[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 190 (Monday, October 3, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57628-57629]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-5356]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Notice of Extension of the Public Comment Period for Scoping
Process To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the License
Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants
On June 3, 2003, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the
Commission) issued a Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement for the License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants and To
Conduct Scoping Process in the Federal Register (68 FR 33209). Notice
is hereby given that the Commission has extended the public comment
period for the scoping process on the update to the ``Generic
Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) for License Renewal of Nuclear
Plants,'' NUREG-1437 (May 1996) and Addendum 1 (August 1999). The
comments already received by the Commission will be considered; this
provides additional opportunity for public to reflect on issues that
may have emerged during the period that this project was inactive. The
public comment period is extended to December 30, 2005.
In 1996 and 1999, the Commission amended its environmental
protection regulations in 10 CFR Part 51, ``Environmental Protection
Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions,''
to improve the efficiency of the environmental review process for
applicants seeking to renew a nuclear power plant operating license for
up to an additional 20 years. The final rules were published in the
Federal Register on December 18, 1996 (61 FR 66546), and September 3,
1999 (64 FR 48507). The amendments are based on the analyses reported
in NUREG-1437, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) for
License Renewal of Nuclear Plants'' (May 1996) and its Addendum 1
(August 1999).
The GEIS, prepared by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
staff and its contractors, summarizes the findings of a systematic
inquiry into the environmental impacts of refurbishment activities
associated with license renewal and the environmental impacts of
continued operation during the renewal period (up to 20 years for each
licensing action). The significance of environmental impacts were
analyzed for each of nearly 100 issues. Thereafter, the NRC categorized
which of these analyses could be applied to all plants and whether
additional mitigation measures would be warranted for each
environmental issue. Of the 92 issues analyzed, 69 issues were resolved
generically, 21 require a further site-specific analysis that
applicants are required to address, and 2 require a site-specific
assessment by the NRC. As part of its application to renew its
operating license, an applicant submits a supplemental environmental
report and the NRC staff develops a site-specific supplement to the
GEIS and includes a recommendation for each license renewal
application. The environmental protection regulations for any NRC
licensing action is contained in 10 CFR Part 51 and may be viewed on
the Internet at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part051/index.html. The license renewal process also includes a safety
review and inspections prior to issuance of a renewed license.
In the introductory remarks to Appendix B to Subpart A of Part 51,
``Environmental Effects of Renewing the Operating License of a Nuclear
Power Plant,'' the Commission stated that, on a 10-year cycle, it
intends to review the material in Table B-1 and update it, if
necessary. This update effort began in 2003; the goal of the NRC staff
is to complete this GEIS Update Project by the end of 2009.
The purpose of this notice is to inform the public that the NRC
continues to plan to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS),
in this case it is an update to the GEIS, and to provide the public an
additional opportunity to participate in the environmental scoping
process, as defined in 10 CFR 51.29. The scoping process is the initial
opportunity for stakeholder participation in the GEIS update and it
occurs before the NRC has determined results or recommendations for the
update. The environmental review process for license renewal will
continue under the current regulatory framework throughout the course
of this effort. If, as a result of this scoping process, it is
determined that an update is not necessary, then that result will be
published in the Federal Register as well.
The GEIS and Addendum 1 to the GEIS were prepared pursuant to 10
CFR part 51 and are available for public inspection at the NRC Public
Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville
Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland, or from the Publicly Available
Records component of NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management
System (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html, which provides access through the NRC's 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 GEIS, its Addendum 1, and its supplements
may also be viewed on the Internet at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1437. As indicated, the NRC prepares
site-specific supplements to the GEIS for each license renewal
application assessing the environmental impacts specific to that power
plant location; these reports may be useful to scoping participants to
understand the environmental review process and the environmental
issues associated with the review for license renewal. The supplements
to the GEIS also can be viewed on the Internet in the context for each
project and are listed by project at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications.html. The update of the GEIS
is a generic activity; therefore, is not the appropriate forum to
consider site-specific issues or concerns.
In keeping with the framework outlined under the National
Environmental Policy Act, the NRC conducts this scoping process for the
update to the GEIS and, thereafter, plans to prepare a draft addendum
to the GEIS for public comment outlining the results of the NRC review.
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 addendum to the GEIS will be used to
accomplish the following:
a. Determine whether the purpose and need for the update (the
proposed action) is clear.
b. Determine the scope of the addendum to the GEIS and identify
[[Page 57629]]
whether there are any significant issues that should be analyzed in
depth.
c. Identify and eliminate from detailed study those issues that are
peripheral or that are not significant or which have been covered by
prior environmental review.
d. Identify any environmental assessments and other EISs that are
being or will be prepared that are related to, but are not part of the
scope of the addendum 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 addendum
to the GEIS to the NRC and any cooperating agencies.
h. Describe how the addendum 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. 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.
b. Any affected State and local government agencies, including
those authorized to develop and enforce relevant environmental
standards.
c. Any affected Indian tribe.
d. Any person who requests or has requested an opportunity to
participate in the scoping process.
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
conducted four public meetings on the GEIS in July 2003. These meetings
were transcribed; the transcripts are available for public inspection
at the NRC PDR or from the Publicly Available Records component of
NRC's ADAMS. ADAMS is accessible at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html, which provides access through the NRC's Electronic Reading
Room link. Written comments already received by the Commission are
available electronically and accessible through the NRC's Electronic
Reading Room link in ADAMS. As described above, 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].
Members of the public may send any additional written comments on
the environmental scope of the GEIS Update Project 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 Room T-6D59, Two White Flint North, 11545 Rockville Pike,
Rockville, Maryland, 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 December 30, 2005. Additional electronic
comments may be sent by e-mail to the NRC at [email protected].
Electronic submissions should be sent no later than December 30, 2005,
to be considered timely in the scoping process. Comments will be
available electronically and accessible through the NRC's Electronic
Reading Room link at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.
At the conclusion of the scoping process, the NRC will prepare a
summary of the determinations and conclusions reached, including the
significant issues identified, and will send a copy of the summary to
participants in the scoping process. The summary also will be available
for inspection at the NRC PDR or through the Electronic Reading Room
link. If necessary, the staff will then prepare and issue for comment
the draft addendum to the GEIS, which will be the subject of a separate
Federal Register notice, to report the results of the NRC's review. At
this time, the NRC plans to conduct separate public meetings, at
similar locations as the public scoping meetings, on the draft addendum
to the GEIS. Copies of the draft addendum to the GEIS will be available
for public inspection at the above-mentioned address, and one copy per
request will be provided free of charge. After receipt and
consideration of the comments on the draft, the NRC will prepare a
final addendum to the GEIS, which will also be available for public
inspection. Should the review indicate that one or more environmental
issues enumerated in Appendix B to Subpart A of Part 51,
``Environmental Effects of Renewing the Operating License of a Nuclear
Power Plant,'' requires change, then the proposed and final rule
amendments will accompany the draft and final addendum to the GEIS.
For Further Information Contact: Mr. Barry Zalcman, License Renewal
and Environmental Impacts Program, Division of Regulatory Improvement
Programs, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555. Mr.
Zalcman may be contacted by telephone at 1-800-368-5642, extension
2419, or by e-mail at [email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 27th day of September, 2005.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jacob Zimmerman,
Acting Program Director, License Renewal and Environmental Impacts
Program, Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E5-5356 Filed 9-30-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P