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Notice of Docketing and Issuance of Amendment to Materials License SNM-2514; Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Humboldt Bay Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation

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[Federal Register: August 13, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 157)]
[Notices]
[Page 47245-47246]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13au08-149]

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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 72-27]

Notice of Docketing and Issuance of Amendment to Materials
License SNM-2514; Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Humboldt Bay
Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of Issuance of Amendment to Materials License SNM-2514.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James R. Hall, Senior Project Manager,
Division of Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, Mail Stop EBB-3D-02M, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Telephone: (301) 492-
3319; e-mail: randy.hall@nrc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 17, 2005, the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) issued NRC Materials
License No. SNM-2514 to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) for
the Humboldt Bay Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI),
located in Humboldt County, California. The license authorizes PG&E to
receive, possess, store, and transfer spent nuclear fuel and associated
radioactive materials resulting from the operation of the Humboldt Bay
Power Plant in an ISFSI at the power plant site for a term of 20 years.
The NRC staff also issued an Environmental Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact related to the issuance of the initial ISFSI license
on November 16, 2005, in accordance with the National Environmental
Policy Act, and in conformance with the applicable requirements of 10
CFR part 51.
    On March 5, 2008, PG&E submitted an application to NRC, in
accordance with 10 CFR Part 72, requesting an amendment to NRC
Materials License No. SNM-2514. PG&E's license amendment request
proposes to revise the minimum initial fuel enrichment limit identified
in the Technical Specifications (TS), so that all of the fuel
assemblies currently stored in the plant's spent fuel pool may be
transferred and stored in the ISFSI, as intended. Specifically, PG&E
identified a discrepancy in the minimum initial fuel enrichment limit
listed in TS Table 2.1-1, ``MPC-HB-HB Fuel Assembly Limits,'' during
its documentation verification review in preparation for loading spent
fuel into dry storage casks at the ISFSI. The current license allows
PG&E to store in the ISFSI spent fuel assemblies that have a minimum
initial fuel enrichment of 2.09 wt-percent Uranium 235 (U-235).
Humboldt Bay, however, has some spent fuel assemblies that have an
initial fuel enrichment of 2.08 wt-percent U-235. NRC approval of the
proposed change is required so that PG&E can store those fuel
assemblies with an initial enrichment of 2.08 wt-percent U-235 in the
Humboldt Bay ISFSI.
    Pursuant to 10 CFR 72.46, the NRC has docketed, approved and issued
Amendment No. 1 to Materials License No. SNM-2514 held by PG&E for the
receipt, possession, transfer, and storage of spent fuel at the
Humboldt Bay ISFSI. Amendment No. 1 authorizes the storage of spent
fuel assemblies with an initial enrichment of 2.08 wt-percent U-235 in
the Humboldt Bay ISFSI. Amendment No. 1 is effective as of the date of
issuance.
    Amendment No. 1 complies with the standards and requirements of the
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's
rules and regulations. The Commission has made appropriate findings, as
required by the Act and the Commission's rules and regulations in 10
CFR Chapter I, which are set forth Amendment No. 1. The issuance of
Amendment No. 1 satisfied the criteria specified in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(11)
for a categorical exclusion. Thus, the preparation of an environmental
assessment or an environmental impact statement is not required.
    In accordance with 10 CFR 72.46(b)(2), the NRC has determined

[[Page 47246]]

that Amendment No. 1 does not present a genuine issue as to whether
public health and safety will be significantly affected. Therefore, the
publication of a notice of proposed action and an opportunity for
hearing or a notice of hearing is not warranted. Notice is hereby given
of the right of interested persons to request a hearing on whether the
action should be rescinded or modified.

Further Information

    For further details with respect to this action, see the
application dated March 5, 2008, and Amendment No. 1, which are
available electronically, at NRC's Electronic Reading Room, at: http://
www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. From this site, you can access NRC's
Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), which
provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. The ADAMS
accession number for the application is ML080710491 and the ADAMS
accession number for Amendment No. 1 is ML082030222. If you do not have
access to ADAMS, or if there are problems in accessing the documents
located in ADAMS, contact NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) Reference
staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to
pdr.resource@nrc.gov.
    These documents may also be viewed electronically on the public
computers located at NRC's PDR, O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR reproduction contractor
will copy documents, for a fee.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of August, 2008.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
James R. Hall,
Senior Project Manager, Licensing Branch, Division of Spent Fuel
Storage and Transportation, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and
Safeguards.
[FR Doc. E8-18702 Filed 8-12-08; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

 
 


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