ML033630515

Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct Scoping Related to Early Site Permit for Grand Gulf

ML033630515
Person / Time
Site:	Grand Gulf, 05200009
Issue date:	12/23/2003
From:	Kuo P NRC/NRR/DRIP/RLEP
To:	Eaton W Entergy Operations, System Energy Resources
Wilson J, NRR/DRIP/RLEP, 415-1108
References
FOIA/PA-2005-0280, TAC MC1379
Download: ML033630515 (9)

Text

December 23, 2003 Mr. William A. Eaton, Vice President System Energy Resources, Inc.

Entergy Operations, M-ECH-38 1340 Echelon Parkway Jackson, MS 39213

SUBJECT:

NOTICE OF INTENT TO PREPARE AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT AND CONDUCT SCOPING RELATED TO EARLY SITE PERMIT FOR GRAND GULF (TAC NO. MC1379)

Dear Mr. Eaton:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received your application dated October 16, 2003, for an early site permit for the System Energy Resources, Inc. (SERI) Grand Gulf site (Grand Gulf). In support of the application and in accordance with 10 CFR Part 52 and 10 CFR Part 51, SERI submitted an environmental report (ER). The NRC has prepared a notice of intent that advises the public that the NRC intends to gather information necessary to prepare an environmental impact statement in support of the review of the application for the Grand Gulf early site permit. Enclosed is a copy of the notice of intent, which has been forwarded to the Office of the Federal Register for publication.

Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.28, SERI is invited to participate in the environmental scoping process.

As discussed in the enclosed notice, the staff is providing the public with the opportunity to participate in environmental scoping meeting to be held from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Wednesday, January 21, 2004. The NRC will present an overview of the environmental review process and will describe how the process will be implemented for the review of the Grand Gulf early site permit application. SERI is invited to participate in the meeting by providing a brief description of the proposed action and the ER submitted as part of the application for license renewal. The meeting will be held at the Town Hall, located at 1005 College Street, Port Gibson, Mississippi. A separate NRC meeting notice is being issued with a more detailed agenda. You will be provided a copy of that notice in a separate transmittal.

W. Eaton 2 The meeting will be preceded by an open house from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to allow the public to meet one-on-one with the staff for informal discussions. If you have any questions regarding the scoping meeting or the staffs environmental review, please contact the NRC Environmental Project Manager, Mr. James H. Wilson, at (301) 415-1108 or Ms. Cristina Guerrero, (301) 415-2981.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Pao-Tsin Kuo, Program Director License Renewal and Environmental Impacts Division of Regulatory Improvements Program Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No.52-009

Enclosure:

As stated

W. Eaton 2 The meeting will be preceded by an open house from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to allow the public to meet one-on-one with the staff for informal discussions. If you have any questions regarding the scoping meeting or the staffs environmental review, please contact the NRC Environmental Project Manager, Mr. James H. Wilson, at (301) 415-1108 or Ms. Cristina Guerrero, (301) 415-2981.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Pao-Tsin Kuo, Program Director License Renewal and Environmental Impacts Division of Regulatory Improvements Program Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No.52-009

Enclosure:

As stated cc: See next page Docket File OCA M. Ashley D. Matthews/F. Gillespie S. Koenick P.T. Kuo W. Johnson, RIV T. Kenyon C. Paulk, RIV J. Wilson B. Johnson, RIV C. Guerrero V. Dricks, RIV J. Tappert D. Cummings N. Gilles C. Brandt (PNNL)

D. Pickett T. Eschbach (PNNL)

RLEP R/F Accession No.: ML033630515 Document name: C:\ORPCheckout\FileNET\ML033630515.wpd OFFICE LA:RLEP GS:RLEP PM:RLEP SC:RLEP OGC PD:RLEP NAME MJenkins CGuerrero JWilson JTappert AFernandez PTKuo DATE 12/15/03 12/15/03 12/15/03 12/15/03 12/22/03 12/23/03 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

Grand Gulf Early Site Permit - Environmental Review cc:

Executive Vice President Attorney General

& Chief Operating Officer Department of Justice Entergy Operations, Inc. State of Louisiana P. O. Box 31995 P. O. Box 94005 Jackson, MS 39286-1995 Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9005 Wise, Carter, Child & Caraway State Health Officer P. O. Box 651 State Board of Health Jackson, MS 39205 P. O. Box 1700 Jackson, MS 39205 Winston & Strawn 1400 L Street, N.W. - 12th Floor Office of the Governor Washington, DC 20005-3502 State of Mississippi Jackson, MS 39201 Chief Energy and Transportation Branch Attorney General Environmental Compliance and Asst. Attorney General Enforcement Division State of Mississippi Mississippi Department of Environmental P. O. Box 22947 Quality Jackson, MS 39225 P. O. Box 10385 Jackson, MS 39289-0385 Vice President, Operations Support Entergy Operations, Inc.

President P.O. Box 31995 Claiborne County Jackson, MS 39286-1995 Board of Supervisors P. O. Box 339 Director Port Gibson, MS 39150 Nuclear Safety Assurance Entergy Operations, Inc.

Regional Administrator, Region IV P.O. Box 756 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Port Gibson, MS 39150 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 1000 Arlington, TX 76011 Charles Paulk, Region IV U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Senior Resident Inspector 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400 U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Arlington, TX 76011 P. O. Box 399 Port Gibson, MS 39150 Nancy Butler Harriette Person Memorial Library General Manager, GGNS 606 Main St.

Entergy Operations, Inc. Port Gibson, MS 39150 P. O. Box 756 Port Gibson, MS 39150

7590-01-P UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION DOCKET NO.52-009 SYSTEM ENERGY RESOURCES, INC.

GRAND GULF SITE NOTICE OF INTENT TO PREPARE AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT AND CONDUCT SCOPING PROCESS System Energy Resources, Inc. (SERI) has submitted an application for an early site permit (ESP) for its Grand Gulf site, located in Claiborne County, near Port Gibson, Mississippi.

The application for the ESP was submitted by letter dated October 16, 2003, pursuant to 10 CFR Part 52. A notice of receipt of application, including the environmental report (ER), was published in the Federal Register on November 14, 2003 (68 FR 64665). A notice of acceptance for docketing of the application for an early site permit for Grand Gulf was published in the Federal Register on December 1, 2003 (68 FR 67219). The purpose of this notice is to inform the public that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will be preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) in support of the review of the ESP application and to provide the public with an opportunity to participate in the environmental scoping process as defined in 10 CFR 51.29. In addition, as outlined in 36 CFR 800.8, "Coordination with the National Environmental Policy Act, the NRC plans to coordinate compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act in meeting the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA).

In accordance with 10 CFR 52.17 (a)(2), 51.45 and 51.50, SERI submitted the ER as part of the application. The ER was prepared pursuant to 10 CFR Part 51 and 52 and is

available for public inspection at the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland 20852, or from the Publicly Available Records component of NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html, which provides access through the NRCs Public Electronic Reading Room (PERR) link. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS, or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRCs PDR Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov. The application may also be viewed on the Internet at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-licensing/license-reviews/esp/grand-gulf.html. In addition, the Harriette Person Memorial County Library, located at 606 Main Street, Port Gibson, Mississippi 39150, has agreed to make the ER available for public inspection.

The following key reference documents related to the ESP applications and the NRC staffs review process are available through the NRCs web site at www.nrc.gov:

a. 10 CFR Part 51, Environmental protection regulations for domestic licensing and related regulatory functions

b. 10 CFR Part 52, Early site permits; standard design certifications; and combined licenses for nuclear power plants

c. 10 CFR Part 100, Reactor site criteria

d. NUREG-1555, Standard Review Plans for Environmental Reviews for Nuclear Power Plants

e. NUREG/BR-0298, Brochure on Nuclear Power Plant Licensing Process

f. Regulatory Guide 4.2, Preparation of Environmental Reports for Nuclear Power Stations

g. Regulatory Guide 4.7, General Site Suitability Criteria for Nuclear Power Stations

h. Fact Sheet on Nuclear Power Plant Licensing Process

i. Draft review Standard RS-002, Processing Applications for Early Site Permits

j. NRR Office Instruction LIC-203, Procedural Guidance for Preparing Environmental Assessments and Considering Environmental Issues The regulations, NUREG-series documents, regulatory guide(s), and fact sheet can be found under Document Collections in the Electronic Reading Room on the NRC web page. The draft review standard is at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-licensing/license-reviews/esp/esp-public-comments-rs-002.html. Finally, Office Instruction LIC-203 can be found in ADAMS in two parts under accession numbers ML011710073 (main text) and ML011780314 (charts and figures).

This notice advises the public that the NRC intends to gather the information necessary to prepare an EIS in support of the review of the application an ESP for the Grand Gulf site.

Possible alternatives to the proposed action (issuance of the ESP at the Grand Gulf ESP site) include no action and alternative sites. The NRC is required by 10 CFR 52.18 to prepare an EIS in connection with the issuance of an ESP. This notice is being published in accordance with NEPA and the NRCs regulations found in 10 CFR Part 51.

The NRC will first conduct a scoping process for the EIS and, as soon as practicable thereafter, will prepare a draft EIS 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 draft EIS will be used to accomplish the following:

a. Define the proposed action which is to be the subject of EIS

b. Determine the scope of the EIS and identify the significant issues to be analyzed in depth

c. Identify and eliminate from detailed study those issues that are peripheral or that are not significant

d. Identify any environmental assessments and other environmental impact statements (EISs) that are being or will be prepared that are related to but are not part of the scope of the EIS 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 environmental analyses and the Commissions tentative planning and decision-making schedule

g. Identify any cooperating agencies and, as appropriate, allocate assignments for preparation and schedules for completing the EIS to the NRC and any cooperating agencies

h. Describe how the EIS will be prepared, including any contractor assistance to be used The NRC invites the following entities to participate in the scoping process:

a. The applicant, SERI

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 including the State Historic Preservation Officer

d. Any affected Indian tribe including the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer

e. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

f. Any person who requests or has requested an opportunity to participate in the scoping process

g. Any person who intends to petition for leave to intervene In accordance with 10 CFR 51.26, 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 will hold a public meeting for the Grand Gulf early site permit application EIS. The scoping meeting will be held in the Port Gibson City Hall, located at 1005 College Street, Port Gibson, Mississippi, on Wednesday, January 21, 2004. The meeting will convene at 7:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m., as necessary. The meeting will be transcribed and will include the following: (1) an overview by the NRC staff of the NEPA environmental review process, the proposed scope of the EIS, and the proposed review schedule; (2) an overview by SERI of the proposed action, Grand Gulf ESP, and the environmental impacts as outlined in the ER; and (3) the opportunity for interested Government agencies, organizations, and individuals to submit comments or suggestions on the environmental issues or the proposed scope of the EIS. Additionally, the NRC staff will host informal discussions one hour prior to the start of each session at the Port Gibson City Hall. No formal comments on the proposed scope of the EIS will be accepted during the informal discussions. To be considered, comments must be provided either at the transcribed public meeting or in writing, as discussed below. Persons may register to attend or present oral comments at the meeting on the NEPA scoping process by contacting Ms. Cristina Guerrero by telephone at 1 (800) 368-5642, extension 2981, or by Internet to the NRC at GrandGulf@nrc.gov no later than January 14, 2004. Members of the public may also register to speak at the meeting within 15 minutes of the start of each session. Individual oral comments may be limited by the time available, depending on the number of persons who register.

Members of the public who have not registered may also have an opportunity to speak, if time permits. Public comments will be considered in the scoping process for the EIS. If special equipment or accommodations are needed to attend or present information at the public meeting, the need should be brought to Ms. Guerreros attention no later than January 14, 2004, so that the NRC staff can determine whether the request can be accommodated.

Members of the public may send written comments on the environmental scoping process for the EIS to the Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Mailstop T-6D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, and should cite the publication date and page number of this Federal Register notice. Comments may be hand-delivered to the NRC at 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on Federal workdays. To be considered in the scoping process, written comments should be postmarked by February 12, 2004.

Electronic comments may be sent by the Internet to the NRC at GrandGulfEIS@nrc.gov.

Electronic submissions should be sent no later than February 12, 2004, to be considered in the scoping process. Comments will be available electronically and accessible through the NRCs Public Electronic Reading Room (PERR) link http://www.nrc.gov/nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html at the NRC Homepage.

Participation in the scoping process for the EIS does not entitle participants to become parties to the proceeding to which the EIS relates. Notice of a hearing regarding the application for an ESP will be the subject of a future Federal Register notice.

At the conclusion of the scoping process, the NRC will prepare a concise summary of the determination and conclusions reached, including the significant issues identified, and will send a copy of the summary to each participant in the scoping process. The summary will also be available for inspection through the PERR link. The staff will then prepare and issue for

comment the draft EIS, which will be the subject of separate notices and a separate public meeting. Copies will be available for public inspection at the above-mentioned addresses, and one copy per request will be provided free of charge. After receipt and consideration of the comments, the NRC will prepare a final EIS, which will also be available for public inspection.

Information about the proposed action, the EIS, and the scoping process may be obtained from Mr. Wilson at the aforementioned telephone number or e-mail address.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 23rd day of December 2003.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

/RA/

Pao-Tsin Kuo, Program Director License Renewal and Environmental Impacts Division of Regulatory Improvements Program Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation