[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 22, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10940-10942]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-03668]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-445 and 50-446; NRC-2022-0183]
Notice of Intent To Conduct Scoping Process and Prepare
Environmental Impact Statement; Vistra Operations Company LLC; Comanche
Peak Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and 2
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 an
extended scoping process to gather information necessary to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate the environmental
impacts for the proposed license renewal of the operating licenses for
Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant (CPNPP), Units 1 and 2. The NRC is
seeking stakeholder input on this action and has scheduled an
additional public scoping meeting that will take place in Glen Rose,
Texas.
DATES: The NRC will hold a public scoping meeting on February 23, 2023,
from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. local time. Submit comments on the scope of the
EIS by March 13, 2023. Comments received after March 13, 2023, will be
considered if it is practical to do so, but the NRC is able to ensure
consideration only for comments received on or before this date. See
Section IV, ``Public Scoping Meeting,'' of this notice for additional
information.
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://www.nrc.gov and
search for Docket ID NRC-2022-0183. Address questions about Docket IDs
in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; telephone: 301-415-0624; email:
Stacy [email protected]. For technical questions, contact the individual
listed in the For Further Information Contact section of this document.
Email comments to: [email protected].
Attend the transcribed public meeting: February 23, 2023.
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.
[[Page 10941]]
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: Tam Tran, Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-3617, email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments
A. Obtaining Information
Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2022-0183 when contacting the NRC
about the availability of information regarding this document. You may
obtain publicly available information related to this document by any
of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://regulations.gov
and search for Docket ID NRC-2022-0183.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the NRC
Library at https://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/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 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, by appointment, at the NRC's PDR, Room P1 B35, One White
Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. To make
an appointment to visit the PDR, please send an email to
[email protected] or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between 8
a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (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-2022-0183 in your comment submission to ensure
that the NRC can make your comment submission available to the public
in this docket. In addition, electronic comments may be sent by email
to the NRC at [email protected], and should be sent no later than
March 13, 2023, to be considered in the scoping process. You may also
attend the transcribed public meeting on February 23, 2023, where
comments will be collected.
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 submissions into ADAMS.
II. Discussion
On October 3, 2022, the NRC received an application for the renewal
of Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-87 and NPF89, which would
authorize Vistra Operations Company LLC (Vistra, the applicant) to
operate CPNPP, Units 1 and 2 for an additional 20 years of operation if
granted (ADAMS Accession No. ML22276A082). Vistra's submission
initiated the NRC's proposed action: determining whether to grant or
deny Vistra's license renewal application for power reactor operating
licenses, which, if granted, would authorize CPNPP Units 1 and 2 to
operate for an additional 20 years. The CPNPP units are pressurized-
water reactors designed by Westinghouse Electric Corporation and are in
Somervell County, Texas. The current operating license for Unit 1
expires at midnight on February 8, 2030, and the current operating
license for Unit 2 expires at midnight on February 2, 2033. The license
renewal application was submitted pursuant to part 54 of title 10 of
the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) and included an environmental
report (ER). A notice of receipt and availability of the application
was published in the Federal Register (FR) on October 31, 2022 (87 FR
65617, ML22285A074). A notice of acceptance for docketing of the
application and opportunity for hearing regarding the license renewal
of the CPNPP Units 1 and 2 operating licenses was published on December
1, 2022 (87 FR 73798, ML22297A006) and is available in Regulations.gov
by searching for Docket ID NRC-2022-0183.
III. Request for Comments
This notice informs the public of the NRC's intention to conduct an
extended environmental scoping to prepare an EIS related to Vistra's
license renewal application, and to provide the public an additional
opportunity to participate in the environmental scoping process, as
defined in 10 CFR 51.29.
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 (NEPA) process to fulfill the
requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act
(NHPA). Therefore, pursuant to 36 CFR 800.8(c), the NRC intends to use
its process and documentation for the preparation of the EIS on the
proposed action to comply with Section 106 of the NHPA in lieu of the
procedures set forth at 36 CFR 800.3 through 800.6.
In accordance with 10 CFR 51.53(c) and 10 CFR 54.23, Vistra
submitted an ER as part of the license renewal application. The ER was
prepared pursuant to 10 CFR part 51 and is publicly available (ADAMS
Accession No. ML22297A246). The ER may also be viewed on the NRC public
website at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications.html. In addition, the license renewal application,
including the ER are available for public review at the Somervell
County Library, 108 Allen Dr., Glen Rose, TX 76043 and Hood County
Library, 222 N Travis St., Granbury, TX 76048.
As required by 10 CFR 51.95, the NRC intends to gather the
information necessary to prepare a plant-specific supplement 60 to the
NRC's NUREG-1437, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License
Renewal of Nuclear Plants'' (ADAMS Package Accession No. ML13107A023)
(GEIS), related to the application for license renewal of the CPNPP
Units 1 and 2. This notice is being published in accordance with NEPA
and the NRC's regulations found at 10 CFR part 51.
Supplement 60 to the GEIS will evaluate the environmental impacts
of license renewal for CPNPP Units 1 and 2, and reasonable alternatives
thereto. Possible alternatives to the proposed action include the no
action alternative and reasonable alternative energy sources.
[[Page 10942]]
As part of its environmental review process, the NRC will first
conduct scoping for the supplement 60 to the GEIS and, as soon as
practicable thereafter, will prepare a draft supplement 60 to the GEIS
for public comment. Participation in the scoping process by members of
the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal government agencies is
encouraged. The scoping process for the supplement 60 to the GEIS will
be used to accomplish the following:
a. Define the proposed action, which is to be the subject of the
supplement 60 to the GEIS;
b. Determine the scope of the supplement 60 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 were covered by a 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 60 to the GEIS being considered;
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
60 to the GEIS to the NRC and any cooperating agencies; and
h. Describe how the supplement 60 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, Vistra;
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 a proposed activity and to determine the scope of
issues to be addressed in an EIS.
The NRC is announcing that it will hold an additional public
scoping meeting for the CPNPP Units 1 and 2 license renewal supplement
60 to the GEIS. A court reporter will record and transcribe all
comments received during the meeting. To be considered, comments must
be provided either at the transcribed public meeting or in writing, as
discussed in the ADDRESSES section of this document. The date and time
for this additional public scoping meeting is as follows:
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Meeting Date Time Location
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Public EIS Scoping................. Thursday, 2/23/2023... 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., as Somervell County Expo
necessary, local time. Center, 202 BO GIBBS
BLVD., W Hwy. 67, Glen
Rose, TX 76043.
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In addition, the NRC staff will host informal discussions one hour
before the start of the session at the same location. The staff will
not accept formal comments on the proposed scope of the supplement 60
to the GEIS during this informal discussion.
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 60 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 CPNPP license renewal
supplement 60 to the GEIS.
Persons interested in attending this public meeting should monitor
the NRC's Public Meeting Schedule at https://www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg for
additional information and agenda for the meeting. Please contact Tam
Tran no later than February 22, 2023, if accommodations, including
special equipment or translation is needed to attend or to provide
comments, so that the NRC staff can determine whether the request can
be accommodated.
Participation in the scoping process for the CPNPP license renewal
supplement 60 to the GEIS does not entitle participants to become
parties to the proceeding to which the supplement 60 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: February 16, 2023.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John M. Moses,
Deputy Director, Division of Rulemaking, Environment, and Financial
Support, Office of Nuclear Material Safety, and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2023-03668 Filed 2-21-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P