[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 13, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2241-2243]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-757]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 72-09]
Public Service Company of Colorado, Fort St. Vrain Independent
Spent Fuel Storage Installation; Exemption
I
Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo, the licensee) holds
Materials
[[Page 2242]]
License SNM-2504 for receipt and storage of spent nuclear fuel at an
independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) located on the Fort
St. Vrain (FSV) site. The facility is located in Weld County, Colorado.
II
Pursuant to 10 CFR 72.7, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
may grant exemptions from the requirements of the regulations in 10 CFR
Part 72 as it determines are authorized by law, will not endanger life
or property or the common defense and security, and are otherwise in
the public interest.
Section 72.32(b)(12) states in part that ``each application for an
ISFSI that is licensed under this part and that may process and/or
repackage spent fuel, must be accompanied by an Emergency Plan that
includes * * * provisions for conducting quarterly communications
checks with offsite response organizations and biennial onsite
exercises to test response to simulated emergencies.'' Section
6.6.1(b)(2) of the PSCo ISFSI Emergency Response Plan (ERP) (Revision
2, (submitted September 6, 1996), includes a provision to conduct a
biennial exercise of the ERP as required by 10 CFR 72.32(b)(12).
III
By letter dated July 31, 1998, the licensee requested an exemption,
pursuant to 10 CFR 72.7, from the biennial emergency response exercise
requirement of 10 CFR 72.32(b)(12)(I). In its submittal, the licensee
stated that it its currently due to perform a biennial emergency
exercise in December 1998. The licensee further requested that, in
approving the requested exemption, the NRC approve postponing the
biennial exercise for six months until June 1999. The circumstances
associated with PSCo's request are described below.
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has submitted a
request to transfer Materials License SNM-2504 for the FSV ISFSI from
PSCo to DOE. This request, submitted on December 17, 1998, is currently
under NRC staff review. The completion of this review and transfer of
the license is anticipated in early 1999. To prepare for assuming the
responsibilities associated with the FSV ISFSI license, DOE has been
developing programs and modifying PSCo programs for routine and non-
routine operation of the ISFSI. As part of this preparation, DOE
performed an emergency response exercise on September 23, 1998, at the
FSV ISFSI. This exercise, which was developed and executed by DOE and
its agents, demonstrated the response of existing local emergency
responders, including local law enforcement and local ambulance
services, as well as the response of DOE's emergency response
organization.
As current holder of the FSV ISFSI license, PSCo is required,
pursuant to 10 CFR 72.32(b)(12)(I), to hold an emergency response
exercise biennially. The next scheduled emergency exercise for PSCo
should be conducted in December 1998. PSCo, in its exemption request,
describes the extensive coordination with local community responders
who are required to perform an emergency exercise. The exemption is
requested to relieve the burden imposed on the local community
responders by having to prepare for and perform two emergency exercises
between September 1998 (the DOE exercise) and December 1998 (the PSCo
exercise which is currently due).
The NRC conducted an inspection of the September 23, 1998, DOE
emergency exercise and documented the results of that inspection in a
report, IR 72-09/98-201, dated December 28, 1998. In IR 72-09/98-201,
the staff stated:
``On September 23, 1998, DOE-ID conducted a second exercise at
the FSV site to demonstrate that adequate corrective actions had
been taken to resolve the weaknesses identified during the May, 1997
exercise. The September, 1998 exercise scenario was a very
challenging accident involving the dropping of a fuel storage
container resulting in high radiation exposures, contamination, and
serious injury of a worker. Correction of the program weaknesses
identified in the May, 1997 exercise were adequately demonstrated
except for radiological controls. In addition, a new problem was
identified concerning medical treatment of a seriously injured
person. The hospital, which had a Memorandum of Understanding with
FSV, was not equipped or staffed to accept serious head trauma
cases. These types of injuries would be routed to another hospital
in Denver. FSV did not have any arrangement with the other hospital
in Denver to accept a contaminated person. On November 29, 1998,
DOE-ID established a Memorandum of Understanding with North Colorado
Medical Center to accept and treat contaminated and injured persons.
North Colorado Medical Center is qualified to accept all levels of
injuries including serious head injuries.
The radiological control problem identified in the May 1997
exercise concerned the inability of the emergency responders to
adequately address radiological problems. In the September, 1998
exercise, the scenario presented an even more significant
radiological condition with very high radiation and contamination
levels. Lack of adequate radiological controls during the emergency
response, resulted in emergency response personnel receiving
unnecessarily high exposures. Examples include: evacuating personnel
leaving the affected area proceeding through the high radiation
area, and the ambulances arriving and parking in the high radiation
area. Consequently, both the command post and ambulances became
contaminated. Radiological controls were simulated by the radiation
protection technician, because he did not have time to implement the
necessary actions.
For activities associated with the FSV facility, the type of
problems presented during the scenario would not occur, except
during the movement of fuel. Regarding the radiological problems
that occurred in both exercises, the lack of sufficient personnel
available to implement radiological controls was a key factor.
Having a second radiation protection technician available onsite at
FSV during the event could have prevented a number of the observed
problems. DOE-ID concurred with this assessment and committed to
revise their procedures to require a second qualified radiation
protection individual to be onsite during any fuel movement
activities. This has been entered into the DOE-ID process deficiency
report system as PDR #5079.''
During the September 23, 1998 exercise, the staff observed that
local community emergency organizations responded in a timely manner.
In addition, the staff observed that some of the current PSCo staff of
the FSV ISFSI will be retained as facility staff when DOE assumes the
license. These staff, who participated in the DOE sponsored exercise,
will ensure continuity in both routine and emergency operation. Based
on the above, the staff concludes that the emergency response
capability, including the response of local community responders and
onsite staff has been adequately exercised and that an additional
exercise, conducted by PSCo during December 1998 is not necessary.
IV
Accordingly, NRC has determined, in accordance with 10 CFR 72.7
that this exemption is authorized by law, will not endanger life or
property or the common defense and security, and is otherwise in the
public interest. Therefore, NRC hereby grants the licensee an exemption
from the biennial emergency exercise requirement of 10 CFR
72.32(b)(12(I) as requested by letter dated July 31, 1998.
The documents related to this proposed action are available for
public inspection and for copying at the NRC Public Document Room, 2120
L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20555. Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, NRC has
determined that granting this exemption will have no significant impact
on the quality of the human environment (63 FR 72337).
This exemption is effective upon issuance. The exemption expires
June 30, 1999, or upon transfer of SNM-2504 to the Department of
Energy, whichever occurs first.
[[Page 2243]]
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 31st day of December 1998.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
William F. Kane,
Director, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material Safety
and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 99-757 Filed 1-12-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
