Entergy Operations, Inc.; River Bend Station Unit 3 Combined License Application; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct Scoping Process, 324-326 [E8-31276]
Download as PDF
324
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 2 / Monday, January 5, 2009 / Notices
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, South Carolina
Electric & Gas;
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 the proceeding,
or who has submitted such a petition, or
who is admitted as a party.
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 staff has elected to hold
two identical public scoping meetings
for the EIS regarding the SCE&G COL
application. The first meeting will be
held at the Fairfield Central High
School, 836 U.S. Highway 321 Bypass S,
Winnsboro, SC 29180 on Tuesday,
January 27, 2009 at 7 p.m., and will
continue until approximately 10 p.m.
The second meeting will be held at the
McCrorey-Liston Elementary School,
1978 State Highway 215 South, Blair,
SC 29015 on Wednesday, January 28,
2009 at 7 p.m., with a repetition of the
overview portions of the first meeting,
and will continue until approximately
10 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; and
VerDate Aug<31>2005
14:05 Jan 02, 2009
Jkt 217001
(2) the opportunity for interested
government agencies, organizations, and
individuals to submit comments 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 Ms.
Patricia Vokoun or Mr. Mark Notich at
1–800–368–5642, extension 3470 or
3053, respectively. In addition, persons
can register via e-mail to the NRC at
Summer.COLEIS@nrc.gov no later than
January 20, 2009.
Members of the public may also
register to speak at the meeting prior to
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
Ms. Vokoun’s attention no later than
January 13, 2009, 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
VCSNS COLs environmental review to
the Chief, Rules and Directives Branch,
Division of Administrative Services,
Office of Administration, Mailstop
TWB–05-B01M, 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 11545
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland,
between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on
federal workdays. To ensure that
comments will be considered in the
scoping process, written comments
must be postmarked or delivered by
March 6, 2009. Electronic comments
may be sent by e-mail to the NRC at
Summer.COLEIS@nrc.gov. Electronic
submissions must be sent no later than
March 6, 2009, to ensure that they will
be considered in the scoping process.
Comments will be made available
electronically and will be accessible
through the NRC’s ERR link https://
www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.
PO 00000
Frm 00066
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Participation in the scoping process
for the EIS does not entitle participants
to become parties to the proceeding to
which the EIS relates. The notice of
hearing and opportunity to petition for
leave to intervene in the proceeding on
the application for the COLs was
published in the Federal Register on
October 10, 2008.
At the conclusion of the scoping
process, the NRC staff will prepare a
concise summary of the determination
and conclusions reached on the scope of
the environmental review, including the
significant issues identified, will make
this summary publicly available and
will send the summary to each
participant in the scoping process for
whom the staff has an address. 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 of
the draft EIS 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 Ms. Patricia
Vokoun or Mr. Mark Notich at 1–800–
368–5642, extensions 3470 or 3053,
respectively; at the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, mailstop T–
6D32 or T–7E30, Washington, DC
20555–0001; or via e-mail at
Patricia.Vokoun@nrc.gov or
Mark.Notich@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day
of December 2008.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Scott C. Flanders,
Director, Division of Site and Environmental
Reviews, Office of New Reactors.
[FR Doc. E8–31280 Filed 1–2–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket No. 52–036]
Entergy Operations, Inc.; River Bend
Station Unit 3 Combined License
Application; Notice of Intent To
Prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement and Conduct Scoping
Process
Entergy Operations, Inc. (EOI) on
behalf of itself; Entergy Louisiana, LLC
(ELL); Entergy Gulf States Louisiana,
L.L.C. (EGSL); and Entergy Mississippi,
Inc. (EMI) has submitted an application
E:\FR\FM\05JAN1.SGM
05JAN1
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 2 / Monday, January 5, 2009 / Notices
for a combined license (COL) to build
Unit 3 at its River Bend Station (RBS)
site, located on approximately 3,330
acres in West Feliciana Parish on the
Mississippi River, approximately three
miles southeast of St. Francisville,
Louisiana and 24 miles north-northwest
of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. EOI
submitted the application for the COL to
the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) on September 25,
2008, pursuant to Title 10 of the Code
of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 52.
A notice of receipt and availability of
the application, including the
environmental report (ER), was
published in the Federal Register on
November 17, 2008 (73 FR 67895). A
notice of acceptance for docketing of the
application for the COL was published
in the Federal Register on December 10,
2008 (73 FR 75141). A notice of hearing
and opportunity to petition for leave to
intervene in the proceeding of the
application will be the published in a
future Federal Register.
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) as part of the review of
the COL application 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, EOI submitted the ER as part of
the COL 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 (PARS)
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 (ERR) link. The accession number
VerDate Aug<31>2005
14:05 Jan 02, 2009
Jkt 217001
in ADAMS for the environmental report
included in the application is
ML082830263. 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 via e-mail
to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov. The
application may also be viewed on the
Internet at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/
new-reactors/col/river-bend.html. In
addition, the following libraries have
agreed to make the ER available for
public inspection:
1. State Library of Louisiana at 701
North 4th Street, Baton Rouge,
Louisiana;
2. West Feliciana Parish Library at
11865 Ferdinand Street, St. Francisville,
Louisiana; and
3. Point Coupee Parish Library; at 201
Claybourne Street, New Roads,
Louisiana.
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. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Policy Statement on the Treatment of
Environmental Justice Matters in NRC
Regulatory and Licensing Actions.
The regulations, NUREG-series
documents, regulatory guides, and the
fact sheet can be found under Document
Collections in the ERR on the NRC
Webpage. The environmental justice
policy statement can be found in the
Federal Register, 69 FR 52040, August
24, 2004.
This notice advises the public that the
NRC intends to gather the information
necessary to prepare an EIS as part of
PO 00000
Frm 00067
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
325
the review of the COL application for
the River Bend Station site. Possible
alternatives to the proposed action
(issuance of the COL for RBS Unit 3)
include no action, reasonable alternative
energy sources, and alternative sites. As
set forth in 10 CFR 51.20(b)(2), issuance
of a full power license to operate a
nuclear power reactor is an action that
requires an EIS. This notice is being
published in accordance with NEPA
and the NRC’s regulations in 10 CFR
Part 51.
The NRC will first conduct a scoping
process for the EIS and, as soon as
practicable 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
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, EOI on behalf of
itself, ELL, EGSL, and EMI,
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,
E:\FR\FM\05JAN1.SGM
05JAN1
326
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 2 / Monday, January 5, 2009 / Notices
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 staff will hold a public
scoping meeting for the EIS regarding
the RBS Unit 3 COL application. The
scoping meeting will be held at the West
Feliciana Parish High School
Auditorium, 8604 U.S. Highway 61, St.
Francisville, Louisiana, 70775, on
Thursday, January 29, 2009. The
meeting will convene at 7 p.m. and will
continue until approximately 10 p.m.
The meeting will be transcribed and
will include the following: (1) An
overview by the NRC staff of the
environmental review process, the
proposed scope of the EIS, and the
proposed review schedule; and (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 the 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 Mr.
Andrew Kugler or Ms. Jessie M. Muir by
telephone at 1–800–368–5642,
extension 2828 or 0491, respectively, or
via e-mail to the NRC at
RBS3.COLAEIS@nrc.gov no later than
January 21, 2009.
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 Ms. Jessie M. Muir’s
attention no later than January 14, 2009,
so that the NRC staff can determine
VerDate Aug<31>2005
14:05 Jan 02, 2009
Jkt 217001
whether the request can be
accommodated.
Members of the public may send
written comments on the scope of the
RBS3 COL environmental review to the
Chief, Rules and Directives Branch,
Division of Administrative Services,
Office of Administration, Mailstop
TWB–05–B01M, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555–0001, and should cite the
publication date and page number of
this Federal Register notice. To be
considered in the scoping process,
written comments must be postmarked
or delivered by February 23, 2009.
Electronic comments may be sent via email to the NRC at
RBS3.COLAEIS@nrc.gov. Electronic
submissions must be sent no later than
March 6, 2009, 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 and opportunity to request leave
to intervene in the proceeding on the
application for COL will be published in
a future Federal Register notice.
At the conclusion of the scoping
process, the NRC staff will prepare a
concise summary of the determination
and conclusions reached on the scope of
the environmental review, including the
significant issues identified, and will
send this summary to each participant
in the scoping process for whom the
staff has an address. 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 of the
draft EIS 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 comments on the draft EIS, 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 Mr. Andrew
Kugler at 301–415–2828 or via e-mail at
Andrew.Kugler@nrc.gov, or Ms. Jessie
M. Muir at 301–415–0491 or via e-mail
at Jessie.Muir@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day
of December 2008.
PO 00000
Frm 00068
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Scott C. Flanders,
Director, Division of Site and Environmental
Reviews, Office of New Reactors.
[FR Doc. E8–31276 Filed 1–2–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES
TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Determination Regarding Waiver of
Discriminatory Purchasing
Requirements With Respect to Goods
and Services Covered by Chapter Nine
of the United States-Oman Free Trade
Agreement
AGENCY: Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
ACTION: Determination under Trade
Agreements Act of 1979.
Effective Date: January 1, 2009.
Jean
Heilman Grier, Senior Procurement
Negotiator, Office of the United States
Trade Representative, (202) 395–9476,
or Katherine Tai, Associate General
Counsel, Office of the United States
Trade Representative, (202) 395–9589.
On January 19, 2006, the United
States and Oman entered into the
United States-Oman Free Trade
Agreement (‘‘Oman FTA’’). Chapter
Nine of the Oman FTA sets forth certain
obligations with respect to government
procurement of goods and services, as
specified in Annex 9 of the Oman FTA.
On September 26, 2006, the President
signed into law the United States-Oman
Free Trade Agreement Implementation
Act (‘‘the Oman FTA Act’’) (Pub. L.
109–283, 120 Stat. 1191) (19 U.S.C. 3805
note). In section 101(a) of the Oman
FTA Act, the Congress approved the
Oman FTA. The Oman FTA entered into
force on January 1, 2009.
Section 1–201 of Executive Order
12260 of December 31, 1980 (46 FR
1653) delegates the functions of the
President under Sections 301 and 302 of
the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (‘‘the
Trade Agreements Act’’) (19 U.S.C.
2511, 2512) to the United States Trade
Representative.
Now, therefore, I, Susan C. Schwab,
United States Trade Representative, in
conformity with the provisions of
Sections 301 and 302 of the Trade
Agreements Act, and Executive Order
12260, and in order to carry out U.S.
obligations under Chapter Nine of the
Oman FTA, do hereby determine that:
1. Oman is a country, other than a
major industrialized country, which,
pursuant to the Oman FTA, will provide
appropriate reciprocal competitive
government procurement opportunities
DATES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
E:\FR\FM\05JAN1.SGM
05JAN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 2 (Monday, January 5, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 324-326]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-31276]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 52-036]
Entergy Operations, Inc.; River Bend Station Unit 3 Combined
License Application; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement and Conduct Scoping Process
Entergy Operations, Inc. (EOI) on behalf of itself; Entergy
Louisiana, LLC (ELL); Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, L.L.C. (EGSL); and
Entergy Mississippi, Inc. (EMI) has submitted an application
[[Page 325]]
for a combined license (COL) to build Unit 3 at its River Bend Station
(RBS) site, located on approximately 3,330 acres in West Feliciana
Parish on the Mississippi River, approximately three miles southeast of
St. Francisville, Louisiana and 24 miles north-northwest of Baton
Rouge, Louisiana. EOI submitted the application for the COL to the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on September 25, 2008, pursuant to
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 52.
A notice of receipt and availability of the application, including
the environmental report (ER), was published in the Federal Register on
November 17, 2008 (73 FR 67895). A notice of acceptance for docketing
of the application for the COL was published in the Federal Register on
December 10, 2008 (73 FR 75141). A notice of hearing and opportunity to
petition for leave to intervene in the proceeding of the application
will be the published in a future Federal Register.
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) as part of the review of the COL application 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, EOI submitted the ER as
part of the COL 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 (PARS) 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 (ERR) link. The accession number in
ADAMS for the environmental report included in the application is
ML082830263. 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 via e-mail
to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov. The application may also be viewed on the
Internet at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/col/river-
bend.html. In addition, the following libraries have agreed to make the
ER available for public inspection:
1. State Library of Louisiana at 701 North 4th Street, Baton Rouge,
Louisiana;
2. West Feliciana Parish Library at 11865 Ferdinand Street, St.
Francisville, Louisiana; and
3. Point Coupee Parish Library; at 201 Claybourne Street, New
Roads, Louisiana.
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. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Policy Statement on the Treatment
of Environmental Justice Matters in NRC Regulatory and Licensing
Actions.
The regulations, NUREG-series documents, regulatory guides, and the
fact sheet can be found under Document Collections in the ERR on the
NRC Webpage. The environmental justice policy statement can be found in
the Federal Register, 69 FR 52040, August 24, 2004.
This notice advises the public that the NRC intends to gather the
information necessary to prepare an EIS as part of the review of the
COL application for the River Bend Station site. Possible alternatives
to the proposed action (issuance of the COL for RBS Unit 3) include no
action, reasonable alternative energy sources, and alternative sites.
As set forth in 10 CFR 51.20(b)(2), issuance of a full power license to
operate a nuclear power reactor is an action that requires an EIS. This
notice is being published in accordance with NEPA and the NRC's
regulations in 10 CFR Part 51.
The NRC will first conduct a scoping process for the EIS and, as
soon as practicable 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 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, EOI on behalf of itself, ELL, EGSL, and EMI,
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,
[[Page 326]]
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 staff will hold a public scoping
meeting for the EIS regarding the RBS Unit 3 COL application. The
scoping meeting will be held at the West Feliciana Parish High School
Auditorium, 8604 U.S. Highway 61, St. Francisville, Louisiana, 70775,
on Thursday, January 29, 2009. The meeting will convene at 7 p.m. and
will continue until approximately 10 p.m. The meeting will be
transcribed and will include the following: (1) An overview by the NRC
staff of the environmental review process, the proposed scope of the
EIS, and the proposed review schedule; and (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 the 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 Mr. Andrew Kugler or Ms. Jessie M. Muir by telephone at 1-
800-368-5642, extension 2828 or 0491, respectively, or via e-mail to
the NRC at RBS3.COLAEIS@nrc.gov no later than January 21, 2009.
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 Ms. Jessie M. Muir's
attention no later than January 14, 2009, 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
RBS3 COL environmental review to the Chief, Rules and Directives
Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration,
Mailstop TWB-05-B01M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555-0001, and should cite the publication date and page number of
this Federal Register notice. To be considered in the scoping process,
written comments must be postmarked or delivered by February 23, 2009.
Electronic comments may be sent via e-mail to the NRC at
RBS3.COLAEIS@nrc.gov. Electronic submissions must be sent no later than
March 6, 2009, 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 and opportunity to request leave to
intervene in the proceeding on the application for COL will be
published in a future Federal Register notice.
At the conclusion of the scoping process, the NRC staff will
prepare a concise summary of the determination and conclusions reached
on the scope of the environmental review, including the significant
issues identified, and will send this summary to each participant in
the scoping process for whom the staff has an address. 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 of the draft EIS 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 comments on the draft EIS, 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 Mr. Andrew Kugler at 301-415-2828 or via
e-mail at Andrew.Kugler@nrc.gov, or Ms. Jessie M. Muir at 301-415-0491
or via e-mail at Jessie.Muir@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day of December 2008.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Scott C. Flanders,
Director, Division of Site and Environmental Reviews, Office of New
Reactors.
[FR Doc. E8-31276 Filed 1-2-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P