[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 13 (Tuesday, January 21, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3433-3435]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-00821]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-272, 50-311, and 50-354; NRC-2020-0023]


PSEG Nuclear LLC; Salem Nuclear Generating Station, Unit Nos. 1 
and 2; Hope Creek Generating 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 amendments to licenses held by PSEG Nuclear LLC (PSEG, the 
licensee) for the operation of Salem Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 
Nos. 1 and 2 (Salem), and Hope Creek Generating Station (Hope Creek). 
The proposed license amendments would revise certain emergency response 
organization (ERO) positions for these facilities with the minimum 
staff ERO guidance specified in the ``Alternative Guidance for Licensee 
Emergency Response Organizations.'' The NRC is issuing an 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 are available on 
January 21, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2020-0023 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-2020-0023. 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, 
the ADAMS accession numbers are 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: James Kim, Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001; telephone: 301-415-4125; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction

    The NRC is considering issuance of amendments to Renewed Facility 
Operating License Nos. NPF-57, DPR-70, and DPR-75 for Hope Creek and 
Salem, respectively, located in Salem County, New Jersey.
    In accordance with section 51.21 of title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR), the NRC prepared the following EA that analyzes 
the environmental impacts of the proposed licensing 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 FONSI.

II. Environmental Assessment

Description of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would revise certain ERO positions for these 
facilities with the minimum staff ERO guidance specified in the 
``Alternative Guidance for Licensee Emergency Response Organizations.'' 
The on-shift and minimum ERO staffing requirements listed in the 
emergency plan would be revised. The proposed revisions include 
eliminating ERO positions and changing position descriptions. 
Specifically, the proposed revision would remove chemistry personnel 
from the on-shift ERO at each facility and revise employee duty 
descriptions.
    The proposed action is in response to the licensee's application 
dated July 8, 2019, as supplemented by letter dated November 4, 2019.

Need for the Proposed Action

    Nuclear power plant owners, Federal agencies, and State and local 
officials work together to create a system for emergency preparedness 
and response that will serve the public in the unlikely event of an 
emergency. An effective emergency preparedness program decreases the 
likelihood of an initiating event at a nuclear power reactor proceeding 
to a severe accident. Emergency preparedness does not affect the 
probability of the initiating event, but a high level of emergency 
preparedness increases the probability of accident mitigation if the 
initiating event proceeds beyond the need for initial operator actions.
    Each licensee is required to establish an emergency plan to be 
implemented in the event of an accident, in accordance with 10 CFR 
50.47 and appendix E to 10 CFR part 50. The emergency plan covers 
preparation for evacuation, sheltering, and other actions to protect 
individuals near plants in the event of an accident.
    The NRC, as well as other Federal and State regulatory agencies, 
reviews the emergency plans to ensure that they provide reasonable 
assurance that adequate protective measures can and will be taken in 
the event of a radiological emergency.
    Separate from this EA, the NRC staff is reviewing a safety 
assessment of PSEG's proposed changes to the emergency plans for Hope 
Creek and Salem. This safety review will be documented in a safety 
evaluation. The safety evaluation of the proposed changes to the 
emergency plan will determine whether there continues to be reasonable 
assurance that adequate protective measures can and will be taken in 
the event of a radiological emergency at Hope Creek and Salem, in 
accordance with the standards of 10 CFR 50.47(b) and the requirements 
in appendix E to 10 CFR part 50.
    The proposed action would align the emergency plans for Hope Creek 
and Salem with the NRC's guidance for EROs provided in the 
``Alternative Guidance for Licensee Emergency Response Organizations.'' 
This

[[Page 3434]]

alternative guidance is also included in NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1, 
Revision 2, ``Criteria for Preparation and Evaluation of Radiological 
Emergency Response Plans and Preparedness in Support of Nuclear Power 
Plants, Final Report.'' This change would provide PSEG with greater 
flexibility in staffing ERO positions. This change would reflect 
changes in NRC regulations and guidance, as well as advances in 
technologies and best practices that have occurred since NUREG-0654/
FEMA-REP-1, Revision 1, was published in 1980.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC staff has completed its evaluation of the environmental 
impacts of the proposed action.
    The proposed action consists mainly of changes related to the 
staffing levels and positions specified in the emergency plans for Hope 
Creek and Salem. The on-shift and minimum ERO staffing requirements 
listed in the emergency plan would be revised. The revisions remove the 
chemistry personnel from the on-shift ERO.
    Regarding potential nonradiological environmental 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, ground disturbing activities, 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 permit would be needed. 
Changes in staffing levels and duty locations could result in minor 
changes to vehicular traffic and associated air pollutant emissions, 
but no significant changes in ambient air quality would be expected 
from the proposed changes. In addition, there would be no noticeable 
effect on socioeconomic and environmental justice conditions in the 
region and no potential to affect historical properties as the change 
in minor vehicle traffic is confined in the protected area. Therefore, 
there would be no significant nonradiological environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed action.
    Regarding potential radiological environmental impacts, if the NRC 
staff's safety review of the proposed changes to the licensee's 
emergency plan determines that it continues to meet the standards of 10 
CFR 50.47(b) and the requirements in appendix E to 10 CFR part 50, then 
the proposed action would not increase the probability or consequences 
of radiological accidents. Additionally, the proposed changes would 
have no direct radiological environmental impacts. There would be no 
change to the types or amounts of radioactive effluents that may be 
released and, therefore, there would be no change in occupational or 
public radiation exposure. Moreover, no changes would be made to plant 
buildings or the site property. Therefore, there would be no 
significant radiological 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 
the denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' 
alternative). Denial of the license amendment request would result in 
no change in current environmental impacts. Accordingly, the 
environmental impacts of the proposed action and the no-action 
alternative would be similar.

Alternative Use of Resources

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

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    No additional agencies or persons were consulted regarding the 
environmental impact of the proposed action. However, in accordance 
with 10 CFR 50.91(b), the licensee provided copies of its application 
to the State of New Jersey, and the NRC staff will consult with the 
State prior to issuance of the amendment.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    The licensee has requested license amendments pursuant to 10 CFR 
50.54(q) to revise the ERO positions identified in the emergency plans 
for Hope Creek and Salem by eliminating ERO positions and changing 
position descriptions. Specifically, the proposed revision would remove 
chemistry personnel from the on-shift ERO at each facility and revise 
employee duty descriptions. The license amendments would allow PSEG to 
make changes to the Hope Creek and Salem emergency plans related to 
staffing levels and positions specified in the emergency plan.
    The NRC is considering issuing the requested amendments. The 
proposed action would not have a significant adverse effect on the 
probability of an accident occurring and would not have any significant 
radiological or nonradiological impacts. It would also not result in 
any changes to the types or amounts of radioactive effluents that may 
be released and, therefore, there would be no change in occupational or 
public radiation exposure. The proposed changes would only result in 
minor changes in staffing levels and a small change in air pollutant 
emissions associated with vehicular traffic.
    In accordance with 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC prepared an EA for the 
proposed action. This FONSI incorporates by reference the EA in Section 
II of this document. Based on the results of the EA, the NRC concludes 
that the proposed action would 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.
    A previous NRC document that discusses the environmental impacts of 
operating Hope Creek and Salem in accordance with their renewed 
facility operating licenses is NUREG-1437, Supplement 45, ``Generic 
Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants 
Regarding Hope Creek Generating Station and Salem Nuclear Generating 
Station, Units 1 and 2, Final Report,'' dated March 2011.
    This FONSI and other related environmental documents may be 
examined and/or copied, for a fee, at the NRC's PDR, located at One 
White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. 
Publicly-available records are also accessible online in the ADAMS 
Public Documents collection at 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.

[[Page 3435]]



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                                                        ADAMS Accession
                       Document                               No.
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PSEG, ``License Amendment Request for Approval of            ML19189A316
 Changes to Emergency Plan Staffing Requirements,''
 dated July 8, 2019..................................
PSEG, ``Response to Request for Additional                   ML19308A595
 Information, Re: License Amendment Request for
 Approval of Changes to Emergency Plan Staffing
 Requirements,'' dated November 4, 2019..............
NRC letter to the Nuclear Energy Institute,                  ML18022A352
 ``Alternative Guidance for Licensee Emergency
 Response Organizations,'' dated June 12, 2018.......
NUREG[dash]0654/FEMA[dash]REP[dash]1, Revision 2,            ML19347D139
 ``Criteria for Preparation and Evaluation of
 Radiological Emergency Response Plans and
 Preparedness in Support of Nuclear Power Plants,
 Final Report,'' dated December 2019.................
NUREG[dash]1437, Supplement 45, ``Generic                    ML11089A021
 Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal
 of Nuclear Plants.'' Regarding Hope Creek Generating
 Station and Salem Nuclear Generating station, Units
 1 and 2,'' Final Report, dated March 2011...........
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    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 15th day of January 2020.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
James S. Kim,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch I, Division of Operating 
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2020-00821 Filed 1-17-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P