[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 105 (Friday, May 30, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31153-31154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-12128]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[DOCKET NO. 52-024]


Entergy Operations, Inc, et al.; Grand Gulf Nuclear Station 
Combined License Application; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct Scoping Process

    Entergy Operations, Inc. (Entergy) on behalf of itself; Entergy 
Mississippi Inc.; Entergy Louisiana, LLC; Entergy Gulf States 
Louisiana, LLC; and System Energy Resources, Inc., has submitted an 
application for a combined license (COL) for its Grand Gulf Nuclear 
Station (Grand Gulf) site to build Unit 3, located in Claiborne County, 
Mississippi, near Port Gibson, approximately 30 miles south of 
Vicksburg. The application for the COL was submitted by letter dated 
February 27, 2008, pursuant to the requirements of Title 10, Part 52, 
Subpart C. A notice of receipt and availability of the application, 
which included the Environmental Report (ER), was published in the 
Federal Register on March 19, 2008 (73 FR 14849). A notice of 
acceptance for docketing of the application for the COL was published 
in the Federal Register on April 24, 2008 (73 FR 22180).
    The purpose of this notice is to inform the public that the U.S. 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will be preparing a supplemental 
environmental impact statement (EIS) in support of the proposed action 
of the issuance of a COL for the construction and operation of a 
nuclear power plant, as described in the COL application, at the Grand 
Gulf site described in early site permit (ESP) ESP-002 referenced in 
the COL 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(c), ``Coordination with 
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)'', the NRC staff intends 
to use the process and documentation required for the preparation of 
the EIS to comply with Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act, in lieu of the procedures set forth in 36 CFR 800.3 
through 800.6.
    On April 5, 2007, the NRC issued ESP-002 to System Energy 
Resources, Inc. for the Grand Gulf site (the site of the proposed third 
reactor). An ESP is a NRC approval of a site as suitable for 
construction and operation of one or more new nuclear units. The NRC's 
detailed review of the environmental impacts of constructing and 
operating a new nuclear unit is documented in NUREG-1817, 
``Environmental Impact Statement for an Early Site Permit at the Grand 
Gulf ESP Site.'' Pursuant to NRC regulations in 10 CFR 51.50(c)(1), a 
COL applicant referencing an ESP need not submit information or 
analyses regarding environmental issues that were resolved in the ESP 
EIS, except to the extent the COL applicant has identified new and 
significant information regarding such issues. Pursuant to 10 CFR 
52.39, matters resolved in the ESP proceedings are considered to be 
resolved in any subsequent proceedings, absent identification of new 
and significant information.
    In accordance with 10 CFR 51.45 and 10 CFR 51.50(c)(1), Entergy 
submitted an ER as part of the COL application, which need not contain 
information or analysis submitted in the ER for the ESP stage or 
resolved in the final EIS for the ESP stage. The ER for the COL stage, 
in addition to the environmental information and analyses otherwise 
required must provide:
    a. Information to demonstrate that the design of the facility falls 
within the site characteristics and design parameters specified in the 
ESP;
    b. Information to resolve any significant environmental issues that 
were not resolved in the ESP;
    c. New and significant information related to impacts of 
construction and operation that were resolved in the ESP;
    d. A description of the process used to identify new and 
significant information regarding the NRC's conclusion in the EIS for 
the ESP; and
    e. A demonstration that all environmental terms and conditions that 
have been included in the ESP will be satisfied by the date of issuance 
of the combined license.
    The COL ER 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, or from the Publicly Available 
Records component of the NRC's Agency-wide 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 (ERR) link. The accession number in ADAMS for 
the ER is ML080640404. 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 sending an e-mail to [email protected]. The application 
may also be viewed on the Internet at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-licensing/col/grand-gulf.html. In addition, the Harriette Person 
Memorial Library has agreed to make the ER available for public 
inspection.
    The following key reference documents related to the COL 
application and the NRC staff's review process are available through 
the NRC's Web site at http://www.nrc.gov:
    a. 10 CFR Part 51, Environmental Protection Regulations for 
Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions,
    b. 10 CFR Part 52, Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for 
Nuclear Power Plants,
    c. 10 CFR Part 100, Reactor Site Criteria,
    d. NUREG-1555, Standard Review Plans for Environmental Reviews for 
Nuclear Power Plants,
    e. NUREG/BR-0298, Brochure on Nuclear Power Plant Licensing 
Process,
    f. Fact Sheet on Nuclear Power Plant Licensing Process,
    g. Regulatory Guide 4.2, Preparation of Environmental Reports for 
Nuclear Power Stations,
    h. Regulatory Guide 1.206, Combined License Applications for 
Nuclear Power Plants,
    i. NRR Office Instruction LIC-203, Procedural Guidance for 
Preparing Environmental Assessments and Considering Environmental 
Issues, and
    j. NUREG-1817, Environmental Impact Statement for an Early Site 
Permit at the Grand Gulf ESP Site.
    The regulations, NUREG-series documents, regulatory guides, and 
fact sheet can be found under Document Collections in the Electronic 
Reading Room on the NRC Web page. Finally, Office Instruction LIC-203 
can be found in ADAMS in two parts under accession

[[Page 31154]]

numbers ML011710073 (main text) and ML011780314 (charts and figures).
    This notice advises the public that the NRC intends to gather the 
information necessary to prepare a supplemental EIS related to the 
review of the application for a COL at the Grand Gulf site in 
accordance with 10 CFR 51.92(e).
    The NRC is required by 10 CFR 51.20(b)(2) to prepare an EIS in 
connection with the issuance of a COL. This notice is being published 
in accordance with NEPA and NRC regulations found in 10 CFR Part 51. 
The NRC will first conduct a scoping process for the supplemental EIS 
and, as soon as practicable thereafter, will prepare a draft 
supplemental EIS for public comment. Participation in the scoping 
process by members of the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal 
government agencies is encouraged. Pursuant to NRC regulations in 10 
CFR 51.92(c)(1), the scoping process for the supplemental EIS to the 
ESP Final EIS will be used to accomplish the following:
    a. Identification of the economic, technical, and other benefits 
and costs of the proposed action, to the extent that the Final EIS for 
the ESP did not include an assessment of these benefits and costs;
    b. Identification of other energy alternatives, to the extent that 
the Final EIS for the ESP did not include an assessment of energy 
alternatives;
    c. Identification of the issues related to the impacts of 
construction and operation of the facility that were not resolved in 
the ESP proceeding; and
    d. Identification of the issues related to the impacts of 
construction and operation that were resolved in the ESP proceeding but 
where new and significant information exists, including but not limited 
to, new and significant information demonstrating that the design of 
the facility falls outside the site characteristics and design 
parameters specified in the ESP.
    The NRC will hold two public scoping meetings regarding the Grand 
Gulf COL application on Thursday, June 19, 2008, at the Port Gibson 
City Hall in Port Gibson, Mississippi. The first meeting will convene 
at 1 p.m. and will continue until approximately 4 p.m. An evening 
meeting will convene at 7 p.m. on that same day and will continue until 
approximately 10 p.m. The meeting will be transcribed and will include: 
(1) An overview by the NRC staff of the NEPA environmental review 
process, the proposed scope of the EIS, the proposed review schedule, 
and (2) the opportunity to submit comments or suggestions on the 
environmental issues or the proposed scope of the EIS. Additionally, 
the NRC staff will host an informal discussion one hour before the 
start of each meeting. No formal comments on the proposed scope of the 
EIS will be accepted during the informal discussion open house. To be 
considered, comments must be provided either at the transcribed public 
meeting or in writing, as discussed below. Persons may register to 
attend or present oral comments at the meeting on the scope of the NEPA 
review by contacting Ms. Tamsen Dozier or Mr. Paul Michalak at 1-800-
368-5642, extension 2272 or 7612, respectively. In addition, persons 
can register via e-mail to the NRC [email protected] no later 
than June 12, 2008.
    Members of the public may also register to speak at the meeting 
within 15 minutes of the start of the meeting. 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 EIS. Ms. Dozier or 
Mr. Michalak will need to be contacted no later than June 9, 2008, 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 Grand Gulf COL review to the Chief, 
Rulemaking, Directives and Editing 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. 
Written comments should be postmarked by July 29, 2008. 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. Electronic comments may be sent via e-mail to 
[email protected]. To be considered in the scoping process, 
comments should be received by the end of the scoping comment period, 
which is July 29, 2008.
    Participation in the scoping process for the EIS does not entitle 
participants to become parties to the proceeding to which the EIS 
relates. Notice of a hearing regarding the application for a COL will 
be the subject of a future Federal Register notice.
    The NRC staff will prepare and issue for comment the draft 
supplemental EIS, which will be the subject of separate notices and a 
separate public meeting. A copy of the draft supplemental EIS 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, the NRC staff will prepare a final EIS, 
which will also be available for public inspection.
    Information about the scoping process and development of the EIS 
may be obtained from Ms. Tamsen Dozier, Environmental Project Manager, 
by phone at (301) 415-2272 or via e-mail at [email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 23rd day of May 2008.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Nilesh Chokshi,
Deputy Division Director, Division of Site and Environmental Reviews, 
Office of New Reactors.
 [FR Doc. E8-12128 Filed 5-29-08; 8:45 am]
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