[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 219 (Monday, November 14, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79526-79528]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-27354]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-335 and 50-389; NRC-2011-0302]


Florida Power and Light Company; St. Lucie Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 
2

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact; 
issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of amendments to Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-
67 and NPF-16, issued on October 2, 2003, and held by Florida Power and 
Light Company (FPL or the licensee) for the operation of St. Lucie 
Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2 (St. Lucie), located on Hutchinson Island in 
St. Lucie County, Florida. The proposed amendments would revise the 
Environmental Protection Plans (Non-Radiological) (EPPs), contained in 
Appendix B to the St. Lucie renewed facility operating licenses. The 
NRC is issuing a final environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no 
significant impact (FONSI) associated with the proposed license 
amendments.

DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document is available on 
November 14, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2011-0302 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain 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-2011-0302. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; 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 obtain publicly-available documents online in the NRC 
Public Documents collection 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 notice (if 
that document is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a 
document is referenced. For the convenience of the reader, the ADAMS 
accession numbers are also provided in a table in the ``Availability of 
Documents'' 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: Perry Buckberg, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-1383; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    The NRC is considering issuance of amendments to Renewed Facility 
Operating License Nos. DPR-67 and NPF-16 issued to FPL for operation of 
St. Lucie, located on Hutchinson Island in St. Lucie County, Florida. 
The licensee submitted its license amendment request by letter dated 
April 29, 2016 (ADAMS Accession No. ML16125A253), as amended by letter 
dated August 11, 2016 (ADAMS Accession No. ML16238A190). If approved, 
the license amendments would revise language in Section 4.2, 
``Terrestrial/Aquatic Issues,'' of the St. Lucie EPPs to require FPL to 
adhere to the specific requirements within the Incidental Take 
Statement (ITS) of the ``currently applicable'' biological opinion. The 
NRC prepared an EA to document its findings related to the proposed 
license amendments in accordance with Sec.  51.21 of title 10 of the 
Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR). Based on the results of the EA 
documented herein, the NRC did not identify any significant 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed amendments and is, 
therefore, issuing a FONSI in accordance with 10 CFR 51.32.

II. Environmental Assessment

Plant Site and Environs

    St. Lucie is a two-unit plant with pressurized water reactors and a 
once-through cooling system that withdraws water from and discharges 
heated water to the Atlantic Ocean. St. Lucie lies on Hutchinson Island 
in an unincorporated portion of St. Lucie County, Florida approximately 
7 miles (11 kilometers) southeast of Fort Pierce, 4.5 miles (7 
kilometers) east of Port St. Lucie, and 8 miles (13 kilometers) north 
of Stuart. The facility occupies approximately 1,130 acres (457 
hectares) on the widest portion of the island. The Atlantic Ocean 
borders the site to the east, and the Indian River Lagoon, a tidally 
influenced estuary, lies to the west.
    The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, the NRC's predecessor agency, 
and the NRC have previously conducted environmental reviews of St. 
Lucie operations in several documents, which contain more detailed 
descriptions of the plant site and environs. Those documents include 
several Final Environmental Statements related to construction and 
initial operation of St. Lucie; the NRC's May 2003 Generic 
Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants: 
Regarding St. Lucie Units 1 and 2--Final Report (NUREG-1437, Supplement 
11) (ADAMS Accession No. ML031360709); and the NRC's June 2012 EA for 
the St. Lucie Extended Power Uprate (ADAMS Accession No. ML12165A511).

Description of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would revise language in Section 4.2, 
``Terrestrial/Aquatic Issues,'' of the St. Lucie EPPs to require FPL to 
adhere to the specific requirements within the ITS of the ``currently 
applicable'' biological opinion. The proposed amendments would remove 
language specifically referencing the National Marine Fisheries 
Service's (NMFS) previous biological opinion, which was issued in 2001. 
The proposed action would be in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated April 29, 2016 (ADAMS Accession No. ML16125A253), as 
amended by letter dated August 11, 2016 (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML16238A190).
    By amending Section 4.2 of the EPPs to clarify that FPL must adhere 
to the ITS of the ``currently applicable'' biological opinion, the 
proposed action

[[Page 79527]]

would require FPL's compliance with the NMFS' March 24, 2016, 
biological opinion (ADAMS Accession No. ML16084A616). This biological 
opinion applies to smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) and five 
species of sea turtles (Caretta carreta, Chelonia mydas, Lepidochelys 
kempii, Eretmochelys imbricata, and Dermochelys coriacea), and 
concludes that the continued operation of St. Lucie is not likely to 
jeopardize the continued existence of these species or destroy or 
adversely modify the designated critical habitat of the loggerhead 
Northwest Atlantic distinct population segment. The ITS exempts the 
incidental take of these species from the prohibitions of Section 9 of 
the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, provided that the 
specified Reasonable and Prudent Measures (RPMs) are implemented. The 
RPMs are:
    (1) Avoid and minimize entrainment into the St. Lucie intake canal.
    (2) Avoid and minimize injurious or lethal take from entrainment 
into, entrapment in, capture in, and release from the St. Lucie intake 
canal or from impingement at intake wells.
    In order to implement the RPMs, the biological opinion prescribes a 
number of Terms and Conditions (T&Cs). The T&Cs require FPL to design, 
test, construct, and implement excluder devices for the St. Lucie 
intake pipe velocity caps that will minimize the number of nesting or 
egg-bearing female sea turtles that enter the intake pipes. Following 
testing, in-water construction of the excluder devices must begin no 
later than the first half of 2018. The licensee must also develop 
monitoring and maintenance plans to inspect routinely and remove debris 
and biofouling organisms from the excluder devices and the intake pipes 
and to inspect, repair, and replace, as necessary, the 8-inch mesh 
barrier net in the intake canal.
    The T&Cs specify how FPL personnel should capture and relocate 
smalltooth sawfish and sea turtles that enter the intake canal. 
Additionally, the T&Cs specify various monitoring and reporting 
requirements, including how FPL should record the number and condition 
of turtles captured in the intake canal; the periodicity at which FPL 
personnel should inspect the banks of the intake canal for turtle 
tracks or signs of nesting; how FPL personnel should monitor the 
release site for possible delayed lethal impacts to captured smalltooth 
sawfish; how FPL must notify NMFS of lethal smalltooth sawfish or sea 
turtle takes; and the information that FPL should include in monthly 
and annual reports. The T&Cs also require FPL to continue to 
participate in the Florida Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network; to 
continue to conduct the ongoing sea turtle nesting program and public 
service turtle walks; and to consult with the Florida Fish and Wildlife 
Conservation Commission (FWC) in accordance with FPL's FWC Marine 
Turtle Permit. Finally, the T&Cs require FPL contracted biologists to 
receive training on smalltooth sawfish and sea turtle handling.
    Notably, because the proposed amendments would require FPL's 
compliance with the ``currently applicable'' biological opinion, if 
NMFS were to issue a new biological opinion in the future, the proposed 
amendments would require FPL to adhere to the specific requirements in 
the ITS of that new biological opinion, and FPL would no longer be 
required to adhere to the March 24, 2016, biological opinion upon 
issuance of a new biological opinion.

Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed to reflect the new biological opinion 
issued by NMFS on March 24, 2016, and to require FPL's compliance with 
the ITS and related RPMs and T&Cs contained therein. The proposed 
action is administrative in nature.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that the proposed changes are administrative in nature, would 
have no direct effects on plant equipment or plant operation, and would 
not involve any changes to the design bases for St. Lucie.
    With regard to potential radiological impacts, the proposed action 
would not increase the probability or consequences of accidents, would 
not change the types or increase the amount of effluent that may be 
released offsite, and would result in no increase in occupational or 
public radiation exposure. Therefore, there are no significant 
radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
    With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, because the 
proposed action is administrative in nature, it would not have any 
direct impacts on land, air, or water resources, including impacts to 
biota. In addition, the NRC staff identified no socioeconomic or 
environmental justice impacts associated with the proposed action. 
Therefore, there are no significant non-radiological environmental 
impacts associated with the proposed action.
    An indirect effect of the proposed action is that FPL will design, 
test, construct, and implement excluder devices for the St. Lucie 
intake pipe velocity caps to minimize the number of nesting or egg-
bearing female sea turtles that enter the intake pipes in accordance 
with the March 24, 2016, biological opinion. The biological opinion 
stipulates that in-water construction of the excluder devices must 
begin no later than the first half of 2018. The excluder devices will 
be prefabricated offsite and will only require limited construction 
equipment for the cleaning and attachment of the excluder devices to 
the velocity caps. The excluder devices will be installed within the 
boundaries of the existing concrete velocity cap structures located 
approximately 1,500 feet (460 meters) offshore. The velocity caps and 
associated functions are not safety related and would, therefore, not 
require any physical changes to systems, structures, or components 
intended for the prevention of accidents. The licensee may need to 
perform some localized cleaning of marine growth on the concrete 
surfaces of the velocity caps prior to attaching the excluder devices 
to the velocity caps. During such cleaning, there is potential for 
minor water turbidity, which FPL would monitor in accordance with the 
biological opinion, FWC Marine Turtle Permit, Army Corps of Engineers 
National Wide Permit, and Florida Department of Environmental 
Protection Environmental Source Permit, as applicable. Installation 
would not require dredging, sediment disturbance, or construction on 
the ocean floor, and would also not result in any land disturbances. 
The NRC staff concludes that the indirect effects of installation of 
the turtle excluder devices will not result in significant 
environmental impacts to the radiological or non-radiological 
environment.
    Based on the foregoing analysis, the NRC concludes that there are 
no significant environmental impacts associated with the proposed 
action.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    As an alternative to the proposed action, the NRC staff considered 
denial of the proposed license amendments (i.e., the ``no-action'' 
alternative). Denial of the application would result in no change in 
current environmental conditions or impacts. Accordingly, the 
environmental impacts of the proposed action and the no-action 
alternative are similar.

[[Page 79528]]

Alternative Use of Resources

    The proposed action does not involve the use of any different 
resources than those previously considered in NUREG-1437, Supplement 
11, prepared for the license renewal of St. Lucie.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The NRC did not enter into consultation with any other Federal 
Agency or with the State of Florida regarding the environmental impact 
of the proposed action. However, on August 29, 2016, the NRC notified 
the Florida state official, Cynthia Becker, Bureau of Radiation 
Control, of the proposed amendments. The state official had no 
comments.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    The NRC is considering issuing amendments for Renewed Facility 
Operating License Nos. DPR-67 and NPF-16 issued to FPL for operation of 
St. Lucie. The proposed amendments would revise the St. Lucie EPPs to 
require FPL to adhere to the specific requirements within the ITS of 
the ``currently applicable'' biological opinion. On the basis of the EA 
included in Section II of this document and incorporated by reference 
into this finding, the NRC concludes that the proposed action would not 
have significant effects on the quality of the human environment. The 
NRC's evaluation considered information provided in the licensee's 
application, as supplemented, as well as the NRC's independent review 
of other relevant environmental documents. Section IV of this document 
lists the environmental documents related to the proposed action and 
includes information on the availability of these documents. Based on 
its findings, the NRC has determined not to prepare an environmental 
impact statement for the proposed action.

IV. Availability of Documents

    The documents identified in the following table are available to 
interested persons through ADAMS.

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                                                               ADAMS
                        Document                          Accession  No.
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Florida Power and Light Company, License Amendment           ML16125A253
 Request to Update Appendix B to the Renewed Facility
 Operating Licenses to Incorporate the 2016 Biological
 Opinion, Dated April 29, 2016..........................
Florida Power and Light Company, Response to Request for     ML16238A190
 Additional Information Regarding License Amendment
 Request for Biological Opinion License Changes, Dated
 August 11, 2016........................................
National Marine Fisheries Service, Biological Opinion        ML16084A616
 for Continued Operation of St. Lucie Nuclear Power
 Plant, Units 1 and 2 in St. Lucie County, Florida,
 Dated March 24, 2016...................................
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Generic                  ML031360709
 Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of
 Nuclear Plants: Regarding St. Lucie Units 1 and 2--
 Final Report (NUREG-1437, Supplement 11), Dated May
 2003...................................................
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, St. Lucie Plant,         ML12165A511
 Units 1 and 2--Environmental Assessment and Finding of
 No Significant Impact Related to the Proposed Extended
 Power Uprate, Dated June 25, 2012......................
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    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 3rd day of November 2016.

    For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Perry H. Buckberg,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch II-2, Division of 
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2016-27354 Filed 11-10-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P