[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 182 (Monday, September 21, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50257-50258]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-25175]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-269, 50-270, and 50-287]


Duke Energy Corporation OCONEE Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 
Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and 
Conduct Scoping Process

    The Duke Energy Corporation (Duke Energy) has submitted an 
application for renewal of operating licenses DPR-38, DPR 47, and DPR-
55 for an additional 20 years of operation at the Oconee Nuclear 
Station (Oconee), Units 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The plant is located 
in Oconee County, South Carolina. The application for renewal was 
submitted by letter dated July 6, 1998, pursuant to 10 CFR Part 54. A 
notice of receipt of application, including the environmental report 
(ER), was published in the Federal Register on July 14, 1998 (63 FR 
37909). A notice of acceptance for docketing of the application for 
renewal of the facility operating licenses was published in the Federal 
Register on August 11, 1998 (63 FR 42885). The purpose of this notice 
is to inform the public that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 
(NRC) will be preparing an environmental impact statement in support of 
the review of the license renewal application and to give the public an 
opportunity to participate in the environmental scoping process as 
defined in 10 CFR 51.29.
    In accordance with 10 CFR 54.23 and 10 CFR 51.53(c), Duke Energy 
submitted the ER as part of the application. The ER was prepared 
pursuant to 10 CFR Part 51 and is available for public inspection at 
the Commission's Public Document Room in the Gelman Building, 2120 L 
Street, NW, Washington, D.C., and the Local Public Document Room 
located in the Oconee County Public Library, 501 West South Broad 
Street, Walhalla, SC 29691.
    This notice advises the public that the NRC intends to gather the 
information necessary to prepare a plant-specific supplement to the 
Commission's ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) for 
License Renewal of Nuclear Plants'' (NUREG-1437) in support of the 
review of the application for renewal of the Oconee operating licenses 
for an additional 20 years. Possible alternatives to the proposed 
action (license renewal) include no action and reasonable alternative 
energy sources. 10 CFR 51.95 requires that the NRC prepare a supplement 
to the GEIS in connection with the renewal of an operating license. 
This notice is being published in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the NRC's regulations found in 10 
CFR Part 51.
    The NRC will first conduct a scoping process for the supplement to 
the GEIS and, as soon as practicable thereafter, will prepare a draft 
supplement to the GEIS for public comment. Participation in this 
scoping process by members of the public and local, State, and Federal 
government agencies is encouraged. The draft supplement to the GEIS 
will be the subject of separate notices and a separate public meeting. 
Copies will be available for public inspection at the above-mentioned 
addresses, and one copy per request will be provided free of charge. 
After receipt and consideration of the comments, the NRC will prepare a 
final supplement to the GEIS, which will also be available for public 
inspection.
    The scoping process for the supplement to the GEIS will be used to 
accomplish the following:
    a. Define the proposed action, which is to be the subject of the 
supplement to the GEIS.
    b. Determine the scope of the supplement to the GEIS and identify 
the significant issues to be analyzed in depth.
    c. Identify, and eliminate from detailed study, those issues that 
are peripheral or that are not significant.
    d. Identify any environmental assessments and other environmental 
impact statements (EISs) that are being or will be prepared that are 
related to but are not part of the scope of the supplement to the GEIS 
being considered.
    e. Identify other environmental review and consultation 
requirements related to the proposed action.
    f. Indicate the relationship between the timing of the preparation 
of environmental analyses and the Commission's tentative planning and 
decision making schedule.
    g. Identify any cooperating agencies and, as appropriate, allocate 
assignments for preparation and schedules for completion of the 
supplement to the GEIS to the NRC and any cooperating agencies.
    h. Describe how the supplement to the GEIS will be prepared, 
including any contractor assistance to be used.
    The NRC invites the following entities to participate in the 
scoping process:
    a. The applicant, Duke Energy Corporation.
    b. Petitioners for leave to intervene in the proceeding, Norman 
(Buzz) Williams, William (Butch) Clay, W. S. Lesan, and the Chatooga 
River Watershed Coalition.
    c. Any other Federal agency that has jurisdiction by law or special 
expertise with respect to any environmental impact involved or that is 
authorized to develop and enforce relevant environmental standards.
    d. Affected State and local government agencies, including those 
authorized to develop and enforce relevant environmental standards.
    e. Any affected Native American tribe.
    f. Any person who requests or has requested an opportunity to 
participate in the scoping process.
    Participation in the scoping process for the supplement to the GEIS 
does not, in itself, entitle participants to become parties to the 
proceeding to which the supplement to the GEIS relates. Notice of an 
opportunity for a hearing regarding the renewal application was the 
subject of the aforementioned Federal Register notice of acceptance of 
docketing (63 FR 42885). Matters related to participation in any 
hearing are outside the scope of matters to be discussed at this public 
meeting.
    In accordance with 10 CFR 51.26, the scoping process for an EIS may 
include a public scoping meeting to help identify significant issues 
related to a proposed activity and to determine the scope of issues to 
be addressed in an EIS. The NRC has decided to hold a public meeting 
for the Oconee license renewal supplement to the GEIS. The scoping 
meeting will be held at the Ramada Inn, Clemson, South Carolina, on 
Monday, October 19, 1998. There will be two sessions to accommodate 
interested parties. The first session will convene at 2:00 p.m. and 
will continue until 5:00 p.m. The second session will convene at 7:00 
p.m. with a repeat of the overview portions of the meeting and will 
continue until 10:00 p.m. Both meetings will be transcribed and will 
include (1) an overview by the NRC staff of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) environmental review process, the proposed scope of 
the supplement to the GEIS, and the proposed review schedule; (2) an 
overview by Duke Energy of the proposed action, Oconee license renewal, 
and the environmental impacts as outlined in the ER; and (3) the

[[Page 50258]]

opportunity for interested Government agencies, organizations, and 
individuals to submit comments or suggestions on the environmental 
issues or the proposed scope of the supplement to the GEIS. Persons may 
pre-register to attend or to speak at the meeting on the NEPA scoping 
process by contacting Mr. James H. Wilson by telephone at 1-800-368-
5642, Extension 1108, or by Internet to the NRC at [email protected] no 
later than 12:00 noon on October 15, 1998. In addition, individuals may 
register to speak up until 15 minutes before the start of each session. 
Individual oral comments may be limited by the time available, 
depending on the number of persons who register. Members of the public 
who have not registered may also have an opportunity to speak, if time 
permits. Public comments will be considered in the scoping process for 
the supplement to the GEIS. If special equipment or accommodations are 
needed to attend or present information at the public meeting, the need 
should be brought to Mr. James H. Wilson's attention no later than 
October 13, 1998, so that the NRC staff can determine whether the 
request can be accommodated.
    Members of the public may send written comments on the 
environmental scoping process for the supplement to the GEIS to: Chief, 
Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, 
Mailstop T-6 D 59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001.
    Comments may be hand-delivered to the NRC at 11545 Rockville Pike, 
Rockville, Maryland, between 7:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on Federal 
workdays. To be considered in the scoping process, written comments 
should be postmarked by November 19, 1998. Electronic comments may be 
sent by the Internet to the NRC at [email protected]. Electronic 
submittals should be sent no later than November 19, 1998, to be 
considered in the scoping process and will be available for inspection 
at the NRC and Local Public Document Rooms.
    At the conclusion of the scoping process, the NRC will prepare a 
concise summary of the determination and conclusions reached, including 
the significant issues identified, and will send a copy of the summary 
to each participant in the scoping process. The summary will also be 
available for inspection at the NRC and Local Public Document Rooms.
    Information about the proposed action, the supplement to the GEIS, 
and the scoping process may be obtained from Mr. James H. Wilson at the 
aforementioned telephone number or e-mail address.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 14th day of September 1998.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Thomas H. Essig,
Acting Chief Generic Issues and Environmental Projects Branch, Division 
of Reactor Program Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 98-25175 Filed 9-18-98; 8:45 am]
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