[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 16 (Friday, January 24, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3571-3573]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-1637]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-438 and 50-439]
Tennessee Valley Authority; Bellefonte Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and
2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an extension of the Construction Permit No. CPPR-122 for
Bellefonte Nuclear Plant (BLN), Unit 1, and CPPR-123 for BLN, Unit 2,
issued to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) (permittee). The
facility is located about 6 miles east-northeast of Scottsboro,
Alabama, on the west shore of the Guntersville Reservoir at Tennessee
River Mile 392, in Jackson County, Alabama. Therefore, as required by
10 CFR 51.21, the NRC is issuing this environmental assessment and
finding of no significant impact.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of Proposed Action
The proposed action would extend the construction permit expiration
date for BLN, Unit 1, from October 1, 2001, to October 1, 2011, and the
construction permit expiration date for BLN, Unit 2, from October 1,
2004, to October 1, 2014. The proposed action is in response to TVA's
request, dated July 11, 2001.
The Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action is needed because construction of BLN, Units 1
and 2, is not yet completed. TVA requested the extension to allow it to
maintain the choice of a full range of competitive energy sources. The
request was made because of the increase in the electrical demand in
the TVA region.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The environmental impacts associated with the construction of the
facility have been previously discussed and evaluated in the Final
Environmental Statement (FES), June 1974, prepared as part of the NRC
staff's review of the construction permit application. Because of the
passage of time from the issuance of the FES, the staff requested
additional information in a June 5, 2002, letter to TVA to determine if
the conclusions reached in the June 1974 FES remain valid. TVA
responded to these questions in a letter dated August 26, 2002.
In its August 26, 2002, response, TVA addressed the impact of
resumption of construction in the following areas: Archaeological sites
and historic properties, disturbance of land, socioeconomic impacts,
additional cumulative impacts from other projects in the area, and
threatened and endangered species. Highlights of TVA's response follow.
TVA stated that no additional archaeological sites have been identified
in areas that might be affected by the resumption of construction
activities. No future disturbance is currently contemplated on or
adjacent to known archaeological sites. The NRC staff asked TVA how
they responded to the recommendation by the Alabama Historical
Commission on adaptive re-use of the 1845 Tavern and Inn. TVA responded
that the building has been removed since 1974 when it was determined
that site was eligible for placement on the National Register of
Historic Places. The 1845 Tavern and Inn is not on TVA property, and
the buildings were removed by the owners. Before construction of the
existing site facilities, the Alabama State Historic Preservation
Office approved the design and indicated that no mitigation would be
required.
Regarding disturbance of land, TVA stated that almost all of the
construction required for completion of the BLN site as a two-unit
nuclear plant has been started and very few facilities remain that
would require new land disturbance. TVA stated that the remaining
construction that would require new land disturbance are as follows:
1. If construction resumes, it is planned to eventually move
(re-route) the first half mile of the south entrance road such that
it would still join Jackson County Highway 33, but to an
intersection which is about 1200 feet east of the current connection
point. The site has completed an environmental assessment for this
change which would improve traffic visibility and thereby increase
commuter safety. Some new ground would be disturbed for this road,
but there are no associated significant environmental impacts.
2. If construction resumes, some new backfill borrow pits may be
required to obtain clay. These would likely be made in undisturbed
ground east of the main site power plant buildings. The topsoil
would be removed temporarily and replaced to restore the sites after
clay removal. Tree cover would be removed in this process.
3. Meteorological monitoring requirements have changed, which
might necessitate construction of a new environmental data station.
This new facility could possibly be sited on undisturbed soil.
4. Construction of the startup and recirculation equipment
building for Unit 2 has not been initiated; however, the site for
this building is disturbed ground very close to the south side of
the Unit 2 auxiliary building. Other potential construction
activities on disturbed ground include increasing the size of the
construction and administration building (CAB); additional fire
protection tanks by the CAB; additional waste tanks adjacent to the
Unit 1 reactor building; and completion of the auxiliary feedwater
pipe trench near the Unit 2 reactor building. The power stores
building may be enlarged, and new plant security requirements may
necessitate changes to the gatehouse.
The FES evaluated the terrestrial and aquatic impacts due to
construction of the BLN, Units 1 and 2. Included in these impacts were
development of access corridors (roads), and clearing and excavation
for all construction. The FES requires a construction monitoring
program to monitor the effect of these activities on the environment.
If construction is resumed, these activities will be monitored by the
construction monitoring program and, therefore, the conclusions of the
FES regarding potential land disturbance remain valid.
The socioeconomic impacts have changed since the 1974 FES was
issued. In 1970, the population in the surrounding area was 39,202 and
in 2000, the population was 59,926. The 1974 FES estimated a peak
workforce of 2,300 people. The actual workforce peaked at 4,600 people
prior to construction being suspended in 1988. TVA estimates that the
workforce required to complete construction will peak at 4,600. The
staff questioned if these changes to the demographics of the region may
lead to significant socioeconomic impacts different from those
previously evaluated in the FES. Examples of these impacts are demands
on the local schools, hospitals, public facilities, utilities (e.g.,
water use), transportation infrastructure, and construction worker
shortages. TVA responded that:
The FES addressed both temporary impacts to community facilities
and services which would occur during the construction period and
those which would occur from the permanent workforce. Significant
impacts were not expected in either case, but the FES concluded that
facilities and services such as schools would unavoidably be
stressed by construction and operation of BLN. Consequently, TVA
committed to monitoring the situation and to working with local and
state officials to mitigate any unacceptable adverse conditions
which might result.
The currently larger projected construction workforce will
likely result in greater
[[Page 3572]]
socioeconomic impacts that [sic] those projected in the FES. Two
more recent Environmental Impact Statements analyze potential
impacts at higher levels than those in the FES. The first of these
analyzed potential impacts of converting and operating the
Bellefonte site as a fossil-fueled power plant (Final Environmental
Impact Statement for the Bellefonte Conversion Project, Tennessee
Valley Authority, October 1997). The second analyzed the impacts
associated with the production of tritium at various TVA nuclear
sites, including the BLN site (Final Environmental Impact Statement
for the Production of Tritium in a Commercial Light Water Reactor,
U.S. Department of Energy, DOE/EIS--0288, March 1999). Impacts of a
peak construction employment level of 4,500, almost the same as now
projected, were analyzed in the latter report. Based on these
analyses, we would anticipate that about 1,500 workers would move
into the area at peak construction (at sometime during the fourth
year of construction). Of these, about 1,100 are likely to move to
Jackson County, and the remainder to surrounding counties. This
number of movers would result directly in a population increase in
Jackson County of about 3,000 persons or less at peak construction.
The maximum impact on Jackson County schools is estimated to be
somewhat less than 1,000 additional students, roughly a ten percent
increase. This level of impact, however, would be only for a short
time with lesser impacts leading up to this peak and following it.
Impacts on other public services, such as hospitals, transportation,
and utilities are discussed in more detail in the documents
referenced above. They would be significant at or near peak, but the
higher levels would have a relatively short duration. Possible
impacts on construction worker shortages would depend on the
magnitude of other construction projects in the larger area around
the BLN site. The labor market area for construction workers is much
larger than for most other types of work, and construction workers
typically move around within large areas thereby decreasing the
likelihood of significant problems for other construction projects.
All of these impacts would occur gradually, as the construction
workforce builds up to its peak during the fourth year. If
construction resumes, TVA will work with state and local officials
and civic groups mitigate possible adverse socioeconomic impacts
caused by activities undertaken to complete construction of BLN or
to operate the plant after its completion.
Based on TVA's response, and the recent environmental impact
statements cited above, the NRC staff concludes that, while the impacts
will be larger if construction resumes, the mitigative actions will be
commensurate with the larger impacts and, therefore, the conclusions
reached in the FES remain valid.
The staff questioned if there were any projects or activities
occurring or planned for the area that may lead to additional
cumulative impacts to the surrounding population or to the natural
environment. TVA responded that, in general, this growth has consisted
of numerous small-to-medium size changes rather than one or a few very
large events, except for the starting and stopping of TVA nuclear
construction. The projected construction employment would be a major
addition to the economy of Jackson County. However, many of the workers
would live elsewhere in the labor market area, including some who would
temporarily relocate. Within the construction labor market area, the
employment increase at peak construction would be about 46 to 50
percent of the recent annual increase in employment. During most of the
construction period, however, the level would be smaller. In contrast
to construction at or near peak, operating employment levels would be
small compared to the normal growth of the area. In the 1974 FES, TVA
committed to work with state and local officials and civic groups
throughout the construction and operation of the BLN site to mitigate
the possible socioeconomic impacts. Based on the above commitment
contained in the FES, the conclusion of the FES remains valid.
Regarding threatened and endangered species, the NRC staff, in its
June 5, 2002, letter, asked if any biota has been added to or removed
from the list of threatened or endangered species for the BLN site
environs (including transmission line rights-of-way) based on field
studies or revisions to the threatened and endangered species list
since the 1974 FES. TVA responded that no species indigenous to the BLN
site have been added to the federal or state lists of threatened or
endangered species since the original FES. The Peregrine Falcon has
been delisted. Two species, the Bald Eagle and Indiana Bat, are
currently listed as threatened or endangered for Jackson County,
Alabama, by the Environmental Protection Agency. Osprey, Pandion
haliaetus, is not federally listed, but is listed as threatened by the
State of Alabama. Population levels of osprey have been increasing on
Guntersville Lake, and several nests have been observed in the vicinity
of Coon and Crow Creeks. This species would use shoreline habitats
fronting the BLN site for foraging. The current list of federally
threatened or endangered species for Jackson County, Alabama, contains
several species which were not identified or discussed in the original
FES for BLN. However, none of these except the Gray Bat are known to
occur at or adjacent to the BLN site, including transmission line
rights-of-way, and none of these were added based on field studies at
the BLN site. Gray bats forage in the sloughs and main channel of the
Tennessee River. However, because of the nature of the activities
undertaken at the plant and the distance of these plant activities from
the foraging area, Gray Bats would not be adversely impacted by the
proposed actions.
The staff also questioned if there were any known potential adverse
impacts to any listed or candidate species that might result from the
resumption of construction at BLN. TVA responded that resumption of
construction activities at BLN would not be expected to cause adverse
impacts to any Federal or State-listed or candidate species or their
habitats. This is primarily because almost all ground or river
disturbance construction activities have long since been completed.
Therefore, resumption of construction is unlikely to have any
significant effect on threatened or endangered species at BLN.
Since almost all of the construction required for completion of BLN
as a two-unit nuclear plant has already been, at least, started, very
few facilities remain that would require new land disturbance;
therefore, most of the construction impacts discussed in the FES have
already occurred. This action would extend the period of construction
as described in the FES. It does not invalidate any of the conclusions
reached in the 1974 FES. The proposed extension will not allow any work
to be performed that is not already allowed by the existing
construction permit. The extension will grant TVA more time to complete
construction in accordance with the previously approved construction
permit. In addition, it is the policy of the Commission that a licensee
will notify the NRC at least 120 days before plant construction is
expected to resume.
Based on the foregoing, the NRC staff has concluded that the
proposed action would have no significant environmental impact. Because
this action would only extend the period of construction activities
described in the FES, it does not involve any different impacts or a
significant change to those impacts described and analyzed in the FES.
Consequently, an environmental impact statement addressing the proposed
action is not required.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
A possible alternative to the proposed action would be to deny the
request. This would result in expiration of the construction permit for
BLN, Units 1 and 2. This option would require submittal of another
application for
[[Page 3573]]
construction in order to allow the permittee to complete construction
of the facility with no significant environmental benefit. The
environmental impacts of the proposed action and alternative action are
similar.
Alternative Use of Resources
This action does not involve the use of resources not previously
considered in the FES for BLN, Units 1 and 2.
Agencies and Persons Contacted
In accordance with its stated policy, the staff consulted with the
Alabama State Official, Mr. David Walter of the Alabama Office of
Radiation Control, regarding the environmental impact of the proposed
action. The State official had no comments.
For further details with respect to this action, see the licensee's
request for extension dated July 11, 2001, and its response to the
staff's request for additional information dated August 26, 2002.
Finding of No Significant Impact
On the basis of the environmental assessment, the NRC concludes
that this 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 this action. Documents
may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document
Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Public File Area 01-F21,
11555 Rockville Pike, 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.
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 [email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 16th day of January 2003.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Allen G. Howe,
Chief, Section 2, Project Directorate II, Division of Licensing Project
Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 03-1637 Filed 1-23-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P