[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 43 (Friday, March 4, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11603-11605]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-04750]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-010, 50-237, 50-249 and 72-37; NRC-2016-0047]


Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Dresden Nuclear Power Station, 
Units 1, 2 and 3; Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact; 
issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an exemption to Exelon Generation Company, LLC (hereafter, 
EGC or the applicant). EGC is the general licensee operating the 
Dresden Nuclear Power Station (DNPS) Independent Spent Fuel Storage 
Installation (ISFSI) located in Morris, Illinois. Specifically, EGC 
seeks authorization to load and store one DNPS Unit 1 thoria rod 
canister containing 18 DNPS Unit 1 thoria rods in a Holtec 
International, Inc., multi-purpose canister (MPC)-68M. Thoria rods are 
not approved for storage in the MPC-68M per Certificate of Compliance 
(CoC) No. 1014, Amendment 8, Rev. 1 \1\ Appendix B, ``Approved Contents 
and Design Features.'' EGC plans to load and store Holtec HI-STORM 100 
spent fuel casks utilizing Amendment 8, Rev. 1 to CoC No. 1014 in the 
2016 DNPS spent fuel loading campaign (SFLC).
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    \1\ The licensee's application referred to Amendment 8; since 
that time, Amendment 8 has been revised. (On February 16, 2016, 
Amendment 8, Rev. 1 to CoC 1014 became effective.) This revision 
does not impact the exemption request that is the subject of this 
environmental assessment because none of the changes in the revision 
revised the thoria contents or the physical characteristics of the 
storage cask.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2016-0047 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain publicly-available information related to this document 
using any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2016-0047. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this document.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents collection at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and 
then select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, 
please contact the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 
1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by email to [email protected]. For 
the convenience of the reader, the ADAMS accession numbers are provided 
in a table in the ``Availability of Documents,'' Section IV of this 
document.

[[Page 11604]]

     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bernard White, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-6577, email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction

    The NRC is considering issuance of an exemption from the spent fuel 
storage requirements applicable to EGC to operate an ISFSI at the DNPS 
located in Morris, Illinois. As required by Sec.  51.30 of title 10 of 
the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), the NRC performed an 
environmental assessment. Based on the results of the environmental 
assessment, the NRC has determined not to prepare an environmental 
impact statement for the exemption, and is issuing a finding of no 
significant impact.
    Exelon Generation Company holds a general license under 10 CFR part 
72 for the storage of spent fuel in the DNPS ISFSI. The applicant is 
subject to 10 CFR 72.212, which provides in part that the general 
license is limited to storage of spent fuel in casks approved under the 
provisions of 10 CFR part 72. The general licensee must ensure that 
each cask used conforms to the terms, conditions, and specifications of 
a CoC, or an amended CoC, listed in Section 72.214.
    The applicant requested an exemption which would allow storage in 
the Holtec HI-STORM MPC-68M of a DNPS Unit 1 thoria rod canister 
containing 18 DNPS Unit 1 thoria rods. Specifically, the applicant 
requested an exemption from 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3) and the portion of 10 
CFR 72.212(b)(11) that requires compliance with the terms, conditions, 
and specifications of CoC No. 1014, Amendment No. 8, Rev. 1. In 
evaluating the request, the NRC is also considering, pursuant to 
authority in 72.7, exemption from similar requirements in 10 CFR 
72.212(a)(2), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(5)(i); and 10 CFR 72.214, ``List of 
approved spent fuel storage casks.'' The NRC staff is performing a 
technical review of the exemption request and will prepare a separate 
Federal Register notice to document the NRC review of the structural 
integrity, criticality control, thermal, shielding, and confinement 
design functions for a loaded DNPS Unit 1 thoria rod canister. The NRC 
staff's decision whether to issue the exemption to EGC as proposed, 
will be based on the results of the NRC staff's review as documented in 
this environmental assessment and in the separate Federal Register 
Notice.

II. Environmental Assessment

Description of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would exempt EGC from specific portions of the 
requirements of 10 CFR 72.212, ``Conditions of general license issued 
under Sec.  72.210,'' specifically 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 10 CFR 
72.212(b)(3), 72.212(b)(5)(i), a portion of 72.212(b)(11), and 10 CFR 
72.214, ``List of approved spent fuel storage casks.'' The proposed 
exemption request pertains to the requirements of CoC No. 1014, 
Amendment 8, Rev. 1, Appendix B, ``Approved Contents and Design 
Features,'' Table 2.1-1, ``Fuel Assembly Limits.'' The addition of a 
new multi-purpose canister (MPC)-68M to the approved models included in 
CoC No. 1014 was one of the additions included in Amendment 8. Thoria 
rods are approved content for the MPC-68F, MPC-68, and MPC-68FF. 
However, Appendix B, Table 2.1-1, Section VI, does not include, as 
approved content, thoria rods for storage in the MPC-68M. For the DNPS 
ISFSI, the exemption would allow ECG to deviate from the requirements 
of CoC No. 1014, Amendment 8, Rev. 1 by permitting the storage of 
thoria rods in the MPC-68M.

Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would relieve the applicant from requirements 
of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 72.212(b)(3), 72.212(b)(5)(i), the portion of 
72.212(b)(11) which states that ``The licensee shall comply with the 
terms, conditions, and specifications of the CoC . . .'', and 10 CFR 
72.214, ``List of approved spent fuel storage casks.'' The applicant 
maintains that loading the thoria rod canister during the 2016 DNPS 
SFLC is part of a program to ensure full core discharge capability. If 
not loaded during the 2016 DNPS SFLC, EGC states that it would not be 
able to load and store the DNPS Unit 1 thoria rod canister until 2018.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    In the preparation of this Environmental Assessment, the staff used 
guidance in NUREG-1748, ``Environmental Review Guidance for Licensing 
Actions Associated with NMSS Programs.''
    The staff evaluated the environmental impacts associated with this 
exemption. The NRC staff determined that non-radiological environmental 
impacts from approval of the exemption would not change from those 
evaluated in CoC 1014, Amendment Nos. 1 and 8, because: (1) The 
proposed action would not involve any construction activities, land 
disturbance, excavation, physical changes to the DNPS facilities, or 
changes in land use; (2) operation of the ISFSI does not require usage 
of water resources; and (3) the ISFSI does not generate gaseous, 
liquid, or solid effluents or wastes during operation. Therefore, there 
are no significant non-radiological impacts associated with the 
proposed action.
    The NRC staff also determined that the radiological doses to 
workers and to the public associated with the proposed action are 
bounded by previous analyses for CoC 1014, Amendment No. 8, and that 
radiological doses would be below the NRC's regulatory limits in 10 CFR 
part 20 and Part 72. In prior NRC staff reviews of CoC 1014, Amendment 
Nos. 1 and 8, the NRC staff concluded that the Metamic-HT basket in the 
MPC-68M has very little effect on the external dose rate; and a single 
thoria rod canister, while unbounded in part of the gamma source 
spectrum, will not impact cask external dose rates. Additionally, the 
NRC staff determined that the proposed action will not increase the 
probability or consequences of accidents since the exemption would 
authorize loading of a different type of fuel assembly, but use the 
same procedures for loading, preparation for storage, and storage as 
all other fuel assemblies. No changes are being made in the types or 
quantities of effluents that may be released offsite, 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. Based on these findings, the NRC 
concludes that there are no significant environmental impacts 
associated with the approval of the exemption.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    An alternative to the proposed exemption request would be for 
Holtec, the CoC holder, to submit an amendment request for Certificate 
of Compliance No. 1014, which the NRC would need to review for 
approval. The NRC review and approval of an amendment request would 
result in a delay in the loading and storage of the DNPS Unit 1 thoria 
rod canister. EGC plans to load the thoria rod canister during the DNPS 
2016 SFLC as part of a program to ensure full core discharge 
capability. In order to load the thoria

[[Page 11605]]

rod canister during the spring 2016 SFLC campaign, EGC stated that it 
must finalize fuel loading package documentation by December 2015.
    Based on the amount of time generally required to review and 
approve CoC amendment requests (e.g., 18 months to 27 months), there 
would not be adequate time for development of fuel loading packages. 
The timing constraints would also extend beyond the scheduled start of 
the DNPS SFLC campaign in Spring 2016. According to EGC, delaying the 
approval to mid-2016 or beyond would delay EGC's ability to have full-
core offload capability in the DNPS spent fuel pool until spring 2018. 
This alternative is not considered further because it does not meet the 
purpose and need of the proposed action.
    As another alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered 
denial of the exemption request (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative). 
This alternative would have the same environmental impacts as the 
proposed action. In the event that the NRC denied the requested 
exemption, EGC would continue to operate under the requirements of the 
current Holtec HI-STORM CoC, which has previously been determined to 
have no significant impacts. The potential environmental impact of 
using the Holtec HI-STORM system was initially analyzed in the 
environmental assessment for the final rule (65 FR 25241; May 1, 2000) 
to add the Holtec HI-STORM system to the list of approved spent fuel 
storage casks in 10 CFR 72.214. The environmental assessment for the 
May 1, 2000, final rule concluded that there would be no significant 
environmental impact for adding the Holtec HI-STORM system, and 
therefore, the NRC issued a finding of no significant impact.

Alternative Use of Resources

    This action does not impact any resource implications discussed in 
previous environmental reviews.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The staff consulted with Mr. Joseph Klinger, Assistant Director of 
the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) by email, regarding the 
environmental impact of the proposed action. The State's response was 
received by email dated October 28, 2015. The email response states 
that IEMA reviewed the draft environmental assessment and found ``no 
basis for denial of this Exemption Request.'' Mr. Klinger concurred 
with the environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact.
    The NRC staff has determined that a consultation under Section 7 of 
the Endangered Species Act is not required because the proposed action 
will not affect listed species or critical habitat. The NRC staff has 
also determined that the proposed action is not a type of activity that 
has the potential to impact historic properties because the proposed 
action would occur within the established DNPS site boundary. 
Therefore, no consultation is required under Section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    The NRC staff has reviewed EGC's exemption request to authorize EGC 
to load and store one DNPS Unit 1 thoria rod canister containing 18 
DNPS Unit 1 thoria rods in the DNPS ISFSI. Based on its review of the 
proposed action, in accordance with the requirements in 10 CFR part 51, 
the NRC staff has determined that approval of the exemption from the 
requirements of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3), 
72.212(b)(5)(i), a portion of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(11), and 10 CFR 72.214 
to allow EGC to load and store one DNPS Unit 1 thoria rod canister 
containing 18 DNPS Unit 1 thoria rods in CoC No. 1014, Amendment 8, 
Revision 1, will not significantly affect the quality of the human 
environment. For these reasons, NRC has determined that pursuant to 10 
CFR 51.31, preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement is not 
required for the proposed action, and pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, a 
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate.

IV. Availability of Documents

    The documents identified in the following table are available to 
interested persons through one or more of the methods indicated in the 
ADDRESSES section.

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                                                               ADAMS
                        Document                           Accession No.
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Exelon Generation Company (EGC) application dated            ML15029A334
 January 29, 2015.......................................
EGC supplement dated June 8, 2015.......................     ML15159A745
NRC email dated October 21, 2015, to Illinois Emergency      ML15323A022
 Management Agency (IEMA) forwarding draft environmental
 assessment and IEMA response dated October 28, 2015, to
 draft environmental assessment.........................
Holtec HI-STORM final rule..............................     ML010670391
NUREG-1748, ``Environmental Review Guidance for              ML032450279
 Licensing Actions Associated with NMSS Programs''......
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    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 25th day of February, 2016.
    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Steve Ruffin,
Acting Chief, Spent Fuel Licensing Branch, Division of Spent Fuel 
Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2016-04750 Filed 3-3-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P