[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 153 (Thursday, August 8, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64964-64965]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-17521]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-0320; NRC-2024-0099]
TMI-2SOLUTIONS, LLC; Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit No.
2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice; issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a
final environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant
impact (FONSI) for a proposed amendment of NRC Possession Only License
(POL) DPR-73 for the Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit No. 2
(TMI-2), located in Londonderry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
The proposed amendment would ensure that TMI-2 Energy Solutions (TMI-
2Solutions, the licensee) can continue decommissioning the facility in
accordance with NRC regulations. TMI-2Solutions will be engaging in
certain major decommissioning activities, including the physical
demolition of buildings previously deemed eligible for the National
Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The EA, ``Environmental Assessment
for Specific Decommissioning Activities at Three Mile Island, Unit 2 in
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania,'' documents the NRC staff's environmental
review of the license amendment application.
DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on
August 8, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2024-0099 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-2024-0099. Address
questions about Docket IDs 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, at 301-415-4737,
or by email to [email protected]. The ADAMS accession number for
each document referenced (if it is available in ADAMS) is provided the
first time that it is mentioned in this document.
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.
Project Website: Information related to the TMI-2 project
can be accessed on NRC's TMI-2 public website at https://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/decommissioning/power-reactor/three-mile-island-unit-2.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jean Trefethen, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-0867; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Three Mile Island Nuclear Station (TMINS) is approximately 16
kilometers (10 miles) southeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The TMINS
site includes Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 and TMI-2. It
encompasses approximately 178 hectares (440 acres), including the
adjacent islands on the north end, a strip of land on the mainland
along the eastern shore of the river, and an area on the eastern shore
of Shelley Island. The TMINS site has significance in U.S. history
because it is the site of the nation's most serious commercial nuclear
power plant accident, occurring at TMI-2. On March 28, 1979, TMI-2
experienced an accident initiated by interruption of secondary
feedwater flow which led to a core heat up that caused fuel damage. The
partial meltdown of the reactor core led to a very small offsite
release of radioactivity. In response to this accident many changes
occurred at nuclear power plants including emergency response planning,
reactor operator training, human factors engineering, radiation
protection and heightened NRC regulatory oversight.
II. Discussion
By letter dated February 22, 2023 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML23058A064), TMI-2Solutions requested an amendment to POL No. DPR-73.
TMI-2Solutions will be engaging in certain major decommissioning
activities, including the physical demolition of buildings previously
deemed eligible for the NRHP. Because the impacts on the historic
properties from these decommissioning activities have not been
previously evaluated and are not bounded by the impact's discussion in
NUREG-0586, ``Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement on
Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities,'' TMI-2Solutions requested an
amendment that would require evaluation of the impacts of the
decommissioning activities on the NRHP-eligible properties, in
compliance with paragraph 50.82(a)(6)(ii) of title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (10 CFR).
Pursuant to 36 CFR 800.8, the NRC used its National Environmental
Policy Act process for developing the EA to facilitate consultation
pursuant to section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act
(NHPA).
Adverse effects to historic properties would result from
decommissioning activities at TMI-2. Therefore, the NRC and consulting
parties proceeded with development of a programmatic agreement (PA) to
resolve adverse effects. The draft PA was issued for public comment
through a Federal Register notice dated March 6, 2024 (89 FR 16037).
One comment was received and considered before finalizing the PA. The
PA addresses the potential direct and indirect adverse effects from the
decommissioning activities and ensures that appropriate mitigation
measures are implemented. The NRC's EA references the final PA and,
therefore, conclude NHPA section 106 consultation.
In accordance with NRC's regulations in 10 CFR part 51,
``Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and
Related Regulatory Functions,'' that implement the National Environment
Protection Agency (NEPA), the NRC staff has prepared an EA documenting
its environmental review of the license amendment application. Based on
the environmental review, the NRC has made a determination that the
proposed action will not significantly affect the quality of the human
environment and that a FONSI is therefore appropriate.
III. Summary of Environmental Assessment
The EA is publicly available in ADAMS under Accession No.
ML24197A005. A summary description of the proposed action and expected
environmental impacts is provided as follows.
[[Page 64965]]
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed action is to amend POL No. DPR-73 so that TMI-
2Solutions can continue with certain major decommissioning activities
planned under Phase 2 of its decommissioning schedule. Phase 2
decommissioning activities include the removal of any radioactive
components in preparation for demolition of structures, decommissioning
and dismantlement of the TMI-2 site to a level that permits the release
of the site, except for an area potentially to be set aside for storage
of fuel-bearing material (small quantities of spent nuclear fuel,
damaged core material, and high-level waste) on the independent spent
fuel storage installation, backfilling of the site, license termination
plan submittal and implementation, and site restoration activities. In
order to comply with 10 CFR 50.82(a)(6)(ii), TMI-2Solutions requested
that NRC evaluate the impacts of certain major decommissioning
activities on historic and cultural resources and NRHP-eligible
properties. The definition of major decommissioning activity is in 10
CFR 50.2, which states ``major decommissioning activity means, for a
nuclear power reactor facility, any activity that results in permanent
removal of major radioactive components, permanently modifies the
structure of the containment, or results in dismantling components for
shipment containing greater than class C waste in accordance with Sec.
61.55 of this chapter.'' Due to radioactive contamination, the TMI-2
structures must be demolished and removed during decommissioning.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
In the EA, the staff assessed the potential environmental impacts
from the proposed license amendment to the following resource areas:
land use; visual and scenic resources; the geologic environment;
surface and groundwater resources; ecological resources; air quality;
noise; historic and cultural resources; socioeconomic conditions;
environmental justice; public and occupational health; transportation;
and waste generation and management. The NRC staff also considered the
cumulative impacts from past, present, and reasonably foreseeable
actions when combined with the proposed action. The TMI-2 Historic
District would be adversely affected by the TMI-2 decommissioning, and
adverse effects cannot be avoided. The mitigation of adverse effects to
the TMI-2 Historic District will be completed in accordance with the
TMI-2 Demolition and Decommissioning Programmatic Agreement (NRC
2024a).
As part of the NRC's consultation under section 7 of the Endangered
Species Act, NRC staff determined that the proposed action may affect
but is not likely to adversely affect the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis),
northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), tricolored bat
(Perimyotis subflavus), monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus),
northeastern bulrush (Scirpus ancistrochaetus), or green floater
(Lasmigona subviridis). The NRC staff transmitted a letter to the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for its review and concurrence on May
24, 2024 (ADAMS Accession No. ML24120A324). The FWS concurred with the
NRC's findings on July 15, 2024 (ADAMS Accession No. ML24199A062).
All other potential impacts from the proposed action were
determined to be not significant, as described in the EA. The NRC staff
found that there would be no significant negative cumulative impact to
any resource area from the proposed action when added to other past,
present, and reasonably foreseeable actions.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternative to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed action, the NRC staff considered
denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative).
Under the no-action alternative, the NRC would deny the licensee's
request to allow for the continuation of major decommissioning
activities under Phase 2. In this case, the NRC staff would not review
the historic and cultural resource impacts of the major decommissioning
activities as defined in 10 CFR 50.2 and would therefore disallow the
removal of NRHP-eligible structures and any impacts to historic and
cultural resources. However, due to the presence of radioactive
contamination, TMI-2 structures, including the NRHP-eligible
structures, must be removed during the decommissioning process.
Therefore, the NRC staff concludes that denying the amendment request
is not a reasonable alternative.
IV. Finding of No Significant Impact
In accordance with the NEPA and 10 CFR part 51, the NRC staff has
conducted an environmental review of a request for an amendment to POL
No. DPR-73. The proposed amendment would revise the POL to allow the
licensee to conduct decommissioning at TMI-2 covering activities that
were not previously addressed in the staff's environmental assessments
(site-specific historical and cultural resources). Based on its
environmental review of the proposed action, the NRC staff has made a
finding of no significant impact in the EA. Therefore, the NRC staff
has determined, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.31, that preparation of an
environmental impact statement is not required for the proposed action
and a FONSI is appropriate.
Dated: August 2, 2024.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Christopher M. Regan,
Director, Division of Rulemaking, Environmental, and Financial Support,
Office of Nuclear Material Safety, and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2024-17521 Filed 8-7-24; 8:45 am]
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