[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 188 (Thursday, September 29, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59124-59126]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-21125]


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

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-7513; NRC-2021-0193]


Kairos Power, LLC; Hermes Test Reactor

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Draft environmental impact statement; request for comment and 
public comment meeting.

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

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for 
public comment draft NUREG-2263, Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
for the Construction Permit for the Kairos Hermes Test Reactor. Kairos 
Power, LLC (Kairos) is requesting a license to construct a test reactor 
in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The NRC is seeking public comment on this 
action and has scheduled a public meeting that will

[[Page 59125]]

take place both in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and as an online webinar.

DATES: Submit comments by December 6, 2022. Comments received after 
this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the NRC 
is able to ensure consideration only for comments received on or before 
this date. On November 16, 2022, the NRC is planning to hold a public 
meeting and an online webinar, to present an overview of its 
preliminary analysis and to receive comments from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 
p.m. Eastern Time (ET), See Section IV, ``Request for Comment and 
Public Meeting,'' of this notice for additional information.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods; 
however, the NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the 
Federal rulemaking website:
     Email comments to: [email protected].
     Federal rulemaking website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2021-0193. 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.
     Mail comments to: Office of Administration, Mail Stop: 
TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff.
    For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting 
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tamsen Dozier, telephone: 301-415-
2272, email: [email protected], or Peyton Doub, telephone: 301-415-
6703, email: [email protected]. Both are staff members of the Office 
of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards at the U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

    Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2021-0193 when contacting the NRC 
about the availability of information regarding this document. You may 
obtain publicly available information related to this document by any 
of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2021-0193.
     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 draft EIS is available in ADAMS 
under Accession No. ML22259A126.
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents, by appointment, at the NRC's PDR, Room P1 B35, One White 
Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. To make 
an appointment to visit the PDR, please send an email to 
[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.
     Project Website: Information related to the Hermes--Kairos 
project can be accessed on the NRC's website at: https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/non-power/hermes-kairos.html.
     Public Library: A copy of the draft EIS will be available 
at the Oak Ridge Public Library, 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, 
Tennessee 37830.

B. Submitting Comments

    The NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the 
Federal rulemaking website (https://www.regulations.gov). Please 
include Docket ID NRC-2021-0193 in your comment submission.
    The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact 
information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your 
comment submission. The NRC will post all comment submissions at 
https://www.regulations.gov as well as enter the comment submissions 
into ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to 
remove identifying or contact information.
    If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons 
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to 
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be 
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should 
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to 
remove such information before making the comment submissions available 
to the public or entering the comment into ADAMS.
    Comments submitted through the NRC project email address will be 
processed into ADAMS, and all comments will be compiled and addressed 
in the final EIS.

II. Background

    By letter dated November 29, 2021 (ADAMS Accession No. ML21319A354) 
the NRC staff informed Kairos of its determination that the Kairos 
application for a construction permit for the Hermes test reactor was 
acceptable for docketing under Docket No. 50-7513. A notice of 
acceptance for docketing of the application was published in the 
Federal Register on December 1, 2021 (86 FR 68290) and a notice of 
opportunity for hearing was published on February 9, 2022 (87 FR 7503). 
A notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement and to 
conduct scoping process was published in the Federal Register on 
February 18, 2022 (87 FR 9394).

III. Discussion

    As set forth in Section 51.20(b)(1) of title 10 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations (10 CFR), issuance of a construction permit (CP) 
under 10 CFR part 50 for a testing facility is an action that requires 
an EIS. This notice is being published in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the NRC's 
regulations in 10 CFR part 51. In addition, as outlined in 36 CFR 
800.8(c), ``Coordination with the National Environmental Policy Act,'' 
the NRC staff has been coordinating compliance with Section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) with steps taken to meet the 
requirements of NEPA. Pursuant to 36 CFR 800.8(c), the NRC staff used 
the process and documentation for the preparation of the draft EIS on 
the proposed action to comply with Section 106 of the NHPA in lieu of 
the procedures set forth in 36 CFR 800.3 through 800.6.
    The draft EIS includes the NRC staff's preliminary analysis of the 
environmental impacts of the proposed action of deciding whether to 
issue a construction permit to Kairos. After weighing the 
environmental, economic, technical, and other benefits against 
environmental and other costs, the NRC staff's preliminary 
recommendation, unless safety issues mandate otherwise, is that the 
operating license be issued as requested.

[[Page 59126]]

IV. Request for Comment and Public Meeting

    The NRC staff is requesting public comment on the draft EIS for the 
Construction Permit for the Kairos Hermes Test Reactor. On November 16, 
2022, the NRC is planning to hold a public meeting and an online 
webinar, to present an overview of its preliminary analysis and to 
receive comments from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. ET, at the Hilton 
DoubleTree at 215 S Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. A court 
reporter will transcribe all comments received during the public 
meeting and the transcript will be made publicly available. To be 
considered, comments must be provided either at the transcribed public 
meeting or in writing, as discussed in the ADDRESSES section of this 
document.
    Additionally, the NRC staff will host an informal discussion at the 
Hilton DoubleTree for 1 hour prior to the start of the meeting for 
those attending the meeting in person. No formal comments will be 
accepted during the informal discussions.
    Persons interested in attending this public meeting should monitor 
the NRC's Public Meeting Schedule website at https://www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg for additional information, agendas for the meeting, and access 
information. Meeting details will also be available by November 1, 2022 
at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/non-power/hermes-kairos.html. Those 
wishing to speak and voice comments at the public meeting should follow 
the instructions listed on the NRC's Public Meeting Schedule website. 
The NRC encourages those wishing to voice comments during the meeting 
to register in advance by sending an email to [email protected] and indicate if attending in-person or remotely. Please 
contact Tamsen Dozier no later than November 1, 2022, if accommodations 
or special equipment is needed to attend or to provide comments, so 
that the NRC staff can determine whether the request can be 
accommodated.

    Dated: September 26, 2022.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Kenneth T. Erwin,
Chief, Environmental Review New Reactors Branch, Division of 
Rulemaking, Environmental, and Financial Support, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2022-21125 Filed 9-28-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P