[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 105 (Thursday, June 2, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32381-32382]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-2793]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-263]


Nuclear Management Company, LLC; Monticello Nuclear Generating 
Plant, Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
and Conduct Scoping Process

    Nuclear Management Company, LLC (NMC) has submitted an application 
for renewal of Facility Operating License DPR-22 for an additional 20 
years of operation at the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant 
(Monticello). Monticello is located on the southern bank of the 
Mississippi River in the City of Monticello, Wright County, Minnesota, 
approximately 22 miles northwest of St. Cloud, Minnesota. The operating 
license for Monticello expires September 8, 2010. The application for 
renewal, submitted pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations Part 54 (10 CFR part 54), was received on March 24, 2005. A 
notice of receipt and availability of the application, which included 
the environmental report (ER), was published in the Federal Register on 
April 6, 2005 (70 FR 17482). A notice of acceptance for docketing of 
the application for renewal of the facility operating licenses was 
published in the Federal Register on May 12, 2005, (70 FR 25117). 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 (EIS) 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 
addition, as outlined in 36 CFR 800.8, ``Coordination with the National 
Environmental Policy Act,'' the NRC plans to coordinate compliance with 
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act in meeting the 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA).
    In accordance with 10 CFR 51.53(c) and 10 CFR 54.23, NMC 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 NRC Public 
Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville 
Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland 20852, or from the Publicly 
Available Records component of NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and 
Management System (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site at 
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html, which provides access 
through the Public Electronic Reading Room link. Persons who do not 
have access to ADAMS, or who encounter problems in accessing the 
documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC's PDR Reference 
staff at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to [email protected]. 
The application may also be viewed on the Internet at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/monticello.html. In addition, the Monticello Public Library (220 West 
6th Street, Monticello, MN 55362) and the Buffalo Public Library (18 
Northwest Lake Boulevard, Buffalo, MN 55313) have made 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 Monticello operating 
license for an additional 20 years. Possible alternatives to the 
proposed action (license renewal) include no action and reasonable 
alternative energy sources. The NRC is required by 10 CFR 51.95 to 
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 of 1969 (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 the scoping 
process by members of the public and local, State, Tribal, 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 ElSs 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 the 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, and 
include any contractor assistance to be used.
    The NRC invites the following entities to participate in scoping:
    a. The applicant, Nuclear Management Company, LLC.
    b. 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.
    c. Affected State and local government agencies, including those 
authorized to develop and enforce relevant environmental standards.
    d. Any affected Indian tribe.
    e. Any person who requests or has requested an opportunity to 
participate in the scoping process.
    f. Any person who has petitioned or intends to petition for leave 
to intervene.
    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

[[Page 32382]]

proposed activity and to determine the scope of issues to be addressed 
in an EIS. The NRC has decided to hold public meetings for the 
Monticello license renewal supplement to the GEIS. The scoping meetings 
will be held at the Monticello Community Center, 505 Walnut Street in 
Monticello, Minnesota, on June 30, 2005. There will be two sessions to 
accommodate interested parties. The first session will convene at 1:30 
p.m. and will continue until 4:30 p.m., as necessary. The second 
session will convene at 7 p.m. with a repeat of the overview portions 
of the meeting and will continue until 10 p.m., as necessary. Both 
meetings will be transcribed and will include: (1) an overview by the 
NRC staff of the NEPA environmental review process, the proposed scope 
of the supplement to the GEIS, and the proposed review schedule; and 
(2) 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.
    Additionally, the NRC staff will host informal discussions one hour 
before the start of each session at the Monticello Community Center, 
505 Walnut Street in Monticello, Minnesota. No formal comments on the 
proposed scope of the supplement to the GEIS will be accepted during 
the informal discussions. To be considered, comments must be provided 
either at the transcribed public meetings or in writing, as discussed 
below. Persons may register to attend or present oral comments at the 
meetings on the scope of the NEPA review by contacting NRC 
Environmental Project Manager, Ms. Jennifer Davis, at 1-800-368-5642, 
extension 3835, or by e-mail to the NRC at [email protected] no 
later than June 23, 2005. 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. Ms. Davis will need to be contacted no 
later than June 23, 2005, if special equipment or accommodations are 
needed to attend or present information at the public meeting, so that 
the NRC staff can determine whether the request can be accommodated.
    Members of the public may send written comments on the 
environmental scope of the Monticello license renewal review to the 
Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative 
Services, Office of Administration, Mailstop T-6D59, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, and should cite the 
publication date and page number of this Federal Register notice. 
Comments may also be delivered to the NRC, Room T-6D59, Two White Flint 
North, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852-2738, from 7:30 
a.m. to 4:15 p.m. during Federal workdays. To be considered in the 
scoping process, written comments should be postmarked by August 2, 
2005. Electronic comments may be sent by e-mail to the NRC at 
[email protected] and should be sent no later than August 2, 2005, 
to be considered in the scoping process. Comments will be available 
electronically and accessible through ADAMS at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.
    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 (70 FR 25117). Matters related 
to participation in any hearing are outside the scope of matters to be 
discussed at this public meeting.
    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 in ADAMS at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. The staff will then prepare and issue for comment the draft 
supplement to the GEIS, which will be the subject of separate notices 
and separate public meetings. 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 Ms. Davis at the 
aforementioned telephone number or e-mail address.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 26th day of May 2005.
    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Samson S. Lee,
Acting Program Director, License Renewal and Environmental Impacts 
Program, Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E5-2793 Filed 6-1-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P