Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Humboldt Bay Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation, 56944-56947 [2013-22468]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 179 / Monday, September 16, 2013 / Notices
activities: (1) Research, (2) education,
(3) knowledge transfer, (4) partnerships,
(5) shared experimental facilities, (6)
diversity, (7) management, and (8)
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For each of the categories the report
will describe overall objectives for the
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encountered in making progress towards
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following year, and specific outputs and
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MRSECs are required to file a final
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Estimate of Burden: 185 hours per
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Estimated Number of Responses per
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Dated: September 11, 2013.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science
Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2013–22442 Filed 9–13–13; 8:45 am]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Advisory Committee for Geosciences;
Notice of Meeting
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In accordance with the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–
463, as amended), the National Science
Foundation announces the following
meeting:
Name: Advisory Committee for
Geosciences (1755).
Dates: October 9, 2013, 8:30 a.m.–5:00
p.m.; October 10, 2013, 8:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Place: Stafford I, Room 1235, National
Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, Virginia 22230.
Type of Meeting: Open.
Contact Person: Melissa Lane, National
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Minutes: May be obtained from the contact
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Purpose of Meeting: To provide advice,
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Agenda
October 9, 2013
• Meeting with the Acting Director.
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• Directorate and NSF activities and plans.
• Topical subcommittees on education/
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• COV reports.
October 10, 2013
• Discussion of NSF Education Programs.
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• Action Items/Planning for Fall Meeting.
Dated: September 11, 2013.
Susanne Bolton,
Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 2013–22425 Filed 9–13–13; 8:45 am]
• Nominations Committee
recommendations
Meeting Adjourns: 4:15 p.m.
Ann Bushmiller,
Senior Counsel to the National Science Board.
[FR Doc. 2013–22590 Filed 9–12–13; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 7555–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
BILLING CODE 7555–01–P
[Docket No. 40–9091–MLA; ASLBP No. 12–
915–01–MLA–BD01]
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Strata Energy, Inc. (Ross In Situ
Recovery Uranium Project); Notice of
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board
Reconstitution
Sunshine Act Meetings; National
Science Board
The National Science Board, pursuant
to NSF regulations (45 CFR part 614),
the National Science Foundation Act, as
amended (42 U.S.C. 1862n–5), and the
Government in the Sunshine Act (5
U.S.C. 552b), hereby gives notice of the
scheduling of meetings for the
transaction of National Science Board
business, as follows:
DATE AND TIME: September 19, 2013 from
8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and from 4:00
p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
PLACE: The morning meeting will be
held at the University of Washington,
Odegaard Undergraduate Library, Room
220, 4060 George Washington Lane,
Seattle, Washington 98195. It is open to
the public. The afternoon meeting will
be held at the University of Washington,
Gerberding Hall. This meeting is closed
to the public.
STATUS: Portion open; portion closed.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Please refer to
the National Science Board Web site
(https://www.nsf.gov/nsb/notices/) for
additional information and schedule
updates, or contact Jennie Moehlmann,
jmoehlma@nsf.gov, or (703) 292–7000.
The Public Affairs contact is Dana
Topousis, dtopousi@nsf.gov, (703) 292–
7750.
Plenary Board Meeting Agenda
Open Session: 8:00–11:00 a.m.
• Chairman’s introduction and welcome
from the University of Washington
• Presentations and Panel Discussion:
‘‘The Future of Advanced
Cyberinfrastructure for Science and
Engineering, Research and
Education.’’ Moderator, Dr. Kelvin
Droegemeier, NSB Vice-chairman.
• Chairman’s remarks
Plenary Executive Closed Session: 4:00–
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• Chairman’s remarks
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Pursuant to 10 CFR 2.313(c) and
2.321(b), the Atomic Safety and
Licensing Board (Board) in the abovecaptioned Strata Energy, Inc. case is
hereby reconstituted by appointing
Administrative Judge Craig M. White to
serve on the Board in place of
Administrative Judge Kenneth L.
Mossman.
All correspondence, documents, and
other materials shall continue to be filed
in accordance with the NRC E-Filing
rule. See 10 CFR 2.302 et seq.
Issued at Rockville, Maryland this 10th day
of September 2013.
E. Roy Hawkens,
Chief Administrative Judge, Atomic Safety
and Licensing Board Panel.
[FR Doc. 2013–22466 Filed 9–13–13; 8:45 am]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY
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[Docket No. 72–27; NRC–2011–0115]
Pacific Gas and Electric Company;
Humboldt Bay Independent Spent Fuel
Storage Installation
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and
finding of no significant impact.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is issuing an
environmental assessment (EA) and a
finding of no significant impact (FONSI)
for an amendment request submitted by
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
(PG&E), on September 8, 2010, as
supplemented, for the Humboldt Bay
Independent Spent Fuel Storage
Installation (ISFSI).
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID
NRC–2011–0115 when contacting the
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 179 / Monday, September 16, 2013 / Notices
NRC about the availability of
information regarding this document.
You may access publicly-available
information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2011–0115. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol
Gallagher; telephone: 301–287–3422;
email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. 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 access publicly
available documents online in the NRC
Library at https://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/adams.html. To begin the search,
select ‘‘ADAMS Public Documents’’ and
then 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, 301–415–4737, or by
email to pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The
ADAMS accession number for each
document referenced in this document
(if that document is available in
ADAMS) is provided the first time that
a document is referenced. In addition,
for the convenience of the reader, the
ADAMS accession numbers are
provided in a table in the section of this
document entitled, Availability of
Documents.
• NRC’s PDR: You may examine and
purchase copies of public documents at
the NRC’s PDR, Room O1–F21, One
White Flint North, 11555 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kristina Banovac, Project Manager,
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and
Safeguards, telephone: 301–287–0686,
email: Kristina.Banovac@nrc.gov; U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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I. Introduction
The NRC is considering issuance of an
amendment to Materials License No.
SNM–2514 that would allow for the
storage of greater than Class C (GTCC)
process waste at the Humboldt Bay
ISFSI. PG&E submitted its license
amendment request by letter dated
September 8, 2010 (ADAMS Accession
No. ML102530291), as supplemented on
January 28, 2011 (ADAMS Accession
No. ML110400027), April 1, 2011
(ADAMS Accession No. ML110940211),
September 9, 2011 (ADAMS Accession
No. ML112521432), June 19, 2012
(ADAMS Accession No. ML12171A306),
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June 25, 2012 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML12178A273), October 4, 2012
(ADAMS Accession No. ML12279A041),
January 16, 2013 (ADAMS Accession
No. ML13017A375), March 7, 2013
(ADAMS Accession No. ML13071A073),
and March 21, 2013 (ADAMS Accession
No. ML13084A078). On April 14, 2011,
the NRC staff found PG&E’s application
to be acceptable for a detailed review
(ADAMS Accession No. ML111050245).
The NRC published a notice of
amendment and opportunity to request
a hearing and to petition for leave to
intervene in the Federal Register on
May 27, 2011 (76 FR 30980).
The NRC staff has prepared an EA
(ADAMS Accession No. ML13241A289)
in support of its review of PG&E’s
license amendment request, in
accordance with the NRC regulations in
part 51 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR), ‘‘Environmental
Protection Regulations for Domestic
Licensing and Related Regulatory
Functions,’’ which implement the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. § 4321 et
seq.). Based on the EA, the NRC staff has
determined that the proposed
amendment to License No. SNM–2514
to allow storage of GTCC process waste
at the Humboldt Bay ISFSI will not
significantly affect the quality of the
human environment, and the NRC, thus,
has concluded that a FONSI is
appropriate. The NRC staff further finds
that preparation of an environmental
impact statement (EIS) is not warranted.
II. Environmental Assessment
Summary
Background
The Humboldt Bay ISFSI is located on
the Humboldt Bay Power Plant (HBPP)
site, in Humboldt County, California,
approximately 4.8 kilometers (3 miles)
southwest of the city of Eureka,
California. PG&E is currently storing
spent nuclear fuel and is authorized by
NRC, under License No. SNM–2514, to
also store GTCC activated metal waste at
the Humboldt Bay ISFSI.
Proposed Action
PG&E initiated the proposed federal
action by submitting an application to
amend NRC License No. SNM–2514 to
allow approximately 0.5 cubic feet of
solid GTCC process waste to be stored
at the Humboldt Bay ISFSI. The GTCC
process waste consists of miscellaneous
solid waste resulting from HBPP Unit 3
operations and from decommissioning,
including debris from spent fuel pool
cleanup. The license amendment, if
approved, would allow PG&E to store
the GTCC process waste at the
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Humboldt Bay ISFSI, in accordance
with the requirements in 10 CFR part
72.
The proposed license amendment
does not involve any construction
activities, land disturbance, excavation,
or physical changes to the HBPP
facilities, site, or environment. The
proposed action involves a change
associated with ISFSI operations, by the
addition of the GTCC process waste as
a material that can be stored at the
existing Humboldt Bay ISFSI. The GTCC
process waste would be stored in the
same GTCC storage cask as the GTCC
activated metal waste that is already
approved to be stored in the ISFSI. The
proposed action involves a minor
change in the design of the GTCC
storage cask, in that a section of pipe is
welded to the bottom of the inner
canister to hold and provide
stabilization for the process waste
container that contains the process
waste. The proposed action also
involves a minor change in the loading
operations in the HBPP Unit 3 spent
fuel pool, in that the process waste
container would need to be placed in
the storage cask before the activated
metal is placed in the cask.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed
Action.
The purpose and need for the
proposed action is to provide an option
that allows temporary dry storage of
GTCC process waste resulting from
operation and decommissioning of
HBPP Unit 3. PG&E is in the process of
decommissioning HBPP Unit 3. As
decommissioning activities commenced,
it became apparent to PG&E that License
No. SNM–2514 would need to be
amended to allow storage of the GTCC
process waste at the ISFSI. Removal of
GTCC process waste from the HBPP
Unit 3 spent fuel pool to the existing
ISFSI would permit the dismantling and
decommissioning of the existing reactor
structures (including the spent fuel
pool) of the HBPP Unit 3 facility. This
would allow earlier termination of the
10 CFR part 50 license for HBPP Unit
3 (License No. DPR–7) and release of
most areas for unrestricted use.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed
Action
The NRC staff has determined that
potential environmental impacts
associated with storage of the GTCC
process waste at the Humboldt Bay
ISFSI are bounded by the environmental
impacts associated with construction,
operation, and decommissioning of the
ISFSI. These environmental impacts
were evaluated in the NRC staff’s
assessment, ‘‘Environmental
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Assessment Related to the Construction
and Operation of the Humboldt Bay
Independent Spent Fuel Storage
Installation,’’ dated October 2005, in
which the NRC staff concluded that the
construction, operation, and
decommissioning of the Humboldt Bay
ISFSI would not result in a significant
impact to the environment (ADAMS
Accession No. ML052430106).
The NRC staff expects the radiological
doses to workers and to the public
associated with the proposed action to
be bounded by previous analyses, and
that radiological doses would be below
the NRC’s regulatory limits in 10 CFR
Part 20 and Part 72. Additionally, the
NRC staff expects that non-radiological
environmental impacts from storage of
the GTCC process waste at the ISFSI,
would be bounded by those previously
analyzed, because: (1) The proposed
action would not involve any
construction activities, land
disturbance, excavation, physical
changes to the HBPP facilities, or
changes in land use; (2) operation of the
ISFSI does not require usage of water
resources; and (3) the ISFSI does not
generate gaseous, liquid, or solid
effluents or wastes during operation.
The NRC staff evaluated the direct
effects, indirect effects, and cumulative
impacts that each resource area—land
use, transportation, socioeconomics, air
quality, geology and soils, water
resources, ecology, including threatened
and endangered species, noise, visual
and scenic resources, public and
occupational health, and waste
management—may encounter from the
proposed action. The NRC staff
determined that the impacts in these
areas would not be significant. The NRC
staff also analyzed the impacts of the
proposed action on historic and cultural
resources and determined that the
proposed action will have no effect on
historic and cultural resources. The
NRC staff also evaluated the impacts
from a hypothetical terrorist attack on
the GTCC process waste and concluded
that a hypothetical terrorist attack
would not result in a significant
environmental impact.
Alternative to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed
action, the NRC staff considered denial
of the amendment request (i.e., the ‘‘noaction’’ alternative). Under the no-action
alternative, PG&E would continue to
store the GTCC process waste under its
10 CFR Part 50 license for HBPP Unit
3, either in the spent fuel pool or in
another appropriately shielded
configuration. PG&E would not be able
to completely decommission the
existing Unit 3 radioactive reactor
structures and facility, including the
spent fuel pool, and therefore would not
be able to request termination of the 10
CFR part 50 license (License No. DPR–
7) and release of most areas of the site
for unrestricted use. PG&E would
continue to maintain and monitor the
spent fuel pool, the management of
solid radioactive wastes, and the
monitoring of effluents under the
existing 10 CFR part 50 license. Denial
of the amendment request would result
in no change to the environmental
impacts associated with storage of GTCC
process waste at the spent fuel pool
under the 10 CFR part 50 license.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC staff consulted with several
other agencies and parties regarding the
environmental impacts of the proposed
action. These consultations were
intended to afford the designated agency
or party the opportunity to comment on
the proposed action and to ensure that
the requirements of Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act,
Section 7 of the Endangered Species
Act, and Section 305 of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act are met with respect to
the proposed action. With regard to the
above laws, NRC staff requested input
from the California Office of Historic
Preservation, the California Native
American Heritage Commission,
Federally-recognized Indian Tribes (the
Wiyot Tribe, the Bear River Band of
Rohnerville Rancheria, and the Blue
Lake Rancheria), the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, and the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration National Marine
Fisheries Service. The NRC staff used
the information provided during the
consultations to inform its EA.
The NRC staff provided a draft of its
EA to the California Energy Commission
for review. On July 12, 2013, the
California Energy Commission
responded by electronic mail and stated
that it had no comments on the EA.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC staff has reviewed PG&E’s
license amendment request to allow
storage of GTCC process waste at the
Humboldt Bay ISFSI. Based on its
review of the proposed action, in
accordance with the requirements in 10
CFR part 51, the NRC staff has
determined that approval of the
proposed amendment to NRC License
No. SNM–2514 to allow storage of GTCC
process waste at the Humboldt Bay
ISFSI will not significantly affect the
quality of the human environment. For
these reasons, NRC has determined that
pursuant to 10 CFR 51.31, preparation
of an EIS is not required for the
proposed action, and pursuant to 10
CFR 51.32, a Finding of No Significant
Impact is appropriate.
IV. Availability of Documents
The following documents, related to
this Notice, can be found using any of
the methods provided in the following
table. Instructions for accessing ADAMS
were provided under the ADDRESSES
section of this Notice.
ADAMS
Accession No./
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Date
Document
September 8, 2010 ..................................
January 28, 2011 .....................................
April 1, 2011 ............................................
September 9, 2011 ..................................
June 19, 2012 ..........................................
June 25, 2012 ..........................................
October 4, 2012 .......................................
January 16, 2013 .....................................
March 7, 2013 .........................................
March 21, 2013 .......................................
April 14, 2011 ..........................................
May 27, 2011 ...........................................
PG&E’s application for license amendment ..............................................................
Supplement to PG&E’s application for license amendment .....................................
Supplement to PG&E’s application for license amendment .....................................
Supplement to PG&E’s application for license amendment .....................................
Supplement to PG&E’s application for license amendment .....................................
Supplement to PG&E’s application for license amendment .....................................
Supplement to PG&E’s application for license amendment .....................................
Supplement to PG&E’s application for license amendment .....................................
Supplement to PG&E’s application for license amendment .....................................
Supplement to PG&E’s application for license amendment .....................................
NRC acceptance of PG&E’s application for detailed review ....................................
Notice of amendment and opportunity to request a hearing and to petition for
leave to intervene.
NRC staff’s EA for the license amendment ..............................................................
September 9, 2013 ..................................
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ADAMS
Accession No./
Federal Register citation
Date
Document
October 2005 ...........................................
NRC staff’s original EA supporting issuance of license for Humboldt Bay ISFSI ....
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day
of September 2013.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Kristina L. Banovac,
Project Manager, Licensing Branch, Division
of Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation,
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and
Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2013–22468 Filed 9–13–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket No. 72–10; NRC–2013–0207]
Prairie Island; Independent Spent Fuel
Storage Installation; Notice of
Docketing of Amendment Request to
Special Nuclear Materials; License No.
2506 Containing Sensitive Unclassified
Non-Safeguards Information
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: License amendment request;
opportunity to request a hearing and
petition for leave to intervene; order.
AGENCY:
Northern States Power
Company requests a revision to the
Technical Specifications of the TN–
40HT cask utilized at its Prairie Island
independent spent fuel storage
installation located in Welch,
Minnesota.
DATES: Requests for a hearing or petition
for leave to intervene must be filed by
November 15, 2013. Any potential party
as defined in Section 2.4 of Title 10 of
the Code of Federal Regulations (10
CFR), who believes access to Sensitive
Unclassified Non-Safeguards
Information (SUNSI) is necessary to
respond to this document must request
document access by September 26,
2013.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID
NRC–2013–0207 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of
information regarding this document.
You may access information related to
this document, which the NRC
possesses and is publicly available,
using any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2013–0207. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol
Gallagher; telephone: 301–287–3422;
email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. For
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SUMMARY:
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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 access publicly
available documents online in the NRC
Library at https://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/adams.html. To begin the search,
select ‘‘ADAMS Public Documents’’ and
then 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, 301–415–4737, or by
email to pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The
ADAMS accession number for each
document referenced in this document
(if that document is available in
ADAMS) is provided the first time that
a document is referenced.
• NRC’s PDR: You may examine and
purchase copies of public documents at
the NRC’s PDR, Room O1–F21, One
White Flint North, 11555 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Chris Allen, Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555–0001; telephone: 301–287–
9225; email: William.Allen@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) received, by letter
dated July 17, 2013, a license
amendment application from Northern
States Power Company (NSPM),
requesting a revision to the Technical
Specifications of the TN–40HT cask
utilized at its Prairie Island independent
spent fuel storage installation located in
Welch, Minnesota (ADAMS Accession
No. ML13205A141). License No. SNM–
2506 authorizes the licensee to receive,
store, and transfer spent fuel from
Prairie Island Nuclear Station Units 1
and 2. Specifically, the amendment
seeks to lower the allowed thermal
conductance of the neutron absorber
and aluminum 1100 plate utilized in the
TN–40HT cask from 3.98 BTU/hr-deg F
to 3.55 BTU/hr-deg F.
An NRC administrative review,
documented in a letter to NSPM dated
August 9, 2013, found the application
acceptable to begin a technical review
(ADAMS Accession No. ML13226A085).
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If the NRC approves the amendment, the
approval will be documented in an
amendment to NRC License No. SNM–
2506. However, before approving the
proposed amendment, the NRC will
need to make the findings required by
the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as
amended (the Act), and the NRC’s
regulations. These findings will be
documented in a Safety Evaluation
Report. The NRC will also make
findings consistent with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and
Part 51 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR).
II. Opportunity To Request a Hearing
and Petitions for Leave To Intervene
Requirements for hearing requests and
petitions for leave to intervene are
found in 10 CFR 2.309, ‘‘Hearing
requests, petitions to intervene,
requirements for standing, and
contentions.’’ Interested persons should
consult 10 CFR 2.309, which is available
at the NRC’s PDR, located at O1–F21,
One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, MD 20852 or call the
PDR at 1–800–397–4209 or 301–415–
4737. The NRC’s regulations are also
accessible electronically from the NRC
Library on the NRC’s Web site at
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doccollections/cfr/.
Any person whose interest may be
affected by this proceeding and who
wishes to participate as a party in the
proceeding must file a written request
for hearing and petition for leave to
intervene. As required by 10 CFR 2.309,
a petition for leave to intervene shall set
forth with particularity the interest of
the petitioner in the proceeding and
how that interest may be affected by the
results of the proceeding. Pursuant to 10
CFR 2.390(d), the petition must provide
the name, address, and telephone
number of the petitioner and
specifically explain the reasons why
intervention should be permitted with
particular reference to the following
factors: (1) The nature of the petitioner’s
right under the Act to be made a party
to the proceeding; (2) the nature and
extent of the petitioner’s property,
financial, or other interest in the
proceeding; and (3) the possible effect of
any order that may be entered in the
proceeding on the petitioner’s interest.
A petition for leave to intervene must
also include a specification of the
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 179 (Monday, September 16, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56944-56947]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-22468]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 72-27; NRC-2011-0115]
Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Humboldt Bay Independent Spent
Fuel Storage Installation
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an
environmental assessment (EA) and a finding of no significant impact
(FONSI) for an amendment request submitted by Pacific Gas and Electric
Company (PG&E), on September 8, 2010, as supplemented, for the Humboldt
Bay Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI).
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2011-0115 when contacting the
[[Page 56945]]
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You
may access publicly-available information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2011-0115. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-287-
3422; email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. 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 access publicly available documents online in the NRC
Library at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the
search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and then 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, 301-415-
4737, or by email to pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The ADAMS accession number
for each document referenced in this document (if that document is
available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is
referenced. In addition, for the convenience of the reader, the ADAMS
accession numbers are provided in a table in the section of this
document entitled, Availability of Documents.
NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristina Banovac, Project Manager,
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, telephone: 301-287-
0686, email: Kristina.Banovac@nrc.gov; U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is considering issuance of an amendment to Materials
License No. SNM-2514 that would allow for the storage of greater than
Class C (GTCC) process waste at the Humboldt Bay ISFSI. PG&E submitted
its license amendment request by letter dated September 8, 2010 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML102530291), as supplemented on January 28, 2011 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML110400027), April 1, 2011 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML110940211), September 9, 2011 (ADAMS Accession No. ML112521432), June
19, 2012 (ADAMS Accession No. ML12171A306), June 25, 2012 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML12178A273), October 4, 2012 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML12279A041), January 16, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. ML13017A375), March
7, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. ML13071A073), and March 21, 2013 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML13084A078). On April 14, 2011, the NRC staff found
PG&E's application to be acceptable for a detailed review (ADAMS
Accession No. ML111050245). The NRC published a notice of amendment and
opportunity to request a hearing and to petition for leave to intervene
in the Federal Register on May 27, 2011 (76 FR 30980).
The NRC staff has prepared an EA (ADAMS Accession No. ML13241A289)
in support of its review of PG&E's license amendment request, in
accordance with the NRC regulations in part 51 of Title 10 of the Code
of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Environmental Protection Regulations
for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions,'' which
implement the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42
U.S.C. Sec. 4321 et seq.). Based on the EA, the NRC staff has
determined that the proposed amendment to License No. SNM-2514 to allow
storage of GTCC process waste at the Humboldt Bay ISFSI will not
significantly affect the quality of the human environment, and the NRC,
thus, has concluded that a FONSI is appropriate. The NRC staff further
finds that preparation of an environmental impact statement (EIS) is
not warranted.
II. Environmental Assessment Summary
Background
The Humboldt Bay ISFSI is located on the Humboldt Bay Power Plant
(HBPP) site, in Humboldt County, California, approximately 4.8
kilometers (3 miles) southwest of the city of Eureka, California. PG&E
is currently storing spent nuclear fuel and is authorized by NRC, under
License No. SNM-2514, to also store GTCC activated metal waste at the
Humboldt Bay ISFSI.
Proposed Action
PG&E initiated the proposed federal action by submitting an
application to amend NRC License No. SNM-2514 to allow approximately
0.5 cubic feet of solid GTCC process waste to be stored at the Humboldt
Bay ISFSI. The GTCC process waste consists of miscellaneous solid waste
resulting from HBPP Unit 3 operations and from decommissioning,
including debris from spent fuel pool cleanup. The license amendment,
if approved, would allow PG&E to store the GTCC process waste at the
Humboldt Bay ISFSI, in accordance with the requirements in 10 CFR part
72.
The proposed license amendment does not involve any construction
activities, land disturbance, excavation, or physical changes to the
HBPP facilities, site, or environment. The proposed action involves a
change associated with ISFSI operations, by the addition of the GTCC
process waste as a material that can be stored at the existing Humboldt
Bay ISFSI. The GTCC process waste would be stored in the same GTCC
storage cask as the GTCC activated metal waste that is already approved
to be stored in the ISFSI. The proposed action involves a minor change
in the design of the GTCC storage cask, in that a section of pipe is
welded to the bottom of the inner canister to hold and provide
stabilization for the process waste container that contains the process
waste. The proposed action also involves a minor change in the loading
operations in the HBPP Unit 3 spent fuel pool, in that the process
waste container would need to be placed in the storage cask before the
activated metal is placed in the cask.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action.
The purpose and need for the proposed action is to provide an
option that allows temporary dry storage of GTCC process waste
resulting from operation and decommissioning of HBPP Unit 3. PG&E is in
the process of decommissioning HBPP Unit 3. As decommissioning
activities commenced, it became apparent to PG&E that License No. SNM-
2514 would need to be amended to allow storage of the GTCC process
waste at the ISFSI. Removal of GTCC process waste from the HBPP Unit 3
spent fuel pool to the existing ISFSI would permit the dismantling and
decommissioning of the existing reactor structures (including the spent
fuel pool) of the HBPP Unit 3 facility. This would allow earlier
termination of the 10 CFR part 50 license for HBPP Unit 3 (License No.
DPR-7) and release of most areas for unrestricted use.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff has determined that potential environmental impacts
associated with storage of the GTCC process waste at the Humboldt Bay
ISFSI are bounded by the environmental impacts associated with
construction, operation, and decommissioning of the ISFSI. These
environmental impacts were evaluated in the NRC staff's assessment,
``Environmental
[[Page 56946]]
Assessment Related to the Construction and Operation of the Humboldt
Bay Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation,'' dated October 2005,
in which the NRC staff concluded that the construction, operation, and
decommissioning of the Humboldt Bay ISFSI would not result in a
significant impact to the environment (ADAMS Accession No.
ML052430106).
The NRC staff expects the radiological doses to workers and to the
public associated with the proposed action to be bounded by previous
analyses, and that radiological doses would be below the NRC's
regulatory limits in 10 CFR Part 20 and Part 72. Additionally, the NRC
staff expects that non-radiological environmental impacts from storage
of the GTCC process waste at the ISFSI, would be bounded by those
previously analyzed, because: (1) The proposed action would not involve
any construction activities, land disturbance, excavation, physical
changes to the HBPP facilities, or changes in land use; (2) operation
of the ISFSI does not require usage of water resources; and (3) the
ISFSI does not generate gaseous, liquid, or solid effluents or wastes
during operation.
The NRC staff evaluated the direct effects, indirect effects, and
cumulative impacts that each resource area--land use, transportation,
socioeconomics, air quality, geology and soils, water resources,
ecology, including threatened and endangered species, noise, visual and
scenic resources, public and occupational health, and waste
management--may encounter from the proposed action. The NRC staff
determined that the impacts in these areas would not be significant.
The NRC staff also analyzed the impacts of the proposed action on
historic and cultural resources and determined that the proposed action
will have no effect on historic and cultural resources. The NRC staff
also evaluated the impacts from a hypothetical terrorist attack on the
GTCC process waste and concluded that a hypothetical terrorist attack
would not result in a significant environmental impact.
Alternative to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed action, the NRC staff considered
denial of the amendment request (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative).
Under the no-action alternative, PG&E would continue to store the GTCC
process waste under its 10 CFR Part 50 license for HBPP Unit 3, either
in the spent fuel pool or in another appropriately shielded
configuration. PG&E would not be able to completely decommission the
existing Unit 3 radioactive reactor structures and facility, including
the spent fuel pool, and therefore would not be able to request
termination of the 10 CFR part 50 license (License No. DPR-7) and
release of most areas of the site for unrestricted use. PG&E would
continue to maintain and monitor the spent fuel pool, the management of
solid radioactive wastes, and the monitoring of effluents under the
existing 10 CFR part 50 license. Denial of the amendment request would
result in no change to the environmental impacts associated with
storage of GTCC process waste at the spent fuel pool under the 10 CFR
part 50 license.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC staff consulted with several other agencies and parties
regarding the environmental impacts of the proposed action. These
consultations were intended to afford the designated agency or party
the opportunity to comment on the proposed action and to ensure that
the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation
Act, Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, and Section 305 of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act are met with
respect to the proposed action. With regard to the above laws, NRC
staff requested input from the California Office of Historic
Preservation, the California Native American Heritage Commission,
Federally-recognized Indian Tribes (the Wiyot Tribe, the Bear River
Band of Rohnerville Rancheria, and the Blue Lake Rancheria), the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration National Marine Fisheries Service. The NRC staff used
the information provided during the consultations to inform its EA.
The NRC staff provided a draft of its EA to the California Energy
Commission for review. On July 12, 2013, the California Energy
Commission responded by electronic mail and stated that it had no
comments on the EA.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC staff has reviewed PG&E's license amendment request to
allow storage of GTCC process waste at the Humboldt Bay ISFSI. Based on
its review of the proposed action, in accordance with the requirements
in 10 CFR part 51, the NRC staff has determined that approval of the
proposed amendment to NRC License No. SNM-2514 to allow storage of GTCC
process waste at the Humboldt Bay ISFSI will not significantly affect
the quality of the human environment. For these reasons, NRC has
determined that pursuant to 10 CFR 51.31, preparation of an EIS is not
required for the proposed action, and pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, a
Finding of No Significant Impact is appropriate.
IV. Availability of Documents
The following documents, related to this Notice, can be found using
any of the methods provided in the following table. Instructions for
accessing ADAMS were provided under the ADDRESSES section of this
Notice.
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ADAMS Accession
No./Federal
Date Document Register
citation
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September 8, 2010............. PG&E's application for ML102530291
license amendment.
January 28, 2011.............. Supplement to PG&E's ML110400027
application for
license amendment.
April 1, 2011................. Supplement to PG&E's ML110940211
application for
license amendment.
September 9, 2011............. Supplement to PG&E's ML112521432
application for
license amendment.
June 19, 2012................. Supplement to PG&E's ML12171A306
application for
license amendment.
June 25, 2012................. Supplement to PG&E's ML12178A273
application for
license amendment.
October 4, 2012............... Supplement to PG&E's ML12279A041
application for
license amendment.
January 16, 2013.............. Supplement to PG&E's ML13017A375
application for
license amendment.
March 7, 2013................. Supplement to PG&E's ML13071A073
application for
license amendment.
March 21, 2013................ Supplement to PG&E's ML13084A078
application for
license amendment.
April 14, 2011................ NRC acceptance of ML111050245
PG&E's application
for detailed review.
May 27, 2011.................. Notice of amendment 76 FR 30980
and opportunity to
request a hearing and
to petition for leave
to intervene.
September 9, 2013............. NRC staff's EA for the ML13241A289
license amendment.
[[Page 56947]]
October 2005.................. NRC staff's original ML052430106
EA supporting
issuance of license
for Humboldt Bay
ISFSI.
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Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day of September 2013.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Kristina L. Banovac,
Project Manager, Licensing Branch, Division of Spent Fuel Storage and
Transportation, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2013-22468 Filed 9-13-13; 8:45 am]
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