[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 47 (Friday, March 10, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15103-15105]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-04963]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-263; NRC-2023-0031]


Notice of Intent To Conduct Scoping Process and Prepare 
Environmental Impact Statement; Northern States Power Company--
Minnesota; Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant, Unit 1

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 a 
scoping process to gather information necessary to prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate the environmental 
impacts for the subsequent license renewal (SLR) of the Renewed 
Facility Operating License No. DPR-22 for Monticello Nuclear Generating 
Plant, Unit 1 (Monticello). The NRC is seeking public comment on this 
action and has scheduled a public scoping meeting that will take place 
in person in Monticello, Minnesota on March 22, 2023, followed by a 
public scoping webinar meeting at a later date.

DATES: The NRC will hold an in-person public scoping meeting on March 
22, 2023, from 6 to 8 p.m. local time. A public scoping webinar will be 
held at a later date following the in-person public scoping meeting. 
Submit comments on the scope of the EIS by April 10, 2023. Comments 
received after

[[Page 15104]]

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. 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://regulations.gov 
and search for Docket ID NRC-2023-0031. 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.
     Email comments to: [email protected].
     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: Jessica Umana, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-5207, email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

    Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2023-0031 when contacting the NRC 
about the availability of information for this action. You may obtain 
publicly available information related to this action by any of the 
following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking website: Go to https://regulations.gov 
and search for Docket ID NRC-2023-0031.
     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 it is available in ADAMS) is 
provided the first time that it 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.
     Public Library: A copy of the SLR application for the 
Monticello, including the environmental report (ER), is available for 
public review at the following public library location: Monticello 
Great River Regional Library, 200 W 6th St., Monticello, MN 55362.

B. Submitting Comments

    The NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the 
Federal rulemaking website (https://www.regulations.gov). Please 
include Docket ID NRC-2023-0031 in the subject line of your comment 
submission in order to ensure that the NRC is able to make your comment 
submission available to the public in this docket.
    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.

II. Discussion

    By letter dated January 9, 2023 (ADAMS Accession No. ML23009A353), 
Northern States Power Company, a Minnesota corporation, submitted to 
the NRC an application for subsequent license renewal of Renewed 
Facility Operating License No. DPR-22, Unit 1, for an additional 20 
years of operation. This submission initiated the NRC's proposed action 
of determining whether to grant the SLR application. The Monticello 
unit is a boiling water reactor designed by General Electric and is 
located in central Minnesota on the banks of the Mississippi River in 
Sherburne and Wright counties, approximately 38 miles northwest of 
Minneapolis, MN. The current renewed facility operating license for 
Unit 1 expires at midnight on September 8, 2030. The SLR application 
was submitted pursuant to part 54 of title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR), ``Requirements for Renewal of Operating Licenses 
for Nuclear Power Plants,'' and seeks to extend the renewed facility 
operating license for Unit 1 to midnight on September 8, 2050. A notice 
of receipt and availability of the application was published in the 
Federal Register on January 31, 2023 (88 FR 6327).

III. Request for Comment

    This notice informs the public of the NRC's intention to conduct 
environmental scoping and prepare an EIS related to the SLR application 
for Monticello, and to provide the public an opportunity to participate 
in the environmental scoping process, as defined in 10 CFR 51.29, 
``Scoping-environmental impact statement and supplement to 
environmental impact statement.''
    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 (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.) (NEPA) 
process to fulfill the requirements of Section 106 of the National 
Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (54 U.S.C. 300101, et seq.) (NHPA).
    Therefore, pursuant to 36 CFR 800.8(c), the NRC intends to use its 
process and documentation required 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, Monticello 
submitted an ER as part of the SLR application. The ER was prepared 
pursuant to 10 CFR part 51, ``Environmental Protection Regulations for 
Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions,'' and is available 
in ADAMS under Accession No. ML23009A356. The ER will also be available 
for viewing at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/
renewal/subsequent-license-

[[Page 15105]]

renewal.html. In addition, the SLR application, including the ER, is 
available for public review at the Monticello Great River Regional 
Library, 200 W 6th St, Monticello, MN 55362.
    The NRC intends to gather the information necessary to prepare a 
plant-specific supplement to NUREG-1437, ``Generic Environmental Impact 
Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants'' (ADAMS Package 
Accession No. ML13107A023) (GEIS), related to the SLR application for 
Monticello. The NRC is required by 10 CFR 51.95 to prepare a plant-
specific supplement to the GEIS in connection with the renewal of an 
operating license. This notice is being published in accordance with 
NEPA and the NRC's regulations at 10 CFR part 51.
    The supplement to the GEIS will evaluate the environmental impacts 
of subsequent license renewal for Monticello and reasonable 
alternatives thereto. Possible alternatives to the proposed action 
include the no action alternative and reasonable alternative energy 
sources.
    As part of its environmental review, the NRC will first conduct a 
scoping process for the plant-specific supplement to the GEIS and, as 
soon as practicable thereafter, will prepare a draft supplement to the 
GEIS for public comment. Participation in this scoping process by 
members of the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal government 
agencies is encouraged. The scoping process for the supplement to the 
GEIS will be used to accomplish the following:
    a. Define the proposed action that is to be the subject of the 
supplement to the GEIS;
    b. Determine the scope of the supplement 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 that have been covered by 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 to the GEIS under consideration;
    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 
to the GEIS to the NRC and any cooperating agencies; and
    h. Describe how the supplement 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, Northern States Power Company;
    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 the proposed action and to determine the scope of 
issues to be addressed in the EIS.
    The NRC is announcing that it will hold an in-person public scoping 
meeting for the Monticello SLR supplement to the GEIS; a virtual public 
scoping meeting is to follow at a later date. A court reporter will 
transcribe all comments received during the public scoping meeting. To 
be considered, comments must be provided either at a transcribed public 
meeting or in writing, as discussed in the ADDRESSES section of this 
notice. The in-person public scoping meeting information is as follows.

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              Meeting                         Date                    Time                     Location
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Public EIS Scoping.................  Wednesday, 03/22/2023.  6 p.m.-8 p.m., as       Monticello Community
                                                              necessary.              Center, 505 Walnut St.,
                                                                                      Monticello, MN 55362.
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    Persons interested in attending this meeting should monitor the 
NRC's Public Meeting Schedule website at https://www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg 
for additional information and the agenda for the meeting. Please 
contact Ms. Jessica Umana no later than March 16, 2023, 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.
    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 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 Monticello SLR 
supplement to the GEIS.
    Participation in the scoping process for the Monticello SLR 
supplement to the GEIS does not entitle participants to become parties 
to the proceeding to which the supplement 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: March 7, 2023.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Theodore B. Smith,
Chief, Environmental Review License Renewal Branch, Division of 
Rulemaking, Environment, and Financial Support, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2023-04963 Filed 3-9-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P