[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 24, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4631-4633]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-01355]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-275 and 50-323; NRC-2023-0192]
Notice of Intent To Conduct Scoping Process and Prepare
Environmental Impact Statement; Pacific Gas and Electric Company;
Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and 2
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice; 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 an application for the renewal of Facility Operating
License Nos. DPR-80 and DPR-82, which authorize Pacific Gas and
Electric Company (PG&E, the applicant) to operate Diablo Canyon Nuclear
Power Plant (DCPP), Units 1 and 2. The NRC is seeking public comment on
this action and has scheduled both an in-person public scoping meeting
and a virtual public scoping meeting.
DATES: The NRC will hold a virtual public scoping meeting on February
1, 2024, at 10 a.m. Pacific time (PT) and an in-person public scoping
meeting on February 8, 2024, at 6 p.m. PT. Details on both meetings can
be found on the NRC's Public Meeting Schedule at https://www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg. Submit comments on the scope of the EIS by February 23, 2024.
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. 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-2023-0192. 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 may be submitted to the NRC electronically
using the email address [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: Kim Conway, Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-1335; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments
A. Obtaining Information
Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2023-0192 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-2023-0192.
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, at 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: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies
of publicly available documents, is open by appointment. 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 license renewal application
for DCPP, including the environmental report (ER), is available for
public review at the following public library location: San Luis Obispo
Library, 995 Palm St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93403.
B. Submitting Comments
The NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the
Federal Rulemaking website (https://www.regulations.gov). Please
include Docket ID NRC-2023-0192 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.
II. Discussion
By letter dated November 7, 2023 (ADAMS Accession No. ML23311A154),
PG&E submitted to the NRC an application to renew the operating
licenses for DCPP for an additional 20 years of operation. This
submission initiated the NRC's proposed action of determining whether
to grant the license renewal application. DCPP consists of two
pressurized-water reactors designed by Westinghouse and is located in
Avila Beach, California. The operating licenses for DCPP expire as
follows: Unit 1 on November 2, 2024, and Unit 2 on August 26, 2025. The
license renewal application was submitted pursuant to part 54,
``Requirements for Renewal of Operating Licenses for Nuclear Power
Plants,'' of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR)
[[Page 4632]]
and seeks to extend the operating licenses for Units 1 and 2 to
November 2, 2044, and August 26, 2045, respectively. A notice of
receipt and availability of the application was published in the
Federal Register on November 20, 2023 (88 FR 80780). A notice of
acceptance for docketing of the application and of opportunity to
request a hearing was published in the Federal Register on December 19,
2023 (88 FR 87817) and is available on the Federal Rulemaking Website
(https://www.regulations.gov) by searching for Docket ID NRC-2023-0192.
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 license renewal
application for DCPP, and provides 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,'' and 10 CFR 51.116, ``Notice of
intent.''
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, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.)
(NEPA), process to fulfill the requirements of section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (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, PG&E submitted
an ER as part of the license renewal application for DCPP. The ER was
prepared pursuant to 10 CFR part 51, ``Environmental Protection
Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions,''
and is publicly available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML23311A154. The
ER will also be available for viewing at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications.html. In addition, the license
renewal application, including the ER, is available for public review
at the San Luis Obispo Library, 995 Palm St., San Luis Obispo, CA
93403.
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 license renewal
application for DCPP. 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 license renewal for DCPP, 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, PG&E;
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 online webinar and
teleconference call and an in-person public scoping meeting for the
DCPP license renewal supplement to the GEIS. The online webinar and
teleconference call will be held on February 1, 2024, at 10 a.m. PT.
The in-person public scoping meeting will be held on February 8, 2024,
at 6 p.m. PT. A court reporter will transcribe all comments received
during the public scoping meetings. 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. Persons interested
in attending these meetings should monitor the NRC's Public Meeting
Schedule website at https://www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg for additional
information and agenda for the meetings. Please contact Kim Conway no
later than January 31, 2024, if accommodations or special equipment is
needed to attend or to provide comments, so that the NRC can determine
whether the request can be accommodated.
The public scoping meetings will include: (1) an overview by the
NRC 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 supplement to the
GEIS.
Participation in the scoping process for the DCPP license renewal
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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 these public meetings.
Dated: January 19, 2024.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Stephen S. Koenick,
Chief, Environmental Project Management Branch 1, Division of
Rulemaking, Environment, and Financial Support, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety, and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2024-01355 Filed 1-23-24; 8:45 am]
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