[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 175 (Monday, September 10, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45692-45694]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-19462]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-277 and 50-278; NRC-2018-0130]
Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Peach Bottom Atomic Power
Station, Units 2 and 3
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Intent to conduct scoping process and prepare environmental
impact statement; public meeting and request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct a scoping
process to gather information necessary to prepare an environmental
impact statement (EIS) to evaluate the environmental impacts for the
subsequent license renewal of the operating licenses for Peach Bottom
Atomic Power Station, Units 2 and 3 (Peach Bottom). The NRC is seeking
stakeholder input on this action and has scheduled a public meeting.
DATES: Submit comments by October 10, 2018. Comments received after
this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but assurance
of consideration cannot be given to comments received after this date.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods
(unless this document describes a different method for submitting
comments on a specific subject):
Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2018-0130. Address
questions about regulations.gov docket IDs to Jennifer Borges;
telephone: 301-287-9127; email: [email protected]. For technical
questions, contact the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section of this document.
Mail Comments to: May Ma, Office of Administration, Mail
Stop TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001. For additional direction on obtaining information and
submitting comments, see Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments
in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Drucker, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington DC
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-6223, email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments
A. Obtaining Information
Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2018-0130 when contacting the NRC
about the availability of information regarding this document. You may
obtain publicly-available information related to this document by any
of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2018-0130.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the NRC
Library at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the
search, 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. Exelon's
application for subsequent renewal of the Peach Bottom licenses can be
found in ADAMS under Accession No. ML18193A689.
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.
B. Submitting Comments
Please include Docket ID NRC-2018-0130 in the subject line of your
comment submission in order to ensure that the NRC is able to make your
comment submission available to the public in this docket.
The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact
information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your
comment submission. The NRC will post all comment submissions at http://www.regulations.gov as well as enter the comment submissions into
ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to remove
identifying or contact information.
If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to
remove such information before making the comment submissions available
to the public or entering the comment submissions into ADAMS.
II. Discussion
By letter dated July 10, 2018 (ADAMS Package Accession No.
ML18193A689), Exelon submitted to the NRC an application for subsequent
license renewal of Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-44 and DPR-56
for an additional 20 years of operation at Peach Bottom Atomic Power
Station, Units 2 and 3. The Peach Bottom units are boiling water
reactors designed by General Electric Company and are located in Delta,
PA (17.9 miles south of Lancaster, PA). The current renewed operating
license for Unit 2 expires at midnight on August 8, 2033, and the
current renewed operating license for Unit 3 expires at midnight on
July 2, 2034. The application for subsequent license renewal was
submitted pursuant to part 54 of title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR) and included an environmental report (ER). A
notice of receipt and availability of the application was published in
the Federal Register on August 1, 2018 (83 FR 37529). A separate notice
of acceptance for docketing of the application and opportunity for
hearing regarding subsequent license renewal of the facility operating
licenses will be published in the Federal Register.
[[Page 45693]]
III. Request for Comments
This notice informs the public of the NRC's intention to conduct
scoping and prepare an EIS related to the subsequent license renewal
application, and to provide the public an opportunity to participate in
the environmental scoping process, as defined in 10 CFR 51.29.
The regulations in 36 CFR 800.8, ``Coordination with the National
Environmental Policy Act,'' allow agencies to use their National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) process to fulfill the
requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act
(NHPA). Therefore, pursuant to 36 CFR 800.8(c), the NRC intends to use
its process and documentation for the preparation of the EIS on the
proposed action to comply with Section 106 of the NHPA in lieu of the
procedures set forth at 36 CFR 800.3 through 800.6.
In accordance with 10 CFR 51.53(c) and 10 CFR 54.23, Exelon
submitted the ER as part of the subsequent license renewal application.
The ER was prepared pursuant to 10 CFR part 51 and is publicly
available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML18193A689. The ER may also be
viewed on the internet at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/peach-bottom-subsequent.html. In
addition, a paper copy of the SLR application including the ER are
available for public review near the site at the Harford County Public
Library: Whiteford Branch, 2407 Whiteford Road, Whiteford, MD 21160.
The NRC intends to gather the information necessary to prepare a
plant-specific supplement to the NRC's ``Generic Environmental Impact
Statement (GEIS) for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants'' (NUREG-1437),
related to the application for subsequent license renewal of the Peach
Bottom operating licenses for an additional 20 years beyond the period
specified in each of the current renewed licenses.
Possible alternatives to the proposed action include the no action
alternative and reasonable alternative energy sources. The NRC is
required by 10 CFR 51.95 to prepare a supplement to the GEIS in
connection with the renewal of an operating license. This notice is
being published in accordance with NEPA and the NRC's regulations found
at 10 CFR part 51.
The NRC will first conduct scoping for the supplement to the GEIS
and, as soon as practicable thereafter, will prepare a draft supplement
to the GEIS for public comment. 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 supplement to the
GEIS will be used to accomplish the following:
a. Define the proposed action, which is to be the subject of the
supplement to the GEIS;
b. Determine the scope of the supplement to the GEIS and identify
the significant issues to be analyzed in depth;
c. Identify and eliminate from detailed study those issues that are
peripheral or are not significant; or were covered by a prior
environmental review;
d. Identify any environmental assessments and other ElSs that are
being or will be prepared that are related to, but are not part of, the
scope of the supplement 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 supplement
to the GEIS to the NRC and any cooperating agencies; and
h. Describe how the supplement to the GEIS will be prepared,
including any contractor assistance to be used.
The NRC invites the following entities to participate in scoping:
a. The applicant, Exelon;
b. 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;
c. Affected State and local government agencies, including those
authorized to develop and enforce relevant environmental standards;
d. Any affected Indian tribe;
e. Any person who requests or has requested an opportunity to
participate in the scoping process; and
f. Any person who has petitioned or intends to petition for leave
to intervene under 10 CFR 2.309.
IV. Public Scoping Meeting
In accordance with 10 CFR 51.26, 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 will hold a public meeting for the
Peach Bottom subsequent license renewal supplement to the GEIS. The
scoping meeting will be held on September 25, 2018. The meeting will be
held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Peach Bottom Inn, 6085 Delta
Road, Delta, PA, 17314. There will be an open house one hour before the
meeting for members of the public to meet with NRC staff and sign in to
speak at the meeting.
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 supplement to the GEIS, and the proposed review schedule;
and (2) the opportunity for interested government agencies,
organizations, and individuals to submit comments or suggestions on the
environmental issues or the proposed scope of the Peach Bottom
subsequent license renewal supplement to the GEIS. To be considered,
comments must be provided either at the transcribed public meeting or
in writing, as discussed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.
Persons may register to attend or present oral comments at the
meeting on the scope of the NEPA review by contacting the NRC Project
Manager, Mr. David Drucker, by telephone at 301-415-6223, or by email
at [email protected] no later than September 18, 2018. Members of
the public may also register to speak during the registration period
prior to 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 Peach Bottom subsequent
license renewal supplement to the GEIS. Please contact Mr. David
Drucker no later than September 18, 2018, if accommodations or special
equipment is needed to attend or present information at the public
meeting, so that the NRC staff can determine whether the request can be
accommodated.
Participation in the scoping process for the Peach Bottom
subsequent license renewal supplement to the GEIS does not entitle
participants to become parties to the proceeding to which the
supplement to the GEIS relates. Matters related to participation in any
hearing are outside the scope of matters to be discussed at this public
meeting.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 4th day of September, 2018.
[[Page 45694]]
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Eric R. Oesterle,
Chief, License Renewal Projects Branch, Division of Materials and
License Renewal, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2018-19462 Filed 9-7-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P