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Westinghouse Electric Corporation; Waltz Mill Test Reactor, Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

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 [Federal Register: October 1, 1997 (Volume 62, Number 190)]
[Notices]
[Page 51493]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01oc97-88]

[[Page 51493]]

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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-22]


Westinghouse Electric Corporation; Waltz Mill Test Reactor,
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is
considering the issuance of an order approving, under 10 CFR 50.80, the
transfer of Facility License No. TR-2, now held by the Westinghouse
Electric Corporation. The license authorizes possession only of the
Waltz Mill Test Reactor (WTR), located in Westmoreland County,
Pennsylvania. The Commission is also considering issuance of a
conforming amendment under 10 CFR 50.90 which would reflect the
transfer.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would approve the transfer of the WTR license
from Westinghouse Electric Corporation to a newly formed corporation
which will utilize the same name. The new corporation will consist of
most of the industrial businesses of the present Westinghouse Electric
Corporation including the WTR facility. The media businesses of the
existing Westinghouse Electric Corporation will remain with the
existing corporation, which will change its name to CBS Corporation.
The proposed action would also amend the license to reflect the
transfer to the new corporation.
    The proposed action does not modify the WTR facility configuration
or licensed activities. The Westinghouse employees responsible for the
licensed WTR facility will become employees of the new corporation, and
will continue to be responsible after the transfer, for all licensed
activities. The new corporation will be qualified to carry out licensed
activities. The WTR facility will not change as a result of the action,
including Technical Specifications or procedures, and licensed
activities will continue in their present form without interruption of
any kind. The new corporation will be financially qualified to hold the
WTR facility possession only license, and will provide the financial
assurance needed to decommission the facility.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated August 18, 1997, for approval of transfer of the
license and conforming amendment.

Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed to permit the consummation of the
proposed transfer of the WTR facility license from the Westinghouse
Electric Corporation to a newly formed corporation as described above.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The Commission has completed its evaluation of the proposed action
and concludes that there will be no physical or technical changes to
WTR. The technical qualifications of the proposed transferee will be
identical to those of the current Westinghouse Electric Corporation.
The present facility organization, the oversight organizations, and the
engineering and support organizations will be transferred to the new
corporation essentially intact.
    The Commission has evaluated the environmental impact of the
proposed action and has determined that the probability or consequences
of accidents would not be increased and that radiological releases
would not be greater than previously determined. Further, the
Commission has determined that the proposed action would not affect
routine radiological facility effluents and would not increase
occupational radiological exposure. Accordingly, the Commission
concludes that there are no significant radiological environmental
impacts associated with the proposed action.
    With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed
action would not affect nonradiological facility effluents and would
have no environmental impact. Therefore, the Commission concludes that
there are no significant nonradiological environmental impacts
associated with the proposed action.

Alternative to the Proposed Action

    Since the Commission concluded that there are no significant
environmental effects that would result from the proposed action, any
alternative with equal or greater environmental impacts need not be
evaluated.
    The principal alternative would be to deny the requested action.
Denial of the application would result in no change in current
environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the proposed action
and the alternative action are identical.

Alternative Use of Resources

    No alternatives appear that will have different or lesser effect on
the use of available resources.

Agencies and Persons Contacted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on September 9, 1997, the
staff consulted with the Pennsylvania State Official, James G. Yusko,
of the Bureau of Radiation Protection, Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection, regarding the environmental impact of the
proposed action. The State official had no comments.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    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.
    For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the
licensee's letter dated August 18, 1997, and related letter dated
August 15, 1997. which are available for public inspection at the
Commission's Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 23rd day of September 1997.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Seymour H. Weiss,
Director, Non-Power Reactors and Decommissioning Project Directorate,
Division of Reactor Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation .
[FR Doc. 97-26008 Filed 9-30-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

 
 

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