57156 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 191 / Wednesday, October 1, 2008 / Notices 

White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike 

(first floor), Rockville, Maryland 20852– 

2738, and at http://www.nrc.gov/ 

reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/ 

applications.html, the NRC’s Web site 

while the application is under review. 

The application may be accessed in 

ADAMS through the NRC’s Public 

Electronic Reading Room on the Internet 

at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/ 

adams.html under ADAMS Accession 

Number ML082341038. As stated above, 

persons who do not have access to 

ADAMS or who encounter problems in 

accessing the documents located in 

ADAMS may contact the NRC Public 

Document Room (PDR) Reference staff 

by telephone at 1–800–397–4209 or 

301–415–4737, or by e-mail to 

PDR@nrc.gov. 

The NRC staff has verified that a copy 

of the license renewal application is 

also available to local residents near 

KPS, at the Kewaunee Public Library, 

822 Juneau St., Kewaunee, WI 54216. 

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 25th day 

of September, 2008. 

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Brian E. Holian, 

Director, Division of License Renewal, Office 

of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. 

[FR Doc. E8–23090 Filed 9–30–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

[Docket No. 40–3392] 

Honeywell International, Inc.; 

Honeywell Metropolis Works; 

Environmental Assessment and 

Finding of No Significant Impact 

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) is considering 

issuance of an exemption from 10 CFR 

30, Appendix C, for Materials License 

No. SUB–456, issued to Honeywell 

International, Inc. (Honeywell or the 

licensee), for operation of the 

Honeywell Metropolis Works, located in 

Metropolis, Illinois. As required by 10 

CFR 51.21, the NRC has prepared this 

environmental assessment and finds 

that granting the exemption request will 

have no significant impact. 

Environmental Assessment 

Identification of the Proposed Action 

The proposed action would allow 

Honeywell an extension of a one-year 

exemption, previously granted by NRC 

via letter dated May 11, 2007, from a 

portion of the financial test in 10 CFR 

30, Appendix C, which requires that 

Honeywell’s year end tangible net worth 

be equal to at least ten times its total 

decommissioning liabilities. The 

exemption granted by NRC allowed 

Honeywell to include goodwill in the 

determination of tangible net worth and 

was contained in License Condition 

(LC) –27 in its Materials License No. 

SUB–526 renewed on May 11, 2007. 

The proposed action is in accordance 

with the licensee’s application dated 

April 11, 2008, as supplemented by 

letter dated May 15, 2008. 

The Need for the Proposed Action 

The proposed action would allow 

Honeywell an extension of a previously 

approved exemption from the same 

portion of the financial test in 10 CFR 

30, Appendix C, until the earlier 

occurrence of (1) May 11, 2009, or (2) 

the effective date of a final rule 

amending 10 CFR Part 30 consistent 

with the proposed rule published in the 

Federal Register on January 22, 2008. 

Since May 26, 1994, Honeywell has 

provided a corporate self-guarantee as 

financial assurance for 

decommissioning as required by 10 CFR 

Part 30 Appendix C (as made applicable 

by 10 CFR Part 40.36(e)(2)). However, in 

a letter dated November 3, 2006, 

Honeywell notified NRC that it was 

unable to meet the tangible net worth 

part of the financial test as required by 

10 CFR Part 30 Appendix C. The 

regulations require, among other things, 

that the licensees have tangible net 

worth of at least 10 times the 

decommissioning obligation. 

Honeywell’s tangible net worth no 

longer meets the 10 to 1 ratio test, which 

means that absent an exemption, it 

would no longer be eligible to use the 

self-guarantee. The regulations require 

that Honeywell provide alternate 

financial assurance within 120 days 

after notifying the NRC that it is no 

longer qualified to use the selfguarantee. 

In a letter dated December 1, 2006, 

Honeywell submitted a request under 

the provisions of 10 CFR 40.14 for an 

exemption from 10 CFR 30, Appendix 

C, that it be allowed to include goodwill 

in the determination of tangible net 

worth for the purpose of the ratio test. 

On May 11, 2007, NRC approved the 

renewal of Honeywell Materials License 

No. SUB–456 and documented its 

review in a Safety Evaluation Report 

(SER) enclosed with the renewed 

license. In Section 11.5 of this SER, 

Honeywell was granted a one-year 

exemption from the tangible net worth 

portion of the financial test which is 

stipulated in 10 CFR Part 30 Appendix 

C, Section II. This exemption allowed 

Honeywell to use goodwill in its 

calculation of net worth. This 

exemption was granted based on many 

factors that were documented in the 

SER including Honeywell’s bond rating 

of ‘‘A’’ as assigned by Standard & Poor’s. 

The SER outlined that a company with 

an ‘‘A’’ bond rating had a relatively low 

probability of default, and that this 

default rate was almost non-existent 

during any given one-year time period. 

As Honeywell’s one-year exemption 

expired on May 11, 2008, Honeywell 

seeks to extend this exemption until the 

earlier of (1) May 11, 2009 (i.e. , an 

additional one year period) or (2) the 

effective date of a final rule amending 

10 CFR Part 30 consistent with the 

proposed rule published in the Federal 

Register on January 22, 2008. 

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed 

Action 

The NRC has completed its safety 

evaluation of the proposed action and 

concludes the proposed action to be 

acceptable. 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 request dated April 11, 2008. 

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 off site. There is no 

significant increase in the amount of 

any effluent released off site. 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 have a potential to affect 

any historic sites. It does not affect nonradiological 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 additional licensee 

resources being expended on the 

alternate financial assurance methods 

which would increase the likelihood 

that funds for decommissioning will not 

be available when needed. 

Alternative Use of Resources 

The action does not involve the use of 

any different resources than those 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 191 / Wednesday, October 1, 2008 / Notices 57157 

previously considered in the 

Environmental Assessment for Renewal 

of NRC License No. SUB–526 for the 

Honeywell Specialty Materials 

Metropolis Work Facility, dated June 30, 

2006. 

Agencies and Persons Consulted 

On August 6, 2008, the staff consulted 

with the Illinois State official, Gerald 

Steele of the Illinois Environmental 

Protection Agency, 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. 

Further Information 

For further details with respect to the 

proposed action, see the licensee’s letter 

dated April 11, 2008, as supplemented 

on May 15, 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, 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 NRC 

Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/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 at 

1–800–397–4209, or 301–415–4737, or 

send an e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov. 

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd 

day of August 2008. 

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

Michael D. Tschiltz, 

Acting Director, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety 

and Safeguards, Office of Material Safety and 

Safeguards. 

[FR Doc. E8–23107 Filed 9–30–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

[Docket No. 50–413; Renewed License No. 

NPF–35] 

In the Matter of Duke Energy Carolinas, 

LLC; North Carolina Electric 

Membership Corporation; Saluda River 

Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Catawba 

Nuclear Station, Unit 1); Order 

Approving Direct Transfer of License 

and Approving Conforming 

Amendment 

I. 

Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (the 

licensee), the North Carolina Electric 

Membership Corporation (NCEMC/the 

licensee), and the Saluda River Electric 

Cooperative, Inc. (SREC), are the owners 

of Catawba Nuclear Station, Unit 1 

(Catawba 1). With respect to their 

ownerships, they are coholders of 

Renewed Facility Operating License No. 

NPF–35. Catawba 1 is located in York 

County, South Carolina. 

II. 

By application dated December 20, 

2007, as supplemented by letter dated 

May 29, 2008, Duke Energy Carolinas, 

LLC, requested on behalf of itself, 

NCEMC and SREC, pursuant to Title 10 

of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 

CFR), Section 50.80 (10 CFR 50.80), that 

the Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

(NRC) consent to certain license 

transfers to permit the direct transfer of 

the 18.75 percent undivided ownership 

interest of SREC in Catawba 1, to the 

Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, a current 

owner and operator, and NCEMC, a 

current owner. According to the 

application for approval filed by the 

licensees, following approval, Duke 

Energy Carolinas, LLC will purchase 

71.96 percent of the SREC’s interest in 

Catawba 1 (i.e., 13.49 percent of SREC’s 

undivided ownership interest) and 

NCEMC will purchase 28.04 percent of 

SREC’s interest in Catawba 1 (i.e., 5.26 

percent of SREC’s undivided ownership 

interest). Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC 

will remain responsible for the 

operation and maintenance of 

Catawba 1. 

Approval of the direct transfer of the 

facility operating license was requested 

by Duke pursuant to 10 CFR 50.80. A 

notice entitled,‘‘Notice of Consideration 

of Approval of the Proposed Transfer of 

the Catawba Nuclear Station, Unit 1, 

Renewed Facility Operating License No. 

NPF–35 and Conforming Agreement, 

and Opportunity for a Hearing 

Regarding Transfer of the Saluda River 

Electric Cooperative, Inc.’s Undivided 

Ownership Interest in Catawba Nuclear 

Station, Unit 1, to Duke Energy 

Carolinas, LLC, a Current Owner and 

Operator, and North Carolina Electric 

Membership Corporation, a Current 

Owner,’’ was published in the Federal 

Register on July 21, 2008 (73 FR 42375). 

No comments or hearing requests were 

received. 

Under 10 CFR 50.80, no license, or 

any right thereunder, shall be 

transferred, directly or indirectly, 

through transfer of control of the 

license, unless the U.S. Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission (NRC) shall give 

its consent in writing. Upon review of 

the information in the licensees’ 

application, and other information 

before the Commission, the NRC staff 

has determined that Duke Energy 

Carolinas, LLC, and NCEMC are 

qualified to hold the license to the 

extent proposed to permit the transfer of 

SREC’s 18.75 percent undivided 

ownership interest in Catawba 1 to Duke 

Energy Carolinas, LLC, (13.49 percent) 

and NCEMC (5.26 percent), and that the 

transfers of the license are otherwise 

consistent with the applicable 

provisions of law, regulations, and 

orders issued by the NRC, pursuant 

thereto, subject to the conditions set 

forth below. The NRC staff has further 

found that the application for the 

proposed license amendment complies 

with the standards and requirements of 

the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as 

amended (the Act), and the 

Commission’s rules and regulations set 

forth in 10 CFR Chapter I; the facilities 

will operate in conformity with the 

application, the provisions of the Act 

and the rules and regulations of the 

Commission; there is reasonable 

assurance that the activities authorized 

by the proposed license amendment can 

be conducted without endangering the 

health and safety of the public and that 

such activities will be conducted in 

compliance with the Commission’s 

regulations; the issuance of the 

proposed license amendment will not 

be inimical to the common defense and 

security or to the health and safety of 

the public; and the issuance of the 

proposed amendment will be in 

accordance with10 CFR Part 51 of the 

Commission’s regulations and all 

applicable requirements have been 

satisfied. The findings set forth above 

are supported by a safety evaluation 

dated September 25, 2008. 

III 

Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 

161b, 161i, 161.o, and 184 of the Atomic 

Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the 

Act), 42 U.S.C. 2201(b), 2201(i), 2201(o), 

and 2234; and 10 CFR 50.80, it is hereby 

ordered that the application regarding 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES