[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 126 (Monday, July 1, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31358-31359]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-13988]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 52-047; NRC-2016-0119]
Tennessee Valley Authority; Clinch River Nuclear Site
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Early site permit application; notice of hearing.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will convene an
evidentiary session to receive testimony and exhibits in the
uncontested proceeding regarding the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
early site permit (ESP) application. In its application, TVA proposes
to use the Clinch River Nuclear (CRN) Site in Roane County, TN, as a
site for two or more small modular reactors (SMRs).
DATES: The hearing will be held on August 14, 2019, beginning at 9:00
a.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time. For the schedule for submitting
pre-filed documents and deadlines affecting Interested Government
Participants, see Section VI of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
of this document.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID 52-047 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: NRC's Electronic Hearing Docket: You may
obtain publicly available documents related to this hearing online at
http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/adjudicatory.html.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection 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 (if it is available in ADAMS) is provided the first
time that a document is referenced.
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: Denise McGovern, Office of the
Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001, telephone: 301-415-0681; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Commission hereby gives notice that, pursuant to Section 189a
of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), it will convene
an evidentiary session to receive testimony and exhibits in the
uncontested proceeding regarding TVA's May 12, 2016, ESP application
for the CRN site under part 52 of the title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR). TVA proposes to use the CRN site in Roane County,
TN, as a site for two or more small modular reactors (https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/esp/clinch-river.html). This hearing
will concern safety and environmental matters relating to the requested
ESP, as more fully described below.
II. Evidentiary Uncontested Hearing
The Commission will conduct this hearing beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Eastern Daylight Savings Time on August 14, 2019, at the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike,
Rockville, Maryland 20852.
III. Presiding Officer
The Commission is the presiding officer for this proceeding.
IV. Matters To Be Considered
The matter at issue in this proceeding is whether the review of the
application by the Commission's staff has been adequate to support the
findings found in 10 CFR 52.24 and 10 CFR 51.105. Findings that must be
made for this ESP are as follows:
Issues Pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as Amended
The Commission will determine whether (1) the applicable standards
and requirements of the Act and the Commission's regulations have been
met; (2) any required notifications to other agencies or bodies have
been duly made; (3) there is reasonable assurance that the site is in
conformity with the provisions of the Act, and the Commission's
regulations; (4) the applicant is technically qualified to engage in
any activities authorized; (5) issuance of the permit will not be
inimical to the common defense and security or the health and safety of
the public; and (6) the findings required by subpart A of 10 CFR part
51 have been made.
Issues Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969, as Amended
The Commission will (1) determine whether the requirements of
Sections 102(2)(A), (C), and (E) of NEPA and the applicable regulations
in 10 CFR part 51 have been met; (2) independently consider the final
balance among conflicting factors contained in the record of the
proceeding with a view to determining the appropriate action to be
taken; (3) determine, after weighing the environmental, economic,
technical, and other benefits against environmental and other costs,
and considering reasonable alternatives, whether the early site permit
should be issued, denied, or appropriately conditioned to protect
environmental values; and (4) determine whether the NEPA review
conducted by the NRC staff has been adequate.
V. Schedule for Submittal of Pre-Filed Documents
No later than July 26, 2019, unless the Commission directs
otherwise, the NRC staff and the applicant shall submit a list of its
anticipated witnesses for the hearing.
No later than July 26, 2019, unless the Commission directs
otherwise, the applicant shall submit its pre-filed written testimony.
The NRC staff submitted its testimony on June 21, 2019.
The Commission plans to issue written questions on July 12, 2019.
Responses to these questions are due on July 26, 2019, unless the
Commission directs otherwise.
VI. Interested Government Participants
No later than July 9, 2019, any interested State, local government
body, or affected, federally recognized Indian Tribe may file with the
Commission a statement of any issues or questions to which the State,
local government body, or Indian Tribe wishes the Commission to give
particular attention as part of the proceeding. Such statement may be
accompanied by any supporting documentation that the State, local
government body, or Indian Tribe sees fit to provide. Any statements
and supporting documentation (if any) received by the Commission using
the
[[Page 31359]]
agency's E-filing system \1\ by the deadline indicated above will be
made part of the record of the proceeding. The Commission will use such
statements and documents as appropriate to inform its pre-hearing
questions to the NRC staff and applicant, its inquiries at the oral
hearing, and its decision following the hearing. The Commission may
also request, by July 11, 2019, that one or more particular States,
local government bodies, or Indian Tribes send one representative each
to the evidentiary hearing to answer Commission questions and/or make a
statement for the purpose of assisting the Commission's exploration of
one or more of the issues raised by the State, local government body,
or Indian Tribe in the pre-hearing filings described above. The
decision whether to request the presence of a representative of a
State, local government body, or Indian Tribe at the evidentiary
hearing to make a statement and/or answer Commission questions is
solely at the Commission's discretion. The Commission's request will
specify the issue or issues that the representative should be prepared
to address.
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\1\ The process for accessing and using the agency's E-filing
system is described in the April 4, 2017, notice of hearing that was
issued by the Commission for this proceeding. See Tennessee Valley
Authority; Early Site Permit Application for the Clinch River
Nuclear Site; Notice of Hearing, Opportunity to Petition for Leave
to Intervene and Associated Order Imposing Procedures for Access to
Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards Information and Safeguards
Information for Contention Preparation (82 FR 16436). Participants
who are unable to use the electronic information exchange (EIE), or
who will have difficulty complying with EIE requirements in the time
frame provided for submission of written statements, may provide
their statements by electronic mail to [email protected].
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Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 26th day of June, 2019.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Annette L. Vietti-Cook,
Secretary of the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2019-13988 Filed 6-28-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P