[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 72 (Friday, April 13, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22361-22362]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-8809]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2010-0029; Docket No. 50-397]


Energy Northwest, Columbia Generating Station; Final Supplement 
47 to the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of 
Nuclear Plants

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Final Supplement 47 to the Generic Environmental Impact 
Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants; issuance.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission (NRC or the Commission) has published the final plant-
specific supplement 47 to the ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement 
for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants (GEIS),'' NUREG-1437, regarding 
the renewal of operating license NPF-21 for an additional 20 years of 
operation for the Columbia Generating Station (CGS). The CGS site is 
located approximately 12 miles north of Richland, WA. Possible 
alternatives to the proposed action (license renewal) include no action 
and reasonable alternative energy sources.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2010-0029 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may access information related to this document using the following 
methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2010-0029. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-492-
3668; email: [email protected].
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may access publicly available documents online in the NRC 
Library at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the 
search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and then select ``Begin Web-
based ADAMS Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's 
Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-
4737, or by email to [email protected]. The

[[Page 22362]]

ADAMS accession number for each document referenced in this notice (if 
that document is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a 
document is referenced. Additional information regarding accessing 
materials related to this action is under the Document Availability 
heading in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the Final SEIS 
or the environmental review process, please contact Paula Cooper, 
telephone: 301-415-2323; email: [email protected]. Projects Branch 
2, Division of License Renewal, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion

    The NRC received an application, dated January 19, 2010, from 
Energy Northwest (EN), filed pursuant to Section 103 of the Atomic 
Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations Part 54 (10 CFR part 54), to renew the operating license 
for CGS. Renewal of the license would authorize the applicant to 
operate the facility for an additional 20-year period beyond the period 
specified in the current operating license. The current operating 
license for CGS (NPF-21), expires on December 20, 2023.
    The final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) is 
being issued as part of the NRC's process to decide whether to issue a 
renewed license to CGS, pursuant to 10 CFR part 54. The final SEIS was 
prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the NRC's regulations for implementing 
NEPA in 10 CFR part 51. In the final SEIS, the NRC staff assessed the 
potential environmental impacts from the operation, refurbishment, and 
decommissioning of the proposed CGS project. The NRC staff assessed the 
impacts of the proposed action on land use, historic and cultural 
resources, air quality, geology and soils, water resources, ecological 
resources, transportation, public and occupational health, waste 
management, socioeconomics, and environmental justice. In preparing 
this final SEIS, the NRC staff also reviewed, considered, evaluated, 
and addressed the public comments received during the scoping process 
and on the draft SEIS.
    In addition to the proposed action, the NRC staff considered a 
reasonable range of alternatives, including the no-action alternative. 
Under the no-action alternative, the NRC would deny EN's request for a 
renewed operating license for the CGS site. The no-action alternative 
serves as a baseline for comparison of the potential environmental 
impacts of the proposed action. Other alternatives the NRC staff 
considered include: (1) Natural gas-fired combined cycle (NGCC); (2) 
new nuclear; (3) combination alternative (NGCC, hydroelectric, wind, 
and conservation and efficiency); (4) Offsite new nuclear and NGCC; (5) 
coal-fired power; (6) energy conservation and energy efficiency; (7) 
purchased power; (8) solar power; (9) wind power; (10) biomass waste; 
(11) hydroelectric power; (12) ocean wave and current energy; (13) 
geothermal power; (14) municipal solid waste; (15) biofuels; (16) oil-
fired power; (17) fuel cells; and (18) delayed retirement. These 
alternatives, except for the NGCC, new nuclear, and combination 
alternative, were eliminated from further analysis because they do not 
meet future system needs and do not have costs or benefits that justify 
inclusion in the range of reasonable alternatives.
    As discussed in Section 9.4 of the final supplement, the staff 
determined that the adverse environmental impacts of license renewal 
for CGS are not great enough to deny the option of license renewal for 
energy planning decision-makers. This recommendation is based on: (1) 
The analysis and findings in the GEIS; (2) information provided in the 
environmental report and other documents submitted by EN; (3) 
consultation with Federal, State, local, and tribal government 
agencies; (4) the staff's own independent environmental review; and (5) 
consideration of public comments received during the scoping process 
and on the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.

Document Availability

    Documents related to this notice are available on the NRC's plant 
application for license renewal Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/columbia.html. The 
final SEIS for the proposed CGS project may also be accessed on the 
Internet at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1437/ by selecting ``Supplement-47.''
    The CGS's license application, the CGS's Environmental Report, and 
Volumes 1 and 2 of the NRC's final SEIS are available in ADAMS under 
Accession Numbers ML100250668, ML100250666, ML12096A334, and 
ML12096A336, respectively.
    A copy of the final SEIS will be available at the Richland Public 
Library, 955 Northgate Drive, Richland, Washington 99352, and at the 
Kennewick Branch of Mid-Columbia Libraries, 1620 South Union Street, 
Kennewick, Washington 99338.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of April, 2012.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Dennis Morey,
Chief, Reactor Projects Branch 1, Division of License Renewal, Office 
of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2012-8809 Filed 4-12-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P