[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 161 (Tuesday, August 20, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43186-43188]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-17888]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-293; NRC-2019-0152]


Entergy Nuclear Operations Inc; Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station

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 an exemption in response to a November 16, 2018, request 
from Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (ENOI or the licensee) on behalf 
of Entergy Nuclear Generation Company (ENGC) (to be renamed Holtec 
Pilgrim, LLC) and Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC (HDI), 
related to Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (Pilgrim), located in Plymouth 
County, Massachusetts. The proposed action would permit Holtec Pilgrim, 
LLC and HDI to use funds from the Pilgrim decommissioning trust fund 
(the Trust) for management of spent fuel and site restoration 
activities. The staff is issuing a final environmental assessment (EA) 
and a final finding of no significant impact (FONSI) associated with 
the proposed exemption.

DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on 
August 20, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2019-0152 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 Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2019-0152. Address 
questions about NRC docket IDs in Regulations.gov 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.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://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]. For the convenience of the reader, 
instructions about obtaining materials referenced in this document are 
provided in the Availability of Documents section.
     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: Scott P. Wall, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-2855; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    Pursuant to section 50.12 of title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR), ``Specific exemptions,'' the NRC is considering 
issuance of an exemption from 10 CFR 50.82(a)(8)(i)(A) for Renewed 
Facility Operating License No. DPR-35, issued to HDI for Pilgrim, 
located in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. By letter dated November 16, 
2018 (ADAMS Accession No. ML18320A031), ENOI, on behalf of itself, 
Entergy Nuclear Generation Company (ENGC) (to be known as Holtec 
Pilgrim, LLC), Holtec International (Holtec), and HDI submitted a 
License Transfer Application (LTA) requesting that the NRC consent to 
the proposed direct and indirect transfer of the Pilgrim Renewed 
Facility Operating License No. DPR-35 and the general license for the 
Pilgrim ISFSI (collectively referred to as the facility). Specifically, 
the Applicants requested that the NRC consent to the direct transfer of 
ENOI's currently licensed authority (licensed operator for 
decommissioning) to HDI. In addition, the Applicants requested the 
indirect transfer of control of ENGC's ownership interests in the 
facility licenses to

[[Page 43187]]

Holtec. In Enclosure 2 of the November 16, 2018, LTA, HDI requested an 
exemption from 10 CFR 50.82(a)(8)(i)(A). The exemption would allow 
Holtec Pilgrim, LLC and HDI to use funds from the Trust for spent fuel 
management and site restoration activities, in the same manner that 
funds from the Trust are used under 10 CFR 50.82(a)(8) for radiological 
decommissioning activities. This exemption would only apply following 
NRC approval of the LTA and closing of the underlying transaction.
    In accordance with 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC has prepared an 
environmental assessment (EA) that analyzes the environmental effects 
of the proposed action. Based on the results of this EA, and in 
accordance with 10 CFR 51.31(a), the NRC has determined not to prepare 
an environmental impact statement for the proposed licensing action and 
is issuing a finding of no significant impact (FONSI).

II. Environmental Assessment

Description of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would partially exempt Holtec Pilgrim, LLC and 
HDI from the requirements set forth in 10 CFR 50.82(a)(8)(i)(A). 
Specifically, the proposed action would allow Holtec Pilgrim, LLC and 
HDI to use funds from the Trust for spent fuel management and site 
restoration activities not associated with radiological decommissioning 
activities.
    The proposed action is also described in the licensee's application 
dated November 16, 2018 (ADAMS Accession No. ML18320A031).

Need for the Proposed Action

    By letter dated November 10, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML15328A053), ENOI informed the NRC that it planned to permanently 
cease power operations at Pilgrim no later than June 1, 2019. ENOI 
permanently ceased power operations at Pilgrim on May 31, 2019. ENOI 
permanently defueled Pilgrim on June 9, 2019.
    As required by 10 CFR 50.82(a)(8)(i)(A), decommissioning trust 
funds may be used by Holtec Pilgrim, LLC and HDI if the withdrawals are 
for legitimate decommissioning activity expenses, consistent with the 
definition of decommissioning in 10 CFR 50.2. This definition addresses 
radiological decontamination and does not include activities associated 
with spent fuel management or site restoration. Therefore, exemption 
from 10 CFR 50.82(a)(8)(i)(A) is needed to allow Holtec Pilgrim, LLC 
and HDI to use funds from the Trust for spent fuel management and site 
restoration activities.
    HDI stated that Table 1 of the application dated November 16, 2018, 
demonstrates that the Trust contains the amount needed to cover the 
estimated costs of radiological decommissioning, as well as spent fuel 
management and site restoration activities. The adequacy of funds in 
the Trust to cover the costs of activities associated with spent fuel 
management, site restoration, and radiological decontamination through 
license termination is supported by the revised Pilgrim Post-Shutdown 
Decommissioning Activities Report submitted by HDI in a letter dated 
November 16, 2018 (ADAMS Accession No. ML18320A034), as supplemented by 
letters dated January 9, 2019 and July 29, 2019 (ADAMS Accession Nos. 
ML19015A020 and ML19210E470, respectively). HDI stated that it needs 
access to the funds in the Trust to support spent fuel management and 
site restoration activities not associated with radiological 
decontamination.
    In summary, by letter dated November 16, 2018, HDI requested an 
exemption from NRC regulations to allow Trust withdrawals for spent 
fuel management and site restoration activities.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action involves regulatory requirements that are of a 
financial or administrative nature and that do not have an impact on 
the environment. The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed 
action and concludes that there is reasonable assurance that adequate 
funds are available in the Trust to complete all activities associated 
with radiological decommissioning. There would be no decrease in safety 
associated with the use of the Trust to fund activities associated with 
spent fuel management and site restoration. The NRC regulations in 10 
CFR 50.82(a)(8)(v) require licensees to submit a financial assurance 
status report annually between the time of submitting their 
decommissioning cost estimate until they submit their final radiation 
survey and demonstrate that residual radioactivity has been reduced to 
a level that permits termination of the operating license. Section 
50.82(a)(8)(vi) of 10 CFR requires that if the sum of the balance of 
any remaining decommissioning funds, plus expected rate of return, plus 
any other financial surety mechanism relied upon by the licensee, does 
not cover the estimated costs to complete the decommissioning, the 
financial assurance status report must include additional financial 
assurance to cover the cost of completion. These annual reports provide 
a means for the NRC to monitor the adequacy of available funding. The 
proposed exemption would allow Holtec Pilgrim, LLC and HDI to use Trust 
funds to support spent fuel management and site restoration activities 
not associated with radiological decontamination. The NRC staff has 
determined that there is reasonable assurance of adequate funding for 
radiological decommissioning based on the remaining Trust funds 
dedicated for radiological decontamination. Specifically, HDI has 
provided detailed, site-specific, cost-estimates for radiological 
decommissioning that the NRC staff finds sufficiently demonstrate that 
the Trust funds dedicated to radiological decommissioning are adequate. 
Thus, there is reasonable assurance that there will be no environmental 
effect due to lack of adequate funding for decommissioning.
    The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability 
or consequences of radiological accidents or change the types of 
effluents released offsite. In addition, there would be no significant 
increase in the amount of any radiological effluent released offsite, 
and no significant increase in occupational or public radiation 
exposure. There would be no materials or chemicals introduced into the 
plant affecting the characteristics or types of effluents released 
offsite. In addition, waste processing systems would not be affected by 
the proposed exemption. Therefore, there would be no significant 
radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
    Regarding potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed action 
would have no direct impacts on land use or water resources, including 
terrestrial and aquatic biota, as it involves no new construction or 
modification of plant operational systems. There would be no changes to 
the quality or quantity of nonradiological effluents, and no changes to 
the plant's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits 
would be needed. In addition, there would be no noticeable effect on 
socioeconomic and environmental justice conditions in the region, no 
air quality impacts, and no potential to affect historic properties. 
Therefore, there would be no significant nonradiological environment 
impacts associated with the proposed action.
    Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there would be no significant 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.

[[Page 43188]]

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    As an alternative to the proposed action, the NRC staff considered 
the denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' 
alternative). Denial of the exemption request would result in no change 
in current environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the 
proposed action and the alternative action would be similar.

Alternative Use of Resources

    There are no unresolved conflicts concerning alternative uses of 
available resources under the proposed action.

Agencies or Persons Consulted

    No additional agencies or persons were consulted regarding the 
environmental impact of the proposed action. On August 14, 2019, the 
NRC notified the Commonwealth of Massachusetts representative of the EA 
and FONSI.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    The requested exemption from 10 CFR 50.82(a)(8)(i)(A) would allow 
Holtec Pilgrim, LLC and HDI to use funds from the Trust for spent fuel 
management and site restoration activities.
    The NRC is considering issuing the requested exemption. The 
proposed action would not significantly affect plant safety, would not 
have a significant adverse effect on the probability of an accident 
occurring, and would not have any significant radiological or 
nonradiological impacts. The reason the human environment would not be 
significantly affected is that the proposed action involves an 
exemption from requirements that are of a financial or administrative 
nature that do not have an impact on the human environment. Consistent 
with 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC conducted the EA for the proposed action, 
and this FONSI incorporates by reference the EA included in Section II 
of this document. Therefore, the NRC concludes that the proposed action 
will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human 
environment. Accordingly, the NRC has determined there is no need to 
prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed action.
    As required by 10 CFR 51.32(a)(5), the related environmental 
document is the ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License 
Renewal of Nuclear Plants: Regarding Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, 
Final Report,'' January 2007 (NUREG-1437, Supplement 29, Volumes 1 and 
2), which provides the latest environmental review of current 
operations and description of environmental conditions at Pilgrim.
    The finding and other related environmental documents may be 
examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room 
(PDR), located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, 
Rockville, Maryland 20852. Publicly-available records are accessible 
electronically from ADAMS Public Electronic Reading Room on the 
internet at the NRC's website: https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter 
problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS should contact the 
NRC's PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-
4737, or by email to [email protected].

IV. Availability of Documents

    The documents identified in the following table are available to 
interested persons through one or more of the following methods, as 
indicated.

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                                                       ADAMS  Accession
             Date                      Title                  No.
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6/10/2019....................  Letter from Entergy    ML19161A033
                                to NRC titled
                                ``Certifications of
                                Permanent Cessation
                                of Power Operations
                                and Permanent
                                Removal of Fuel from
                                the Reactor Vessel''.
11/16/2018...................  Letter from Entergy    ML18320A031
                                to NRC titled
                                ``Application for
                                Order Consenting to
                                Direct and Indirect
                                Transfers of Control
                                of Licenses and
                                Approving Conforming
                                License Amendment;
                                and Request for
                                Exemption from 10
                                CFR
                                50.82(a)(8)(i)(A)''.
11/16/2018...................  Letter from HDI to     ML18320A040
                                NRC titled
                                ``Notification of
                                Revised Post-
                                Shutdown
                                Decommissioning
                                Activities Report
                                and Revised Site-
                                Specific
                                Decommissioning Cost
                                Estimate for Pilgrim
                                Nuclear Power
                                Station''.
11/10/2015...................  Letter from Entergy    ML15328A053
                                to NRC titled
                                ``Notification of
                                Permanent Cessation
                                of Power
                                Operations''.
7/2007.......................  NUREG-1437,            ML071990020;
                                Supplement 29,        ML071990027
                                ``Generic
                                Environmental Impact
                                Statement for
                                License Renewal of
                                Nuclear Plants:
                                Regarding Pilgrim
                                Nuclear Power
                                Station,'' Volumes 1
                                and 2.
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    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 15th day of August, 2019.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Scott P. Wall,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch III, Division of 
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2019-17888 Filed 8-19-19; 8:45 am]
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