[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 48 (Friday, March 10, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13061-13062]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-5894]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-313]


Entergy Operations, Inc., Arkansas Nuclear One, Unit 1; Notice of 
Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct Scoping 
Process

    Entergy Operations, Inc. (Entergy) has submitted an application for 
renewal of operating license DPR-51 for an additional 20 years of 
operation at Arkansas Nuclear One, Unit 1 (ANO-1). ANO-1 is located in 
Pope County, Arkansas. The application for renewal was submitted by 
letter dated January 31, 2000, pursuant to 10 CFR part 54. A notice of 
receipt of application, including the environmental report (ER), was 
published in the Federal Register on February 11, 2000 (65 FR 7074). A 
notice of acceptance for docketing of the application for renewal of 
the facility operating license was published in the Federal Register on 
March 3, 2000 (65 FR 11609). 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 provide 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), Entergy 
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, DC, 20003-1527. In addition, the Pendergraft 
Library, located at Arkansas Tech University, 305 West Q Street, 
Russellville, AR 72801, has agreed to make the ER available for public 
inspection.
    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 ANO-1 operating license 
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 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

[[Page 13062]]

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 completing 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, Entergy Operations, Inc.
    b. Any person who intends to petition for leave to intervene.
    c. Any 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 Indian 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 entitle participants to become parties to the proceeding to 
which the supplement to the GEIS relates. Notice of opportunity for a 
hearing regarding the renewal application was the subject of the 
aforementioned Federal Register notice of acceptance for docketing. 
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 ANO-1 license renewal supplement to the GEIS. The scoping 
meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn in Russellville, Arkansas, on 
Tuesday, April 4, 2000. There will be two sessions to accommodate 
interested parties. The first session will convene at 1:30 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 Entergy of the proposed action, ANO-1 license renewal, and 
the environmental impacts as outlined in the ER; and (3) the 
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 
register to attend or present oral comments at the meeting on the NEPA 
scoping process by contacting Mr. Thomas J. Kenyon by telephone at 1 
(800) 368-5642, extension 1120, or by Internet to the NRC at 
[email protected] no later than March 27, 2000. Members of the public may 
also register to speak at the meeting within 15 minutes of 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. Kenyon's attention no 
later than March 27, 2000, 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 May 9, 2000. Electronic comments may be sent by 
the Internet to the NRC at [email protected]. Electronic submissions 
should be sent no later than May 9, 2000, to be considered in the 
scoping process and will be available for inspection at the NRC Public 
Document Room.
    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 Public Document Room. The staff 
will then prepare and issue for comment the draft supplement to the 
GEIS, which 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.
    Information about the proposed action, the supplement to the GEIS, 
and the scoping process may be obtained from Mr. Kenyon at the 
aforementioned telephone number or e-mail address.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 7th day of March, 2000.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Scott F. Newberry,
Acting Director, Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs, Office of 
Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 00-5894 Filed 3-9-00; 8:45 am]
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