[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 149 (Friday, August 6, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43277-43278]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-16553]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 72-1050; NRC-2016-0231]
Interim Storage Partners Consolidated Interim Storage Facility
Project
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
[[Page 43278]]
ACTION: Environmental impact statement; issuance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing its
final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Interim Storage
Partners' (ISP's) license application to construct and operate a
consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) for spent nuclear fuel
(SNF) and Greater-Than-Class C (GTCC) waste, along with a small
quantity of mixed oxide (MOX) fuel. The proposed CISF would be located
on an approximately 130-hectare (320-acre) site, within the
approximately 5,666-hectare (14,000-acre) Waste Control Specialists
(WCS) site in Andrews County, Texas. The proposed action is the
issuance of an NRC license authorizing a CISF to store up to 5,000
metric tons of uranium (MTUs) [5,500 short tons] of SNF for a license
period of 40 years.
DATES: The FEIS referenced in this document is available on August 6,
2021.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2016-0231 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-2016-0231. Address
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann;
telephone: 301-415-0624; 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 FEIS is available in ADAMS under
Accession No. ML21209A955.
Project Webpage: Information related to the ISP CISF
project can be accessed on the NRC's project web page at https://www.nrc.gov/waste/spent-fuel-storage/cis/waste-control-specialist.html.
Public Libraries: A copy of the FEIS will be made
available at the following public libraries:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andrews County Library, 109 NM 1st Gaines County Library, 704 Hobbs
Street, Andrews, TX 79714. Hwy, Seminole, TX 79360.
Hobbs Public Library, 509 N Shipp Winkler County Library, 307 S
Street, Hobbs, NM 88240. Poplar Street, Kermit, TX 79745.
Eunice Public Library, 1003 Ave. N, Yoakum County Library, 205 W 4th
Eunice, NM 88231. Street, Denver City, TX 7932.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Attention: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies
of public documents, is currently closed. You may submit your request
to the PDR via email at [email protected] or call 1-800-397-4209 or
301-415-4737, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (ET), Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James R. Park, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone: 301-415-6954, email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
In accordance with section 51.118 of title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (10 CFR), the NRC is making available the FEIS for
the license application submitted by ISP to construct and operate a
CISF for SNF and GTCC waste, along with a small quantity of MOX fuel,
which are collectively referred to in the EIS as SNF, and composed
primarily of spent uranium-based fuel. The NRC published the draft EIS
in the Federal Register on May 8, 2020 (85 FR 27447), and the
Environmental Protection Agency noticed the availability of the draft
EIS on May 8, 2020 (85 FR 27412). The public comment period on the
draft EIS ended on November 3, 2020, and the comments received are
addressed in the FEIS. The FEIS is available as indicated in the
ADDRESSES section of this document.
II. Discussion
The NRC is issuing the FEIS for an application from ISP requesting
a license to authorize construction and operation of a CISF for SNF at
the WCS site in Andrews County, Texas. ISP's proposed location for its
CISF is on an approximately 130-hectare (320-acre) site, within the
approximately 5,666-hectare (14,000-acre) WCS site in Andrews County,
Texas. The proposed action is the issuance of an NRC license
authorizing a CISF to store up to 5,000 MTUs [5,500 short tons] of SNF
for a license period of 40 years.
The FEIS is being issued as part of the NRC's process to decide
whether to issue a license to ISP pursuant to 10 CFR part 72. In this
FEIS, the NRC staff has assessed the potential environmental impacts to
construct and operate the proposed CISF. The NRC staff assessed the
impacts of the proposed action and the No-Action alternative on land
use; transportation; geology and soils; water resources; ecological
resources; air quality; noise; historical and cultural resources;
visual and scenic resources; socioeconomics; environmental justice,
public and occupational health, and waste management. Additionally, the
FEIS analyzes and compares the benefits and costs of the proposed
action and the No-Action alternative. In preparing this FEIS, the NRC
staff also considered, evaluated, and addressed the public comments
received on the draft EIS. Appendix D of the FEIS summarizes the public
comments received and the NRC's responses.
After comparing the impacts of the proposed action to those of the
No-Action alternative, the NRC staff, in accordance with the
requirements in part 51 of 10 CFR, recommends the proposed action,
subject to the determinations in the staff's safety review of the
application. This recommendation is based on (i) the ISP license
application, which includes an environmental report and supplemental
documents, and ISP's responses to the NRC staff's requests for
additional information; (ii) the NRC staff's consultation with Federal,
State, tribal, local agencies, and input from other stakeholders,
including members of the public; (iii) the NRC staff's independent
review; and (iv) the NRC staff's assessments provided in the FEIS.
Dated: July 29, 2021.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John R. Tappert,
Director, Division of Rulemaking, Environmental, and Financial Support,
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2021-16553 Filed 8-5-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P