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Florida Power & Light Company, et al., St. Lucie Plant, Units Nos. 1 and 2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

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 [Federal Register: July 29, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 145)]
[Notices]
[Page 49046]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29jy02-72]

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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-335 and 50-389]
 
Florida Power & Light Company, et al., St. Lucie Plant, Units 
Nos. 1 and 2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant 
Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an amendment to the Facility Operating Licenses Nos. DPR-67 
and NPF-16, issued to Florida Power and Light Company (the licensee) 
for operation of the St. Lucie Plant, Units 1 and 2, respectively, 
located in St. Lucie County, Florida. Therefore, pursuant to 10 CFR 
51.21 and 51.32, the NRC is issuing this environmental assessment and 
finding of no significant impact.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would amend Section 4.2 of the St. Lucie Units 
1 and 2 Environmental Protection Plans (Non-radiological) to 
incorporate the revised terms and conditions of the Incidental Take 
Statement (ITS) included in the Biological Opinion issued by the 
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on May 4, 2001, as clarified 
by NMFS letter dated October 8, 2001, and to reflect a change in the 
administration of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System 
(NPDES) permitting programs from the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated January 25, 2002.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed to reflect the revised terms and 
conditions of the ITS as set forth in the May 4, 2001, Biological 
Opinion, as clarified by NMFS letter dated October 8, 2001, and to 
document the change in the permitting authority of the NPDES permit.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that the proposed changes are administrative in nature and 
have no effect on plant equipment or plant operation. No changes will 
be made to the design, licensing bases, or the applicable procedures 
for the units.
    The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability 
or consequences of accidents, no changes are being made in the types of 
effluent that may be released off site, and there is no significant 
increase in occupational or public radiation exposure. Therefore, there 
are no significant radiological environmental impacts associated with 
the proposed action.
    With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed 
action does not have a potential to affect any historic sites. It does 
not affect any non-radiological plant effluents and has no other 
environmental impact. Therefore, there are no significant non-
radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
    Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    As an alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered 
denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative.) 
Denial of the application would result in no significant change in 
current environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the 
proposed action and the alternative action are similar.

Alternative Use of Resources

    The action does not include the use of any different resources than 
those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for 
St. Lucie Unit 1, dated June 1973, and in the Final Environmental 
Statement for St. Lucie Unit 2, dated April 1983 (NUREG-0842).

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On July 9, 2002, the staff consulted with the Florida State 
official, William Passetti, of the Bureau of Radiation Control, 
regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action. The State 
official had no comment or objections.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    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.
    For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the 
licensee's letter dated January 25, 2002. Documents may be examined, 
and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), 
located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), 
Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible 
electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management 
System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the 
NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Exit Disclaimer
Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in
accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR
Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by
e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd day of July 2002.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Kahtan N. Jabbour,
Acting Chief, Section 2, Project Directorate II, Division of Licensing 
Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 02-19074 Filed 7-26-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

 
 

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