[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 45 (Friday, March 6, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13191-13192]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04639]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 72-11; NRC-2019-0148]


Rancho Seco Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
the renewal of Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) License SNM-2510 for the 
Rancho Seco Nuclear Plant Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation 
(ISFSI) (Rancho Seco ISFSI) located in Sacramento County, California. 
The NRC has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for this proposed 
license renewal in accordance with its regulations. Based on the EA, 
the NRC has concluded that a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) 
is appropriate. The NRC also is conducting a safety evaluation of the 
proposed license renewal.

DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on 
March 6, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2019-0148 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-2019-0148. Address 
questions about NRC 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.
     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]. 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.
     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: Jean Trefethen, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-0867, email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction

    The NRC is considering a license renewal request for SNM-2510 for 
the Rancho Seco specifically-licensed ISFSI located in Sacramento 
County, California (ADAMS Accession No. ML18221A281). The licensee, 
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), is requesting to renew 
license SNM-2510 for the Rancho Seco ISFSI for an additional 40-year 
period. The current license will expire on June 30, 2020. If approved, 
SMUD would be able to continue to possess and store spent nuclear fuel 
at the Rancho Seco ISFSI in accordance with the requirements in part 72 
of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Licensing 
Requirements for the Independent Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-
Level Radioactive Waste, and Reactor-Related Greater than Class C 
Waste.''
    The NRC staff has prepared a final EA as part of its review of this 
license

[[Page 13192]]

renewal request in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR part 51, 
``Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and 
Related Regulatory Functions.'' Based on the final EA, the NRC has 
determined that an environmental impact statement (EIS) is not required 
for this proposed action and a FONSI is appropriate. The NRC is also 
conducting a safety evaluation of the proposed license amendment 
pursuant to 10 CFR part 72, and the results will be documented in a 
separate Safety Evaluation Report (SER). If SMUD's request is approved, 
the NRC will issue the license renewal following notification in the 
Federal Register of the availability of this final EA and FONSI and the 
SER .

II. Final Environmental Assessment Summary

    SMUD is requesting to renew license SNM-2510 for the Rancho Seco 
specifically-licensed ISFSI for a 40-year period. The NRC has assessed 
the potential environmental impacts of the proposed action and 
alternatives to the proposed action, including license renewal for an 
additional 20-year term, shipment of spent fuel to an offsite facility, 
and the no-action alternative. The results of the NRC's environmental 
review can be found in the final EA (ADAMS Accession No. ML19241A378). 
The NRC staff performed its environmental review in accordance with the 
requirements in 10 CFR part 51. In conducting the environmental review, 
the NRC considered information in the license renewal application 
(ADAMS Accession No. ML18221A281); communications and consultation with 
the California State Historic Preservation Office; the State of 
California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) and eight Native 
American Tribes; the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW); 
and the California State Department of Health Services.
    Approval of SMUD's proposed license renewal request would allow the 
22 Standardized NUHOMS-24P sealed surface storage casks to continue to 
remain on the Rancho Seco ISFSI for an additional 40 years. The 
estimated annual dose to the nearest permanent resident from ISFSI 
activities is 0.0016 mSv/yr (0.16 mrem/yr) (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML18221A281), which is below the 0.25 mSv/yr (25 mrem/yr) limit 
specified in 10 CFR 72.104(a) and the 1 mSv/yr (100 mrem/yr) limit in 
10 CFR 20.1301(a)(1). Furthermore, SMUD maintains a radiation 
protection program for the ISFSI in accordance with 10 CFR part 20 to 
ensure that radiation doses are as low as is reasonably achievable 
(ALARA). Accordingly, no significant radiological or non-radiological 
impacts are expected to result from approval of the license renewal 
request, and the proposed action would not significantly contribute to 
cumulative impacts at the Rancho Seco site. Additionally, there would 
be no disproportionately high and adverse impacts on minority and low-
income populations.
    In its license renewal request, SMUD is proposing no changes in how 
it handles or stores spent fuel at the Rancho Seco ISFSI. Approval of 
the proposed action would not result in any new construction or 
expansion of the existing ISFSI footprint beyond that previously 
approved. The ISFSI is a largely passive facility that produces no 
liquid or gaseous effluents. No significant radiological or 
nonradiological impacts are expected from continued normal operations. 
Occupational dose estimates associated with the proposed action and 
continued normal operation and maintenance of the ISFSI are expected to 
be at ALARA levels and within the limits of 10 CFR 20.1201. Therefore, 
the NRC staff has determined that pursuant to 10 CFR 51.31, preparation 
of an EIS is not required for the proposed action, and pursuant to 10 
CFR 51.32, a FONSI is appropriate.
    Furthermore, the NRC staff determined that this license renewal 
request does not have the potential to cause effects on historic 
properties, assuming those were present; therefore, in accordance with 
36 CFR 800.3(a)(1), no consultation is required under Section 106 of 
the National Historic Preservation Act. The NRC staff, however, reached 
out to and informed the California State Historic Preservation Officer 
(SHPO) via letter dated December 14, 2018 (ADAMS Package Accession No. 
ML18348A551) and eight Native American Tribes of its determination via 
letters dated January 9, 2019 (ADAMS Package Accession No. 
ML18341A258). The California SHPO responded via letter dated January 9, 
2019, indicating they had no comments or concurrence on the finding of 
no effect (ADAMS Accession No. ML19010A118). The NRC staff, with the 
assistance of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Information for 
Planning and Consultation (IPaC) project planning tool, determined that 
the listed species and/or critical habitat will not be adversely 
affected by the proposed action.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    Based on its review of the proposed action in the EA, in accordance 
with the requirements in 10 CFR part 51, the NRC has concluded that the 
proposed action, renewal of NRC Special Nuclear Materials License No. 
SNM-2510 for the Rancho Seco ISFSI located in Sacramento County, 
California, will not significantly affect the quality of the human 
environment. Therefore, the NRC has determined, pursuant to 10 CFR 
51.31, that preparation of an EIS is not required for the proposed 
action and a finding of no significant impact is appropriate.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 3rd day of March, 2020.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Cinthya I. Roman-Cuevas,
Chief, Environmental Review Materials Branch, Division of Rulemaking, 
Environmental, and Financial Support, Office of Nuclear Material Safety 
and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2020-04639 Filed 3-5-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P