Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation, Entergy Operations, Inc.; Arkansas Nuclear One, Units 1 and 2, 75843-75845 [2014-29750]
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 244 / Friday, December 19, 2014 / Notices
to other NRTLs that operate multiple
sites.
ACTION:
OSHA limits QAI’s scope of
recognition to include the following
supplemental program:
Program 9: Acceptance of services
other than testing or evaluation
performed by subcontractors or agents
(for calibration services only).
A. Conditions
In addition to those conditions
already required by 29 CFR 1910.7, QAI
also must abide by the following
conditions of the recognition:
1. QAI must inform OSHA as soon as
possible, in writing, of any change of
ownership, facilities, or key personnel,
and of any major change in its
operations as an NRTL, and provide
details of the change(s);
2. QAI must meet all the terms of its
recognition and comply with all OSHA
policies pertaining to this recognition;
and
3. QAI must continue to meet the
requirements for recognition, including
all previously published conditions on
QAI’s scope of recognition, in all areas
for which it has recognition.
Pursuant to the authority in 29 CFR
1910.7, OSHA hereby grants recognition
to QAI as an NRTL, subject to the
limitations and conditions specified
above.
IV. Authority and Signature
David Michaels, Ph.D., MPH,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for
Occupational Safety and Health, 200
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington,
DC 20210, authorized the preparation of
this notice. Accordingly, the Agency is
issuing this notice pursuant to 29 U.S.C.
657(g)(2), Secretary of Labor’s Order No.
1–2012 (77 FR 3912, Jan. 25, 2012), and
29 CFR 1910.7.
Signed at Washington, DC, on December
15, 2014.
David Michaels,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational
Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2014–29731 Filed 12–18–14; 8:45 am]
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Sunshine Act Meeting of the National
Museum and Library Services Board
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BILLING CODE 7036–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50–313, 50–368, 72–13, and
72–1014; NRC–2014–0270]
Independent Spent Fuel Storage
Installation, Entergy Operations, Inc.;
Arkansas Nuclear One, Units 1 and 2
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an exemption to Entergy
Operations, Inc. (Entergy or the
licensee), for the operation of the
Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO), Units 1
and 2, Independent Spent Fuel Storage
Installation (ISFSI). The request is for an
SUMMARY:
Institute of Museum and Library
Services
22:48 Dec 18, 2014
[FR Doc. 2014–29797 Filed 12–17–14; 11:15 am]
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and
finding of no significant impact;
issuance.
NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE
ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES
VerDate Sep<11>2014
Signed: December 16, 2014.
Andrew Christopher,
Assistant General Counsel.
AGENCY:
BILLING CODE 4510–26–P
Institute of Museum and
Library Services (IMLS), NFAH.
The National Museum and
Library Services Board, which advises
the Director of the Institute of Museum
and Library Services in awarding
national awards and medals, will meet
by teleconference on February 23, 2015,
to review nominations for the 2015
National Medal for Museum and Library
Service.
DATE AND TIME: Monday, February 23,
2015, at 1 p.m. EST.
PLACE: The meeting will be held by
teleconference originating at the
Institute of Museum and Library
Services. 1800 M Street NW., 9th Floor,
Washington, DC, 20036. Telephone:
(202) 653–4676.
STATUS: Closed. The meeting will be
closed pursuant to subsections (c)(4)
and (c)(9) of section 552b of Title 5,
United States Code because the Board
will consider information that may
disclose: Trade secrets and commercial
or financial information obtained from a
person and privileged or confidential;
and information the premature
disclosure of which would be likely to
significantly frustrate implementation of
a proposed agency action.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Katherine Maas, Program Specialist,
Institute of Museum and Library
Services, 1800 M Street NW., 9th Floor,
Washington, DC 20036. Telephone:
(202) 653–4798.
SUMMARY:
C. Supplemental Programs
AGENCY:
Notice of Meeting.
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75843
exemption from the requirement to
comply with the terms, conditions, and
specifications in Section 2.1 of
Appendix B of Certificate of Compliance
(CoC) No. 1014, Amendment No. 5, for
the Holtec International (Holtec) HI–
STORM 100 dry cask storage system.
DATES: The environmental assessment
and finding of no significant impact are
available as of December 19, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID
NRC–2014–0270 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
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2014–0270. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol
Gallagher; telephone: 301–287–3422;
email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. 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
https://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 pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The
ADAMS accession number for each
document referenced in this document
(if that document is available in
ADAMS) is provided the first time that
a document is referenced.
• 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:
Chris Allen, Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards, telephone: 301–
287–9225, email: William.Allen@
nrc.gov; U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is considering issuance of an
exemption to Entergy, for operation of
the ANO ISFSI, located in Russellville,
Arkansas. Pursuant to § 72.7 of Title 10
of the Code of Federal Regulations (10
CFR), on October 2, 2014, as
supplemented on October 14 and
November 7, 2014 (ADAMS Accession
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Nos. ML14279A246, ML14289A239,
and ML14311A121, respectively),
Entergy submitted its request for
exemption from the requirements of 10
CFR 72.212(a)(2) 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. 5, for the HI–STORM
100 dry cask storage system. In
evaluating the request, the NRC also
considered exemption from the
requirements of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3), 10
CFR 72.212(b)(5)(i), and 10 CFR 72.214
applicable to the request and has
weighed these regulations in its review.
Entergy loaded spent nuclear fuel into
a Model 24 Multi-Purpose Canister
(MPC–24) under CoC No. 1014,
Amendment No. 5. While performing
drying operations on MPC–24–060, a
radiation alarm actuated. In evaluating
the cause of the alarm, the licensee
subsequently determined that a fuel
assembly loaded into MPC–24–060 may
contain a fuel rod with cladding damage
greater than a pinhole leak or hairline
crack. Section 2.1 of Appendix B of the
Technical Specifications (TS) for CoC
No. 1014, Amendment No. 5, only
authorizes storage of intact fuel
assemblies, which is defined as fuel
assemblies without known or suspected
cladding defects greater than pinhole
leaks or hairline cracks and which can
be handled by normal means. Entergy
requests an exemption to the 10 CFR
part 72 requirements to store the
affected MPC in its current condition at
the ISFSI associated with the operation
of ANO, Units 1 and 2.
II. Environmental Assessment (EA)
Identification of Proposed Action: The
CoC is the NRC approved design for
each dry cask storage system. The
proposed action would grant Entergy an
exemption from the requirements of 10
CFR 72.212(a)(2), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3),
10 CFR 72.212(b)(5)(i), and the portion
of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(11) that states the
licensee shall comply with the terms,
conditions, and specifications of the
CoC, and from 10 CFR 72.214 to the
extent necessary for Entergy to store
MPC–24–060 in its current condition at
the ISFSI associated with ANO, Units 1
and 2. These regulations specifically
require storage of spent nuclear fuel
under a general license in dry storage
casks approved under the provisions of
10 CFR part 72, and compliance with
the terms and conditions set forth in the
CoC for each dry storage spent fuel cask
used by an ISFSI general licensee.
Section 2.1 of Appendix B of the TS
for CoC No. 1014, Amendment No. 5,
only authorizes storage of intact fuel,
which is defined as fuel assemblies
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19:37 Dec 18, 2014
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without known or suspected cladding
defects greater than pinhole leaks or
hairline cracks and which can be
handled by normal means. Entergy
performed tests on the fuel assemblies
loaded into MPC–24–060 after their
final operating cycle as well as visual
examinations prior to loading.
Nevertheless, a fuel assembly having
defects greater than pinhole leaks and
hairline cracks may have been
inadvertently loaded into MPC–24–060.
The proposed action would grant
Entergy an exemption from the
requirements of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 10
CFR 72.212(b)(3), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(5)(i),
and the portion of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(11)
that states the licensee shall comply
with the terms, conditions, and
specifications of the CoC, and from 10
CFR 72.214, in order to allow storage of
MPC–24–060 in its current condition.
This exemption approval would only be
valid for MPC–24–060 at the ANO
ISFSI.
Need for the Proposed Action: The
proposed action is necessary to avoid
unloading the MPC. Entergy requested
this exemption in order to store an MPC
containing a fuel assembly which may
have cladding damage greater than a
pinhole leak or hairline crack. Entergy,
with the assistance of Holtec, has
provided an evaluation which shows
that the affected MPC is bounded by the
system’s design basis limits and that
storage of the fuel in the as-loaded
configuration is safe.
Entergy has evaluated the
consequences of not obtaining an
exemption, which would occur if the
NRC did not take the proposed action.
In the absence of an exemption, Entergy
would be required to correct the
condition by reloading the affected MPC
to comply with CoC No. 1014,
Amendment No. 5. This would involve
unloading the spent fuel assemblies
from the MPC, performing inspections
of various MPC components, reloading
the spent fuel assemblies into the used
MPC or a new MPC (if there was damage
noted on the used MPC) in accordance
with CoC No. 1014, Amendment No. 5,
and performing the MPC closing
procedures.
Based upon its previous experience
with the loading process, Entergy
estimates that unloading and reloading
the MPC would result in additional
personnel exposure of 600 mRem. In
addition, Entergy states unloading and
reloading the MPC would generate
radioactive contaminated material and
waste during loading and unloading
operations. If the used MPC was
damaged during the unloading process,
it would also be disposed as radioactive
waste. The licensee estimates that
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unloading and reloading operations
would cost an estimated $300,000. If the
used MPC was damaged during
unloading, the licensee estimates an
additional $750,000 for purchase of a
new MPC and $200,000 for disposal of
the used MPC. The licensee also states
additional opportunities for design basis
accidents such as a fuel handling
accident would be introduced if the
MPC were unloaded and reloaded.
Environmental Impacts of the
Proposed Action: The potential impact
of using the HI–STORM 100 dry cask
storage system was initially presented in
the Environmental Assessment (EA) for
the rulemaking to add the HI–STORM
100 dry cask storage system for
irradiated nuclear fuel to the list of
approved spent fuel storage casks in 10
CFR 72.214 (64 FR 51271, September
22, 1999 (Proposed Rule); 65 FR 25241,
May 1, 2000 (Final Rule)).
In support of their exemption request,
the licensee submitted Holtec Report
No. HI–2146265 which evaluated
storage of fuel assemblies having greater
than pinhole leaks and hairline cracks
in the HI–STORM 100 system (ADAMS
Accession No. ML14279A246). The
analysis concluded that the as-loaded
condition has no impact on internal
temperature or pressure, that the site
boundary dose is unaffected (should
relocation of material occur inside the
MPC), and that potential reactivity
effects remain well within acceptable
margins. The analysis also concluded
that the damaged fuel rods have no
impact on the ability either of the MPC,
the HI–TRAC transfer cask, or the HI–
STORM storage cask to withstand
pressure loads due to tornado winds,
flood, or explosions.
Based on its review of the licensee’s
application, the NRC staff concludes
that there are no changes in either the
types or the amounts of radiological
effluents that may be released offsite,
and there is no significant increase in
occupational or public radiation
exposure as a result of the proposed
activities. Therefore, there are no
significant radiological environmental
impacts associated with the proposed
action. The NRC staff concludes that the
proposed action only affects the
requirements associated with the fuel
assemblies already loaded into the
canister and does not affect nonradiological plant effluents, or any other
aspects of the environment.
Accordingly, the NRC staff concludes
that there are no significant
environmental impacts associated with
the proposed action.
Alternative to the Proposed Action:
Because there is no significant
environmental impact associated with
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 244 / Friday, December 19, 2014 / Notices
the proposed action, alternatives with
equal or greater environmental impact
were not evaluated. As an alternative to
the proposed action, the NRC staff
considered denial of the requested
exemption, which would require
unloading and reloading the affected
MPC as described above. Denying the
exemption would result in an increase
in radiological exposure to workers, a
small increase in the potential for
radioactive releases to the environment
due to radioactive material handling
accidents, and increased cost to the
licensee. Therefore, the NRC staff has
determined that approving the proposed
action has a lesser environmental
impact than the alternative.
Agencies and Persons Consulted: The
environmental assessment associated
with this exemption request was sent to
Mr. Bernard Bevill Chief of the
Radiation Control Section in the
Arkansas Department of Health, by
letter dated November 10, 2014. A
response, which was received by
electronic mail dated November 21,
2014 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML14328A287), states that the Arkansas
Department of Health has no concerns.
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 a critical habitat.
The NRC staff has also determined that
the proposed action is not a type of
activity having the potential to cause
effects on historic properties. Therefore,
no consultation is required under
Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act.
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III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The environmental impacts of the
proposed action have been reviewed in
accordance with the requirements set
forth in 10 CFR part 51. Based upon the
foregoing Environmental Assessment,
the Commission finds that the proposed
action of granting an exemption from
the requirements of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2),
10 CFR 72.212(b)(3), 10 CFR
72.212(b)(5)(i), and the portion of 10
CFR 72.212(b)(11) that states the
licensee shall comply with the terms,
conditions, and specifications of the
CoC, and from 10 CFR 72.214 in order
to allow Entergy to store spent fuel
assemblies in MPC–24–060 in the asloaded configuration at the ISFSI
associated with ANO, Units 1 and 2,
will not significantly impact the quality
of the human environment.
Accordingly, the Commission has
determined that an environmental
impact statement for the proposed
exemption is not warranted and that a
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19:37 Dec 18, 2014
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finding of no significant impact is
appropriate.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 11th day
of December, 2014.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Chris Allen,
Project Manager, Spent Fuel Licensing
Branch, Division of Spent Fuel Management,
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and
Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2014–29750 Filed 12–18–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
I. Obtaining Information and
Submitting Comments
A. Obtaining Information
[NRC–2014–0267]
Draft Emergency Preparedness
Frequently Asked Questions
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for comment.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is seeking public
comment on emergency preparedness
(EP) frequently asked question (EPFAQ)
No. 2014–002, EPFAQ No. 2014–003,
and EPFAQ No. 2014–007. These
EPFAQs will be used to provide
clarification of guidance documents
related to the development and
maintenance of EP program elements.
The NRC is publishing these
preliminary results to inform the public
and solicit comments.
DATES: Submit comments by January 20,
2015. Comments received after this date
will be considered if it is practical to do
so, but the NRC is able to ensure
consideration only for comments
received before this date.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by any of the following methods (unless
this document describes a different
method for submitting comments on a
specific subject):
• Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2014–0267. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol
Gallagher; telephone: 301–287–3422;
email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. For
technical questions, contact the
individual listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this
document.
• Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey,
Chief, Rules, Announcements, and
Directives Branch, Office of
Administration, Mail Stop: 3WFN–06–
A44M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555–
0001.
For additional direction on accessing
information and submitting comments,
SUMMARY:
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see ‘‘Obtaining Information and
Submitting Comments’’ in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of
this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Edward Robinson, Office of Nuclear
Security and Incident Response, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555–0001, telephone:
301–287–3774, or email at:
edward.robinson@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
PO 00000
75845
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Please refer to Docket ID NRC–2014–
0267 when contacting the NRC about
the availability of information regarding
this document. You may obtain
publicly-available information related to
this document by any of the following
methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2014–0267.
• NRC’s Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may access publicly
available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at
https://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 pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The draft
EPFAQs are available electronically in
ADAMS under Accession No.
ML14261A054, and are available on the
NRC’s Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/
about-nrc/emerg-preparedness/faq/faqcontactus.html.
• 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.
B. Submitting Comments
Please include Docket ID NRC–2014–
0267 in the subject line of your
comment submission, in order to ensure
that the NRC is able to make your
comment submission available to the
public in this docket.
The NRC cautions you not to include
identifying or contact information in
comment submissions that you do not
want to be publicly disclosed. The NRC
posts all comment submissions at https://
www.regulations.gov as well as entering
the comment submissions into ADAMS,
and the NRC does not edit comment
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 244 (Friday, December 19, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75843-75845]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29750]
=======================================================================
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-313, 50-368, 72-13, and 72-1014; NRC-2014-0270]
Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation, Entergy Operations,
Inc.; Arkansas Nuclear One, Units 1 and 2
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 Entergy Operations, Inc. (Entergy or the
licensee), for the operation of the Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO), Units 1
and 2, Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI). The request
is for an exemption from the requirement to comply with the terms,
conditions, and specifications in Section 2.1 of Appendix B of
Certificate of Compliance (CoC) No. 1014, Amendment No. 5, for the
Holtec International (Holtec) HI-STORM 100 dry cask storage system.
DATES: The environmental assessment and finding of no significant
impact are available as of December 19, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2014-0270 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 https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2014-0270. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-287-
3422; email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. 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 https://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 pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The
ADAMS accession number for each document referenced in this document
(if that document is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time
that a document is referenced.
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: Chris Allen, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, telephone: 301-287-9225, email:
William.Allen@nrc.gov; U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is considering issuance of an exemption to Entergy, for
operation of the ANO ISFSI, located in Russellville, Arkansas. Pursuant
to Sec. 72.7 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR),
on October 2, 2014, as supplemented on October 14 and November 7, 2014
(ADAMS Accession
[[Page 75844]]
Nos. ML14279A246, ML14289A239, and ML14311A121, respectively), Entergy
submitted its request for exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR
72.212(a)(2) 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. 5, for the HI-STORM 100 dry cask storage system. In
evaluating the request, the NRC also considered exemption from the
requirements of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(5)(i), and 10 CFR
72.214 applicable to the request and has weighed these regulations in
its review.
Entergy loaded spent nuclear fuel into a Model 24 Multi-Purpose
Canister (MPC-24) under CoC No. 1014, Amendment No. 5. While performing
drying operations on MPC-24-060, a radiation alarm actuated. In
evaluating the cause of the alarm, the licensee subsequently determined
that a fuel assembly loaded into MPC-24-060 may contain a fuel rod with
cladding damage greater than a pinhole leak or hairline crack. Section
2.1 of Appendix B of the Technical Specifications (TS) for CoC No.
1014, Amendment No. 5, only authorizes storage of intact fuel
assemblies, which is defined as fuel assemblies without known or
suspected cladding defects greater than pinhole leaks or hairline
cracks and which can be handled by normal means. Entergy requests an
exemption to the 10 CFR part 72 requirements to store the affected MPC
in its current condition at the ISFSI associated with the operation of
ANO, Units 1 and 2.
II. Environmental Assessment (EA)
Identification of Proposed Action: The CoC is the NRC approved
design for each dry cask storage system. The proposed action would
grant Entergy an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR
72.212(a)(2), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(5)(i), and the
portion of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(11) that states the licensee shall comply
with the terms, conditions, and specifications of the CoC, and from 10
CFR 72.214 to the extent necessary for Entergy to store MPC-24-060 in
its current condition at the ISFSI associated with ANO, Units 1 and 2.
These regulations specifically require storage of spent nuclear fuel
under a general license in dry storage casks approved under the
provisions of 10 CFR part 72, and compliance with the terms and
conditions set forth in the CoC for each dry storage spent fuel cask
used by an ISFSI general licensee.
Section 2.1 of Appendix B of the TS for CoC No. 1014, Amendment No.
5, only authorizes storage of intact fuel, which is defined as fuel
assemblies without known or suspected cladding defects greater than
pinhole leaks or hairline cracks and which can be handled by normal
means. Entergy performed tests on the fuel assemblies loaded into MPC-
24-060 after their final operating cycle as well as visual examinations
prior to loading. Nevertheless, a fuel assembly having defects greater
than pinhole leaks and hairline cracks may have been inadvertently
loaded into MPC-24-060.
The proposed action would grant Entergy an exemption from the
requirements of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3), 10 CFR
72.212(b)(5)(i), and the portion of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(11) that states
the licensee shall comply with the terms, conditions, and
specifications of the CoC, and from 10 CFR 72.214, in order to allow
storage of MPC-24-060 in its current condition. This exemption approval
would only be valid for MPC-24-060 at the ANO ISFSI.
Need for the Proposed Action: The proposed action is necessary to
avoid unloading the MPC. Entergy requested this exemption in order to
store an MPC containing a fuel assembly which may have cladding damage
greater than a pinhole leak or hairline crack. Entergy, with the
assistance of Holtec, has provided an evaluation which shows that the
affected MPC is bounded by the system's design basis limits and that
storage of the fuel in the as-loaded configuration is safe.
Entergy has evaluated the consequences of not obtaining an
exemption, which would occur if the NRC did not take the proposed
action. In the absence of an exemption, Entergy would be required to
correct the condition by reloading the affected MPC to comply with CoC
No. 1014, Amendment No. 5. This would involve unloading the spent fuel
assemblies from the MPC, performing inspections of various MPC
components, reloading the spent fuel assemblies into the used MPC or a
new MPC (if there was damage noted on the used MPC) in accordance with
CoC No. 1014, Amendment No. 5, and performing the MPC closing
procedures.
Based upon its previous experience with the loading process,
Entergy estimates that unloading and reloading the MPC would result in
additional personnel exposure of 600 mRem. In addition, Entergy states
unloading and reloading the MPC would generate radioactive contaminated
material and waste during loading and unloading operations. If the used
MPC was damaged during the unloading process, it would also be disposed
as radioactive waste. The licensee estimates that unloading and
reloading operations would cost an estimated $300,000. If the used MPC
was damaged during unloading, the licensee estimates an additional
$750,000 for purchase of a new MPC and $200,000 for disposal of the
used MPC. The licensee also states additional opportunities for design
basis accidents such as a fuel handling accident would be introduced if
the MPC were unloaded and reloaded.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action: The potential impact
of using the HI-STORM 100 dry cask storage system was initially
presented in the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the rulemaking to
add the HI-STORM 100 dry cask storage system for irradiated nuclear
fuel to the list of approved spent fuel storage casks in 10 CFR 72.214
(64 FR 51271, September 22, 1999 (Proposed Rule); 65 FR 25241, May 1,
2000 (Final Rule)).
In support of their exemption request, the licensee submitted
Holtec Report No. HI-2146265 which evaluated storage of fuel assemblies
having greater than pinhole leaks and hairline cracks in the HI-STORM
100 system (ADAMS Accession No. ML14279A246). The analysis concluded
that the as-loaded condition has no impact on internal temperature or
pressure, that the site boundary dose is unaffected (should relocation
of material occur inside the MPC), and that potential reactivity
effects remain well within acceptable margins. The analysis also
concluded that the damaged fuel rods have no impact on the ability
either of the MPC, the HI-TRAC transfer cask, or the HI-STORM storage
cask to withstand pressure loads due to tornado winds, flood, or
explosions.
Based on its review of the licensee's application, the NRC staff
concludes that there are no changes in either the types or the amounts
of radiological effluents that may be released offsite, and there is no
significant increase in occupational or public radiation exposure as a
result of the proposed activities. Therefore, there are no significant
radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
The NRC staff concludes that the proposed action only affects the
requirements associated with the fuel assemblies already loaded into
the canister and does not affect non-radiological plant effluents, or
any other aspects of the environment. Accordingly, the NRC staff
concludes that there are no significant environmental impacts
associated with the proposed action.
Alternative to the Proposed Action: Because there is no significant
environmental impact associated with
[[Page 75845]]
the proposed action, alternatives with equal or greater environmental
impact were not evaluated. As an alternative to the proposed action,
the NRC staff considered denial of the requested exemption, which would
require unloading and reloading the affected MPC as described above.
Denying the exemption would result in an increase in radiological
exposure to workers, a small increase in the potential for radioactive
releases to the environment due to radioactive material handling
accidents, and increased cost to the licensee. Therefore, the NRC staff
has determined that approving the proposed action has a lesser
environmental impact than the alternative.
Agencies and Persons Consulted: The environmental assessment
associated with this exemption request was sent to Mr. Bernard Bevill
Chief of the Radiation Control Section in the Arkansas Department of
Health, by letter dated November 10, 2014. A response, which was
received by electronic mail dated November 21, 2014 (ADAMS Accession
No. ML14328A287), states that the Arkansas Department of Health has no
concerns. 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 a critical habitat.
The NRC staff has also determined that the proposed action is not a
type of activity having the potential to cause effects on historic
properties. Therefore, no consultation is required under Section 106 of
the National Historic Preservation Act.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The environmental impacts of the proposed action have been reviewed
in accordance with the requirements set forth in 10 CFR part 51. Based
upon the foregoing Environmental Assessment, the Commission finds that
the proposed action of granting an exemption from the requirements of
10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3), 10 CFR 72.212(b)(5)(i), and
the portion of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(11) that states the licensee shall
comply with the terms, conditions, and specifications of the CoC, and
from 10 CFR 72.214 in order to allow Entergy to store spent fuel
assemblies in MPC-24-060 in the as-loaded configuration at the ISFSI
associated with ANO, Units 1 and 2, will not significantly impact the
quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the Commission has
determined that an environmental impact statement for the proposed
exemption is not warranted and that a finding of no significant impact
is appropriate.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 11th day of December, 2014.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Chris Allen,
Project Manager, Spent Fuel Licensing Branch, Division of Spent Fuel
Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2014-29750 Filed 12-18-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
