Notice of Intent To Conduct Scoping Process and Prepare Environmental Impact Statement; Duke Energy Carolina, LLC; Duke Energy; Oconee Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, and 3, 43684-43686 [2021-17036]

Agencies

• NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 151 (Tuesday, August 10, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43684-43686]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-17036]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-268, 50-270 and 50-287; NRC-2021-0146]


Notice of Intent To Conduct Scoping Process and Prepare 
Environmental Impact Statement; Duke Energy Carolina, LLC; Duke Energy; 
Oconee Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, and 3

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Intent to conduct scoping process and prepare environmental 
impact statement; public scoping meeting and request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will conduct a 
scoping process to gather information necessary to prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate the environmental 
impacts for the subsequent license renewal (SLR) of the operating 
licenses for Oconee Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 (ONS). The NRC 
is seeking public comment on this action and has scheduled a public 
scoping meeting that will take place as an online webinar.

DATES: The NRC will hold a public scoping meeting as an online webinar 
on August 25, 2021, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). 
Submit comments on the scope of the EIS by September 9, 2021. Comments 
received after this date will be considered if it is practical to do 
so, but the NRC is able

[[Page 43685]]

to ensure consideration only for comments received on or before this 
date.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods; 
however, the NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the 
Federal Rulemaking website:
     Federal Rulemaking website: Go to https://regulations.gov 
and search for Docket ID NRC-2021-0146. Address questions about Docket 
IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; telephone: 301-415-0624; 
email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact the 
individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this document.
     Email: Comments may be submitted to the NRC electronically 
using the email address [email protected].
     Mail comments to: Office of Administration, Mail Stop: 
TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff.
    For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting 
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lance Rakovan, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-2589, email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

    Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2021-0146 when contacting the NRC 
about the availability of information for this action. You may obtain 
publicly available information related to this action by any of the 
following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking website: Go to https://regulations.gov 
and search for Docket ID NRC-2021-0146.
     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]. The ADAMS accession number for each 
document referenced in this document (if it is available in ADAMS) is 
provided the first time that it is referenced.
     Attention: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies 
of public documents, is currently closed. You may submit your request 
to the PDR via email at [email protected] or call 1-800-397-4209 or 
301-415-4737, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET, Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.

B. Submitting Comments

    The NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the 
Federal Rulemaking website (https://www.regulations.gov). Please 
include Docket ID NRC-2021-0146 in the subject line of your comment 
submission in order to ensure that the NRC is able to make your comment 
submission available to the public in this docket.
    The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact 
information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your 
comment submission. The NRC will post all comment submissions at 
https://www.regulations.gov as well as enter the comment submissions 
into ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to 
remove identifying or contact information.
    If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons 
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to 
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be 
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should 
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to 
remove such information before making the comment submissions available 
to the public or entering the comment into ADAMS.

II. Discussion

    By letter dated June 7, 2021 (ADAMS Package Accession No. 
ML21158A193), Duke Energy Carolina, LLC (Duke Energy) submitted to the 
NRC an application for subsequent license renewal of Renewed Facility 
Operating License Nos. DPR-38, DPR-47, and DPR-55 for ONS, Units 1, 2, 
and 3, respectively, for an additional 20 years of operation. This 
submission initiated the NRC's proposed action of determining whether 
to grant the SLR application. The ONS units are pressurized water 
reactors designed by Babcock & Wilcox and are located in Seneca, South 
Carolina, approximately 30 miles west of Greenville. The current 
renewed facility operating license for Unit 1 expires at midnight on 
February 6, 2033, the current renewed facility operating license for 
Unit 2 expires at midnight on October 6, 2033, and the current renewed 
facility operating license for Unit 3 expires at midnight on July 19, 
2034. The SLR application was submitted pursuant to part 54 of title 10 
of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Requirements for Renewal 
of Operating Licenses for Nuclear Power Plants,'' and seeks to extend 
the renewed facility operating license for Unit 1 to midnight on 
February 6, 2053, the renewed facility operating license for Unit 2 to 
midnight on October 6, 2053, and the renewed facility operating license 
for Unit 3 to midnight on July 19, 2054. A notice of receipt and 
availability of the application was published in the Federal Register 
on June 25, 2021 (86 FR 33784). A notice of acceptance for docketing of 
the application and of opportunity to request a hearing was published 
in the Federal Register on July 28, 2021 (86 FR 40662) and is available 
on the Federal Rulemaking website (https://www.regulations.gov) by 
searching for Docket ID NRC-2021-0127.

III. Request for Comment

    This notice informs the public of the NRC's intention to conduct 
environmental scoping and prepare an EIS related to the SLR application 
for ONS, and to provide the public an opportunity to participate in the 
environmental scoping process, as defined in 10 CFR 51.29, ``Scoping-
environmental impact statement and supplement to environmental impact 
statement.''
    The regulations in 36 CFR 800.8, ``Coordination With the National 
Environmental Policy Act,'' allow agencies to use their National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.) (NEPA) 
process to fulfill the requirements of Section 106 of the National 
Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (54 U.S.C. 300101, et seq.) (NHPA). 
Therefore, pursuant to 36 CFR 800.8(c), the NRC intends to use its 
process and documentation required 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 at 36 CFR 800.3 through 800.6.
    In accordance with 10 CFR 51.53(c) and 10 CFR 54.23, Duke Energy 
submitted an environmental report (ER) as part of the SLR application. 
The ER was prepared pursuant to 10 CFR part 51, ``Environmental 
Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory 
Functions,'' and is publicly available in ADAMS under

[[Page 43686]]

Package Accession No. ML21158A193. The ER will also be available for 
viewing at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/subsequent-license-renewal.html. In addition, the SLR application, 
including the ER, is available for public review at the Seneca Branch 
of the Oconee County Public Library, 300 E. South 2nd Street, Seneca, 
SC 29678.
    The NRC intends to gather the information necessary to prepare a 
plant-specific supplement to NUREG-1437, ``Generic Environmental Impact 
Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants'' (ADAMS Package 
Accession No. ML13107A023) (GEIS), related to the SLR application for 
Oconee. The NRC is required by 10 CFR 51.95 to prepare a plant-specific 
supplement to the GEIS in connection with the renewal of an operating 
license. This notice is being published in accordance with NEPA and the 
NRC's regulations at 10 CFR part 51.
    The supplement to the GEIS will evaluate the environmental impacts 
of subsequent license renewal for ONS, and reasonable alternatives 
thereto. Possible alternatives to the proposed action include the no 
action alternative and reasonable alternative energy sources.
    As part of its environmental review, the NRC will first conduct a 
scoping process for the plant-specific supplement to the GEIS and, as 
soon as practicable thereafter, will prepare a draft supplement to the 
GEIS for public comment. Participation in this scoping process by 
members of the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal government 
agencies is encouraged. The scoping process for the supplement to the 
GEIS will be used to accomplish the following:
    a. Define the proposed action that is to be the subject of the 
supplement to the GEIS;
    b. Determine the scope of the supplement to the GEIS and identify 
the significant issues to be analyzed in depth;
    c. Identify and eliminate from detailed study those issues that are 
peripheral or are not significant or that have been covered by prior 
environmental review;
    d. Identify any environmental assessments and other ElSs that are 
being or will be prepared that are related to, but are not part of, the 
scope of the supplement to the GEIS under consideration;
    e. Identify other environmental review and consultation 
requirements related to the proposed action;
    f. Indicate the relationship between the timing of the preparation 
of the environmental analyses and the NRC's tentative planning and 
decision-making schedule;
    g. Identify any cooperating agencies and, as appropriate, allocate 
assignments for preparation and schedules for completing the supplement 
to the GEIS to the NRC and any cooperating agencies; and
    h. Describe how the supplement to the GEIS will be prepared, 
including any contractor assistance to be used.
    The NRC invites the following entities to participate in scoping:
    a. The applicant, Duke Energy;
    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 has petitioned or intends to petition for leave 
to intervene under 10 CFR 2.309.

IV. Public Scoping Meeting

    In accordance with 10 CFR 51.26(b), the scoping process for an EIS 
may include a public scoping meeting to help identify significant 
issues related to the proposed action and to determine the scope of 
issues to be addressed in the EIS.
    The NRC is announcing that it will hold a public scoping meeting as 
an online webinar for the ONS SLR supplement to the GEIS. The webinar 
will include a telephone line for members of the public to provide 
comments. A court reporter will transcribe all comments received during 
the webinar. To be considered, comments must be provided either at the 
transcribed public meeting or in writing, as discussed in the ADDRESSES 
section of this notice. The public scoping webinar will be held on 
August 25, 2021, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Persons interested in 
attending this online webinar should monitor the NRC's Public Meeting 
Schedule website at https://www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg for additional 
information, agenda for the meeting, and access information for the 
webinar. Please contact Mr. Lance Rakovan no later than August 18, 
2021, if accommodations or special equipment is needed to attend or to 
provide comments, so that the NRC staff can determine whether the 
request can be accommodated.
    The public scoping meeting will include: (1) An overview by the NRC 
staff of the environmental and safety review processes, the proposed 
scope of the supplement to the GEIS, and the proposed review schedule; 
and (2) the opportunity for interested government agencies, 
organizations, and individuals to submit comments or suggestions on 
environmental issues or the proposed scope of the ONS SLR supplement to 
the GEIS.
    Participation in the scoping process for the ONS SLR supplement to 
the GEIS does not entitle participants to become parties to the 
proceeding to which the supplement to the GEIS relates. Matters related 
to participation in any hearing are outside the scope of matters to be 
discussed at this public meeting.

    Dated: August 5, 2021.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert B. Elliott,
Chief, Environmental Review License Renewal Branch, Division of 
Rulemaking, Environment, and Financial Support, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2021-17036 Filed 8-9-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P