[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 112 (Thursday, June 11, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33297-33299]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-14292]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-272, 50-311, and 50-354; NRC-2015-0148]
PSEG Nuclear, LLC; Salem Nuclear Generating Station, Unit Nos. 1
and 2 Hope Creek Generating Station
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact;
issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of amendments to Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-
70 and DPR-75, issued on June 30, 2011, and Renewed Facility Operating
License No. NPF-75, issued on July 20, 2011, and held by PSEG Nuclear
LLC (PSEG or the licensee) for operation of Salem Nuclear Generating
Station Unit Nos. 1 and 2 (Salem) and Hope Creek Generating Station
(Hope Creek) located in Lower Alloways Creek Township, Salem County,
New Jersey. The proposed amendments would revise the PSEG Environmental
Protection Plans (Non-Radiological) (EPPs), contained in Appendix B to
the Salem and Hope Creek renewed facility operating licenses. The NRC
concluded that the proposed actions will have no significant
environmental impact.
DATES: The environmental assessment and finding of no significant
impact referenced in this document is available on June 11, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2015-0148 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 Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2015-0148. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; 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 NRC
Public Documents collection at http://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 [email protected]. The
ADAMS accession number for each document referenced in this notice (if
that document is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a
document is referenced. For the convenience of the reader, the ADAMS
accession numbers are also provided in a table in the ``Availability of
Documents'' section of this document.
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: Carleen Parker, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-1603; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is considering issuance of amendments to Renewed Facility
Operating License Nos. DPR-70, DPR-75, and NPF-57 issued to PSEG for
operation of Salem and Hope Creek, located in Lower Alloways Creek
Township, Salem County, New Jersey. Therefore, as required by Section
51.21 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), the NRC
performed an environmental assessment (EA) to document its findings
related to the proposed license amendments. The PSEG submitted its
license amendment request by letter dated December 9, 2014 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML14343A926), and subsequently supplemented its
application by letter dated April 9, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML15099A766). A notice of consideration of issuance, proposed no
significant hazards consideration determination, and opportunity for a
hearing for the proposed license amendments was issued in the Federal
Register on April 14, 2015 (80 FR 20024). Based on information provided
in PSEG's application and associated supplement and the NRC staff's
independent review, the NRC did not identify any significant
environmental impacts associated with the proposed license amendments.
Based on the results of the EA documented herein, the NRC has
determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the
proposed license amendments and is issuing a finding of no significant
impact (FONSI), in accordance with 10 CFR 51.32.
II. Environmental Assessment
Plant Site and Environs
Salem is a two-unit station with pressurized water reactors that
use a once-through cooling system that withdraws water from and
discharges heated water to the Delaware Estuary. Hope Creek is a one-
unit station with a boiling-water reactor that uses a closed-cycle
cooling water system that includes a natural draft cooling tower and
intake and discharge structures on the Delaware Estuary. Both
facilities also withdraw water from the estuary for their service water
systems.
Salem and Hope Creek lie at the southern end of Artificial Island
along the east bank of the Delaware River in Lower Alloways Creek
Township, Salem County, New Jersey. Artificial Island is a 1,500-acre
(ac; 600-hectare [ha]) man-made island consisting of industrial lands,
tidal marsh, and grassland. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created
the island by depositing hydraulic dredge spoil material atop a natural
sand bar. The average elevation of the island is about 9 feet (ft; 3
meters [m]) above mean sea level (MSL), and the maximum elevation is
approximately 18 ft (5.5 m) above MSL. The PSEG owns approximately 740
ac (300 ha) at the southern end of the Artificial Island, of which
Salem occupies 220 ac (89 ha) and Hope Creek occupies 153 ac (62 ha).
The remainder of Artificial Island is owned by the U.S. Government and
the State of New Jersey; this portion of the island remains
undeveloped. The northernmost tip of Artificial Island (owned by the
U.S. Government) is within the State of Delaware boundary. Artificial
Island lies approximately 8 miles (mi; 13 kilometers [km]) southwest of
the City of Salem, New Jersey, 17 mi (27 km) south of the Delaware
Memorial Bridge, 35 mi (56 km) southwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), the NRC's predecessor
agency, and the NRC have previously conducted environmental reviews of
Salem and Hope Creek in several documents, and the descriptions therein
continue to accurately depict the Salem and Hope Creek site and
environs. Those documents include the AEC's April
[[Page 33298]]
1973 Final Environmental Statement (FES) Related to Operation of Salem
Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1 and 2 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML110400162); the NRC's March 2011 Generic Environmental Impact
Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants: Regarding Hope Creek
Generating Station and Salem Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1 and
2--Final Report (NUREG-1437, Supplement 45) (ADAMS Accession No.
ML11089A021); and the NRC's December 2010 Biological Assessment for
Salem and Hope Creek License Renewal (ADAMS Accession No. ML103350271).
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would amend the Salem and Hope Creek EPPs to
clarify that PSEG must adhere to the currently applicable biological
opinion issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The
proposed changes would also simplify the Aquatic Monitoring section of
the EPPs to preclude the need for a new license amendment request in
the event NMFS issues a new biological opinion in the future, modify
reporting requirements related to New Jersey Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NJPDES) permits to remove the requirement to submit
copies of proposed changes or renewals to the NRC since the NRC does
not issue or oversee these permits, modify the criteria for reporting
Unusual or Important Environmental Events to eliminate the need for
duplicative reporting, and remove the requirement for PSEG to submit an
Annual Environmental Operating Report. The information contained in the
Annual Environmental Operating Report would continue to be submitted to
the NRC in accordance with other sections of the EPP or would be
available for NRC inspection. The proposed action is in accordance with
the licensee's application dated December 9, 2014, as supplemented by
letter dated April 9, 2015.
More specifically, by amending the Aquatic Monitoring sections of
the EPPs to clarify that PSEG must adhere to the currently applicable
biological opinion, the proposed action would require PSEG's compliance
with the National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) July 17, 2014,
biological opinion (ADAMS Accession No. ML14202A146). PSEG does not
anticipate any changes to station operation as a result of implementing
the Reasonable and Prudent Measures and Terms and Conditions included
in the biological opinion's Incidental Take Statement. However, PSEG
may alter station procedures that contain protocol on inspection of the
cooling water intake structures, maintenance of lighting at the Salem
intake structure and trash racks, and availability of sea turtle rescue
equipment at the Salem intake structure and trash racks.
The proposed EPP revisions would not result in or require any
physical changes to Salem or Hope Creek systems, structures, or
components, including those intended for the prevention of accidents.
Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action is administrative in nature. It is needed to
reflect the new biological opinion issued by NMFS on July 17, 2014. The
proposed action would also remove outdated program information and
relieve PSEG of the burden of submitting unnecessary or duplicative
information to the NRC.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and
concludes that the proposed changes are administrative in nature and
have no effect on plant equipment or plant operation. No changes will
be made to the design bases for either Salem or Hope Creek. The
proposed action would not have a significant adverse effect on the
probability or consequences of an accident occurring.
With regard to potential radiological impacts, the proposed action
would not increase the probability or consequences of accidents, would
not change the types of effluent that may be released offsite, would
not increase the amount of any effluents that may be release offsite,
and would result in no increase in occupational or public radiation
exposure. Therefore, there are no significant radiological
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed
action does not have any foreseeable impacts on land, air, or water
resources, including impacts to biota. In addition there are no known
socioeconomic or environmental justice impacts associated with the
proposed action. Therefore, there are no significant non-radiological
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are 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
denial of the proposed license amendments (i.e., the ``no-action''
alternative). Denial of the application would result in no change in
current environmental conditions or impacts. Accordingly, the
environmental impacts of the proposed action and no-action alternative
are similar.
Alternative Use of Resources
The action does not involve the use of any different resources than
those previously considered in NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 prepared for
license renewal of Salem and Hope Creek.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The staff did not enter into a consultation with any other Federal
Agency or with the State of New Jersey regarding the environmental
impact of the proposed action. On May 12, 2015, the New Jersey State
official was notified. The State official had no comments.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC is considering issuing amendments for Renewed Facility
Operating License Nos. DPR-70, DPR-75, and NPF-75, issued to PSEG for
operation of Salem and Hope Creek. The proposed amendments would revise
the Salem and Hope Creek EPPs to clarify that PSEG must adhere to the
currently applicable biological opinion. The proposed changes would
also simplify the Aquatic Monitoring section of the EPPs, modify
reporting requirements related to NJPDES permits, modify the criteria
for reporting Unusual or Important Environmental Events, and remove the
requirement for PSEG to submit an Annual Environmental Operating
Report. The NRC's evaluation considered information provided in the
licensee's application and its associated supplement, as well as the
NRC's staff independent review of other environmental documents.
Section IV below lists the environmental documents related to the
proposed action and includes information on the availability of these
documents.
The NRC decided not to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
for the proposed action. On the basis of the EA presented in Section II
above and incorporated by reference in this finding, 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
that a finding of no significant impact is appropriate.
IV. Availability of Documents
The following table identifies the environmental and other
documents
[[Page 33299]]
cited in this document and related to the NRC's FONSI. These documents
are available for public inspection online through ADAMS at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html or in person at the NRC's PDR as
described previously.
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Document ADAMS accession No.
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Documents Related to License Amendment Request
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PSEG Nuclear LLC. License Amendment ML14343A926
Request to Update Appendix B to the
Renewed Facility Operating Licenses.
Dated December 9, 2014.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ML15055A377
Request for Additional Information Re:
Request to Update Appendix B to the
Renewed Facility Operating Licenses.
Dated March 10, 2015.
PSEG Nuclear LLC. Response to Request ML15099A766
for Additional Information Re: Request
to Update Appendix B to the Renewed
Facility Operating Licenses. Dated
April 9, 2015.
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Other Referenced Documents
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National Marine Fisheries Service. ML14202A146
Biological Opinion for Continued
Operation of Salem and Hope Creek
Nuclear Generating Stations (NER-2010-
6581). Dated July 17, 2014.
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. Final ML110400162
Environmental Statement Related to the
Operation of Salem Nuclear Generating
Station, Units 1 and 2. Dated April
30, 1973.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ML11089A021
Generic Environmental Impact Statement
for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants:
Regarding Hope Creek Generating
Station and Salem Nuclear Generating
Station, Units 1 and 2--Final Report
(NUREG-1437, Supplement 45). Dated
March 31, 2011.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ML103350271
Biological Assessment for Salem and
Hope Creek License Renewal. Dated
December 13, 2010.
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Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 4th day of June 2015.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Douglas A. Broaddus,
Chief, Plant Licensing Branch I-2, Division of Operating Reactor
Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2015-14292 Filed 6-10-15; 8:45 am]
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