[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 110 (Monday, June 9, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 31465]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-14966]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-344]
Portland General Electric Company, et al., Trojan Nuclear Plant;
Environmental Assessment and Finding of no Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of a license amendment to Possession-Only License No. NPF-1,
issued to Portland General Electric Company (PGE or the licensee), for
the Trojan Nuclear Plant, a permanently shut down plant, located in
Columbia County, Oregon, on the west bank of the Columbia River.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would allow processing of fuel and debris in
the Trojan Fuel Building as described in the licensee's October 23,
1996, letter containing the license change request and safety analysis.
The processing will volatilize and eliminate organic material
(polypropylene filter media) which is currently commingled with fuel
pellets, pellet fragments, and small metal particles. The consolidated
fuel can then be stored in canisters without the potential for
radiolytic decomposition of organic material and resultant generation
of combustible gases. The licensee has proposed to process the fuel
pellets and debris in order to make them suitable for future storage in
an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI).
The Need for the Proposed Action
The licensee intends to dismantle and decommission the Trojan
facility in accordance with the NRC approved Trojan Decommissioning
Plan and subsequently terminate the Part 50 license. In order to
accomplish this goal the licensee must first place all of the spent
fuel and Greater Than Class C (GTCC) radioactive waste in an ISFSI.
Some fuel pellets, partial fuel, organic filter media, and metal fines
have been commingled as a result of vacuuming of the reactor vessel.
The organic material must be eliminated from the mixture to make it
suitable for storage in the ISFSI. The Trojan Nuclear Plant license
must be amended to authorize this activity.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The proposed action does not involve any measurable environmental
impacts, since the facility configuration or plant operations will not
change. No changes will be made in the types or quantities of effluents
that are authorized to be released offsite, and there would be no
significant increase in the allowable individual or cumulative
radiation exposure. The licensee's analysis indicates that any
potential accidents would have consequences within the scope of those
previously analyzed in the Shutdown Final Safety Analysis Report. The
NRC staff, based on independent evaluation, agrees with the licensee
analyses and concludes that the proposed activity is acceptable.
Accordingly, the Commission concludes that this proposed action would
result in no significant radiological environmental impact.
With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed
action does not affect non-radiological plant effluents and has no
other environmental impact. Therefore, the Commission concludes that
there are no significant non-radiological environmental impacts
associated with the proposed action.
Alternative to the Proposed Action
Since the Commission concluded that there are no significant
environmental effects that would result from the proposed action, any
alternative with equal or greater environmental impacts need not be
evaluated.
The principal alternative would be to deny the action. This would
not reduce environmental impacts of plant decommissioning and would not
enhance the protection of the environment nor public health and safety.
Alternative Use of Resources
This action does not involve the use of any resources not
previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for the
Trojan Nuclear Plant, dated August 1973.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC staff consulted with representatives of the State of Oregon
Department of Energy regarding the environmental Impact of the proposed
action. The State representatives had no comment.
Finding of No Significant Impact
The Commission has determined not to prepare an environmental
impact statement for the proposed license amendment.
Based upon the foregoing environmental assessment, the Commission
concludes that the proposed action will not have a significant effect
on the quality of the human environment.
For further details with respect to this action, see the license
change application dated October 23, 1996, and supplemental information
in letters dated December 12, 1996, March 31, 1997, and April 9, 1997;
which are available for public inspection at the Commission's Public
Document Room, Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC
20555, and at the Local Public Document Room for the Trojan Nuclear
Plant at the Branford Price Millar Library, Portland State University,
Portland, Oregon 97207.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 2nd day of June 1997.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Marvin M. Mendonca,
Acting Director, Non-Power Reactors and Decommissioning Project
Directorate, Division of Operating Reactor Support, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 97-14966 Filed 6-6-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P