denial of the

proposed action. Therefore, the staff

concludes that the proposed alternative

is appropriate.

Agencies and Individuals Consulted

NRC staff prepared the EA. No other

sources were used beyond those

referenced in the EA.

NRC staff provided a draft of the EA

to the PADEP for review. By letter dated

April 26, 2001, PADEP concurred with

NRC’s conclusion that the requirements

for radiological unrestricted release

have been met.

Finding of No Significant Impact

The NRC staff has prepared an EA for

the proposed amendment to NRC

Source Material License SMC–1562. On

the basis of this assessment, the NRC

staff has concluded that the

environmental impacts that may result

from the proposed action would not be

significant, and therefore, preparation of

an Environmental Impact Statement is

not warranted.

The EA and other documents related

to this proposed action are available for

public inspection and copying at the

NRC Public Document Room in NRC’s

One White Flint North Headquarters

building, located at 11555 Rockville

Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland;

and in the Agency-wide Documents

Access and Management System

(ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading

Room at Web address <http://

www.nrc.gov/ADAMS/index.html>.

Notice of Opportunity for Hearing

The Commission hereby provides

notice that this is a proceeding on an

application for a licensing action falling

within the scope of 10 CFR part 2,

subpart L, ‘‘Informal Hearing Procedures

for Adjudications in Materials and

Operator Licensing Proceedings,’’ of the

Commission’s Rules of Practice for

Domestic Licensing Proceedings and

Issuance of Orders.

Pursuant to 10 CFR 2.1205(a), any

person whose interest may be affected

by this proceeding may file a request for

a hearing. In accordance with 10 CFR

2.1205(d), a request for a hearing must

be filed within thirty (30) days from the

date of publication of the Federal

Register notice. The request for a

hearing must be filed with the Office of

the Secretary either:

(1) By delivery to the Rulemakings

and Adjudications Staff of the Office of

the Secretary at One White Flint North,

11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD

20852; or

(2) By mail, telegram, or facsimile

addressed to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission, Washington,

DC 20555, Attention: Rulemakings and

Adjudications Staff. In accordance with

10 CFR 2.1205(f), each request for a

hearing must also be served, by

delivering it personally or by mail to:

(1) The applicant, Cabot Corporation,

P.O. Box 1608, County Line Road,

Boyertown, PA 19512–1608;

(2) The NRC staff, by delivery to the

Office of the General Counsel, One

White Flint North, 11555 Rockville

Pike, Rockville, MD 20852.

In addition to meeting other

applicable requirements of 10 CFR part

2 of the Commission’s regulations, a

request for a hearing filed by a person

other than an applicant must describe in

detail:

(1) The interest of the requestor in the

proceeding;

(2) How that interest may be affected

by the results of the proceeding,

including the reasons why the requestor

should be permitted a hearing, with

particular reference to the factors set out

in 10 CFR 2.1205(h);

(3) The requestor’s areas of concern

about the licensing activity that are the

subject matters of the proceeding; and

(4) The circumstances establishing

that the request for a hearing is timely

in accordance with 10 CFR 2.1205(d).

Any hearing that is requested and

granted will be held in accordance with

the Commission’s ‘‘Informal Hearing

Procedures for Adjudications in

Materials and Operator Licensing

Proceedings’ in part 2, subpart L.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 4th day

of June 2001.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Larry W. Camper,

Chief, Decommissioning Branch, Division of

Waste Management, Office of Nuclear

Material Safety and Safeguards.

[FR Doc. 01–14754 Filed 6–11–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

Docket No. 50–309

Maine Yankee Atomic Power

Company; Maine Yankee Atomic

Power Station Environmental

Assessment and Finding of No

Significant Impact

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (NRC) is considering

issuance of an exemption from certain

requirements of its regulations to

Facility Operating License No. DPR–36,

issued to Maine Yankee Atomic Power

Company (MYAPC or the licensee), for

the Maine Yankee Atomic Power Station

(MYAPS), a permanently shutdown

nuclear reactor facility located in

Lincoln County, Maine.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of Proposed Action

ACTION: The proposed action would

exempt the MYAPS Independent Spent

Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) from

some requirements of 10 CFR

72.212(b)(5) to ‘‘protect the spent fuel

against the design basis threat of

radiological sabotage in accordance with

the same provisions and requirements

as are set forth’’ in 10 CFR 73.55,

‘‘Requirements for physical protection

of licensed activities in nuclear power

reactors against radiological sabotage.’’

The proposed action is in accordance

with the licensee’s application for

exemption dated January 4, 2001, as

supplemented by letters dated March 12

and April 4, 2001.

The Need for the Proposed Action

MYAPS was shut down in December

1996. On August 7, 1997, the licensee

informed the Commission that it had

decided to permanently cease

operations at Maine Yankee Atomic

Power Station and that all fuel had been

permanently removed from the reactor.

In accordance with 10 CFR 50.82(a)(2),

the certifications in the letter modified

the facility operating license to

permanently withdraw MYAPC’s

authority to operate the reactor and to

load fuel into the reactor vessel. The

MYAPS spent nuclear fuel is currently

being stored in the spent fuel pool,

which is protected by a physical

protection system meeting the

requirements of 10 CFR 73.55, with

exemptions as previously issued by the

NRC. To complete the plant site

decommissioning process, the spent fuel

will be removed from the spent fuel

pool and transferred to an onsite ISFSI

for interim storage. Under the

31700 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 113 / Tuesday, June 12, 2001 / Notices

provisions of 10 CFR part 20, subpart K,

General License for Storage of Spent

Fuel at Power Reactor Sites, as specified

in 10 CFR 72.212(b)(5), MYAPS is

required to meet the physical protection

requirements of 10 CFR 73.55 for an

ISFSI at a reactor site. However, MYAPC

has proposed to be exempted from the

requirements of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(5) to

‘‘protect the spent fuel against the

design basis threat of radiological

sabotage in accordance with the same

provisions and requirements as are set

forth’’ in 10 CFR 73.55 (with certain

exceptions provided by 10 CFR

72.212(b)(5)). Instead, MYAPC has

proposed alternative approaches to meet

the provisions of portions of 10 CFR

73.55 related to the security

organization, physical barriers, access

requirements, detection aids,

communications, and response

requirements. The alternative measures

for protection against radiological

sabotage would meet the same high

assurance objectives and the general

performance requirements of 10 CFR

73.55 related to spent fuel storage at an

ISFSI.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed

Action

The NRC has completed its evaluation

of the proposed action and concludes

that granting an exemption from the

requirements of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(5) to

protect the spent fuel against the design

basis threat of radiological sabotage in

accordance with the requirements of 10

CFR 75.55, thereby enabling MYAPC to

implement alternative provisions of 10

CFR 73.55, would not have a significant

impact on the environment.

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 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 resources not previously

considered in the Final Environmental

Statement related to Operation of Maine

Yankee Atomic Power Station (July

1972).

Agencies and Persons Contacted

In accordance with its stated policy,

on April 19, 2001, the staff consulted

with Mr. Patrick Dostie of the State of

Maine, Department of Human Services,

Division of Health Engineering,

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

letters dated January 4, 2001, March 12,

2001, and April 4, 2001, which 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 Electronic Reading Room).

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 5th day

of June 2001.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Michael K. Webb,

Project Manager, Section 1, Project

Directorate IV & Decommissioning, Division

of Licensing Project Management, Office of

Nuclear Reactor Regulation.

[FR Doc. 01–14753 Filed 6–11–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

Biweekly Notice; Applications and

Amendments to Facility Operating

Licenses Involving No Significant

Hazards Considerations

I. Background

Pursuant to Public Law 97–415, the

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

(the Commission or NRC staff) is

publishing this regular biweekly notice.

Public Law 97–415 revised section 189

of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as

amended (the Act), to require the

Commission to publish notice of any

amendments issued, or proposed to be

issued, under a new provision of section

189 of the Act. This provision grants the

Commission the authority to issue and

make immediately effective any

amendment to an operating license

upon a determination by the

Commission that such amendment

involves no significant hazards

consideration, notwithstanding the

pendency before the Commission of a

request for a hearing from any person.

This biweekly notice includes all

notices of amendments issued, or

proposed to be issued from May 21,

2001 through June 1, 2001. The last

biweekly notice was published on May

30, 2001 (66 FR 29349).

Notice of Consideration of Issuance of

Amendments to Facility Operating

Licenses, Proposed No Significant

Hazards Consideration Determination,

and Opportunity for a Hearing

The Commission has made a

proposed determination that the

following amendment requests involve

no significant hazards consideration.

Under the Commission’s regulations in

10 CFR 50.92, this means that operation

of the facility in accordance with the

proposed amendment would not (1)

involve a significant increase in the

probability or consequences of an

accident previously evaluated; or (2)

create the possibility of a new or

different kind of accident from any

accident previously evaluated; or (3)

involve a significant reduction in a

margin of safety. The basis for this

proposed determination for each

amendment request is shown below.

The Commission is seeking public

comments on this proposed

determination. Any comments received

within 30 days after the date of

publication of this notice will be

considered in making any final

determination.

Normally, the Commission will not

issue the amendment until the

expiration of the 30-day notice period.