Progress Energy Carolinas, Inc.; Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant, Units 2 and 3; Combined License Application; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct Scoping Process, 29785-29787 [E8-11500]

Agencies

• NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 100 (Thursday, May 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29785-29787]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-11500]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 52-022 and 52-023]


Progress Energy Carolinas, Inc.; Shearon Harris Nuclear Power 
Plant, Units 2 and 3; Combined License Application; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct Scoping Process

    Progress Energy Carolinas, Inc. (PEC) has submitted an application 
for a combined license (COL) to build Units 2 and 3 at its Shearon 
Harris Nuclear Power Plant (HAR) site, located in the extreme 
southwestern corner of Wake County, North Carolina with portions 
located in southeastern Chatham County. The City of Raleigh, North 
Carolina, is approximately 34.9 kilometers (km) (21.7 miles [mi]) 
northeast of the site and the City of Sanford, North Carolina, is 
approximately 26.5 km (16.5 mi) southwest of the site. The HAR site is 
located just northwest of the existing Shearon Harris Nuclear Power 
Plant on a peninsula that extends into Harris Reservoir. The 
application for the COL was submitted by PEC via letter dated February 
18, 2008, pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 
52. A notice of receipt and availability of the application including 
the environmental report (ER), was published in the Federal Register on 
March 11, 2008 (72 FR 66200).
    A notice of acceptance for docketing of the application for the COL 
was published in the Federal Register on April 23, 2008 (73 FR 21995). 
A notice of hearing and opportunity to petition for leave to intervene 
will be published at a later date. The purpose of this notice is to 
inform the public that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 
will be preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) in support of 
the review of the application for the COL and to provide the public 
with an opportunity to participate in the environmental scoping process 
as defined in 10 CFR 51.29.
    In addition, as outlined in 36 CFR 800.8(c), ``Coordination with 
the National Environmental Policy Act,'' the NRC staff plans to 
coordinate compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act (NHPA) with steps taken to meet the requirements of 
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA). 
Pursuant to 36 CFR 800.8(c), the NRC staff intends to use the 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 on 36 CFR 800.3 through 800.6.
    In accordance with 10 CFR 51.45 and 51.50, PEC submitted the ER as 
part of the application. The ER was prepared pursuant to 10 CFR parts 
51 and 52 and is available for public inspection at the NRC Public 
Document Room (PDR) located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville 
Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland 20852 or from the Publicly 
Available Records (PAR) component of NRC's Agency-wide 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 (ERR) link. The accession number in ADAMS 
for the ER is ML080601078. 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 1-800-397-4209/301-415-
4737 or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov. The application may also be viewed on 
the Internet at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-licensing/col/
harris.html. In addition, the Eva H. Perry Library, 2100

[[Page 29786]]

Shepherd's Vineyard Drive, Apex, NC 27502; West Regional Library, 4000 
Louis Stephens Drive, Cary, NC 27519; and Holly Springs Library, 300 
West Ballentine Street, Holly Springs, NC 27540 have agreed to make the 
ER available for public inspection. The following key reference 
documents related to the application and the NRC staff's review 
processes are available through the NRC's Web site at https://
www.nrc.gov:
    a. 10 CFR Part 51, Environmental Protection Regulations for 
Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions,
    b. 10 CFR Part 52, Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for 
Nuclear Power Plants,
    c. 10 CFR Part 100, Reactor Site Criteria,
    d. NUREG-1555, Standard Review Plans for Environmental Reviews for 
Nuclear Power Plants,
    e. NUREG/BR-0298, Brochure on Nuclear Power Plant Licensing 
Process,
    f. Regulatory Guide 4.2, Preparation of Environmental Reports for 
Nuclear Power Stations,
    g. Regulatory Guide 4.7, General Site Suitability Criteria for 
Nuclear Power Stations,
    h. Fact Sheet on Nuclear Power Plant Licensing Process,
    i. Regulatory 1.206, Combined License Applications for Nuclear 
Power Plants, and
    j. NRR Office Instruction LIC-203, Procedural Guidance for 
Preparing Environmental Assessments and Considering Environmental 
Issues.
    The regulations, NUREG-series documents, regulatory guides, and the 
fact sheet can be found under Document Collections in the ERR on the 
NRC Web page. The Office Instruction LIC-203 can be found in ADAMS in 
two parts under the accession numbers ML011710073 (main text) and 
ML011780314 (charts and figures).
    This notice advises the public that the NRC intends to gather the 
information necessary to prepare an EIS in support of the review of the 
application for COL at the HAR site. Possible alternatives to the 
proposed action (issuance of the COL for the HAR site) include no 
action, reasonable alternative energy sources, and alternate sites. The 
NRC is required by 10 CFR 51.20(b)(2) to prepare an EIS in connection 
with the issuance of the COL. This notice is being published in 
accordance with NEPA and the NRC's regulations found in 10 CFR Part 51.
    The NRC will first conduct a scoping process for the EIS and 
immediately thereafter will prepare a draft EIS for public comment. 
Participation in this scoping process by members of the public, local, 
State, Tribal, and Federal government agencies is encouraged. The 
scoping process for the draft EIS will be used to accomplish the 
following:
    a. Define the proposed action that is to be the subject of the EIS,
    b. Determine the scope of the EIS and identify the significant 
issues to be analyzed in-depth,
    c. Identify and eliminate from detailed study those issues that are 
peripheral or that are not significant,
    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 EIS being considered,
    e. Identify other environmental review and consultation 
requirements related to the proposed action,
    f. Identify parties consulting with the NRC under the NHPA, as set 
forth in 36 CFR 800.8(c)(1)(i),
    g. Indicate the relationship between the timing of the preparation 
of the environmental analyses and the Commission's tentative planning 
and decision-making schedule,
    h. Identify any cooperating agencies and, as appropriate, allocate 
assignments for preparation and schedules for completing the EIS to the 
NRC and any cooperating agencies; and
    i. Describe how the EIS will be prepared, including any contractor 
assistance to be used. The NRC invites the following entities to 
participate in the scoping process:
    a. The applicant; PEC,
    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 intends to petition for leave to intervene.
    In accordance with 10 CFR 51.26, 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 will hold two identical public scoping 
meetings for the EIS regarding PEC COL application. The scoping meeting 
will be held at the Holly Springs Cultural Center, 300 West Ballentine 
Street, Holly Springs, NC 27540, on Tuesday, June 10, 2008. The meeting 
will convene at 12:30 p.m. and will continue until approximately 3 
p.m., and again at 6 p.m. and will continue until approximately 8:30 
p.m. The meetings will be transcribed and will include the following: 
(1) An overview by the NRC staff of the NEPA environmental review 
process (the proposed scope of the EIS) and the proposed review 
schedule; (2) the opportunity for interested government agencies, 
organizations, and individuals to submit comments or suggestions on the 
environmental issues or the proposed scope of the EIS. Additionally, 
the NRC staff will host informal discussions for one hour prior to the 
start of each public meeting. No formal comments on the proposed scope 
of the EIS will be accepted during the informal discussions. To be 
considered, comments must be provided either at the transcribed public 
meeting or in writing, as discussed below. Persons may register to 
attend or present oral comments at the meeting on the scope of the NEPA 
review by contacting Dr. Donald Palmrose or Ms. Tomeka Terry at 1-800-
368-5642, extensions 3803 or 1488, respectively. In addition, persons 
can register via e-mail to the NRC at Harris.COLEIS@nrc.gov no later 
than June 3, 2008.
    Members of the public may also register to speak at the meeting 
prior to of the start of the session. Individual oral comments may be 
limited by the time available, depending on the number of persons who 
register. Members of the public who have not registered may also have 
an opportunity to speak, if time permits. Public comments will be 
considered in the scoping process for the EIS. If special equipment or 
accommodations are needed to attend or present information at the 
public meeting, the need should be brought to Dr. Donald Palmrose or 
Ms. Tomeka Terry's attention no later than June 5, 2008, so that the 
NRC staff can determine whether the request can be accommodated.
    Members of the public may send written comments on the scope of the 
HAR COL environmental review to the Chief, Rulemaking, Directives, 
Editing 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 be hand-
delivered to the NRC at 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, 
between 7:30 a.m., and 4:15 p.m., on federal workdays. To be considered 
in the scoping process, written comments must be postmarked or 
delivered by Comment period end

[[Page 29787]]

date July 18, 2008. Electronic comments may be sent by e-mail to the 
NRC at Harris.COLEIS@nrc.gov. Electronic submissions must be sent no 
later than the Comment period end date of July 18, 2008, to be 
considered in the scoping process. Comments will be made available 
electronically and will be accessible through the NRC's Electronic 
Reading Room link https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.
    Participation in the scoping process for the EIS does not entitle 
participants to become parties to the proceeding to which the EIS 
relates. Notice of a hearing regarding the application for COL will be 
separately noticed in the Federal Register.
    At the conclusion of the scoping process, the NRC will prepare a 
concise summary of the determination and conclusions on the scope of 
the environmental review reached including the significant issues 
identified, and will be made publicly available. The staff will then 
prepare and issue for comment the draft EIS, which will be the subject 
of a separate Federal Register notice and a separate public meeting. 
Copies will be available for public inspection at the PDR through the 
above-mentioned address and one copy per request will be provided free 
of charge.
    After receipt and consideration of the comments, the NRC will 
prepare a final EIS, which will also be available to the public. 
Information about the proposed action, the EIS, and the scoping process 
may be obtained from Dr. Donald Palmrose or Ms. Tomeka Terry at 1-800-
368-5642, extensions 3803 or 1488, respectively or by e-mail at 
donald.palmrose@nrc.gov and tomeka.terry@nrc.gov.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 16th day of May, 2008.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
James E. Lyons,
Director, Division of Site and Environmental Reviews, Office of New 
Reactors.
[FR Doc. E8-11500 Filed 5-21-08; 8:45 am]
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