[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 177 (Wednesday, September 13, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54100-54101]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-15133]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-333]
Entergy Nuclear Operations Inc.; James A. Fitzpatrick Nuclear
Power Plant; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant
Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an exemption from the requirements of part 50 of Title 10
of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Appendix R, ``Fire
Protection Program for Nuclear Power Facilities Operating Prior to
January 1, 1979,'' issued to Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (the
licensee), for the operation of the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power
Plant (JAF) located in Oswego County, NY.
[[Page 54101]]
Therefore, as required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC is issuing this
environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action: The proposed action would
allow the usage of the Hemyc fire barrier wrap installed in the West
Cable Tunnel to protect a safe shutdown power cable. The licensee
stated that recent tests indicate the Hemyc fire barrier lacks
sufficient evidence to demonstrate that it meets the acceptance
criteria for a rated 1 hour fire barrier. But the licensee states that
the Hemyc fire barrier will provide a reasonable level of resistance to
fire due to the fact that the area where the fire barrier wrap is
located has no significant ignition sources other than cables, has
available manual suppression capability, is equipped with automatic
fire suppression and fire detection, and administrative controls limit
the presence of transient combustible materials and transient ignition
sources.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated July 27, 2005, as supplemented on May 17, 2006.
The Need for the Proposed Action: The proposed exemption from 10
CFR part 50, Appendix R, III.G.2.c, is needed in response to NRC
Information Notice 2005-07. The information notice provided licensees
the details of Hemyc electrical raceway fire barrier system (ERFBS)
full-scale fire tests conducted by the NRC's Office of Nuclear
Regulatory Research. The test results concluded that the Hemyc ERFBS
does not provide the level of protection expected for a 1 hour rated
fire barrier, as originally designed.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action: The NRC has completed
its safety evaluation of the proposed action and concludes that the
configuration of the fire zone under review provides reasonable
assurance that a severe fire is not plausible and the existing fire
protection features are adequate. The details of the staff's evaluation
will be provided in the exemption that will be issued as part of the
letter to the licensee approving the exemption to the regulation. Based
on the presence of area-wide smoke detection; the presence of automatic
area and in-tray fire suppression and manual fire suppression; fire
barrier protection at the boundaries of the fire zone; the existing
Hemyc configuration in the fire zone; implementation of transient
combustibles controls including proposed revisions for hot work in the
vicinity of the Hemyc configuration; and the absence of significant
combustible loading and ignition sources, the NRC staff finds that the
use of this Hemyc fire barrier in this zone will not significantly
increase the consequences from a fire in this fire zone.
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 non-radiological impacts, the proposed
action does not have a potential to affect any historic sites. It does
not affect non-radiological 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 NRC 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: The action does not involve the use
of any different resources than those previously considered in the
Final Environmental Statement for the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear
Power Plant, dated March 1973.
Agencies and Persons Consulted: In accordance with its stated
policy, on August 9, 2006, the NRC staff consulted with the New York
State official, John Spath, of the New York State Energy Research and
Development Authority, 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 July 27, 2005, Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System (ADAMS) accession number ML052210382, as supplemented
on May 17, 2006, ADAMS accession number ML061530108. Documents may be
examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room
(PDR), located at One White Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555
Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available
records will be accessible electronically from the ADAMS Public
Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/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 by telephone at 1-800-
397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to [email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 7th day of September 2006.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Patrick D. Milano,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch I-1, Division of
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E6-15133 Filed 9-12-06; 8:45 am]
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