[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 78 (Wednesday, April 23, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20033-20034]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-10011]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 050-206]


Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of 
No Significant Impact for an Exemption From Certain Requirements in 10 
CFR Part 20 Appendix G for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, 
Unit 1, in San Diego County, CA

I. Introduction

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the 
issuance of a one-time exemption from certain requirements of 10 CFR 
part 20 (part 20) for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 
1, a permanently shutdown nuclear reactor facility. On March 7, 2003, 
Southern California Edison (the licensee) requested an exemption from 
the

[[Page 20034]]

requirements in part 20, Appendix G Section III.E to investigate and 
file a report to the NRC if a shipment of radioactive waste is not 
acknowledged by the intended recipient within 20 days after transfer to 
the shipper. The licensee made this request because, in this particular 
case, the transport time for the reactor vessel shipment is currently 
expected to take approximately 90 days to reach the disposal site. The 
NRC staff has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) in support of 
this action in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR part 51. The 
conclusion of the EA is a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for 
the proposed action.

II. EA Summary

    The proposed action would allow the licensee to transport the 
reactor vessel from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station to the 
Chem-Nuclear low-level radioactive waste disposal facility at Barnwell 
County, South Carolina. The travel time is estimated to be as long as 
90 days. However, since the time of travel to reach the low-level waste 
burial site is longer than 20 days, part 20, Appendix G Section III.E 
would require the licensee to investigate, trace, and file a report 
with the NRC on the location of the reactor vessel 20 days into its 
approximate 90-day journey. The licensee has requested an exemption 
from these requirements because they are not meaningful in this 
instance.
    The NRC has examined the licensee's proposed exemption request and 
concluded that it is procedural and administrative in nature. 
Additionally, there are no significant radiological environmental 
impacts associated with the proposed action; nor, are there any 
nonradiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed 
action.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    NRC has prepared the EA (summarized above) in support of the 
licensee's application for an exemption request. On the basis of the 
environmental assessment, the NRC concludes that the proposed action 
will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human 
environment. Accordingly, the NRC has determined not to prepare an 
environmental impact statement for the proposed action.

IV. Further Information

    The EA and the documents related to this proposed action, including 
the request for the exemption, are available for inspection at NRC's 
Public Electronic Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. The ADAMS accession number for the licensee's March 7, 2003 
exemption request letter is ML030730547. The ADAMS accession number for 
the staff's EA is ML031000319. Documents may also be examined, and/or 
copied for a fee, at the NRC Public Document Room (PDR), located at One 
White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. Any 
questions with respect to this action should be referred to William 
Huffman, Division of Waste Management, Office of Nuclear Material 
Safety and Safeguards, telephone (301) 415-1141.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 16th day of April, 2003.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Daniel M. Gillen,
Chief, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Waste Management, Office of 
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 03-10011 Filed 4-22-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P