16180 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 60 / Wednesday, March 29, 1995 / Notices

Division of Public Programs, for projects

after September 1, 1995.

2. Date: April 27–28, 1995.

Time: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Room: 415.

Program: This meeting will review

applications submitted for Humanities

Projects in Media program for the March

10, 1995 deadline, submitted to the

Division of Public Programs, for projects

beginning after September 1, 1995.

David C. Fisher,

Advisory Committee Management Officer.

[FR Doc. 95–7641 Filed 3–28–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7536–01–M

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

[Docket No. STN 50–528]

Arizona Public Service Company, et

al., Palo Verde Nuclear Generating

Station, Unit No. 1; Environmental

Assessment and Finding of No

Significant Impact

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (the Commission) is

considering issuance of an exemption

from certain requirements of 10 CFR

Part 50, Appendix J, Paragraph

III.D.1.(a), Type A Tests, to the Arizona

Public Service Company, et al. (APS or

the licensee), for operation of the Palo

Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Unit

No. 1, located in Maricopa County,

Arizona.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

The proposed action would exempt

the licensee from the requirements of 10

CFR Part 50, Appendix J, Paragraph

III.D.1.(a), to the extent that a one-time

schedular extension would permit

rescheduling the third containment

integrated leak rate test (ILRT) in the

first 10-year service period from the fifth

refueling outage (1R5) currently

scheduled for May 1995 to the sixth

refueling outage (1R6) planned for

September 1996. The requested

exemption would also allow the

decoupling of this third test from the

endpoint of the first 10-year inservice

inspection (ISI) period.

The proposed action is in accordance

with the licensee’s application for

exemption dated December 28, 1994.

The Need for the Proposed Action

The current containment integrated

leakage rate test (ILRT) requirements for

Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station,

Unit 1, as set forth in Appendix J, are

that, after the preoperational leak rate

test, a set of three Type A tests must be

performed at approximately equal

intervals during each 10-year period.

Also, the third test of each set must be

conducted when the plant is shut down

for the 10-year plant inservice

inspection. To date, for Palo Verde

Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 1, the

preoperational and the first two periodic

ILRTs have been conducted. The most

recent ILRT was conducted in February

1990, approximately 59 months ago.

Thus, in accordance with Appendix J,

an ILRT would have to be conducted

during the upcoming refueling outage

(1R5, scheduled for May 1995).

The licensee has requested a

schedular exemption from Appendix J.

Specifically, the exemption would allow

APS to delay the Unit 1 third Type A

test until the September 1996 refueling

outage (1R6) and allow APS to only

perform the three tests required by 10

CFR Part 50, Appendix J. As such, the

third Type A test would be performed

within 10 calendar years from the

common start date of the initial ISI

interval and 10 years and 8 months from

the date of Unit 1 commercial operation.

With this exemption, the interval

between the second and third Type A

test would be approximately 81 months.

The licensee also requested an

exemption that would allow the

decoupling of this third test from the

endpoint of the first 10-year inservice

inspection period. Specifically,

subsequent Type A testing would be

performed in accordance with the

requirements of 10 CFR Part 50,

Appendix J (three Type A tests every 10

years at approximately equal intervals),

commencing from the completion of the

Unit 1 sixth refueling outage (1R6). A

CILRT would not need to be performed

during the 10-year ISI outage planned

for the Spring of 1998 (1R7). Therefore,

the need for the licensee’s proposed

action is to allow a longer interval

between the Palo Verde Unit 1 second

and third periodic Type A ILRTs. This

action, along with decoupling the

requirement to perform an ILRT at the

end of the 10-year inservice inspection

period, will eliminate the need for an

additional test. The licensee concluded

that the extension of the Type A test

interval has a negligible impact on

overall risk and results in a cost savings.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed

Action

The Commission has completed its

evaluation of the proposed action and

concludes that the proposed one-time

exemption would not increase the

probability or consequences of accidents

previously analyzed and the proposed

one-time exemption would not affect

facility radiation levels or facility

radiological effluents. The licensee has

analyzed the results of previous Type A

tests performed at the Palo Verde

Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 1. The

licensee has provided an acceptable

basis for concluding that the proposed

one-time extension of the Type A test

interval would maintain the

containment leakage rates within

acceptable limits. Accordingly, the

Commission has concluded that the

one-time extension does not result in a

significant increase in the amounts of

any effluents that may be released nor

does it result in a significant increase in

individual or cumulative occupational

radiation exposure. Therefore, there are

no significant radiological

environmental impacts associated with

the proposed exemption.

With regard to potential

nonradiological impacts, the proposed

exemption only involves Type A testing

on the containment. It does not affect

nonradiological plant effluents and has

no other environmental impact.

Accordingly, the Commission concludes

that here are no significant

nonradiological environmental impacts

associated with the proposed

exemption.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

Since the Commission has concluded

there is no measurable environmental

impact associated with the proposed

action, any alternatives with equal or

greater environmental impact need not

be evaluated. As an alternative to the

proposed action, the staff considered

denial of the proposed action. 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.

The change will not increase the

probability or consequences of

accidents, no changes are being made in

the types of any effluents that may be

released offsite, and there is not

significant increase in the allowable

individual or cumulative occupation

radiation exposure. Accordingly, the

Commission concludes that there are no

significant radiological environmental

impacts associated with the proposed

exemption.

Alternative Use of Resources

This action does not involve the use

of resources not previously considered

in the ‘‘Final Environmental Statement

Related to the Operation of Palo Verde

Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2,

and 3,’’ dated February 1982.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 60 / Wednesday, March 29, 1995 / Notices 16181

Agencies and Persons Consulted

In accordance with its stated policy,

the NRC staff consulted with the

Arizona State official regarding the

environmental impact of the proposed

action. The State official had no

comments.

Finding of No Significant Impact

Based upon the environmental

assessment, the Commission concludes

that the proposed action will not have

a significant effect on the quality of the

human environment. Accordingly, the

Commission has determined not to

prepare an environmental impact

statement for the proposed exemption.

For further details with respect to this

action, see the licensee’s letter dated

December 28, 1994, which is available

for public inspection at the

Commission’s Public Document Room,

The Gelman Building, 2120 L Street,

NW., Washington, DC, and at the local

public document room located at the

Phoenix Public Library, 12 East

McDowell Road, Phoenix, Arizona

85004.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day

of March 1995.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Theodore R. Quay,

Director, Project Directorate IV–2, Division

of Reactor Projects III/IV, Office of Nuclear

Reactor Regulation.

[FR Doc. 95–7699 Filed 3–28–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–M

Advisory Committee on Nuclear

Waste; Notice of Meeting

The Advisory Committee on Nuclear

Waste (ACNW) will hold its 73rd

meeting on April 12–13, 1995, in Room

T–2B3, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville,

Maryland. The meeting will be open to

public attendance, with the exemption

of portions that may be closed to discuss

information the release of which would

constitute a clearly unwarranted

invasion of personal privacy pursuant to

5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(6).

The agenda for this meeting shall be

as follows:

Wednesday and Thursday, April 12 and 13,

1995—8:30 A.M. until 6:00 P.M.

During this meeting the Committee plans

to consider the following:

A. DOE’s Approach to Groundwater Travel

Time—The Committee will hear

presentations by and hold discussions with

representatives of the Department of Energy

and the NRC staff and their consultants on

the Department’s approach to resolving the

groundwater travel time issue associated

with the proposed Yucca Mountain highlevel waste repository.

B. Meeting with the Director, NRC’s

Division of Waste Management, Nuclear

Materials Safety & Safeguards—The Director

will provide information to the Committee on

current waste management issues, which

may include the use of expert judgment, a

discussion of NRC’s key technical

uncertainties associated with Yucca

Mountain, and a Performance Assessment

Vertical Slice Review of volcanism and

groundwater travel time.

C. National Performance Review Phase 2—

The Committee will hear presentations by

and hold discussions with the NRC staff on

initiatives to streamline the federal

government and regulatory process.

D. Meeting with the Director, NRC’s Office

of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards—

The Committee will welcome the new

Director and discuss interactions between the

Committee and the Office of NMSS.

E. Preparation of ACNW Reports—The

Committee will discuss proposed reports on

the Approach to Groundwater Travel Time at

Yucca Mountain, a low-level waste branch

technical position on performance

assessment, a proposed NRC rule on

radiological criteria for decommissioning and

the EPA’s preproposal standard on low-level

waste disposal. Additional topics will be

considered as time permits including the

engineered barrier system for the proposed

Yucca Mountain repository, the evaluation of

rock mechanics for the proposed Yucca

Mountain site, and DOE’s program approach.

F. Committee Activities/Future Agenda—

The Committee will consider topics proposed

for future consideration by the full

Committee and working groups. The

Committee will also discuss organizational

and personnel matters related to the selection

of new ACNW members and ACNW staff. A

portion of this session may be closed to

public attendance to discuss information the

release of which would constitute a clearly

unwarranted invasion of personal privacy

pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(6).

G. Miscellaneous—The Committee will

discuss miscellaneous matters related to the

conduct of Committee activities and

organizational activities and complete

discussion of matters and specific issues that

were not completed during previous

meetings, as time and availability of

information permit.

Procedures for the conduct of and

participation in ACNW meetings were

published in the Federal Register on October

7, 1994 (59 FR 51219). In accordance with

these procedures, oral or written statements

may be presented by members of the public,

electronic recordings will be permitted only

during those portions of the meeting that are

open to the public, and questions may be

asked only by members of the Committee, its

consultants, and staff. Persons desiring to

make oral statements should notify the

ACNW Executive Director, Dr. John T.

Larkins, as far in advance as practicable so

that appropriate arrangements can be made to

allow the necessary time during the meeting

for such statements. Use of still, motion

picture and television cameras during this

meeting may be limited to selected portions

of the meeting as determined by the ACNW

Chairman. Information regarding the time to

be set aside for this purpose may be obtained

by contracting the ACNW Executive Director

prior to the meeting. In view of the

possibility that the schedule for ACNW

meetings may be adjusted by the Chairman

as necessary to facilitate the conduct of the

meeting, persons planning to attend should

check with the ACNW Executive Director if

such rescheduling would result in major

inconvenience.

Further information regarding topics to be

discussed, whether the meeting has been

cancelled or rescheduled, the Chairman’s

ruling on requests for the opportunity to

present oral statements and the time allotted

therefor can be obtained by contacting the

ACNW Executive Director, Dr. John T.

Larkins (Telephone 301/415–7360), between

7:30 A.M. and 4:15 P.M. EST.

Dated: March 24, 1995.

Andrew L. Bates,

Advisory Committee Management Officer.

[FR Doc. 95–7737 Filed 3–28–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–M

Biweekly Notice

Applications and Amendments to

Facility Operating LicensesInvolving

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 March 3,

1995, through March 17, 1995. The last

biweekly notice was published on

March 15, 1995.

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