Source: https://regulations.justia.com/regulations/fedreg/2011/06/13/2011-14559.html
Timestamp: 2020-01-18 21:03:07
Document Index: 309780540

Matched Legal Cases: ['Arts 173', 'art 70', 'art 50', 'art 51', 'art 50', 'art 70', 'art 70', 'art 70', 'art 20', 'art 20', 'art 20', 'art 20', 'art 50', 'art 50', 'art 70', 'art 70', 'art 50', 'art 70', 'art 70', 'art 50', 'art 51', 'art 50', 'art 70', 'art 70', 'art 70', 'art 20', 'art 20', 'art 20', 'art 50', 'art 50', 'art\n70', 'art 70', 'art 50', 'art 70']

Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for Special Nuclear Material License Application From Tennessee Valley Authority for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 2, Spring City, TN, 34273-34276 [2011-14559] :: Nuclear Regulatory Commission :: Agencies And Commissions :: Regulation Tracker :: Justia
Justia Regulation Tracker Agencies And Commissions Nuclear Regulatory Commission Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for Special Nuclear Material License Application From Tennessee Valley Authority for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 2, Spring City, TN, 34273-34276 [2011-14559]
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for Special Nuclear Material License Application From Tennessee Valley Authority for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 2, Spring City, TN, 34273-34276 [2011-14559]
Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 113 / Monday, June 13, 2011 / Notices [FR Doc. 2011–14564 Filed 6–10–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4510–FN–P MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION [MCC FR 11–06] Notice of the June 22, 2011 Millennium Challenge Corporation Board of Directors Meeting; Sunshine Act Meeting Millennium Challenge Corporation. TIME AND DATE: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Wednesday, June 22, 2011. PLACE: Department of State, 2201 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 20520. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Information on the meeting may be obtained from Melvin F. Williams, Jr., Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary via e-mail at Corporatesecretary@mcc.gov or by telephone at (202) 521–3600. STATUS: Meeting will be closed to the public. MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: The Board of Directors (the ‘‘Board’’) of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (‘‘MCC’’) will hold a meeting to discuss compact operations highlights, policy reform and reinstatement of Niger Threshold Program. The agenda items are expected to involve the consideration of classified information and the meeting will be closed to the public. AGENCY: Dated: June 9, 2011. Melvin F. Williams, VP/General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Millennium Challenge Corporation. [FR Doc. 2011–14647 Filed 6–9–11; 11:15 am] BILLING CODE 9111–03–P NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES National Endowment for the Arts; National Council on the Arts 173rd Meeting Pursuant to section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–463), as amended, notice is hereby given that a meeting of the National Council on the Arts will be held on June 23–24, 2011 in Rooms 527 and M–09 at the Nancy Hanks Center, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20506. A portion of this meeting, from 12:15 p.m.–1:45 p.m. on June 23rd, will be closed for National Medal of Arts review and recommendations. The remainder VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:06 Jun 10, 2011 Jkt 223001 of the meeting, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on June 24th (ending time is approximate) in Room M–09, will be open to the public on a space available basis. Following opening remarks by the Chairman, the Council will vote on grants and guidelines. After the voting there will be presentations by Michael Harasimowicz, Vice Wing Commander, 70 Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, Fort Meade, MD on Blue Star Museums; by Mayor Cedric B. Glover, Shreveport, LA on Creative Placemaking at Work; and by Lorna Jordan of Lorna Jordan Studios, Environmental Art in Madison, WI. The meeting will adjourn after announcement of voting results and concluding remarks. The closed portions of meetings are for the purpose of review, discussion, evaluation, and recommendations on awards under the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965, as amended, including information given in confidence to the agency. In accordance with the determination of the Chairman of February 15, 2011, these sessions will be closed to the public pursuant to subsection (c)(6) of section 552b of Title 5, United States Code. If, in the course of the open session discussion, it becomes necessary for the Council to discuss non-public commercial or financial information of intrinsic value, the Council will go into closed session pursuant to subsection (c)(4) of the Government in the Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b. Additionally, discussion concerning purely personal information about individuals, submitted with grant applications, such as personal biographical and salary data or medical information, may be conducted by the Council in closed session in accordance with subsection (c)(6) of 5 U.S.C. 552b. Any interested persons may attend, as observers, Council discussions and reviews that are open to the public. If you need special accommodations due to a disability, please contact the Office of AccessAbility, National Endowment for the Arts, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20506, 202/682– 5532, TTY–TDD 202/682–5429, at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting. Further information with reference to this meeting can be obtained from the Office of Communications, National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, DC 20506, at 202/682–5570. PO 00000 Frm 00071 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 34273 Dated: June 8, 2011. Kathy Plowitz-Worden, Panel Coordinator, Office of Guidelines and Panel Operations. [FR Doc. 2011–14561 Filed 6–10–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7537–01–P NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. 70–7018; NRC–2008–0369] Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for Special Nuclear Material License Application From Tennessee Valley Authority for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 2, Spring City, TN Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Publication of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact. AGENCY: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary T. Adams, Senior Environmental Engineer, Advanced Fuel Cycle, Enrichment, and Uranium Conversion Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555. Telephone: 301–492–3113; Fax number: 301–492– 3359; E-mail: Mary.Adams@nrc.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the issuance of a license to Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), to authorize the receipt, possession, inspection, and storage of special nuclear material (SNM) in the form of 193 fresh fuel assemblies at TVA’s Watts Bar site in Spring City, TN. This license would be subject to the requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), part 70. TVA plans to use this SNM in operating its proposed Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 2 (WBN2). TVA’s request for authorization to operate WBN2 is the subject of a separate 10 CFR part 50 licensing action being evaluated by the NRC. TVA’s existing reactor at the Watts Bar site, Unit 1 (WBN1), has operated since 1996. The NRC has prepared an environmental assessment (EA), set forth below, in support of the SNM storage license, in accordance with 10 CFR part 51 (Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions), which implements section 102(2) of the National Environmental Policy Act E:\FR\FM\13JNN1.SGM 13JNN1 34274 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 113 / Monday, June 13, 2011 / Notices emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES (NEPA) of 1969, as amended 42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq. Based on the EA, the NRC has concluded that a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate regarding issuance of the SNM license. II. Background NEPA requires a Federal agency to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for any major federal action having the potential to significantly affect the quality of the human environment. Consistent with their responsibilities as Federal agencies under NEPA, both TVA and NRC previously prepared EISs regarding the operation of Units 1 and 2 at the Watts Bar Nuclear site. Some of the relevant history in this regard is briefly summarized below. In 1978, the NRC published NUREG– 0498, Final Environmental Statement Related to the Operation of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit No. 1 and 2 (FES– OL). After safety issues were raised, TVA decided not to pursue its WBN reactor licenses for several years. Regarding operation of Unit 1, NRC prepared Supplement 1 to NUREG–0498 in April 1995 (ML081430592), to evaluate changes in environmental impacts that occurred as a result of changes made in the WBN Plant design and methods of operations after the 1978 FES–OL. The TVA Final Supplemental EIS for Unit 2 was issued in June 2007 (ML080510469). The related Record of Decision by the TVA Board of Directors was published in the Federal Register on August 15, 2007 (72 FR 45859), and the 2007 EIS was submitted to the NRC on February 15, 2008. Table 2–1 of the 2007 EIS provides a TVA summary of the potential environmental effects of operating WBN2. On March 4, 2009, pursuant to 10 CFR part 50, TVA submitted an updated application to the NRC for a power reactor operating license (OL) for WBN2 (ML090700378). The TVA Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) supporting the WBN2 OL request was submitted to the NRC on April 30, 2009 (ML091400067). On September 11, 2009 (74 FR at 46799), the NRC published a notice of intent to prepare a second supplement to NUREG–0498—the NRC EIS for WBN that was issued in 1978 and supplemented in 1995. NRC anticipates that the draft of this second supplement will be published for public comment in mid-2011. The scope of the EA below is limited to assessing the potential impacts of the receipt, possession, inspection, and storage of fresh reactor fuel at the Watts Bar site that would be used to operate WBN2 if such VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:06 Jun 10, 2011 Jkt 223001 authorization is later granted. The EA’s scope does not include completion of construction, or operation, of WBN2. III. Environmental Assessment Pursuant to 10 CFR part 70, Domestic Licensing of Special Nuclear Material, TVA applied for an SNM license by application dated November 12, 2009 (ML100120487). The license would authorize TVA to receive, possess, inspect, and store SNM (in the form of 193 fully-assembled fresh fuel assemblies) for potential future use in its proposed WBN2 reactor. Description of the Proposed Action The proposed action is to issue TVA a 10 CFR part 70 license authorizing it to receive, possess, inspect, and store SNM in the form of 193 fully-assembled fuel assemblies that would later form the initial reactor core of WBN 2. The SNM in the fuel assemblies would be enriched up to 5% in the isotope U–235. The fresh fuel assemblies for WBN2 would be received and stored in areas common to WBN1 and WBN2. Specifically, these assemblies would be stored either in the WBN1 storage racks within the WBN1 fuel storage vault, or in the WBN1 spent fuel pool. TVA requested that its SNM license term last until June 30, 2013, or until it receives an OL for WBN2. The safety and environmental reviews for the proposed WBN2 OL are not part of the proposed action evaluated in this EA. Need for the Proposed Action TVA anticipates receiving the initial core of WBN 2 before NRC would issue the OL for the Unit 2 reactor. TVA needs this SNM license to authorize WBN 2 to receive, possess, inspect, and store the fresh fuel during the time period before the OL is issued. If an OL is issued, the OL would authorize use of the fresh fuel as well as the receipt, possession, storage, and use of additional fresh fuel that would be needed for operating WBN2. Thus, a separate Part 70 license would no longer be required and would be terminated. Alternatives to the Proposed Action TVA needs this SNM license to authorize WBN2 to receive, possess, inspect, and store the fresh fuel assemblies during the time period before the issuance of any WBN2 OL. An alternative to the proposed action is for NRC not to issue the SNM license. In that case, TVA would be unable to receive the fresh fuel for the initial WBN2 reactor core, causing a start-up delay if the OL for WBN2 were later granted. PO 00000 Frm 00072 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action and Alternatives Section 1.3 of the November 12, 2009, SNM license application describes the affected environment, including site geography, demographics, meteorology, hydrology, and geology. The proposed activity is limited to the receipt, possession, inspection, and storage of SNM in the form of 193 fuel assemblies, and would have no significant impact on any of these site features. Issuance of a license to receive, possess, inspect, and store SNM in the form of 193 fresh fuel assemblies at the Watts Bar site is thus not expected to have any significant impact on the environment. Table 2–1 in TVA’s 2007 EIS provides a summary of the potential environmental effects of operating WBN2. TVA’s EIS considers the impacts of WBN2 operation, including surface water quality; groundwater quality; aquatic ecology; terrestrial quality; threatened and endangered species; wetlands; natural areas; cultural resources; socioeconomics, environmental justice, and land use; floodplains and flood risk; seismic effects; climatology and meteorology; nuclear plant safety and security; radiological effects; radiological waste; and spent fuel transportation and storage. The impacts of the activities that would be authorized by the SNM license are a very small part of the overall impacts of the operation of WBN2. As discussed above, the fresh fuel would be received and stored in an existing auxiliary building containing a storage vault and a spent fuel pool where WBN1 fuel is currently stored. The uranium in fresh fuel decays primarily by alpha emission; alpha particles cannot escape the fuel cladding, so there are no worker exposures or environmental effluents from the alpha decay. Uranium also decays by spontaneous fission at a very low rate, thereby generating neutrons that escape the cladding and would result in an extremely low dose to an individual standing close to the fuel. Although fresh fuel emits neutrons, the neutrons do not become environmental effluents. There will be no change to radioactive effluents that affect radiation exposures to plant workers and members of the public because the WBN2 fuel is in the form of sealed fuel rods in finished assemblies. Part 20 of 10 CFR establishes standards for the protection of workers and members of the public against ionizing radiation resulting from activities conducted under licenses issued by the NRC. Under part 20, the E:\FR\FM\13JNN1.SGM 13JNN1 emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 113 / Monday, June 13, 2011 / Notices annual total effective dose equivalent must not exceed 1 mSv [0.1 rem] (100 mrem/1 mSv) for members of the public. The effluent limits in 10 CFR part 20, Appendix B, ensure that the effluent discharges are kept within the annual part 20 dose limits. In addition to meeting the annual dose limits, an NRC licensee is required to have a program with the goal of achieving doses that are as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA). The worker protection and environmental protection programs that are currently used for the receipt and storage of WBN1 fuel would also be used for the receipt and storage of WBN2 fuel, and will ensure that there would be no significant exposure to workers and members of the public under the proposed action. Thus, the proposed action is not expected to have a significant environmental impact. The proposed action does not result in changes to land use or water use, or result in changes to the quality or quantity of non-radiological effluents. No changes to the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit are needed. No effects on the aquatic or terrestrial habitat in the vicinity of the plant, or to threatened, endangered, or protected species under the Endangered Species Act, or impacts to essential fish habitat covered by the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act are expected from the receipt and storage of fresh fuel at WBN2. There are no impacts to the air or ambient air quality. There are no impacts to historical and cultural resources. There would be no impact to socioeconomic resources. Section 3.16 of TVA’s 2007 EIS quantifies the impacts of transportation of fresh fuel, enriched to 5% in the U– 235 isotope. Transport of the 193 fresh fuel assemblies from a fuel fabrication facility would require approximately 20 truck trips. Un-irradiated new fuel assemblies will be shipped in packages that comply with the regulations in 10 CFR 71, Subpart E, Package Approval Standards. The only human exposure from the shipment of fresh fuel assemblies would be to those in direct view of the unpackaged assemblies and to assigned truck drivers. The exposure in the cab of a fuel transport truck was estimated to be 0.1 millirem per hour from neutrons, and exposure to transportation personnel was estimated to be less than 1 millirem per shipment. This level would not cause any significant health effects. If WBN2 is licensed to operate, TVA would comply with all NRC, State, and Federal requirements for the transport of un-irradiated fuel, as it currently does for fuel deliveries to WBN1. Therefore, VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:06 Jun 10, 2011 Jkt 223001 based on the above, the NRC finds that the impacts of WBN2 fresh fuel transport and delivery on human health and the environment would be minimal. An alternative to the proposed action is for NRC not to issue the SNM license. In that case, TVA would be unable to receive, possess, and store the fresh fuel until and unless NRC issues the OL for WBN2 under 10 CFR part 50, which would authorize these activities. Denial of the SNM application would result in no change in current environmental impacts. Fuel Handling Accident Analyses The November 12, 2009, SNM license application includes analyses of three dropped fuel assembly accident scenarios and one dropped gate scenario. These analyses are part of the TVA FSAR (Section 9.0, Auxiliary Systems; 9.1, Fuel Storage and Handling; 9.1.1, New Fuel Storage; Section 9.1 9.1.1.3, Safety Evaluation) supporting its part 50 application for a WBN2 OL (ML091400648), which TVA incorporated by reference in its SNM license application. Therein, TVA described the fresh fuel storage conditions and concluded that a criticality accident during receipt, inspection, possession, and storage is not credible. TVA determined, and NRC review confirmed, that there would be no significant environmental impacts from these accident scenarios. The radiation safety, criticality safety, and fire safety aspects of the proposed activities are evaluated in chapters 3, 4, and 5, respectively, of the Safety Evaluation Report supporting issuance of the SNM license. The NRC staff concluded that the proposed action to authorize WBN2 to receive, possess, inspect, and store fresh fuel under 10 CFR, part 70 would not significantly affect the environment. Alternative Use of Resources The proposed action does not involve the use of any different resources than those considered in the NRC’s Final Environmental Statement for the WBN1 and WBN2, NUREG–0498, dated December 1978, and the NRC’s supplement to the Final Environmental Statement (NUREG–0498 Supplement 1), dated April 1995 (ML081430592). List of Agencies and Persons Consulted and Identification of Sources Used In accordance with Consultation Procedures in Appendix D of NUREG– 1748, Environmental Review Guidance for Licensing Actions Associated with NMSS Programs, August 2003, on September 30, 2010, the NRC staff consulted with Ruben Crosslin of the PO 00000 Frm 00073 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 34275 Tennessee Bureau of Radiological Health, regarding this EA. The State official had no comments on the draft EA. Finding of No Significant Impact The NRC reviewed the documents submitted by TVA in support of its Part 70 license application for the WBN2 facility—including those incorporated by reference from its part 50 operating license application for the WBN2 facility—and found no significant environmental impacts from the proposed fresh fuel assembly storage and handling. On the basis of this EA, 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 EIS for the proposed action. IV. Further Information Documents related to this action, including the application for license and supporting documentation, are available electronically at the NRC’s Electronic Reading Room at http:// www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. From this site, you can access the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image files of NRC’s public documents. The ADAMS accession numbers for the documents related to this Notice are: TVA Application for a Special Nuclear Material License for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit 2 in Accordance with 10 CFR part 70, ‘‘Domestic Licensing of Special Nuclear Material,’’ dated November 12, 2009 (ML100120487). TVA Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (WBN)—Unit 2—Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR), Amendment 93, dated April 30, 2009 (ML091400067). TVA Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (WBN)—Unit 2—Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Completion and Operation of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit 2, dated June 2007 (ML080510469). NRC Generic Environmental Impact Statement, License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, Main Report, Section 6.3— Transportation, Table 9.1 Summary of findings on NEPA issues for license renewal of nuclear power plants NUREG–1437, Volume 1, Addendum 1, dated August 1999 (ML040690720). NRC Final Environmental Statement related to the operation of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Units 1 and 2, dated April 1995 (ML081430592). If you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact E:\FR\FM\13JNN1.SGM 13JNN1 34276 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 113 / Monday, June 13, 2011 / Notices the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1–800–397–4209, 301– 415–4737 or by e-mail to pdr.resource@nrc.gov. These documents may also be viewed electronically on the public computers located at the NRC’s PDR, O1F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee. Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 7th day of June, 2011. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Robert K. Johnson, Chief Fuel Manufacturing Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. [FR Doc. 2011–14559 Filed 6–10–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS), Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems; Notice of Meeting The ACRS Subcommittee on Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems (DI&C) will hold a meeting on June 22, 2011, Room T–2B3, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The entire meeting will be open to public attendance. The agenda for the subject meeting shall be as follows: Tuesday, June 7, 2011—8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. The Subcommittee will hear a briefing on the results and status of new NRC nuclear power plant digital system research activities which deal with Inventory and Certification of digital systems, operating experience for digital systems, and analyzing failure models for digital systems. The Subcommittee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research staff and other interested persons regarding this matter. The Subcommittee will gather information, analyze relevant issues and facts, and formulate proposed positions and actions, as appropriate, for deliberation by the Full Committee. Members of the public desiring to provide oral statements and/or written comments should notify the Designated Federal Official (DFO), Mrs. Christina Antonescu (Telephone 301–415–6792 or E-mail: Christina.Antonescu@nrc.gov) five days prior to the meeting, if possible, so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Thirty-five VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:06 Jun 10, 2011 Jkt 223001 hard copies of each presentation or handout should be provided to the DFO thirty minutes before the meeting. In addition, one electronic copy of each presentation should be e-mailed to the DFO one day before the meeting. If an electronic copy cannot be provided within this timeframe, presenters should provide the DFO with a CD containing each presentation at least thirty minutes before the meeting. Electronic recordings will be permitted only during those portions of the meeting that are open to the public. Detailed procedures for the conduct of and participation in ACRS meetings were published in the Federal Register on October 21, 2010 (75 FR 65038– 65039). Detailed meeting agendas and meeting transcripts are available on the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/doc-collections/acrs. Information regarding topics to be discussed, changes to the agenda, whether the meeting has been canceled or rescheduled, and the time allotted to present oral statements can be obtained from the Web site cited above or by contacting the identified DFO. Moreover, in view of the possibility that the schedule for ACRS meetings may be adjusted by the Chairman as necessary to facilitate the conduct of the meeting, persons planning to attend should check with these references if such rescheduling would result in a major inconvenience. If attending this meeting, please contact Ms. Jessie Delgado (Telephone 301–415–7360) to be escorted to the meeting room. Dated: June 6, 2011. Yoira Diaz-Sanabria, Acting Chief, Reactor Safety Branch B, Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards. [FR Doc. 2011–14550 Filed 6–10–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS), Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on Advanced Boiling Water Reactor; Notice of Meeting The ACRS Subcommittee on Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) will hold a meeting on June 21, 2011, Room T–2B1, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD. The entire meeting will be open to public attendance, with the exception of a portion that may be closed to protect information that is security related or PO 00000 Frm 00074 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 proprietary pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(4). The agenda for the subject meeting shall be as follows: June 21, 2011—8:30 a.m. until 5p.m. The Subcommittee will review selected Chapters of the Safety Evaluation Report (SER) with no open items, and selected action items resulting from prior ACRS reviews associated with the Combined License Application (COLA) for the South Texas Project (STP) Units 3 and 4. The Subcommittee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with the NRC staff, Nuclear Innovation North America (NINA), and other interested persons. The Subcommittee will gather information, analyze relevant issues and facts, and formulate proposed positions and actions, as appropriate, for deliberation by the Full Committee. Members of the public desiring to provide oral statements and/or written comments should notify the Designated Federal Official (DFO), Ms. Maitri Banerjee (Telephone 301–415–6973 or E-mail: Maitri.Banerjee@nrc.gov) five days prior to the meeting, if possible, so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Thirty five hard copies of each presentation or handout should be provided to the DFO thirty minutes before the meeting. In addition, one electronic copy of each presentation should be emailed to the DFO one day before meeting. If an electronic copy cannot be provided within this timeframe, presenters should provide the DFO with a CD containing each presentation at least thirty minutes before the meeting. Electronic recordings will be permitted only during those portions of the meeting that are open to the public. Detailed procedures for the conduct of and participation in ACRS meetings were published in the Federal Register on October 21, 2010, (75 FR 65038–65039). Detailed meeting agendas and meeting transcripts are available on the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/doc-collections/acrs. Information regarding topics to be discussed, changes to the agenda, whether the meeting has been canceled or rescheduled, and the time allotted to present oral statements can be obtained from the website cited above or by contacting the identified DFO. Moreover, in view of the possibility that the schedule for ACRS meetings may be adjusted by the Chairman as necessary to facilitate the conduct of the meeting, persons planning to attend should check with these references if such rescheduling would result in a major inconvenience. E:\FR\FM\13JNN1.SGM 13JNN1
[Pages 34273-34276]
[FR Doc No: 2011-14559]
[Docket No. 70-7018; NRC-2008-0369]
Special Nuclear Material License Application From Tennessee Valley
Authority for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 2, Spring City, TN
ACTION: Publication of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary T. Adams, Senior Environmental
Engineer, Advanced Fuel Cycle, Enrichment, and Uranium Conversion
Washington, DC 20555. Telephone: 301-492-3113; Fax number: 301-492-
3359; E-mail: Mary.Adams@nrc.gov.
issuance of a license to Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), to authorize
the receipt, possession, inspection, and storage of special nuclear
material (SNM) in the form of 193 fresh fuel assemblies at TVA's Watts
Bar site in Spring City, TN. This license would be subject to the
requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR),
part 70. TVA plans to use this SNM in operating its proposed Watts Bar
Nuclear Plant, Unit 2 (WBN2). TVA's request for authorization to
operate WBN2 is the subject of a separate 10 CFR part 50 licensing
action being evaluated by the NRC. TVA's existing reactor at the Watts
Bar site, Unit 1 (WBN1), has operated since 1996.
The NRC has prepared an environmental assessment (EA), set forth
below, in support of the SNM storage license, in accordance with 10 CFR
part 51 (Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing
and Related Regulatory Functions), which implements section 102(2) of
[[Page 34274]]
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended 42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq. Based on the EA, the
NRC has concluded that a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is
appropriate regarding issuance of the SNM license.
NEPA requires a Federal agency to prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) for any major federal action having the potential to
significantly affect the quality of the human environment. Consistent
with their responsibilities as Federal agencies under NEPA, both TVA
and NRC previously prepared EISs regarding the operation of Units 1 and
2 at the Watts Bar Nuclear site. Some of the relevant history in this
regard is briefly summarized below.
In 1978, the NRC published NUREG-0498, Final Environmental
Statement Related to the Operation of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit No.
1 and 2 (FES-OL). After safety issues were raised, TVA decided not to
pursue its WBN reactor licenses for several years. Regarding operation
of Unit 1, NRC prepared Supplement 1 to NUREG-0498 in April 1995
(ML081430592), to evaluate changes in environmental impacts that
occurred as a result of changes made in the WBN Plant design and
methods of operations after the 1978 FES-OL.
The TVA Final Supplemental EIS for Unit 2 was issued in June 2007
(ML080510469). The related Record of Decision by the TVA Board of
Directors was published in the Federal Register on August 15, 2007 (72
FR 45859), and the 2007 EIS was submitted to the NRC on February 15,
2008. Table 2-1 of the 2007 EIS provides a TVA summary of the potential
environmental effects of operating WBN2.
On March 4, 2009, pursuant to 10 CFR part 50, TVA submitted an
updated application to the NRC for a power reactor operating license
(OL) for WBN2 (ML090700378). The TVA Final Safety Analysis Report
(FSAR) supporting the WBN2 OL request was submitted to the NRC on April
30, 2009 (ML091400067).
On September 11, 2009 (74 FR at 46799), the NRC published a notice
of intent to prepare a second supplement to NUREG-0498--the NRC EIS for
WBN that was issued in 1978 and supplemented in 1995. NRC anticipates
that the draft of this second supplement will be published for public
comment in mid-2011. The scope of the EA below is limited to assessing
the potential impacts of the receipt, possession, inspection, and
storage of fresh reactor fuel at the Watts Bar site that would be used
to operate WBN2 if such authorization is later granted. The EA's scope
does not include completion of construction, or operation, of WBN2.
Pursuant to 10 CFR part 70, Domestic Licensing of Special Nuclear
Material, TVA applied for an SNM license by application dated November
12, 2009 (ML100120487). The license would authorize TVA to receive,
possess, inspect, and store SNM (in the form of 193 fully-assembled
fresh fuel assemblies) for potential future use in its proposed WBN2
The proposed action is to issue TVA a 10 CFR part 70 license
authorizing it to receive, possess, inspect, and store SNM in the form
of 193 fully-assembled fuel assemblies that would later form the
initial reactor core of WBN 2. The SNM in the fuel assemblies would be
enriched up to 5% in the isotope U-235. The fresh fuel assemblies for
WBN2 would be received and stored in areas common to WBN1 and WBN2.
Specifically, these assemblies would be stored either in the WBN1
storage racks within the WBN1 fuel storage vault, or in the WBN1 spent
fuel pool. TVA requested that its SNM license term last until June 30,
2013, or until it receives an OL for WBN2. The safety and environmental
reviews for the proposed WBN2 OL are not part of the proposed action
evaluated in this EA.
TVA anticipates receiving the initial core of WBN 2 before NRC
would issue the OL for the Unit 2 reactor. TVA needs this SNM license
to authorize WBN 2 to receive, possess, inspect, and store the fresh
fuel during the time period before the OL is issued. If an OL is
issued, the OL would authorize use of the fresh fuel as well as the
receipt, possession, storage, and use of additional fresh fuel that
would be needed for operating WBN2. Thus, a separate Part 70 license
would no longer be required and would be terminated.
TVA needs this SNM license to authorize WBN2 to receive, possess,
inspect, and store the fresh fuel assemblies during the time period
before the issuance of any WBN2 OL. An alternative to the proposed
action is for NRC not to issue the SNM license. In that case, TVA would
be unable to receive the fresh fuel for the initial WBN2 reactor core,
causing a start-up delay if the OL for WBN2 were later granted.
Section 1.3 of the November 12, 2009, SNM license application
describes the affected environment, including site geography,
demographics, meteorology, hydrology, and geology. The proposed
activity is limited to the receipt, possession, inspection, and storage
of SNM in the form of 193 fuel assemblies, and would have no
significant impact on any of these site features. Issuance of a license
to receive, possess, inspect, and store SNM in the form of 193 fresh
fuel assemblies at the Watts Bar site is thus not expected to have any
significant impact on the environment. Table 2-1 in TVA's 2007 EIS
provides a summary of the potential environmental effects of operating
WBN2. TVA's EIS considers the impacts of WBN2 operation, including
surface water quality; groundwater quality; aquatic ecology;
terrestrial quality; threatened and endangered species; wetlands;
natural areas; cultural resources; socioeconomics, environmental
justice, and land use; floodplains and flood risk; seismic effects;
climatology and meteorology; nuclear plant safety and security;
radiological effects; radiological waste; and spent fuel transportation
and storage. The impacts of the activities that would be authorized by
the SNM license are a very small part of the overall impacts of the
operation of WBN2.
As discussed above, the fresh fuel would be received and stored in
an existing auxiliary building containing a storage vault and a spent
fuel pool where WBN1 fuel is currently stored. The uranium in fresh
fuel decays primarily by alpha emission; alpha particles cannot escape
the fuel cladding, so there are no worker exposures or environmental
effluents from the alpha decay. Uranium also decays by spontaneous
fission at a very low rate, thereby generating neutrons that escape the
cladding and would result in an extremely low dose to an individual
standing close to the fuel. Although fresh fuel emits neutrons, the
neutrons do not become environmental effluents. There will be no change
to radioactive effluents that affect radiation exposures to plant
workers and members of the public because the WBN2 fuel is in the form
of sealed fuel rods in finished assemblies.
Part 20 of 10 CFR establishes standards for the protection of
workers and members of the public against ionizing radiation resulting
from activities conducted under licenses issued by the NRC. Under part
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annual total effective dose equivalent must not exceed 1 mSv [0.1 rem]
(100 mrem/1 mSv) for members of the public. The effluent limits in 10
CFR part 20, Appendix B, ensure that the effluent discharges are kept
within the annual part 20 dose limits. In addition to meeting the
annual dose limits, an NRC licensee is required to have a program with
the goal of achieving doses that are as low as reasonably achievable
(ALARA). The worker protection and environmental protection programs
that are currently used for the receipt and storage of WBN1 fuel would
also be used for the receipt and storage of WBN2 fuel, and will ensure
that there would be no significant exposure to workers and members of
the public under the proposed action. Thus, the proposed action is not
expected to have a significant environmental impact.
impacts to essential fish habitat covered by the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act are expected from the receipt
and storage of fresh fuel at WBN2. There are no impacts to the air or
ambient air quality. There are no impacts to historical and cultural
resources. There would be no impact to socioeconomic resources.
Section 3.16 of TVA's 2007 EIS quantifies the impacts of
transportation of fresh fuel, enriched to 5% in the U-235 isotope.
Transport of the 193 fresh fuel assemblies from a fuel fabrication
facility would require approximately 20 truck trips. Un-irradiated new
fuel assemblies will be shipped in packages that comply with the
regulations in 10 CFR 71, Subpart E, Package Approval Standards. The
only human exposure from the shipment of fresh fuel assemblies would be
to those in direct view of the unpackaged assemblies and to assigned
truck drivers. The exposure in the cab of a fuel transport truck was
estimated to be 0.1 millirem per hour from neutrons, and exposure to
transportation personnel was estimated to be less than 1 millirem per
shipment. This level would not cause any significant health effects.
If WBN2 is licensed to operate, TVA would comply with all NRC,
State, and Federal requirements for the transport of un-irradiated
fuel, as it currently does for fuel deliveries to WBN1. Therefore,
based on the above, the NRC finds that the impacts of WBN2 fresh fuel
transport and delivery on human health and the environment would be
An alternative to the proposed action is for NRC not to issue the
SNM license. In that case, TVA would be unable to receive, possess, and
store the fresh fuel until and unless NRC issues the OL for WBN2 under
10 CFR part 50, which would authorize these activities. Denial of the
SNM application would result in no change in current environmental
The November 12, 2009, SNM license application includes analyses of
three dropped fuel assembly accident scenarios and one dropped gate
scenario. These analyses are part of the TVA FSAR (Section 9.0,
Auxiliary Systems; 9.1, Fuel Storage and Handling; 9.1.1, New Fuel
Storage; Section 9.1 9.1.1.3, Safety Evaluation) supporting its part 50
application for a WBN2 OL (ML091400648), which TVA incorporated by
reference in its SNM license application. Therein, TVA described the
fresh fuel storage conditions and concluded that a criticality accident
during receipt, inspection, possession, and storage is not credible.
TVA determined, and NRC review confirmed, that there would be no
significant environmental impacts from these accident scenarios. The
radiation safety, criticality safety, and fire safety aspects of the
proposed activities are evaluated in chapters 3, 4, and 5,
respectively, of the Safety Evaluation Report supporting issuance of
the SNM license.
The NRC staff concluded that the proposed action to authorize WBN2
to receive, possess, inspect, and store fresh fuel under 10 CFR, part
70 would not significantly affect the environment.
The proposed action does not involve the use of any different
resources than those considered in the NRC's Final Environmental
Statement for the WBN1 and WBN2, NUREG-0498, dated December 1978, and
the NRC's supplement to the Final Environmental Statement (NUREG-0498
Supplement 1), dated April 1995 (ML081430592).
List of Agencies and Persons Consulted and Identification of Sources
In accordance with Consultation Procedures in Appendix D of NUREG-
1748, Environmental Review Guidance for Licensing Actions Associated
with NMSS Programs, August 2003, on September 30, 2010, the NRC staff
consulted with Ruben Crosslin of the Tennessee Bureau of Radiological
Health, regarding this EA. The State official had no comments on the
The NRC reviewed the documents submitted by TVA in support of its
Part 70 license application for the WBN2 facility--including those
incorporated by reference from its part 50 operating license
application for the WBN2 facility--and found no significant
environmental impacts from the proposed fresh fuel assembly storage and
handling. On the basis of this EA, the NRC concludes that the proposed
environment. Accordingly, the NRC has determined not to prepare an EIS
license and supporting documentation, are available electronically at
TVA Application for a Special Nuclear Material License for Watts
Bar Nuclear Plant Unit 2 in Accordance with 10 CFR part 70, ``Domestic
Licensing of Special Nuclear Material,'' dated November 12, 2009
(ML100120487).
TVA Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (WBN)--Unit 2--Final Safety Analysis
Report (FSAR), Amendment 93, dated April 30, 2009 (ML091400067).
TVA Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (WBN)--Unit 2--Final Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement for the Completion and Operation of
Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit 2, dated June 2007 (ML080510469).
NRC Generic Environmental Impact Statement, License Renewal of
Nuclear Plants, Main Report, Section 6.3--Transportation, Table 9.1
Summary of findings on NEPA issues for license renewal of nuclear power
plants NUREG-1437, Volume 1, Addendum 1, dated August 1999
(ML040690720).
NRC Final Environmental Statement related to the operation of Watts
Bar Nuclear Plant Units 1 and 2, dated April 1995 (ML081430592).
accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact
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computers located at the NRC's PDR, O1F21, One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR reproduction contractor
will copy documents for a fee.
Chief Fuel Manufacturing Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and