[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 22, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10940-10942]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-03668]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-445 and 50-446; NRC-2022-0183]


Notice of Intent To Conduct Scoping Process and Prepare 
Environmental Impact Statement; Vistra Operations Company LLC; Comanche 
Peak Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and 2

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Intent to conduct scoping process and prepare environmental 
impact statement; public scoping meeting, and request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will conduct an 
extended scoping process to gather information necessary to prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate the environmental 
impacts for the proposed license renewal of the operating licenses for 
Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant (CPNPP), Units 1 and 2. The NRC is 
seeking stakeholder input on this action and has scheduled an 
additional public scoping meeting that will take place in Glen Rose, 
Texas.

DATES: The NRC will hold a public scoping meeting on February 23, 2023, 
from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. local time. Submit comments on the scope of the 
EIS by March 13, 2023. Comments received after March 13, 2023, 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. See 
Section IV, ``Public Scoping 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.
     Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.nrc.gov and 
search for Docket ID NRC-2022-0183. Address questions about Docket IDs 
in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; telephone: 301-415-0624; email: 
Stacy [email protected]. For technical questions, contact the individual 
listed in the For Further Information Contact section of this document.
     Email comments to: [email protected].
     Attend the transcribed public meeting: February 23, 2023.
     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.

[[Page 10941]]

    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: Tam Tran, Office of Nuclear Material 
Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, 
DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-3617, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

    Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2022-0183 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://regulations.gov 
and search for Docket ID NRC-2022-0183.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the NRC 
Library at https://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/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, 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 
a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (ET), Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

B. Submitting Comments

    The NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the 
Federal rulemaking website (https://www.regulations.gov). Please 
include Docket ID NRC-2022-0183 in your comment submission to ensure 
that the NRC can make your comment submission available to the public 
in this docket. In addition, electronic comments may be sent by email 
to the NRC at [email protected], and should be sent no later than 
March 13, 2023, to be considered in the scoping process. You may also 
attend the transcribed public meeting on February 23, 2023, where 
comments will be collected.
    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 submissions into ADAMS.

II. Discussion

    On October 3, 2022, the NRC received an application for the renewal 
of Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-87 and NPF89, which would 
authorize Vistra Operations Company LLC (Vistra, the applicant) to 
operate CPNPP, Units 1 and 2 for an additional 20 years of operation if 
granted (ADAMS Accession No. ML22276A082). Vistra's submission 
initiated the NRC's proposed action: determining whether to grant or 
deny Vistra's license renewal application for power reactor operating 
licenses, which, if granted, would authorize CPNPP Units 1 and 2 to 
operate for an additional 20 years. The CPNPP units are pressurized-
water reactors designed by Westinghouse Electric Corporation and are in 
Somervell County, Texas. The current operating license for Unit 1 
expires at midnight on February 8, 2030, and the current operating 
license for Unit 2 expires at midnight on February 2, 2033. The license 
renewal application was submitted pursuant to part 54 of title 10 of 
the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) and included an environmental 
report (ER). A notice of receipt and availability of the application 
was published in the Federal Register (FR) on October 31, 2022 (87 FR 
65617, ML22285A074). A notice of acceptance for docketing of the 
application and opportunity for hearing regarding the license renewal 
of the CPNPP Units 1 and 2 operating licenses was published on December 
1, 2022 (87 FR 73798, ML22297A006) and is available in Regulations.gov 
by searching for Docket ID NRC-2022-0183.

III. Request for Comments

    This notice informs the public of the NRC's intention to conduct an 
extended environmental scoping to prepare an EIS related to Vistra's 
license renewal application, and to provide the public an additional 
opportunity to participate in the environmental scoping process, as 
defined in 10 CFR 51.29.
    The regulations in 36 CFR 800.8, ``Coordination with the National 
Environmental Policy Act,'' allow agencies to use their National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) process to fulfill the 
requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act 
(NHPA). Therefore, pursuant to 36 CFR 800.8(c), the NRC intends to use 
its process and documentation for the preparation of the EIS on the 
proposed action to comply with Section 106 of the NHPA in lieu of the 
procedures set forth at 36 CFR 800.3 through 800.6.
    In accordance with 10 CFR 51.53(c) and 10 CFR 54.23, Vistra 
submitted an ER as part of the license renewal application. The ER was 
prepared pursuant to 10 CFR part 51 and is publicly available (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML22297A246). The ER may also be viewed on the NRC public 
website at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications.html. In addition, the license renewal application, 
including the ER are available for public review at the Somervell 
County Library, 108 Allen Dr., Glen Rose, TX 76043 and Hood County 
Library, 222 N Travis St., Granbury, TX 76048.
    As required by 10 CFR 51.95, the NRC intends to gather the 
information necessary to prepare a plant-specific supplement 60 to the 
NRC's NUREG-1437, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License 
Renewal of Nuclear Plants'' (ADAMS Package Accession No. ML13107A023) 
(GEIS), related to the application for license renewal of the CPNPP 
Units 1 and 2. This notice is being published in accordance with NEPA 
and the NRC's regulations found at 10 CFR part 51.
    Supplement 60 to the GEIS will evaluate the environmental impacts 
of license renewal for CPNPP Units 1 and 2, and reasonable alternatives 
thereto. Possible alternatives to the proposed action include the no 
action alternative and reasonable alternative energy sources.

[[Page 10942]]

    As part of its environmental review process, the NRC will first 
conduct scoping for the supplement 60 to the GEIS and, as soon as 
practicable thereafter, will prepare a draft supplement 60 to the GEIS 
for public comment. Participation in the scoping process by members of 
the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal government agencies is 
encouraged. The scoping process for the supplement 60 to the GEIS will 
be used to accomplish the following:
    a. Define the proposed action, which is to be the subject of the 
supplement 60 to the GEIS;
    b. Determine the scope of the supplement 60 to the GEIS and 
identify the significant issues to be analyzed in depth;
    c. Identify and eliminate from detailed study those issues that are 
peripheral or are not significant; or were covered by a prior 
environmental review;
    d. Identify any environmental assessments and other ElSs that are 
being or will be prepared that are related to, but are not part of, the 
scope of the supplement 60 to the GEIS being considered;
    e. Identify other environmental review and consultation 
requirements related to the proposed action;
    f. Indicate the relationship between the timing of the preparation 
of the environmental analyses and the NRC's tentative planning and 
decision-making schedule;
    g. Identify any cooperating agencies and, as appropriate, allocate 
assignments for preparation and schedules for completing the supplement 
60 to the GEIS to the NRC and any cooperating agencies; and
    h. Describe how the supplement 60 to the GEIS will be prepared, 
including any contractor assistance to be used.
    The NRC invites the following entities to participate in scoping:
    a. The applicant, Vistra;
    b. Any Federal agency that has jurisdiction by law or special 
expertise with respect to any environmental impact involved or that is 
authorized to develop and enforce relevant environmental standards;
    c. Affected State and local government agencies, including those 
authorized to develop and enforce relevant environmental standards;
    d. Any affected Indian Tribe;
    e. Any person who requests or has requested an opportunity to 
participate in the scoping process; and
    f. Any person who has petitioned or intends to petition for leave 
to intervene under 10 CFR 2.309.

IV. Public Scoping Meeting

    In accordance with 10 CFR 51.26(b), the scoping process for an EIS 
may include a public scoping meeting to help identify significant 
issues related to a proposed activity and to determine the scope of 
issues to be addressed in an EIS.
    The NRC is announcing that it will hold an additional public 
scoping meeting for the CPNPP Units 1 and 2 license renewal supplement 
60 to the GEIS. A court reporter will record and transcribe all 
comments received during the meeting. 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. The date and time 
for this additional public scoping meeting is as follows:

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              Meeting                         Date                    Time                     Location
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Public EIS Scoping.................  Thursday, 2/23/2023...  7 p.m. to 9 p.m., as    Somervell County Expo
                                                              necessary, local time.  Center, 202 BO GIBBS
                                                                                      BLVD., W Hwy. 67, Glen
                                                                                      Rose, TX 76043.
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    In addition, the NRC staff will host informal discussions one hour 
before the start of the session at the same location. The staff will 
not accept formal comments on the proposed scope of the supplement 60 
to the GEIS during this informal discussion.
    The public scoping meeting will include: (1) an overview by the NRC 
staff of the environmental and safety review processes, the proposed 
scope of the supplement 60 to the GEIS, and the proposed review 
schedule; and (2) the opportunity for interested government agencies, 
organizations, and individuals to submit comments or suggestions on 
environmental issues or the proposed scope of the CPNPP license renewal 
supplement 60 to the GEIS.
    Persons interested in attending this public meeting should monitor 
the NRC's Public Meeting Schedule at https://www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg for 
additional information and agenda for the meeting. Please contact Tam 
Tran no later than February 22, 2023, if accommodations, including 
special equipment or translation is needed to attend or to provide 
comments, so that the NRC staff can determine whether the request can 
be accommodated.
    Participation in the scoping process for the CPNPP license renewal 
supplement 60 to the GEIS does not entitle participants to become 
parties to the proceeding to which the supplement 60 to the GEIS 
relates. Matters related to participation in any hearing are outside 
the scope of matters to be discussed at this public meeting.

    Dated: February 16, 2023.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John M. Moses,
Deputy Director, Division of Rulemaking, Environment, and Financial 
Support, Office of Nuclear Material Safety, and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2023-03668 Filed 2-21-23; 8:45 am]
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