[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 81 (Thursday, April 25, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18449-18450]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-10177]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-373, 50-374]
Commonwealth Edison Company (LaSalle County Station, Unit Nos. 1
and 2);
Exemption
I
The Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd, the licensee) is the holder
of Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-11 and NPF-18, which authorize
operation of the LaSalle County Station, Units 1 and 2 (the
facilities). The licenses provide, among other things, that the
facilities are subject to all the rules, regulations, and orders of the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) now or hereafter in
effect.
The facilities are boiling water reactors located at the licensee's
site in LaSalle County, Illinois.
II
In 10 CFR 73.55, ``Requirements for Physical Protection of Licensed
Activities in Nuclear Power Reactors Against Radiological Sabotage,''
paragraph (a), in part, states that ``the licensee shall establish and
maintain an onsite physical protection system and security organization
which will have as its objective to provide high assurance that
activities involving special nuclear material are not inimical to the
common defense and security and do not constitute an unreasonable risk
to the public health and safety.''
In 10 CFR 73.55(d), ``Access Requirements,'' paragraph (1), it
specifies that ``the licensee shall control all points of personnel and
vehicle access into a protected area.'' Also, 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5)
requires that ``A numbered picture badge identification system shall be
used for all individuals who are authorized access to protected areas
without escort.'' It further states that individuals not employed by
the licensee (e.g., contractors) may be authorized access to protected
areas without escort provided that the individual, ``receives a picture
badge upon entrance into a protected area which must be returned upon
exit from the protected area * * *''
By letter dated February 20, 1996, the licensee requested an
exemption from certain requirements of 10 CFR 73.55. The licensee
proposes to implement an alternative unescorted access system which
would eliminate the need to issue and retrieve picture badges at the
entrance/exit location to the protected area and would allow all
individuals, including contractors, to keep their picture badges in
their possession when departing LaSalle County Station.
III
Pursuant to 10 CFR 73.5, ``Specific exemptions,'' the Commission
may, upon application of any interested person or upon its own
initiative, grant such exemptions from the requirements of the
regulations in this part as it determines are authorized by law and
will not endanger life or property or the common defense and security,
and are otherwise in the public interest. According to 10 CFR 73.55,
the Commission may authorize a licensee to provide alternative measures
for protection against radiological sabotage provided the licensee
demonstrates that the alternative measures have the same ``high
assurance'' objective, that the proposed measures meet the general
performance requirements of the regulation, and that the overall level
of system performance provides protection against radiological sabotage
equivalent to that which would be provided by the regulation.
Currently, unescorted access into the protected area for both
employee and contractor personnel into LaSalle County Station, Units 1
and 2, is controlled through the use of picture badges. Positive
identification of personnel who are authorized and request access into
the protected area is established by security personnel making a visual
comparison of the individual requesting access and that individual's
picture badge. In accordance with 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5), contractor
personnel are not allowed to take their picture badges off site. In
addition, in accordance with the plant's physical security plan, the
licensee's employees are also not allowed to take their picture badges
off site.
The proposed system will require that all individuals with
authorized unescorted access have the physical characteristics of their
hand (hand geometry) registered with their picture badge number in a
computerized access control system. Therefore, all authorized
individuals must not only have their picture badge to gain access to
the protected area, but must also have their hand geometry confirmed.
All individuals, including contractors, who
[[Page 18450]]
have authorized unescorted access into the protected area will be
allowed to keep their picture badges in their possession when departing
the LaSalle County Station.
All other access processes, including search function capability
and access revocation, will remain the same. A security officer
responsible for access control will continue to be positioned within a
bullet-resistant structure. It should also be noted that the proposed
system is only for individuals with authorized unescorted access and
will not be used for those individuals requiring escorts.
Sandia National Laboratories conducted testing which demonstrated
that the hand geometry equipment possesses strong performance
characteristics. Details of the testing performed are in the Sandia
report, ``A Performance Evaluation of Biometric Identification
Devices,'' SAND91--0276 UC--906 Unlimited Release, June 1991. Based on
the Sandia report and the licensee's experience using the current photo
picture identification system, the false acceptance rate for the
proposed hand geometry system would be at least equivalent to that of
the current system. To assure that the proposed system will continue to
meet the general performance requirements of 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5), the
licensee will implement a process for testing the system. The site
security plans will also be revised to allow implementation of the hand
geometry system and to allow employees and contractors with unescorted
access to keep their picture badges in their possession when leaving
LaSalle County Station.
IV
For the foregoing reasons, the NRC staff has determined that the
proposed alternative measures for protection against radiological
sabotage meet the same high assurance objective and the general
performance requirements of 10 CFR 73.55. In addition, the staff has
determined that the overall level of the proposed system's performance
will provide protection against radiological sabotage equivalent to
that which is provided by the current system in accordance with 10 CFR
73.55.
Accordingly, the Commission has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR
73.5, this exemption is authorized by law, will not endanger life or
property or common defense and security, and is otherwise in the public
interest. Therefore, the Commission hereby grants the following
exemption:
The requirement of 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5) that individuals who have
been granted unescorted access and are not employed by the licensee
are to return their picture badges upon exit from the protected area
is no longer necessary. Thus, these individuals may keep their
picture badges in their possession upon leaving LaSalle County
Station.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the
granting of this exemption will not result in any significant adverse
environmental impact (61 FR 17329).
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 19th day of April, 1996.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jack W. Roe,
Director, Division of Reactor Projects--III/IV, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 96-10177 Filed 4-24-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
