ML20249A778

Environ Assessment & Finding of No Significant Impact. Proposed Action Would Exempt Licensee from Requirement of 10CFR70.24(a)

ML20249A778
Person / Time
Site:	Peach Bottom
Issue date:	06/15/1998
From:	Thadani A NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned)
To:
Shared Package
ML20249A775	List: ML20249A774 ML20249A778
References
NUDOCS 9806180226
Download: ML20249A778 (4)

Text

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L 7590-01-P UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGUI.ATORY COMMISSION

, PECO ENERGY COMPANY DOCKET NOS. 50277 AND 50-278 PEACH BOTTOM ATOMIC POWER STATION. UNITS 2 AND 3 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT The U. S. Nuclear Regulaimy Commission (the Commission) is considering issuance of

.l an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 70.24 for Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-

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44 and DPR-56, issued to PECO Energy Company ( the licensee), for operation of the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, Units 2 and 3, located in York County, Pennsylvania.

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Identification of Proposed Action:

The proposed action would exempt the licenses from the requirements of 10 CFR 70.24(a), which require in each are9 in which special nuclear material is handled, used, or stored a monitoring system that will energize clear audible alarms if accidental criticality occurs. The proposed action would also exempt the licensee from the requirements to maintain emergency procedures for each area in which this licensed special nuclear material is handled, used, or stored to ensure that all personnel withdraw to an area of safety upon the sounding of the alarm, t

to familiarize personnel with the evacuation plan, and to designate responsible individuals for dwiermining the cause of the alarm, and to place radiation survey instruments in accessible locations for use in sfxh an emergency.

L The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's application for exemption dated March 18,1998.

ADOCK O 77

_ P PDR l o -

L The Need for the Proposed Action:

The purpose of 10 CFR 70.24 is to ensure that, if a criticality were to occur during the handling of special nuclear material, personnel would be alerted to that fact and would take appropriate action. At a commercial nuclear power plant, the inadvertent criticality with which 10 CFR 70.24 is concemed could occur during fuel handling opershons. The special nuclear material that could be assembled into a critical mass at a commercial nuclear power plant is in the form of nuclear fuel; the quantity of other ferms of special nuclear material that is stored on site is small enough to preclude achieving a critical mass. Because the fuel is not enriched t;eyond 5.0 weight percent Uranium-235 and because commercial nuclear plant licensees have procedures and design features that prevent inadvertent criticality, the staff has determined that it is unlikely that an inadvertent criticality could occur due to the handling of special nuclear material at a commercial power reactor. The requirements of 10 CFR 70.24(a), therefore, are not necessary to ensure the safety of personnel during the handling of special nuclear materials l

st commercial power reactors. However, an sxemption to 10 CFR 70.24(a) is needed to permit a deviation from these requirements.

EnvironmentalImoacts of the Froocsed Action: j The Commission has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and concludes that the proposed action involves features located entirely within the restricted area as defined in 10 j

. CFR Part 20.  ;

1 The proposed action will not result in an increase in the probability or consequences of accidents or insult in a change in occupational or pubic dose. Thorofore, there are no l radiological impacts associated with the proposed action. l l

The proposed action will not result in a change in nonradiological plant affluents and will have no other .ionradiological environmental impact.

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Accordingly, the Commission concludes that there are no envlronmental impacts associated with this action.

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Altematives to the Proposed Aqt'st;

' Since the Commission has concluded that there is no measurable environmental impact associated with the proposed action, any altematives with equal or greater environmental impact

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need not be evaluated. As an altemative to the proposed action, the staff considered denial of the proposed action. Denial of the application would result iri no change in current environmer,tal impacts. The environmentalimpacts of the proposed action and the altomative action are similar.

Altemative Use.of Resources:

This action does not involve the use of any resources not previously considered in the -

l " Final Environmental Statement Related to the Operation of Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, -

Units 2 and 3," April 1973.

Aoencies and Persons Consulted:

i in accordance with its stated policy, on May 6,1998, the staff consulted with the I Pennsylvania State official, Mr. David Ney, of the State of Pennsylvania, Bureau of Radiation l L  !

l Protection, regarding the environmentalimpact of the proposed action. The State official had no i

j comments, y EINDING OF NO. SIGN 1& CANT _lMPACI Based upon the environmental assessment, the Commission concludes that the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment.

Accordingly, the Commission has determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed action.

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u For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the licensee's letter dated March 18,1998, which is available for public inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room, The Gelman Building,2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC, and at the local public document room located at the Govemment Publications Section, State Ubrary of Pennsylvania I

(REGIONAL DEPOSITORY) Education Buliding, Walnut Street and Commonwealth Avenue, Box %di, Harrisburg, PA.  !

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 15th day of ' June 1998.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGUI.ATORY COMMISSION -

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t 1WIohan C. dan, r roje Manager Project Directorate 1-2  !

Division of Reactor Projects- t/II Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

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