ML021630109
| ML021630109 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Fort Calhoun  |
| Issue date: | 06/11/2002 |
| From: | Kuo P NRC/NRR/DRIP/RLEP |
| To: | Gaiashkibos J State of NE, Commission on Indian Affairs |
| KENYON T NRR/DRIP/RLEP 301- 415-1120 | |
| References | |
| Download: ML021630109 (4) | |
Text
June 11, 2002 Ms. Judy Gaiashkibos, Executive Director Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs 6th Floor, State Capitol P. O. Box 94981 Lincoln, NE 68509
SUBJECT:
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REVIEW OF THE FORT CALHOUN STATION UNIT 1, LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION
Dear Ms. Gaiashkibos:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is seeking input for its environmental review of an application from Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) to renew its operating license for Unit 1 of the Fort Calhoun Station (Ft. Calhoun), located approximately 19 miles north-northwest of Omaha, Nebraska. The NRC staff has determined that the Ft. Calhoun nuclear plant is in close proximity to lands that may be of interest to the following federally-recognized tribes along the Missouri:
Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska Omaha Tribe Ponca Tribe of Nebraska Sac & Fox Tribe of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska Santee Sioux Tribe Winnebago Tribe Accordingly, we have notified the Chairperson of each Tribal Council of the license renewal application to ensure that they are aware that the NRC review process includes an opportunity for public participation in the environmental review. Pursuant to our regulations at 10 CFR 51.28(b), the NRC invited each Tribal Council to provide input to the scoping process relating to the NRCs environmental review of the application. The NRC will hold public scoping meetings for the Ft. Calhoun license renewal supplement to the NRCs Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants (GEIS) (NUREG-1437).
These scoping meetings will be held at the Days Hotel Carlisle, 10909 M Street, Omaha, Nebraska, on Tuesday, June 18, 2002. There will be two sessions to accommodate interested parties. The first session will convene at 1:30 p.m. and will continue until 4:30 p.m., as necessary. The second session will convene at 7:00 p.m., with a repeat of the overview portions of the meeting, and will continue until 10:00 p.m., as necessary. Additionally, the NRC staff will host informal discussions one hour before the start of each session at the Days Hotel.
No comments on the proposed scope of the supplement to the GEIS will be accepted during the informal discussions. To be considered, comments must be provided either at the transcribed public meetings or in writing.
For your information, a description of the application and the environmental review process follows. Under NRC regulations, the original operating license for a nuclear power plant is issued for up to 40 years. The license may be renewed for up to an additional 20 years if NRC J. Gaiashkibos 2
requirements are met. The current operating license for Ft. Calhoun will expire in 2013. OPPD submitted an environmental report as part of its application for renewal of the Ft. Calhoun operating licenses on January 9, 2002. The application is electronically available for inspection from the Publicly Available Records component of NRCs document system (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html, which provides access through the NRC's Public Electronic Reading Room (PERR) link. If you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov. In addition, the application can also be viewed on the Internet at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/ft-calhoun.html. A paper copy of the document can be viewed in the NRC Public Document Room, located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland; the W. Dale Clark Library, located at 215 South 15th Street, Omaha, NE 68102; and the Blair Public Library, located at 210 South 17th Street, Blair, NE 68008-2055. Also, the GEIS assesses the scope and impact of environmental effects that would be associated with license renewal at any nuclear power plant site. A copy of this document can also be found on the NRCs website or in the NRC PDR.
The NRC is gathering information for the document that will be a Ft. Calhoun Station-specific supplement to the GEIS. The supplement will contain the results of the review of the environmental impacts on the area surrounding the Ft. Calhoun site that are related to terrestrial ecology, aquatic ecology, hydrology, cultural resources, and socioeconomic issues (among others) and will contain a recommendation regarding the environmental acceptability of the license renewal action.
Each of the above-listed Tribal Councils has been requested to submit any written comments they may have to offer on the scope of the environmental review by July 10, 2002. In addition, should you have any comments regarding this action, they should be submitted either by mail to the Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Mail Stop T-6 D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001, or by Internet to Ft_Calhoun_EIS@nrc.gov by July 10, 2002.
At the conclusion of the scoping process, the NRC staff will prepare a summary of the significant issues identified and the conclusions reached, and will send a copy to you.
The NRC will prepare a draft supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) for public comment and will hold another set of public meetings in the site vicinity to solicit comments on the draft. A copy of the draft SEIS will be sent to you for your review and comment. After consideration of public comments received on the draft, the NRC will prepare a final SEIS. The issuance of a final environmental statement for Ft. Calhoun is planned for the Fall 2003. If you
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need additional information regarding the environmental review process or are aware of other Native American Tribes that should be notified of the license renewal application, please contact Thomas J. Kenyon, Senior Project Manager, at (301) 415-1120.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Pao-Tsin Kuo, Program Director License Renewal and Environmental Impacts Program Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket no. 50-285 cc: See next page
J. Gaiashkibos 3
need additional information regarding the environmental review process or are aware of other Native American Tribes that should be notified of the license renewal application, please contact Thomas J. Kenyon, Senior Project Manager, at (301) 415-1120.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Pao-Tsin Kuo, Program Director License Renewal and Environmental Impacts Program Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket no. 50-285 cc: See next page DISTRIBUTION:
Docket File D. Matthews/FGillespie J. Tappert A. Wang K. Kennedy-RIV RLEP R/F T. J. Kenyon S. Fox W. Burton J. Kramer-RIV DOCUMENT NAME: C:\\ORPCheckout\\FileNET\\ML021630109.wpd OFFICE RLEP SC:RLEP PD:RLEP NAME TJKenyon JTappert PTKuo DATE 6/5 /02 6/6 /02 6/11/02 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY