Virginia Electric and Power Company; Surry Power Station, Unit Nos. 1 and 2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact, 74767 [E8-29101]

Agencies

• NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 237 (Tuesday, December 9, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 74767]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-29101]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-280 and 50-281]


Virginia Electric and Power Company; Surry Power Station, Unit 
Nos. 1 and 2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant 
Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an amendment to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations 
(10 CFR) Part 50, for Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR-32, 
and Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR-37 issued to Virginia 
Electric and Power Company (the licensee), for operation of the Surry 
Power Station, Unit Nos. 1 and 2 (Surry 1 and 2), located in Surry 
County. 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 revise TS Section 5.0, ``Design 
Features,'' to delete certain design details and descriptions included 
in TS 5.0 that are already contained in the Updated Final Safety 
Analysis Report or are redundant to existing TS requirements, and are 
not required to be included in the TSs by Title 10 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Part 50, Section 50.36(c)(4). The 
proposed change also revises the format of, and incorporates design 
descriptions into, TS 5.0 consistent with the content and format of 
NUREG-1431, ``Standard Technical Specifications, Westinghouse Plants,'' 
to the extent practical. A minor editorial change is proposed to 
address a previously deleted paragraph.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated April 2, 2008.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action allows the licensee to remove redundant or 
obsolete information from Technical Specification Section 5.0, ``Design 
Features.'' The proposed change would also correct a TS numbering 
discrepancy introduced by a previous license amendment.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its safety evaluation of the proposed action 
and concludes that (1) There is reasonable assurance that the health 
and safety of the public will not be endangered by operation in the 
proposed manner, (2) such activities will be conducted in compliance 
with the Commission's regulations, and (3) the issuance of the 
amendments will not be inimical to the common defense and security or 
the health and safety of the public.
    The details of the staff's safety evaluation will be provided in 
the license amendment that will be issued as part of the letter to the 
licensee approving the license amendment.
    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 offsite. There is no significant 
increase in the amount of any effluent released offsite. 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 and cultural 
resources. 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 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 
Surry 1 and 2, NUREG-1766, dated December 2002 and Final Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement (NUREG-1437 Supplement 6) dated November 
2002.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
    In accordance with its stated policy, on November 20, 2008, the 
staff consulted with the Virginia State official, Karen Remley of the 
Virginia Department of Health, 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 April 2, 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, Public File Area O1 F21, 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 
Internet at the NRC Web site, https://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 send 
an e-mail to pdr.resource@nrc.gov.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 2nd day of December 2008.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John Stang,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch II-1, Division of 
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E8-29101 Filed 12-8-08; 8:45 am]
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