[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 87 (Tuesday, May 5, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26734-26735]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-09598]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 72-27; NRC-2019-0193]


Humboldt Bay Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation

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 
the renewal of Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) License SNM-2514 for the 
Humboldt Bay independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) 
(Humboldt Bay ISFSI) located in Humboldt 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 
May 5, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2019-0193 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-2019-0193. 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]. 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Monika Coflin, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-5932, email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction

    The NRC is considering a license renewal request for SNM-2514 for 
the Humboldt Bay ISFSI located in Humboldt County, California (ADAMS 
Package Accession No. ML18215A202). The licensee, Pacific Gas & 
Electric (PG&E), is requesting to renew license SNM-2514 for the 
Humboldt Bay ISFSI for an additional 40 years. The current license will 
expire on November 17, 2025. If approved, PG&E would be able to 
continue to possess and store spent nuclear fuel at the Humboldt Bay 
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 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 PG&E's request is approved, 
the NRC will issue the license renewal following publication of this 
final EA and FONSI and the SER in the Federal Register.

II. Final Environmental Assessment Summary

    PG&E is requesting to renew license SNM-2514 for the Humboldt Bay 
ISFSI for a 40-year period. The NRC has considered 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 of denying the license renewal 
request. The results of the NRC's environmental review can be found in 
the final EA (ADAMS Accession No. ML19252A248). The NRC staff performed 
its environmental review in accordance with the requirements in 10 CFR 
part 51. In

[[Page 26735]]

conducting the environmental review, the NRC considered information in 
the license renewal application and from communications with the 
California State Historic Preservation Office; the State of California 
Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC); nine Native American 
Tribes; the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW); and the 
California State Department of Health Services.
    Approval of PG&E's proposed license renewal request would allow the 
five (5) HI-STAR 100 HB casks containing spent fuel and one storage 
cask containing greater than Class C (GTCC) activated metal waste to 
continue to remain on the Humboldt Bay ISFSI for an additional 40 
years. The estimated annual dose to the nearest resident from ISFSI 
activities is 0.0448 mSv/yr (4.48 mrem/yr), which is below the 0.25 
mSv/yr (25 mrem/yr) limit specified in 10 CFR 72.104(a). Furthermore, 
PG&E 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 Humboldt Bay 
site. Additionally, the proposed action would not cause a significant 
impact on any population, nor did the staff identify significant 
percentages of minority or low-income populations within a 6 km (4 mi) 
radius of the ISFSI. The Commission has stated that absent 
``significant impacts, an environmental justice review should not be 
considered for an EA where a FONSI is issued unless special 
circumstances warrant the review.''
    In its license renewal request, PG&E is proposing no changes in how 
it handles or stores spent fuel at the Humboldt Bay 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, because approval of 
this license renewal request would maintain the status quo at the site, 
it does not have the potential to cause effects on historic properties; 
therefore, in accordance with 36 CFR 800.3(a)(1), no consultation is 
required under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 
1966. The NRC staff informed the California State Historic Preservation 
Officer (SHPO) of its determination via letter dated June 19, 2019 
(ADAMS Accession No. ML19169A154) and informed nine Native American 
Tribes via letters dated November 15, 2018 (ADAMS Package Accession No. 
ML18303A365). The California SHPO responded via letter dated July 11, 
2019, indicating that the SHPO does not object to a finding that no 
historic properties would be affected by this undertaking (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML19198A078). 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 would 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-2514 for the Humboldt Bay ISFSI located in Humboldt 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: April 30, 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. 2020-09598 Filed 5-4-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P