Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.; Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, 31356-31358 [2019-13968]
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 126 / Monday, July 1, 2019 / Notices
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50–293; NRC–2019–0130]
Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.;
Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and
finding of no significant impact;
issuance.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an exemption in response to
a November 16, 2018, request from
Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
(Entergy or the licensee), for Pilgrim
Nuclear Power Station (Pilgrim), located
in Plymouth County, Massachusetts.
The proposed action would permit the
licensee to use funds from the Pilgrim
decommissioning trust fund (the Trust)
for management of spent fuel and site
restoration activities. The staff is issuing
a final environmental assessment and
final finding of no significant impact
associated with the proposed
exemption.
SUMMARY:
The environmental assessment
and finding of no significant impact
referenced in this document is available
on July 1, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID
NRC–2019–0130 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of
information regarding this document.
You may obtain publicly-available
information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2019–0130. Address
questions about NRC dockets IDs in
Regulations.gov to Jennifer Borges;
telephone: 301–287–9127; email:
Jennifer.Borges@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 obtain publiclyavailable documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
adams.html. To begin the search, select
‘‘Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.’’ For
problems with ADAMS, please contact
the NRC’s Public Document Room (PDR)
reference staff at 1–800–397–4209, 301–
415–4737, or by email to pdr.resource@
nrc.gov. For the convenience of the
reader, instructions about obtaining
materials referenced in this document
are provided in the AVAILABILITY OF
DOCUMENTS section.
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DATES:
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• 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:
Scott P. Wall, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555–
0001; telephone: 301–415–2855; email:
Scott.Wall@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
Pursuant to section 50.12 of title 10 of
the Code of Federal Regulations (10
CFR), ‘‘Specific exemptions,’’ the NRC
is considering issuance of an exemption
from 10 CFR 50.82(a)(8)(i)(A) for
Renewed Facility Operating License No.
DPR–35, issued to Entergy for Pilgrim,
located in Plymouth County,
Massachusetts. The proposed action is
in response to the licensee’s application
for exemption dated November 16, 2018
(ADAMS Accession No. ML18320A037).
The exemption would allow the
licensee to use funds from the Trust for
spent fuel management and site
restoration activities, in the same
manner that funds from the Trust are
used under 10 CFR 50.82(a)(8) for
decommissioning activities.
In accordance with 10 CFR 51.21, the
NRC has prepared an environmental
assessment (EA) that analyzes the
environmental effects of the proposed
action. Based on the results of this EA,
and in accordance with 10 CFR 51.31(a),
the NRC has determined not to prepare
an environmental impact statement for
the proposed licensing action and is
issuing a finding of no significant
impact (FONSI).
II. Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would partially
exempt Entergy from the requirements
set forth in 10 CFR 50.82(a)(8)(i)(A).
Specifically, the proposed action would
allow Entergy to use funds from the
Trust for spent fuel management and
site restoration activities not associated
with radiological decommissioning
activities.
The proposed action is also described
in the licensee’s application dated
November 16, 2018 (ADAMS Accession
No. ML18320A037).
Need for the Proposed Action
By letter dated November 10, 2015
(ADAMS Accession No. ML15328A053),
Entergy informed the NRC that it
planned to permanently cease power
operations at Pilgrim no later than June
1, 2019. Entergy permanently ceased
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power operations on May 31, 2019.
Entergy permanently defueled Pilgrim
on June 9, 2019.
As required by 10 CFR
50.82(a)(8)(i)(A), decommissioning trust
funds may be used by the licensee if the
withdrawals are for legitimate
decommissioning activity expenses,
consistent with the definition of
decommissioning in 10 CFR 50.2. This
definition addresses radiological
decontamination and does not include
activities associated with spent fuel
management or site restoration.
Therefore, exemption from 10 CFR
50.82(a)(8)(i)(A) is needed to allow
Entergy to use funds from the Trust for
spent fuel management and site
restoration activities.
Entergy stated that Table 4 of the
application dated November 16, 2018,
demonstrates that the Trust contains the
amount needed to cover the estimated
costs of radiological decommissioning,
as well as spent fuel management and
site restoration activities. The adequacy
of funds in the Trust to cover the costs
of activities associated with spent fuel
management, site restoration, and
radiological decontamination through
license termination is supported by the
Pilgrim Post-Shutdown
Decommissioning Activities Report
submitted by Entergy in a letter dated
November 16, 2018 (ADAMS Accession
No. ML18320A034), as supplemented
by letter dated January 9, 2019 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML19015A020). The
licensee stated that it needs access to
the funds in the Trust in excess of those
needed for radiological decontamination
to support spent fuel management and
site restoration activities not associated
with radiological decontamination.
In summary, by letter dated November
16, 2018, Entergy requested an
exemption from NRC regulations to
allow Trust withdrawals for spent fuel
management and site restoration
activities.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed
Action
The proposed action involves
regulatory requirements that are of a
financial or administrative nature and
that do not have an impact on the
environment. The NRC has completed
its evaluation of the proposed action
and concludes that there is reasonable
assurance that adequate funds are
available in the Trust to complete all
activities associated with
decommissioning and spent fuel
management and site restoration. There
would be no decrease in safety
associated with the use of the Trust to
fund activities associated with spent
fuel management and site restoration.
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 126 / Monday, July 1, 2019 / Notices
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The NRC regulations in 10 CFR
50.82(a)(8)(v) require licensees to
submit a financial assurance status
report annually between the time of
submitting their decommissioning cost
estimate until they submit their final
radiation survey and demonstrate that
residual radioactivity has been reduced
to a level that permits termination of the
operating license. Section 50.82(a)(8)(vi)
of 10 CFR requires that if the sum of the
balance of any remaining
decommissioning funds, plus expected
rate of return, plus any other financial
surety mechanism relied upon by the
licensee, does not cover the estimated
costs to complete the decommissioning,
the financial assurance status report
must include additional financial
assurance to cover the cost of
completion. These annual reports
provide a means for the NRC to monitor
the adequacy of available funding. The
proposed exemption would allow
Entergy to use funds in excess of those
required for radiological
decontamination of the site, and the
adequacy of Trust funds dedicated for
radiological decontamination are not
affected by the proposed exemption.
Thus, there is reasonable assurance that
there will be no environmental effect
due to lack of adequate funding for
decommissioning.
The proposed action will not
significantly increase the probability or
consequences of radiological accidents
or change the types of effluents released
offsite. In addition, there would be no
significant increase in the amount of
any radiological effluent released offsite,
and no significant increase in
occupational or public radiation
exposure. There would be no materials
or chemicals introduced into the plant
affecting the characteristics or types of
effluents released offsite. In addition,
waste processing systems would not be
affected by the proposed exemption.
Therefore, there would be no significant
radiological environmental impacts
associated with the proposed action.
Regarding potential nonradiological
impacts, the proposed action would
have no direct impacts on land use or
water resources, including terrestrial
and aquatic biota, as it involves no new
construction or modification of plant
operational systems. There would be no
changes to the quality or quantity of
nonradiological effluents, and no
changes to the plant’s National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System permits
would be needed. In addition, there
would be no noticeable effect on
socioeconomic and environmental
justice conditions in the region, no air
quality impacts, and no potential to
affect historic properties. Therefore,
there would be no significant
nonradiological environment impacts
associated with the proposed action.
Accordingly, the NRC concludes that
there would be no significant
environmental impacts associated with
the proposed action.
Environmental Impacts of the
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed
action, the NRC staff considered the
denial of the proposed action (i.e., the
‘‘no-action’’ alternative). Denial of the
exemption request would result in no
change in current environmental
impacts. The environmental impacts of
the proposed action and the alternative
action would be similar.
Alternative Use of Resources
There are no unresolved conflicts
concerning alternative uses of available
resources under the proposed action.
Agencies or Persons Consulted
No additional agencies or persons
were consulted regarding the
environmental impact of the proposed
action. On May 20, 2019, the NRC
notified the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts representative of the EA
and FONSI.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The licensee has requested an
exemption from 10 CFR
50.82(a)(8)(i)(A). The proposed action
would allow Entergy to use funds from
the Trust for spent fuel management and
site restoration activities.
The NRC is considering issuing the
requested exemption. The proposed
action would not significantly affect
plant safety, would not have a
significant adverse effect on the
probability of an accident occurring,
and would not have any significant
radiological or nonradiological impacts.
The reason the human environment
would not be significantly affected is
that the proposed action involves an
exemption from requirements that are of
a financial or administrative nature that
do not have an impact on the human
environment. Consistent with 10 CFR
51.21, the NRC conducted the EA for the
proposed action, and this FONSI
incorporates by reference the EA
included in Section II of this notice.
Therefore, the NRC concludes that the
proposed action will not have a
significant effect on the quality of the
human environment. Accordingly, the
NRC has determined there is no need to
prepare an environmental impact
statement for the proposed action.
As required by 10 CFR 51.32(a)(5), the
related environmental document is the
‘‘Generic Environmental Impact
Statement for License Renewal of
Nuclear Plants: Regarding Pilgrim
Nuclear Power Station, Final Report,’’
(NUREG–1437, Supplement 29,
Volumes 1 and 2, ADAMS Accession
Nos. ML071990020 and ML071990027),
which provides the latest environmental
review of current operations and
description of environmental conditions
at Pilgrim.
The finding and other related
environmental documents may be
examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the
NRC’s Public Document Room (PDR),
located at One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland
20852. Publicly available records are
accessible electronically from ADAMS
Public Electronic Reading Room on the
internet at the NRC’s website: https://
www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.
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 by telephone at 1–800–
397–4209 or 301–415–4737, or by email
to pdr.resource@nrc.gov.
IV. Availability of Documents
The documents identified in the
following table are available to
interested persons through one or more
of the following methods, as indicated.
Date
Title
ADAMS
Accession No.
11/16/2018 ......................
11/16/2018 ......................
Letter from Entergy to NRC titled ‘‘Request for Exemption from 10 50.82(a)(8)(i)(A) ..........................
Letter from Entergy to NRC titled ‘‘Post Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station’’.
Letter from Entergy to NRC titled ‘‘Notification of Permanent Cessation of Power Operations’’ ..........
NUREG–1437, Supplement 29, ‘‘Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of
Nuclear Plants: Regarding Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station,’’ Volumes 1 and 2.
ML18320A037
ML18320A034
11/10/2015 ......................
1/2007 .............................
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ML15328A053
ML071990020
ML071990027
31358
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 126 / Monday, July 1, 2019 / Notices
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 26th day
of June, 2019.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Scott P. Wall,
Senior Project Manager, Licensing Projects
Branch III, Division of Operating Reactor
Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2019–13968 Filed 6–28–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 52–047; NRC–2016–0119]
Tennessee Valley Authority; Clinch
River Nuclear Site
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Early site permit application;
notice of hearing.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) will convene an
evidentiary session to receive testimony
and exhibits in the uncontested
proceeding regarding the Tennessee
Valley Authority (TVA) early site permit
(ESP) application. In its application,
TVA proposes to use the Clinch River
Nuclear (CRN) Site in Roane County,
TN, as a site for two or more small
modular reactors (SMRs).
DATES: The hearing will be held on
August 14, 2019, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Eastern Daylight Savings Time. For the
schedule for submitting pre-filed
documents and deadlines affecting
Interested Government Participants, see
Section VI of the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this document.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID
52–047 when contacting the NRC about
the availability of information regarding
this document. You may obtain
publicly-available information related to
this document using any of the
following methods: NRC’s Electronic
Hearing Docket: You may obtain
publicly available documents related to
this hearing online at https://
www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/
adjudicatory.html.
• NRC’s Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publiclyavailable documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
adams.html. To begin the search, select
‘‘Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.’’ For
problems with ADAMS, please contact
the NRC’s Public Document Room (PDR)
reference staff at 1–800–397–4209, 301–
415–4737, or by email to pdr.resource@
nrc.gov. The ADAMS accession number
for each document referenced (if it is
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SUMMARY:
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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:
Denise McGovern, Office of the
Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555–
0001, telephone: 301–415–0681; email:
Denise.McGovern@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Commission hereby gives notice
that, pursuant to Section 189a of the
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended
(the Act), it will convene an evidentiary
session to receive testimony and
exhibits in the uncontested proceeding
regarding TVA’s May 12, 2016, ESP
application for the CRN site under part
52 of the title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR). TVA proposes to
use the CRN site in Roane County, TN,
as a site for two or more small modular
reactors (https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/
new-reactors/esp/clinch-river.html).
This hearing will concern safety and
environmental matters relating to the
requested ESP, as more fully described
below.
II. Evidentiary Uncontested Hearing
The Commission will conduct this
hearing beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern
Daylight Savings Time on August 14,
2019, at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, One White Flint North,
11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
Maryland 20852.
III. Presiding Officer
The Commission is the presiding
officer for this proceeding.
IV. Matters To Be Considered
The matter at issue in this proceeding
is whether the review of the application
by the Commission’s staff has been
adequate to support the findings found
in 10 CFR 52.24 and 10 CFR 51.105.
Findings that must be made for this ESP
are as follows:
Issues Pursuant to the Atomic Energy
Act of 1954, as Amended
The Commission will determine
whether (1) the applicable standards
and requirements of the Act and the
Commission’s regulations have been
met; (2) any required notifications to
other agencies or bodies have been duly
made; (3) there is reasonable assurance
that the site is in conformity with the
provisions of the Act, and the
Commission’s regulations; (4) the
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applicant is technically qualified to
engage in any activities authorized; (5)
issuance of the permit will not be
inimical to the common defense and
security or the health and safety of the
public; and (6) the findings required by
subpart A of 10 CFR part 51 have been
made.
Issues Pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969, as Amended
The Commission will (1) determine
whether the requirements of Sections
102(2)(A), (C), and (E) of NEPA and the
applicable regulations in 10 CFR part 51
have been met; (2) independently
consider the final balance among
conflicting factors contained in the
record of the proceeding with a view to
determining the appropriate action to be
taken; (3) determine, after weighing the
environmental, economic, technical,
and other benefits against
environmental and other costs, and
considering reasonable alternatives,
whether the early site permit should be
issued, denied, or appropriately
conditioned to protect environmental
values; and (4) determine whether the
NEPA review conducted by the NRC
staff has been adequate.
V. Schedule for Submittal of Pre-Filed
Documents
No later than July 26, 2019, unless the
Commission directs otherwise, the NRC
staff and the applicant shall submit a
list of its anticipated witnesses for the
hearing.
No later than July 26, 2019, unless the
Commission directs otherwise, the
applicant shall submit its pre-filed
written testimony. The NRC staff
submitted its testimony on June 21,
2019.
The Commission plans to issue
written questions on July 12, 2019.
Responses to these questions are due on
July 26, 2019, unless the Commission
directs otherwise.
VI. Interested Government Participants
No later than July 9, 2019, any
interested State, local government body,
or affected, federally recognized Indian
Tribe may file with the Commission a
statement of any issues or questions to
which the State, local government body,
or Indian Tribe wishes the Commission
to give particular attention as part of the
proceeding. Such statement may be
accompanied by any supporting
documentation that the State, local
government body, or Indian Tribe sees
fit to provide. Any statements and
supporting documentation (if any)
received by the Commission using the
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 126 (Monday, July 1, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31356-31358]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-13968]
[[Page 31356]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-293; NRC-2019-0130]
Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.; Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact;
issuance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an exemption in response to a November 16, 2018, request
from Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (Entergy or the licensee), for
Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (Pilgrim), located in Plymouth County,
Massachusetts. The proposed action would permit the licensee to use
funds from the Pilgrim decommissioning trust fund (the Trust) for
management of spent fuel and site restoration activities. The staff is
issuing a final environmental assessment and final finding of no
significant impact associated with the proposed exemption.
DATES: The environmental assessment and finding of no significant
impact referenced in this document is available on July 1, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2019-0130 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You
may obtain publicly-available information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2019-0130. Address
questions about NRC dockets IDs in Regulations.gov to Jennifer Borges;
telephone: 301-287-9127; email: [email protected]. For technical
questions, contact the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section of this document.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS
Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public
Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or
by email to [email protected]. For the convenience of the reader,
instructions about obtaining materials referenced in this document are
provided in the AVAILABILITY OF DOCUMENTS section.
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: Scott P. Wall, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-2855; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
Pursuant to section 50.12 of title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR), ``Specific exemptions,'' the NRC is considering
issuance of an exemption from 10 CFR 50.82(a)(8)(i)(A) for Renewed
Facility Operating License No. DPR-35, issued to Entergy for Pilgrim,
located in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. The proposed action is in
response to the licensee's application for exemption dated November 16,
2018 (ADAMS Accession No. ML18320A037). The exemption would allow the
licensee to use funds from the Trust for spent fuel management and site
restoration activities, in the same manner that funds from the Trust
are used under 10 CFR 50.82(a)(8) for decommissioning activities.
In accordance with 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC has prepared an
environmental assessment (EA) that analyzes the environmental effects
of the proposed action. Based on the results of this EA, and in
accordance with 10 CFR 51.31(a), the NRC has determined not to prepare
an environmental impact statement for the proposed licensing action and
is issuing a finding of no significant impact (FONSI).
II. Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would partially exempt Entergy from the
requirements set forth in 10 CFR 50.82(a)(8)(i)(A). Specifically, the
proposed action would allow Entergy to use funds from the Trust for
spent fuel management and site restoration activities not associated
with radiological decommissioning activities.
The proposed action is also described in the licensee's application
dated November 16, 2018 (ADAMS Accession No. ML18320A037).
Need for the Proposed Action
By letter dated November 10, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML15328A053), Entergy informed the NRC that it planned to permanently
cease power operations at Pilgrim no later than June 1, 2019. Entergy
permanently ceased power operations on May 31, 2019. Entergy
permanently defueled Pilgrim on June 9, 2019.
As required by 10 CFR 50.82(a)(8)(i)(A), decommissioning trust
funds may be used by the licensee if the withdrawals are for legitimate
decommissioning activity expenses, consistent with the definition of
decommissioning in 10 CFR 50.2. This definition addresses radiological
decontamination and does not include activities associated with spent
fuel management or site restoration. Therefore, exemption from 10 CFR
50.82(a)(8)(i)(A) is needed to allow Entergy to use funds from the
Trust for spent fuel management and site restoration activities.
Entergy stated that Table 4 of the application dated November 16,
2018, demonstrates that the Trust contains the amount needed to cover
the estimated costs of radiological decommissioning, as well as spent
fuel management and site restoration activities. The adequacy of funds
in the Trust to cover the costs of activities associated with spent
fuel management, site restoration, and radiological decontamination
through license termination is supported by the Pilgrim Post-Shutdown
Decommissioning Activities Report submitted by Entergy in a letter
dated November 16, 2018 (ADAMS Accession No. ML18320A034), as
supplemented by letter dated January 9, 2019 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML19015A020). The licensee stated that it needs access to the funds in
the Trust in excess of those needed for radiological decontamination to
support spent fuel management and site restoration activities not
associated with radiological decontamination.
In summary, by letter dated November 16, 2018, Entergy requested an
exemption from NRC regulations to allow Trust withdrawals for spent
fuel management and site restoration activities.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The proposed action involves regulatory requirements that are of a
financial or administrative nature and that do not have an impact on
the environment. The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed
action and concludes that there is reasonable assurance that adequate
funds are available in the Trust to complete all activities associated
with decommissioning and spent fuel management and site restoration.
There would be no decrease in safety associated with the use of the
Trust to fund activities associated with spent fuel management and site
restoration.
[[Page 31357]]
The NRC regulations in 10 CFR 50.82(a)(8)(v) require licensees to
submit a financial assurance status report annually between the time of
submitting their decommissioning cost estimate until they submit their
final radiation survey and demonstrate that residual radioactivity has
been reduced to a level that permits termination of the operating
license. Section 50.82(a)(8)(vi) of 10 CFR requires that if the sum of
the balance of any remaining decommissioning funds, plus expected rate
of return, plus any other financial surety mechanism relied upon by the
licensee, does not cover the estimated costs to complete the
decommissioning, the financial assurance status report must include
additional financial assurance to cover the cost of completion. These
annual reports provide a means for the NRC to monitor the adequacy of
available funding. The proposed exemption would allow Entergy to use
funds in excess of those required for radiological decontamination of
the site, and the adequacy of Trust funds dedicated for radiological
decontamination are not affected by the proposed exemption. Thus, there
is reasonable assurance that there will be no environmental effect due
to lack of adequate funding for decommissioning.
The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability
or consequences of radiological accidents or change the types of
effluents released offsite. In addition, there would be no significant
increase in the amount of any radiological effluent released offsite,
and no significant increase in occupational or public radiation
exposure. There would be no materials or chemicals introduced into the
plant affecting the characteristics or types of effluents released
offsite. In addition, waste processing systems would not be affected by
the proposed exemption. Therefore, there would be no significant
radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
Regarding potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed action
would have no direct impacts on land use or water resources, including
terrestrial and aquatic biota, as it involves no new construction or
modification of plant operational systems. There would be no changes to
the quality or quantity of nonradiological effluents, and no changes to
the plant's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits
would be needed. In addition, there would be no noticeable effect on
socioeconomic and environmental justice conditions in the region, no
air quality impacts, and no potential to affect historic properties.
Therefore, there would be no significant nonradiological environment
impacts associated with the proposed action.
Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there would be no significant
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed action, the NRC staff considered
the denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action''
alternative). Denial of the exemption request would result in no change
in current environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the
proposed action and the alternative action would be similar.
Alternative Use of Resources
There are no unresolved conflicts concerning alternative uses of
available resources under the proposed action.
Agencies or Persons Consulted
No additional agencies or persons were consulted regarding the
environmental impact of the proposed action. On May 20, 2019, the NRC
notified the Commonwealth of Massachusetts representative of the EA and
FONSI.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The licensee has requested an exemption from 10 CFR
50.82(a)(8)(i)(A). The proposed action would allow Entergy to use funds
from the Trust for spent fuel management and site restoration
activities.
The NRC is considering issuing the requested exemption. The
proposed action would not significantly affect plant safety, would not
have a significant adverse effect on the probability of an accident
occurring, and would not have any significant radiological or
nonradiological impacts. The reason the human environment would not be
significantly affected is that the proposed action involves an
exemption from requirements that are of a financial or administrative
nature that do not have an impact on the human environment. Consistent
with 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC conducted the EA for the proposed action,
and this FONSI incorporates by reference the EA included in Section II
of this notice. Therefore, the NRC concludes that the proposed action
will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human
environment. Accordingly, the NRC has determined there is no need to
prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed action.
As required by 10 CFR 51.32(a)(5), the related environmental
document is the ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License
Renewal of Nuclear Plants: Regarding Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station,
Final Report,'' (NUREG-1437, Supplement 29, Volumes 1 and 2, ADAMS
Accession Nos. ML071990020 and ML071990027), which provides the latest
environmental review of current operations and description of
environmental conditions at Pilgrim.
The finding and other related environmental documents may be
examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room
(PDR), located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike,
Rockville, Maryland 20852. Publicly available records are accessible
electronically from ADAMS Public Electronic Reading Room on the
internet at the NRC's website: https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. 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 by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-
4737, or by email to [email protected].
IV. Availability of Documents
The documents identified in the following table are available to
interested persons through one or more of the following methods, as
indicated.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADAMS Accession
Date Title No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
11/16/2018................... Letter from Entergy ML18320A037
to NRC titled
``Request for
Exemption from 10
50.82(a)(8)(i)(A).
11/16/2018................... Letter from Entergy ML18320A034
to NRC titled ``Post
Shutdown
Decommissioning
Activities Report
Pilgrim Nuclear
Power Station''.
11/10/2015................... Letter from Entergy ML15328A053
to NRC titled
``Notification of
Permanent Cessation
of Power
Operations''.
1/2007....................... NUREG-1437, ML071990020
Supplement 29, ML071990027
``Generic
Environmental Impact
Statement for
License Renewal of
Nuclear Plants:
Regarding Pilgrim
Nuclear Power
Station,'' Volumes 1
and 2.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 31358]]
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 26th day of June, 2019.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Scott P. Wall,
Senior Project Manager, Licensing Projects Branch III, Division of
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2019-13968 Filed 6-28-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
