ML042310161
| ML042310161 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Quad Cities  |
| Issue date: | 08/05/2004 |
| From: | Westlake K Environmental Protection Agency |
| To: | NRC/ADM/DAS/RDB |
| References | |
| 69FR41552 00001, B-19J, NUREG-1437 | |
| Download: ML042310161 (2) | |
Text
- 0-0 er UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION 5 77 WEST JACKSON BOULEVARD CHICAGO, IL 60604-3590 AUG 0 5 2004 REPLY TO THE ATTEIWrION OF:
/ )
B-19J Chief, Rules Review and Directives Branch U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mail Stop T6-D59 Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 Re:
Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plant, Supplement 16: Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2, Final Report, NUREG-1437, CEQ# 040312
Dear Sir or Madam:
In accordance with Section 309 of the Clean Air Act and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reviewed the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plant, Supplement 16: Quad
'Cities Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2, which is a final report. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) developed the Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) to streamline the license renewal process on the premise that environmental impacts of most, nuclear power plant license renewals are similar, in most cases. NRC develops facilitytspecific supplemental environmental'impact statements (SEIS) for individual plants as the facilities apply for license renewal. EPA provided comments on the Quad Cities draft SEIS on February 5, 2004.
The Exelon Generation Company, LLC has submitted a permit application to the NRC to extend the operating license for the Quad Cities Units 1 and 2 for an additional 20 years. The-Quad Cities plant is located on the bank of the Mississippi River in Rock Island County, Illinois and has operated-since-973. The plant is a two-unit nuclear-powered steam electric plant with a once-through cooling system using water from the Mississippi River to remove heat from the main condensers and other auxiliary equipment. The reactors are refueled on a 24-month schedule. Spent'fuel is stored in the spent fuel pool. Exelon plans to build dry storage casks for spent fuel storage and begin using them in 2005. The plant produces as much as 2,957 megawatts (thermal) and supplies electricity to 350,000 industrial, commercial, and residential users.
Based on our review of the Quad Cities final SEIS,"we retain the concerns we raised in oar-February 5, 2004 letter. (In our letter we gave the draft SEIS an EC-2 rating, meaning that we had environmental concerns with the proposed action and requested additional information in the final SEIS.) Oir concerns include impacts related to power uprates, on-site waste storage, sediments, and estimates of risk. 'We find the final SEIS does not adequately address these RecycledlRecyclable *PPdnted with Vegetable OR Based hIks oub 100% Recycled Paper (40% Postoonsurner)
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concerns. Therefore, the final SEIS does not sufficiently explain the environmental consequences of the selected alternative. Since our concerns involve changes in plant operation or changes to actual, potential, or cumulative environmental impacts, we believe they should be addressed with facility-specific information. We strongly encourage NRC to revise its responses to our concerns, in order to develop a more comprehensive and site-specific environmental document.
If you have any questions or wish to discuss any aspect of the comments, please contact Anna Miller of my staff at (312) 886-7060.
Sincerely, Kenneth A. West e, Chief Environmental Planning and Evaluation Branch Office of Strategic Environmental Analysis