Notice of Extension of the Public Comment Period for Scoping Process To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants, 57628-57629 [E5-5356]
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 190 / Monday, October 3, 2005 / Notices
Public Document Room (PDR) Reference
staff at 1–800–397–4209, (301) 415–
4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov.
These documents may also be viewed
electronically on the public computers
located at the NRC’s PDR, O–1–F21,
One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR
reproduction contractor will copy
documents for a fee.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 27th day
of September, 2005.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Daniel M. Gillen,
Deputy Director, Decommissioning
Directorate Division of Waste Management
and Environmental Protection, Office of
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. E5–5357 Filed 9–30–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
Notice of Extension of the Public
Comment Period for Scoping Process
To Prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement for the License Renewal of
Nuclear Power Plants
On June 3, 2003, the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (the
Commission) issued a Notice of Intent
To Prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement for the License Renewal of
Nuclear Power Plants and To Conduct
Scoping Process in the Federal Register
(68 FR 33209). Notice is hereby given
that the Commission has extended the
public comment period for the scoping
process on the update to the ‘‘Generic
Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS)
for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants,’’
NUREG–1437 (May 1996) and
Addendum 1 (August 1999). The
comments already received by the
Commission will be considered; this
provides additional opportunity for
public to reflect on issues that may have
emerged during the period that this
project was inactive. The public
comment period is extended to
December 30, 2005.
In 1996 and 1999, the Commission
amended its environmental protection
regulations in 10 CFR Part 51,
‘‘Environmental Protection Regulations
for Domestic Licensing and Related
Regulatory Functions,’’ to improve the
efficiency of the environmental review
process for applicants seeking to renew
a nuclear power plant operating license
for up to an additional 20 years. The
final rules were published in the
Federal Register on December 18, 1996
(61 FR 66546), and September 3, 1999
(64 FR 48507). The amendments are
based on the analyses reported in
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:26 Sep 30, 2005
Jkt 205001
NUREG–1437, ‘‘Generic Environmental
Impact Statement (GEIS) for License
Renewal of Nuclear Plants’’ (May 1996)
and its Addendum 1 (August 1999).
The GEIS, prepared by the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
staff and its contractors, summarizes the
findings of a systematic inquiry into the
environmental impacts of refurbishment
activities associated with license
renewal and the environmental impacts
of continued operation during the
renewal period (up to 20 years for each
licensing action). The significance of
environmental impacts were analyzed
for each of nearly 100 issues. Thereafter,
the NRC categorized which of these
analyses could be applied to all plants
and whether additional mitigation
measures would be warranted for each
environmental issue. Of the 92 issues
analyzed, 69 issues were resolved
generically, 21 require a further sitespecific analysis that applicants are
required to address, and 2 require a sitespecific assessment by the NRC. As part
of its application to renew its operating
license, an applicant submits a
supplemental environmental report and
the NRC staff develops a site-specific
supplement to the GEIS and includes a
recommendation for each license
renewal application. The environmental
protection regulations for any NRC
licensing action is contained in 10 CFR
Part 51 and may be viewed on the
Internet at https://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/doc-collections/cfr/part051/
index.html. The license renewal process
also includes a safety review and
inspections prior to issuance of a
renewed license.
In the introductory remarks to
Appendix B to Subpart A of Part 51,
‘‘Environmental Effects of Renewing the
Operating License of a Nuclear Power
Plant,’’ the Commission stated that, on
a 10-year cycle, it intends to review the
material in Table B–1 and update it, if
necessary. This update effort began in
2003; the goal of the NRC staff is to
complete this GEIS Update Project by
the end of 2009.
The purpose of this notice is to inform
the public that the NRC continues to
plan to prepare an environmental
impact statement (EIS), in this case it is
an update to the GEIS, and to provide
the public an additional opportunity to
participate in the environmental
scoping process, as defined in 10 CFR
51.29. The scoping process is the initial
opportunity for stakeholder
participation in the GEIS update and it
occurs before the NRC has determined
results or recommendations for the
update. The environmental review
process for license renewal will
continue under the current regulatory
PO 00000
Frm 00078
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
framework throughout the course of this
effort. If, as a result of this scoping
process, it is determined that an update
is not necessary, then that result will be
published in the Federal Register as
well.
The GEIS and Addendum 1 to the
GEIS were prepared pursuant to 10 CFR
part 51 and are available for public
inspection at the NRC Public Document
Room (PDR), located at One White Flint
North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor),
Rockville, Maryland, or from the
Publicly Available Records component
of NRC’s Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System
(ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible at
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
adams.html, which provides access
through the NRC’s Electronic Reading
Room link. Persons who do not have
access to ADAMS, or who encounter
problems in accessing the documents
located in ADAMS, should contact the
NRC’s PDR Reference staff at 1–800–
397–4209, or 301–415–4737, or by
e-mail to PDR@NRC.GOV. The GEIS, its
Addendum 1, and its supplements may
also be viewed on the Internet at
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doccollections/nuregs/staff/sr1437. As
indicated, the NRC prepares sitespecific supplements to the GEIS for
each license renewal application
assessing the environmental impacts
specific to that power plant location;
these reports may be useful to scoping
participants to understand the
environmental review process and the
environmental issues associated with
the review for license renewal. The
supplements to the GEIS also can be
viewed on the Internet in the context for
each project and are listed by project at
https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/
licensing/renewal/applications.html.
The update of the GEIS is a generic
activity; therefore, is not the appropriate
forum to consider site-specific issues or
concerns.
In keeping with the framework
outlined under the National
Environmental Policy Act, the NRC
conducts this scoping process for the
update to the GEIS and, thereafter, plans
to prepare a draft addendum to the GEIS
for public comment outlining the results
of the NRC review. 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
addendum to the GEIS will be used to
accomplish the following:
a. Determine whether the purpose and
need for the update (the proposed
action) is clear.
b. Determine the scope of the
addendum to the GEIS and identify
E:\FR\FM\03OCN1.SGM
03OCN1
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 190 / Monday, October 3, 2005 / Notices
whether there are any significant issues
that should be analyzed in depth.
c. Identify and eliminate from
detailed study those issues that are
peripheral or that are not significant or
which have been covered by prior
environmental review.
d. Identify any environmental
assessments and other EISs that are
being or will be prepared that are
related to, but are not part of the scope
of the addendum 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
Commission’s tentative planning and
decision-making schedule.
g. Identify any cooperating agencies
and, as appropriate, allocate
assignments for preparation and
schedules for completing the addendum
to the GEIS to the NRC and any
cooperating agencies.
h. Describe how the addendum to the
GEIS will be prepared including any
contractor assistance to be used.
The NRC invites the following entities
to participate in the scoping process:
a. 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.
b. Any affected State and local
government agencies, including those
authorized to develop and enforce
relevant environmental standards.
c. Any affected Indian tribe.
d. Any person who requests or has
requested an opportunity to participate
in the scoping process.
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 conducted four public
meetings on the GEIS in July 2003.
These meetings were transcribed; the
transcripts are available for public
inspection at the NRC PDR or from the
Publicly Available Records component
of NRC’s ADAMS. ADAMS is accessible
at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
adams.html, which provides access
through the NRC’s Electronic Reading
Room link. Written comments already
received by the Commission are
available electronically and accessible
through the NRC’s Electronic Reading
Room link in ADAMS. As described
above, persons who do not have access
to ADAMS, or who encounter problems
in accessing the documents located in
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:26 Sep 30, 2005
Jkt 205001
ADAMS, should contact the NRC’s PDR
Reference staff at 1–800–397–4209, or
301–415–4737, or by e-mail to
PDR@NRC.GOV.
Members of the public may send any
additional written comments on the
environmental scope of the GEIS Update
Project to the Chief, Rules and
Directives Branch, Division of
Administrative Services, Office of
Administration, Mailstop T–6D59, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555–0001, and
should cite the publication date and
page number of this Federal Register
notice. Comments may also be delivered
to Room T–6D59, Two White Flint
North, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
Maryland, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
during Federal workdays. To be
considered in the scoping process,
written comments should be
postmarked by December 30, 2005.
Additional electronic comments may be
sent by e-mail to the NRC at
LRGEISUpdate@nrc.gov. Electronic
submissions should be sent no later
than December 30, 2005, to be
considered timely in the scoping
process. Comments will be available
electronically and accessible through
the NRC’s Electronic Reading Room link
at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
adams.html.
At the conclusion of the scoping
process, the NRC will prepare a
summary of the determinations and
conclusions reached, including the
significant issues identified, and will
send a copy of the summary to
participants in the scoping process. The
summary also will be available for
inspection at the NRC PDR or through
the Electronic Reading Room link. If
necessary, the staff will then prepare
and issue for comment the draft
addendum to the GEIS, which will be
the subject of a separate Federal
Register notice, to report the results of
the NRC’s review. At this time, the NRC
plans to conduct separate public
meetings, at similar locations as the
public scoping meetings, on the draft
addendum to the GEIS. Copies of the
draft addendum to the GEIS will be
available for public inspection at the
above-mentioned address, and one copy
per request will be provided free of
charge. After receipt and consideration
of the comments on the draft, the NRC
will prepare a final addendum to the
GEIS, which will also be available for
public inspection. Should the review
indicate that one or more environmental
issues enumerated in Appendix B to
Subpart A of Part 51, ‘‘Environmental
Effects of Renewing the Operating
License of a Nuclear Power Plant,’’
requires change, then the proposed and
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
57629
final rule amendments will accompany
the draft and final addendum to the
GEIS.
For Further Information Contact: Mr.
Barry Zalcman, License Renewal and
Environmental Impacts Program,
Division of Regulatory Improvement
Programs, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555.
Mr. Zalcman may be contacted by
telephone at 1–800–368–5642,
extension 2419, or by e-mail at
LRGEISUpdate@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 27th day
of September, 2005.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jacob Zimmerman,
Acting Program Director, License Renewal
and Environmental Impacts Program,
Division of Regulatory Improvement
Programs, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation.
[FR Doc. E5–5356 Filed 9–30–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
PACIFIC NORTHWEST ELECTRIC
POWER AND CONSERVATION
PLANNING COUNCIL
Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife
Program Subbasin Plan Amendments
Pacific Northwest Electric
Power and Conservation Planning
Council (Northwest Power and
Conservation Council; Council).
ACTION: Notice of final adoption of the
subbasin plan amendments to the
Council’s Columbia River Basin and
Wildlife Program (Fish and Wildlife
Program).
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Pacific Northwest
Electric Power Planning and
Conservation Act of 1980 (U.S.C. 839 et
seq.) (the Power Act) requires the
Northwest Power and Conservation
Council to adopt and periodically
review and amend the Fish and Wildlife
Program. The program must be designed
to protect, mitigate and enhance the fish
and wildlife affected by the
development and operation of the
hydroelectric facilities of the Columbia
River and its tributaries, while also
assuring the region of an adequate,
efficient, economical and reliable power
supply.
On August 12, 2002, pursuant to
Section 4(h) of the Power Act, the
Council requested in writing that state
and federal fish and wildlife agencies,
Indian tribes and others submit
recommendations for amendments to
the Fish and Wildlife Program. The
Council requested recommendations for
objectives and measures for the program
at the subbasin level, to be submitted in
E:\FR\FM\03OCN1.SGM
03OCN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 190 (Monday, October 3, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57628-57629]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-5356]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Notice of Extension of the Public Comment Period for Scoping
Process To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the License
Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants
On June 3, 2003, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the
Commission) issued a Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement for the License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants and To
Conduct Scoping Process in the Federal Register (68 FR 33209). Notice
is hereby given that the Commission has extended the public comment
period for the scoping process on the update to the ``Generic
Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) for License Renewal of Nuclear
Plants,'' NUREG-1437 (May 1996) and Addendum 1 (August 1999). The
comments already received by the Commission will be considered; this
provides additional opportunity for public to reflect on issues that
may have emerged during the period that this project was inactive. The
public comment period is extended to December 30, 2005.
In 1996 and 1999, the Commission amended its environmental
protection regulations in 10 CFR Part 51, ``Environmental Protection
Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions,''
to improve the efficiency of the environmental review process for
applicants seeking to renew a nuclear power plant operating license for
up to an additional 20 years. The final rules were published in the
Federal Register on December 18, 1996 (61 FR 66546), and September 3,
1999 (64 FR 48507). The amendments are based on the analyses reported
in NUREG-1437, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) for
License Renewal of Nuclear Plants'' (May 1996) and its Addendum 1
(August 1999).
The GEIS, prepared by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
staff and its contractors, summarizes the findings of a systematic
inquiry into the environmental impacts of refurbishment activities
associated with license renewal and the environmental impacts of
continued operation during the renewal period (up to 20 years for each
licensing action). The significance of environmental impacts were
analyzed for each of nearly 100 issues. Thereafter, the NRC categorized
which of these analyses could be applied to all plants and whether
additional mitigation measures would be warranted for each
environmental issue. Of the 92 issues analyzed, 69 issues were resolved
generically, 21 require a further site-specific analysis that
applicants are required to address, and 2 require a site-specific
assessment by the NRC. As part of its application to renew its
operating license, an applicant submits a supplemental environmental
report and the NRC staff develops a site-specific supplement to the
GEIS and includes a recommendation for each license renewal
application. The environmental protection regulations for any NRC
licensing action is contained in 10 CFR Part 51 and may be viewed on
the Internet at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/
part051/. The license renewal process also includes a safety
review and inspections prior to issuance of a renewed license.
In the introductory remarks to Appendix B to Subpart A of Part 51,
``Environmental Effects of Renewing the Operating License of a Nuclear
Power Plant,'' the Commission stated that, on a 10-year cycle, it
intends to review the material in Table B-1 and update it, if
necessary. This update effort began in 2003; the goal of the NRC staff
is to complete this GEIS Update Project by the end of 2009.
The purpose of this notice is to inform the public that the NRC
continues to plan to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS),
in this case it is an update to the GEIS, and to provide the public an
additional opportunity to participate in the environmental scoping
process, as defined in 10 CFR 51.29. The scoping process is the initial
opportunity for stakeholder participation in the GEIS update and it
occurs before the NRC has determined results or recommendations for the
update. The environmental review process for license renewal will
continue under the current regulatory framework throughout the course
of this effort. If, as a result of this scoping process, it is
determined that an update is not necessary, then that result will be
published in the Federal Register as well.
The GEIS and Addendum 1 to the GEIS were prepared pursuant to 10
CFR part 51 and are available for public inspection at the NRC Public
Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville
Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland, or from the Publicly Available
Records component of NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management
System (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
adams.html, which provides access through the NRC's Electronic Reading
Room link. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS, or who encounter
problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact
the NRC's PDR Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737, or by
e-mail to PDR@NRC.GOV. The GEIS, its Addendum 1, and its supplements
may also be viewed on the Internet at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1437. As indicated, the NRC prepares
site-specific supplements to the GEIS for each license renewal
application assessing the environmental impacts specific to that power
plant location; these reports may be useful to scoping participants to
understand the environmental review process and the environmental
issues associated with the review for license renewal. The supplements
to the GEIS also can be viewed on the Internet in the context for each
project and are listed by project at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/
operating/licensing/renewal/applications.html. The update of the GEIS
is a generic activity; therefore, is not the appropriate forum to
consider site-specific issues or concerns.
In keeping with the framework outlined under the National
Environmental Policy Act, the NRC conducts this scoping process for the
update to the GEIS and, thereafter, plans to prepare a draft addendum
to the GEIS for public comment outlining the results of the NRC review.
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 addendum to the GEIS will be used to
accomplish the following:
a. Determine whether the purpose and need for the update (the
proposed action) is clear.
b. Determine the scope of the addendum to the GEIS and identify
[[Page 57629]]
whether there are any significant issues that should be analyzed in
depth.
c. Identify and eliminate from detailed study those issues that are
peripheral or that are not significant or which have been covered by
prior environmental review.
d. Identify any environmental assessments and other EISs that are
being or will be prepared that are related to, but are not part of the
scope of the addendum 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 Commission's tentative planning
and decision-making schedule.
g. Identify any cooperating agencies and, as appropriate, allocate
assignments for preparation and schedules for completing the addendum
to the GEIS to the NRC and any cooperating agencies.
h. Describe how the addendum to the GEIS will be prepared including
any contractor assistance to be used.
The NRC invites the following entities to participate in the
scoping process:
a. 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.
b. Any affected State and local government agencies, including
those authorized to develop and enforce relevant environmental
standards.
c. Any affected Indian tribe.
d. Any person who requests or has requested an opportunity to
participate in the scoping process.
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
conducted four public meetings on the GEIS in July 2003. These meetings
were transcribed; the transcripts are available for public inspection
at the NRC PDR or from the Publicly Available Records component of
NRC's ADAMS. ADAMS is accessible at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
adams.html, which provides access through the NRC's Electronic Reading
Room link. Written comments already received by the Commission are
available electronically and accessible through the NRC's Electronic
Reading Room link in ADAMS. As described above, persons who do not have
access to ADAMS, or who encounter problems in accessing the documents
located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC's PDR Reference staff at 1-
800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to PDR@NRC.GOV.
Members of the public may send any additional written comments on
the environmental scope of the GEIS Update Project to the Chief, Rules
and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of
Administration, Mailstop T-6D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001, and should cite the publication date and
page number of this Federal Register notice. Comments may also be
delivered to Room T-6D59, Two White Flint North, 11545 Rockville Pike,
Rockville, Maryland, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. during Federal
workdays. To be considered in the scoping process, written comments
should be postmarked by December 30, 2005. Additional electronic
comments may be sent by e-mail to the NRC at LRGEISUpdate@nrc.gov.
Electronic submissions should be sent no later than December 30, 2005,
to be considered timely in the scoping process. Comments will be
available electronically and accessible through the NRC's Electronic
Reading Room link at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.
At the conclusion of the scoping process, the NRC will prepare a
summary of the determinations and conclusions reached, including the
significant issues identified, and will send a copy of the summary to
participants in the scoping process. The summary also will be available
for inspection at the NRC PDR or through the Electronic Reading Room
link. If necessary, the staff will then prepare and issue for comment
the draft addendum to the GEIS, which will be the subject of a separate
Federal Register notice, to report the results of the NRC's review. At
this time, the NRC plans to conduct separate public meetings, at
similar locations as the public scoping meetings, on the draft addendum
to the GEIS. Copies of the draft addendum to the GEIS will be available
for public inspection at the above-mentioned address, and one copy per
request will be provided free of charge. After receipt and
consideration of the comments on the draft, the NRC will prepare a
final addendum to the GEIS, which will also be available for public
inspection. Should the review indicate that one or more environmental
issues enumerated in Appendix B to Subpart A of Part 51,
``Environmental Effects of Renewing the Operating License of a Nuclear
Power Plant,'' requires change, then the proposed and final rule
amendments will accompany the draft and final addendum to the GEIS.
For Further Information Contact: Mr. Barry Zalcman, License Renewal
and Environmental Impacts Program, Division of Regulatory Improvement
Programs, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555. Mr.
Zalcman may be contacted by telephone at 1-800-368-5642, extension
2419, or by e-mail at LRGEISUpdate@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 27th day of September, 2005.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jacob Zimmerman,
Acting Program Director, License Renewal and Environmental Impacts
Program, Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E5-5356 Filed 9-30-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
