[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 189 (Thursday, September 30, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52799-52800]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-25467]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-387 and 50-388]
PP&L, INC., (Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2);
Exemption
I
PP&L, Inc., (PP&L or the licensee) is the holder of Facility
Operating License Nos. NPF-14 and NPF-22, which authorize operation of
the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2 (SSES 1 & 2 or
the facilities) at power levels not to exceed 3441 megawatts thermal.
The facilities consist of two boiling-water reactors located at the
licensee's site in Salem Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The
licenses provide, among other things, that the licensee is subject to
all rules, regulations, and orders of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC, the Commission) now or hereafter in effect.
II
Section IV.F.2.b of Appendix E to 10 CFR part 50 requires each
licensee at each site to conduct an exercise of its onsite emergency
plan every 2 years and indicates the exercise may be included in the
full-participation biennial exercise required by paragraph 2.c.
Paragraph 2.c requires offsite plans for each site to be exercised
biennially with full participation by each offsite authority having a
role under the plan. During such biennial full-participation exercises,
the NRC evaluates onsite emergency preparedness activities and the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) evaluates offsite emergency
preparedness activities. PP&L successfully conducted a full-
participation exercise for SSES during the week of October 28, 1997. By
letter dated January 29, 1999, as supplemented by letter dated May 24,
1999, the licensee requested an
[[Page 52800]]
exemption from Sections IV.F.2.b and c of Appendix E regarding the
conduct of a full-participation exercise originally scheduled for
November 15, 1999. This one-time change in the exercise schedule would
increase the interval in this one instance between full-participation
exercises from the current 2 years to 3 years.
The Commission, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12(a)(1), may grant
exemptions from the requirements of 10 CFR part 50 that are authorized
by law, will not present an undue risk to public health and safety, and
are consistent with the common defense and security. The Commission,
however, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2), will not consider granting an
exemption unless special circumstances are present. Under 10 CFR
50.12(a)(2)(v), special circumstances are present whenever the
exemption would provide only temporary relief from the applicable
regulation and the licensee or applicant has made good faith efforts to
comply with the regulation.
III
The licensee requests a one-time change in the schedule for the
next full-participation exercise for the SSES facilities. Subsequent
full-participation exercises for the facilities would be scheduled at
no greater than two year intervals in accordance with 10 CFR part 50
Appendix E, Section IV.F.2.c. Accordingly, the exemption would provide
only temporary relief from that regulation.
As indicated in the licensee's request for an exemption of January
29, 1999, the licensee had originally scheduled a full-participation
exercise for the week of November 15, 1999. As further set forth in
that letter, however, FEMA indicated that schedule conflicts precluded
their participation in such an exercise in November 1999, and requested
that the exercise be rescheduled. In a letter dated March 11, 1999,
FEMA documented its position and noted that the affected Pennsylvania
jurisdictions do not object to changing the date of the exercise. In
addition, the NRC concurred with FEMA's request, and asked that the
exercise be scheduled in the year 2000 to relieve resource demands.
Accordingly, the licensee made a good faith effort to comply with the
schedule requirements of Appendix E for full-participation exercises.
The staff completed its evaluation of the licensee's request for an
exemption and the licensee's proposed compensatory measures that it
would take to maintain the level of emergency preparedness over the
third year. These compensatory measures include training for on-site
emergency response organization personnel; on-site health physics
drills; off-site emergency response training and plan preparation and
drills involving county and municipal volunteers (with critique from
trained licensee employees); and routine testing of emergency sirens
and notification systems. The staff considered that these measures are
adequate to maintain the level of emergency preparedness over the third
year. The staff, having considered the schedule and resource issues
within FEMA Region III and Region I of the Commission and the proposed
licensee compensatory measures, believes that the request should be
granted.
IV
The Commission has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR part 50,
appendix E, 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. Further, the Commission has determined, pursuant to 10
CFR 50.12(a), that special circumstances of 10 CFR 50.12(a)(v) are
applicable in that the exemption would provide only temporary relief
from the applicable regulation and the licensee has made good faith
efforts to comply with the regulation. Therefore, the Commission hereby
grants the exemption from Section IV.F.2.b and c of Appendix E to 10
CFR part 50.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the
granting of this exemption will have no significant impact on the
quality of the human environment (64 FR 33326).
This exemption is effective upon issuance.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day of September 1999.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John A. Zwolinski,
Director, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 99-25467 Filed 9-29-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
