ML021980172

St.Lucie, Units 1 and 2 - Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact Related to Amendments to the Environmental Protection Plans

ML021980172
Person / Time
Site:	Saint Lucie
Issue date:	07/22/2002
From:	Moroney B NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD2
To:	Stall J Florida Power & Light Co
Moroney B, NRR/DLPM, 415-3974
References
FOIA/PA-2003-0189, TAC MB3913, TAC MB3914
Download: ML021980172 (6)

Text

July 22, 2002 Mr. J. A. Stall Senior Vice President, Nuclear and Chief Nuclear Officer Florida Power and Light Company P.O. Box 14000 Juno Beach, Florida 33408-0420

SUBJECT:

ST. LUCIE PLANT, UNIT NOS. 1 AND 2 - ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT RELATED TO AMENDMENTS TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION PLANS (TAC NOS. MB3913 AND MB3914)

Dear Mr. Stall:

Enclosed is a copy of the Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact related to your application for amendments dated January 25, 2002. The proposed amendments would revise the Unit 1 and 2 Environmental Protection Plans (EPPs) to incorporate the revised requirements for sea turtle protection contained in the Biological Opinion issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on May 4, 2001, as clarified by NMFS letter dated October 8, 2001. They also revise the EPPs to incorporate editorial changes necessitated by the consolidation of the Environmental Protection Agency-issued National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit and the state-issued wastewater permit.

The assessment is being forwarded to the Office of the Federal Register for publication.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Brendan T. Moroney, Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate II Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-335 and 50-389

Enclosure:

Environmental Assessment cc w/encl: See next page

ML021980172 *See previous concurrence OFFICE PDII-2/PM PDII-2/LA RLEP/SC OGC* PDII-2/SC NAME BMoroney BClayton JTappert RWeisman KJabbour DATE 7/17/02 7/16/02 7/22/02 7/12/02 7/22/02 Mr. J. A. Stall ST. LUCIE PLANT Florida Power and Light Company cc:

Senior Resident Inspector Mr. R.E. Rose St. Lucie Plant Plant General Manager U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission St. Lucie Nuclear Plant P.O. Box 6090 6351 South Ocean Drive Jensen Beach, Florida 34957 Jensen Beach, Florida 34957 Craig Fugate, Director Mr. J.T. Voorhees Division of Emergency Preparedness Acting Licensing Manager Department of Community Affairs St. Lucie Nuclear Plant 2740 Centerview Drive 6351 South Ocean Drive Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2100 Jensen Beach, Florida 34957 M. S. Ross, Attorney Mr. Don Mothena Florida Power & Light Company Manager, Nuclear Plant Support Services P.O. Box 14000 Florida Power & Light Company Juno Beach, FL 33408-0420 P.O. Box 14000 Juno Beach, FL 33408-0420 Mr. Douglas Anderson County Administrator Mr. Rajiv S. Kundalkar St. Lucie County Vice President - Nuclear Engineering 2300 Virginia Avenue Florida Power & Light Company Fort Pierce, Florida 34982 P.O. Box 14000 Juno Beach, FL 33408-0420 Mr. William A. Passetti, Chief Department of Health Mr. J. Kammel Bureau of Radiation Control Radiological Emergency 2020 Capital Circle, SE, Bin #C21 Planning Administrator Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1741 Department of Public Safety 6000 SE. Tower Drive Mr. Donald E. Jernigan, Site Vice President Stuart, Florida 34997 St. Lucie Nuclear Plant 6351 South Ocean Drive Heinz Mueller [5 copies]

Jensen Beach, Florida 34957 Environmental Review Coordinator US EPA Region 4 61 Forsyth Street, SW.

Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3104

7590-01-P UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT COMPANY, ET AL.

DOCKET NOS. 50-335 AND 50-389 ST. LUCIE PLANT, UNITS NOS. 1 AND 2 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of an amendment to the Facility Operating Licenses Nos. DPR-67 and NPF-16, issued to Florida Power and Light Company (the licensee) for operation of the St. Lucie Plant, Units 1 and 2, respectively, located in St. Lucie County, Florida. Therefore, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.21 and 51.32, the NRC is issuing this environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact.

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Identification of the Proposed Action The proposed action would amend Section 4.2 of the St. Lucie Units 1 and 2 Environmental Protection Plans (Non-radiological) to incorporate the revised terms and conditions of the Incidental Take Statement (ITS) included in the Biological Opinion issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on May 4, 2001, as clarified by NMFS letter dated October 8, 2001, and to reflect a change in the administration of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting programs from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

The proposed action is in accordance with the licensees application dated January 25, 2002.

The Need for the Proposed Action The proposed action is needed to reflect the revised terms and conditions of the ITS as set forth in the May 4, 2001, Biological Opinion, as clarified by NMFS letter dated October 8, 2001, and to document the change in the permitting authority of the NPDES permit.

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, licensing bases, or the applicable procedures for the units.

The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability or consequences of accidents, no changes are being made in the types of effluent that may be released off site, and there is no significant 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 a potential to affect any historic sites. It does not affect any non-radiological plant effluents and has no other environmental impact. 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 staff considered denial of the proposed action (i.e., the no-action alternative.) Denial of the application would result in no significant change in current environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the proposed action and the alternative action are similar.

Alternative Use of Resources The action does not include the use of any different resources than those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for St. Lucie Unit 1, dated June 1973, and in the Final Environmental Statement for St. Lucie Unit 2, dated April 1983 (NUREG-0842).

Agencies and Persons Consulted On July 9, 2002, the staff consulted with the Florida State official, William Passetti, of the Bureau of Radiation Control, regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action.

The State official had no comment or objections.

FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT On the basis of the environmental assessment, 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 not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed action.

For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the licensees letter dated January 25, 2002. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRCs Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor),

Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site, http://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 PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd day of July 2002.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

/RA/

Kahtan N. Jabbour, Acting Chief, Section 2 Project Directorate II Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation