[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 179 (Monday, September 16, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56944-56947]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-22468]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 72-27; NRC-2011-0115]
Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Humboldt Bay Independent Spent
Fuel Storage Installation
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an
environmental assessment (EA) and a finding of no significant impact
(FONSI) for an amendment request submitted by Pacific Gas and Electric
Company (PG&E), on September 8, 2010, as supplemented, for the Humboldt
Bay Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI).
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2011-0115 when contacting the
[[Page 56945]]
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You
may access publicly-available information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2011-0115. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-287-
3422; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of
this document.
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 ADAMS accession number
for each document referenced in this document (if that document is
available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is
referenced. In addition, for the convenience of the reader, the ADAMS
accession numbers are provided in a table in the section of this
document entitled, Availability of Documents.
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: Kristina Banovac, Project Manager,
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, telephone: 301-287-
0686, email: [email protected]; U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is considering issuance of an amendment to Materials
License No. SNM-2514 that would allow for the storage of greater than
Class C (GTCC) process waste at the Humboldt Bay ISFSI. PG&E submitted
its license amendment request by letter dated September 8, 2010 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML102530291), as supplemented on January 28, 2011 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML110400027), April 1, 2011 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML110940211), September 9, 2011 (ADAMS Accession No. ML112521432), June
19, 2012 (ADAMS Accession No. ML12171A306), June 25, 2012 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML12178A273), October 4, 2012 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML12279A041), January 16, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. ML13017A375), March
7, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. ML13071A073), and March 21, 2013 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML13084A078). On April 14, 2011, the NRC staff found
PG&E's application to be acceptable for a detailed review (ADAMS
Accession No. ML111050245). The NRC published a notice of amendment and
opportunity to request a hearing and to petition for leave to intervene
in the Federal Register on May 27, 2011 (76 FR 30980).
The NRC staff has prepared an EA (ADAMS Accession No. ML13241A289)
in support of its review of PG&E's license amendment request, in
accordance with the NRC regulations in part 51 of Title 10 of the Code
of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Environmental Protection Regulations
for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions,'' which
implement the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42
U.S.C. Sec. 4321 et seq.). Based on the EA, the NRC staff has
determined that the proposed amendment to License No. SNM-2514 to allow
storage of GTCC process waste at the Humboldt Bay ISFSI will not
significantly affect the quality of the human environment, and the NRC,
thus, has concluded that a FONSI is appropriate. The NRC staff further
finds that preparation of an environmental impact statement (EIS) is
not warranted.
II. Environmental Assessment Summary
Background
The Humboldt Bay ISFSI is located on the Humboldt Bay Power Plant
(HBPP) site, in Humboldt County, California, approximately 4.8
kilometers (3 miles) southwest of the city of Eureka, California. PG&E
is currently storing spent nuclear fuel and is authorized by NRC, under
License No. SNM-2514, to also store GTCC activated metal waste at the
Humboldt Bay ISFSI.
Proposed Action
PG&E initiated the proposed federal action by submitting an
application to amend NRC License No. SNM-2514 to allow approximately
0.5 cubic feet of solid GTCC process waste to be stored at the Humboldt
Bay ISFSI. The GTCC process waste consists of miscellaneous solid waste
resulting from HBPP Unit 3 operations and from decommissioning,
including debris from spent fuel pool cleanup. The license amendment,
if approved, would allow PG&E to store the GTCC process waste at the
Humboldt Bay ISFSI, in accordance with the requirements in 10 CFR part
72.
The proposed license amendment does not involve any construction
activities, land disturbance, excavation, or physical changes to the
HBPP facilities, site, or environment. The proposed action involves a
change associated with ISFSI operations, by the addition of the GTCC
process waste as a material that can be stored at the existing Humboldt
Bay ISFSI. The GTCC process waste would be stored in the same GTCC
storage cask as the GTCC activated metal waste that is already approved
to be stored in the ISFSI. The proposed action involves a minor change
in the design of the GTCC storage cask, in that a section of pipe is
welded to the bottom of the inner canister to hold and provide
stabilization for the process waste container that contains the process
waste. The proposed action also involves a minor change in the loading
operations in the HBPP Unit 3 spent fuel pool, in that the process
waste container would need to be placed in the storage cask before the
activated metal is placed in the cask.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action.
The purpose and need for the proposed action is to provide an
option that allows temporary dry storage of GTCC process waste
resulting from operation and decommissioning of HBPP Unit 3. PG&E is in
the process of decommissioning HBPP Unit 3. As decommissioning
activities commenced, it became apparent to PG&E that License No. SNM-
2514 would need to be amended to allow storage of the GTCC process
waste at the ISFSI. Removal of GTCC process waste from the HBPP Unit 3
spent fuel pool to the existing ISFSI would permit the dismantling and
decommissioning of the existing reactor structures (including the spent
fuel pool) of the HBPP Unit 3 facility. This would allow earlier
termination of the 10 CFR part 50 license for HBPP Unit 3 (License No.
DPR-7) and release of most areas for unrestricted use.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff has determined that potential environmental impacts
associated with storage of the GTCC process waste at the Humboldt Bay
ISFSI are bounded by the environmental impacts associated with
construction, operation, and decommissioning of the ISFSI. These
environmental impacts were evaluated in the NRC staff's assessment,
``Environmental
[[Page 56946]]
Assessment Related to the Construction and Operation of the Humboldt
Bay Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation,'' dated October 2005,
in which the NRC staff concluded that the construction, operation, and
decommissioning of the Humboldt Bay ISFSI would not result in a
significant impact to the environment (ADAMS Accession No.
ML052430106).
The NRC staff expects the radiological doses to workers and to the
public associated with the proposed action to be bounded by previous
analyses, and that radiological doses would be below the NRC's
regulatory limits in 10 CFR Part 20 and Part 72. Additionally, the NRC
staff expects that non-radiological environmental impacts from storage
of the GTCC process waste at the ISFSI, would be bounded by those
previously analyzed, because: (1) The proposed action would not involve
any construction activities, land disturbance, excavation, physical
changes to the HBPP facilities, or changes in land use; (2) operation
of the ISFSI does not require usage of water resources; and (3) the
ISFSI does not generate gaseous, liquid, or solid effluents or wastes
during operation.
The NRC staff evaluated the direct effects, indirect effects, and
cumulative impacts that each resource area--land use, transportation,
socioeconomics, air quality, geology and soils, water resources,
ecology, including threatened and endangered species, noise, visual and
scenic resources, public and occupational health, and waste
management--may encounter from the proposed action. The NRC staff
determined that the impacts in these areas would not be significant.
The NRC staff also analyzed the impacts of the proposed action on
historic and cultural resources and determined that the proposed action
will have no effect on historic and cultural resources. The NRC staff
also evaluated the impacts from a hypothetical terrorist attack on the
GTCC process waste and concluded that a hypothetical terrorist attack
would not result in a significant environmental impact.
Alternative to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed action, the NRC staff considered
denial of the amendment request (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative).
Under the no-action alternative, PG&E would continue to store the GTCC
process waste under its 10 CFR Part 50 license for HBPP Unit 3, either
in the spent fuel pool or in another appropriately shielded
configuration. PG&E would not be able to completely decommission the
existing Unit 3 radioactive reactor structures and facility, including
the spent fuel pool, and therefore would not be able to request
termination of the 10 CFR part 50 license (License No. DPR-7) and
release of most areas of the site for unrestricted use. PG&E would
continue to maintain and monitor the spent fuel pool, the management of
solid radioactive wastes, and the monitoring of effluents under the
existing 10 CFR part 50 license. Denial of the amendment request would
result in no change to the environmental impacts associated with
storage of GTCC process waste at the spent fuel pool under the 10 CFR
part 50 license.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC staff consulted with several other agencies and parties
regarding the environmental impacts of the proposed action. These
consultations were intended to afford the designated agency or party
the opportunity to comment on the proposed action and to ensure that
the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation
Act, Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, and Section 305 of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act are met with
respect to the proposed action. With regard to the above laws, NRC
staff requested input from the California Office of Historic
Preservation, the California Native American Heritage Commission,
Federally-recognized Indian Tribes (the Wiyot Tribe, the Bear River
Band of Rohnerville Rancheria, and the Blue Lake Rancheria), the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration National Marine Fisheries Service. The NRC staff used
the information provided during the consultations to inform its EA.
The NRC staff provided a draft of its EA to the California Energy
Commission for review. On July 12, 2013, the California Energy
Commission responded by electronic mail and stated that it had no
comments on the EA.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC staff has reviewed PG&E's license amendment request to
allow storage of GTCC process waste at the Humboldt Bay ISFSI. Based on
its review of the proposed action, in accordance with the requirements
in 10 CFR part 51, the NRC staff has determined that approval of the
proposed amendment to NRC License No. SNM-2514 to allow storage of GTCC
process waste at the Humboldt Bay ISFSI will not significantly affect
the quality of the human environment. For these reasons, NRC has
determined that pursuant to 10 CFR 51.31, preparation of an EIS is not
required for the proposed action, and pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, a
Finding of No Significant Impact is appropriate.
IV. Availability of Documents
The following documents, related to this Notice, can be found using
any of the methods provided in the following table. Instructions for
accessing ADAMS were provided under the ADDRESSES section of this
Notice.
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ADAMS Accession
No./Federal
Date Document Register
citation
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September 8, 2010............. PG&E's application for ML102530291
license amendment.
January 28, 2011.............. Supplement to PG&E's ML110400027
application for
license amendment.
April 1, 2011................. Supplement to PG&E's ML110940211
application for
license amendment.
September 9, 2011............. Supplement to PG&E's ML112521432
application for
license amendment.
June 19, 2012................. Supplement to PG&E's ML12171A306
application for
license amendment.
June 25, 2012................. Supplement to PG&E's ML12178A273
application for
license amendment.
October 4, 2012............... Supplement to PG&E's ML12279A041
application for
license amendment.
January 16, 2013.............. Supplement to PG&E's ML13017A375
application for
license amendment.
March 7, 2013................. Supplement to PG&E's ML13071A073
application for
license amendment.
March 21, 2013................ Supplement to PG&E's ML13084A078
application for
license amendment.
April 14, 2011................ NRC acceptance of ML111050245
PG&E's application
for detailed review.
May 27, 2011.................. Notice of amendment 76 FR 30980
and opportunity to
request a hearing and
to petition for leave
to intervene.
September 9, 2013............. NRC staff's EA for the ML13241A289
license amendment.
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October 2005.................. NRC staff's original ML052430106
EA supporting
issuance of license
for Humboldt Bay
ISFSI.
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Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day of September 2013.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Kristina L. Banovac,
Project Manager, Licensing Branch, Division of Spent Fuel Storage and
Transportation, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2013-22468 Filed 9-13-13; 8:45 am]
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