ML052760148
| ML052760148 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Point Beach  |
| Issue date: | 09/19/2005 |
| From: | Westlake K Environmental Protection Agency |
| To: | NRC/ADM/DAS/RDB |
| References | |
| 70FR48784 00001, B-191, CEQ No. 20050344 | |
| Download: ML052760148 (2) | |
Text
UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION5 77WESTJACKSONBOULEVARD
' m CHICAGO, IL 60604-3590 ClI-)
SEP 1 9 2005 REPLY TO THE ATTENTIjOlf:
B-l9 C
Chief, Rules Review and Directives Branch U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
/°7X:
4/74L Mail Stop T6-D59 Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 Re:
Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of-NuclearPlant, Supplement 23: Point Beach Nuclear Plant Units I and 2, Final Report (CEQ No. 20050344)
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 Envirofnm ental Impkt'Stdtemen't for'Lic'en'ieTRbneWal of'Nuclear;Pla'nt, Supplement 23: Point Bea'WN6'tcleaPlant Uniti'6'anid 2; Firifl Repo'rt. -The cuirrent 'operating licensesfor.'Point Beach Uniits'I'an-d 2' will e'x'pire'in O:t6b&i2010 aid March 2013, respectively.'.The proposed Federal action w6ould r'e'new the curretnt operating lien's&s'foe-an' additional 20 years. The Point Beach Nuiclear Plant is located in Mdnitow6c County, Wisconsinoh the.shoreline of Lake Michigan.
Units 1 and 2 are pressurized light-waterreactors, Which'each currently produce 1540 megawatts of thermal energy and generate 545 megawatts of electrical power. Each unit is refueled on an 18-month cycle; Plant cooling is provided by a once-through circulating water system that draws and discharges to Lake Michigan. The U.S. EPA participated in a site visit on June 16, 2004 and provided scoping'commrents dated July 1, 2004..
_The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) developed the Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) appr6ach to streamline the-licenise renewal process on the premise that environmental impacts of most nuclear power plant license renewals are similar, in most cases.
Building on the analyses in GEIS; the NRC develops facility-specific supplemental environmental impact statements (SEIS)'for individual'plants as the facilities apply for license renewal. EPA provided comments on the Point Beach draft SEIS on April 13, 2005.
Based-on our review' of thePoint' Beach'-firnal SEISeve retain some of the concerns we raised in our April 13,i;2005' letter.'. The6U.S.' EPA rated the draft'SEIS'"EC-2," meaning that we had environmienital co'nfc6rns'withl the propdsed a'ction, 'and-werequested'additional information in the
'paticular"th cldse'd.rstewiater ret-ntion.pon'd,'and entrainmefit of fish and shellfish at early.life stages'. rh U.S.EPA'coitirneis to hhave &oncirns about the'adequacy and clarity of the. ;.'.-::
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r radiological impacts and risk estimates; the final SEIS does not does not sufficiently explain site-specific conditions or environmental consequences of the selected alternative. Since our concerns involve changes in pulajnt operation or changes to actual, 'potential, or cumulative environmental impacts, we believe they should be addressed with current facility-specific information. We 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, II.--1 ~
1 I..
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