ML070540527
| ML070540527 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vermont Yankee File:NorthStar Vermont Yankee icon.png |
| Issue date: | 01/31/2007 |
| From: | NRC/NRR/ADRO |
| To: | |
| jmm7 | |
| References | |
| Download: ML070540527 (29) | |
Text
Preliminary Results of Environmental Review Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission January 31, 2007
2 Purpose of Todays Meeting 3/4 Discuss NRCs license renewal process 3/4 Describe the environmental review process 3/4 Discuss the results of our review 3/4 Provide the review schedule 3/4 Describe how to submit comments 3/4 Accept any comments you may have today
3 NRCs Regulatory Oversight 3/4 Atomic Energy Act 3/4Issue operating licenses for commercial nuclear power reactors 3/4Regulate civilian use of nuclear materials 3/4 NRCs Mission 3/4Public health and safety 3/4Promote common defense and security 3/4Protect the environment
4 Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station License Renewal 3/4 Operating license expires March 21, 2012 3/4 Application requests authorization to operate Vermont Yankee for an additional 20 years
5 License Renewal Process Environmental Environmental Review Review NRC Decision NRC Decision On Application**
On Application**
- Request for Hearing is Granted
- Available at www.nrc.gov License Renewal License Renewal Application**
Application**
submitted to NRC submitted to NRC Safety Safety Review Review Independent Independent Review Review Hearings*
Hearings*
6 Safety Review Process (10 CFR Part 54) 3/4 Safety Review 3/4Review of application and supporting documentation 3/4On-site audits 3/4On-site inspections 3/4Issuance of Safety Evaluation Report (SER) 3/4 Independent review by the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards
7 Ongoing Regulatory Oversight 3/4Emergency Planning 3/410 CFR 50.47 3/4Security 3/410 CFR Part 73 3/4Current Safety Performance 3/4 http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/index.html
8 Environmental Review Process License Renewal Application**
Submitted to NRC Local Public Information/
Scoping Meeting Environmental Review Site Environmental Audit Draft Supplement To GEIS Issued**
Meeting/
Comments On Draft Final Supplement To GEIS Issued**
Hearings NRC Decision on Application
- Available at www.nrc.gov
9 Environmental Review (10 CFR Part 51) 3/4 National Environmental Policy Act requires Federal agencies to use a systematic approach to consider environmental impacts 3/4 NRC prepares an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for all proposed license renewals 3/4 Scope 3/4 Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) 3/4 Site-specific Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) 3/4 Focused on assessment of site-specific issues 3/4 The staff also looks for new and significant information on generic conclusions reached in the GEIS
10 Decision Standard for Environmental Review To determine whether or not the adverse environmental impacts of license renewal for Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station are so great that preserving the option of license renewal for energy planning decisionmakers would be unreasonable.
11 Application Submitted Notice of Intent Scoping Public Meeting Scoping Comments Due Scoping Summary Report Draft SEIS Issued Draft SEIS Public Meeting Draft SEIS Comments Due Final SEIS Issued Vermont Yankee Environmental Review Milestones January 27, 2006 April 21, 2006 June 7, 2006 June 23, 2006 October 30, 2006 December 13, 2006 January 31, 2007 March 7, 2007 August 2007
12 Team Expertise Regulatory Regulatory Compliance Compliance Radiation Radiation Protection Protection Terrestrial Terrestrial Ecology Ecology Atmospheric Science Atmospheric Science Socioeconomics/
Socioeconomics/
Environmental Justice Environmental Justice Land Use Land Use Archaeology/Historical Resources Archaeology/Historical Resources Hydrology Hydrology Aquatic Aquatic Ecology Ecology
13 Analysis Approach Potential Potential New Issue New Issue Generic Environmental Impact Statement Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS)
(GEIS)
Category 1 Issues Category 2 Issues Category 1 Issues Category 2 Issues New and New and Significant Significant Info?
Info?
GEIS: Impacts Same GEIS: Impacts Same At All Sites At All Sites GEIS: Analyze GEIS: Analyze Impacts At All Sites Impacts At All Sites Perform Site Perform Site--
Specific Analysis Specific Analysis Adopt the Adopt the GEIS Conclusion GEIS Conclusion Validated Validated New Issue?
New Issue?
No Further No Further Analysis Analysis NO NO YES YES
14 How Impacts are Quantified 3/4 NRC-defined impact levels:
3/4 SMALL: Effect is not detectable or too small to destabilize or noticeably alter any important attribute of the resource 3/4 MODERATE: Effect is sufficient to alter noticeably, but not destabilize important attributes of the resource 3/4 LARGE: Effect is clearly noticeable and sufficient to destabilize important attributes of the resource 3/4 Consistent with the Council on Environmental Quality guidance for NEPA analyses
15 Information Gathering SEIS SEIS Public Public Comments Comments Staff Staffss Site Audit Site Audit License Renewal License Renewal Application Application State & Local State & Local Agencies Agencies Social Social Services Services Permitting Permitting Authorities Authorities
16 Environmental Impacts of Continued Operation 3/4Cooling system 3/4Radiological 3/4Threatened or endangered species 3/4Cumulative impacts 3/4Accidents
17 Cooling System Impacts Cooling System Impacts
- Category 2 issues
- Water use conflicts (plants with cooling ponds or cooling towers using make-up water from a small river with low flow)
- Entrainment of fish and shellfish in early life stages
- Impingement of fish and shellfish
- Heat shock
- Microbiological organisms (public health) (plants using lakes or canals, or cooling towers or cooling ponds that discharge to a small river)
- Preliminary findings
- Impacts would be SMALL
18 Radiological Impacts 3/4 Category 1 issues 3/4Radiation exposures to the public 3/4 Preliminary findings regarding Vermont Yankee 3/4No new and significant information identified 3/4GEIS concluded impacts would be SMALL
19 Threatened or Threatened or Endangered Species Endangered Species
- One threatened or endangered species occurs in the vicinity: the bald eagle
- No impacts expected to bald eagle
- Impacts would be SMALL
20 Cumulative Impacts of Operation 3/4 Impacts of renewal term operations combined with other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions 3/4Evaluated to end of 20-year renewal term 3/4Geographic boundaries dependent on resource 3/4 Cumulative impacts would be SMALL
21 Other Environmental Impacts Evaluated 3/4 Uranium fuel cycle and solid waste management 3/4 Decommissioning
22 Alternatives 3/4 No-action 3/4 Alternative energy sources 3/4New generation (coal, natural gas, nuclear) 3/4Purchased electrical power 3/4Other alternatives (wind, solar, conservation) 3/4Combination of alternatives 3/4 Environmental effects of alternatives in at least some impact categories reach MODERATE or LARGE significance
23 Preliminary Conclusions 3/4 GEIS conclusions on Category 1 issues adopted 3/4 Impacts resulting from Category 2 issues are of SMALL significance 3/4 Environmental effects of alternatives may reach MODERATE or LARGE significance
24 Postulated Accidents 3/4 Design-basis accidents 3/4 Severe accidents 3/4Severe accident mitigation alternatives (SAMAs)
25 Preliminary Results of Preliminary Results of SAMA Evaluation SAMA Evaluation 3/4 302 potential SAMAs considered 3/4 Number of SAMAs reduced to 66 based on screening process 3/4 Detailed cost-benefit analysis shows that 6 SAMAs could be cost beneficial 3/4 None of these are related to managing the effects of aging. Therefore, none are required to be implemented as part of license renewal
26 Environmental Review Milestones 3/4 Draft SEIS issued - December 13, 2006 3/4 Comment period ends - March 7, 2007 3/4 Issuance of Final SEIS - August 2007
27 Additional Information Additional Information NRC contact: Mr. Richard Emch (800) 368-5642, Ext. 1590 Documents located at the Vernon Free Library, 567 Governor Hunt Road, Vernon, VT Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT Hinsdale Public Library, 122 Brattleboro Road, Hinsdale, NH Dickinson Memorial Library, 115 Main Street, Northfield, MA Draft SEIS can also be viewed at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1437/supplement30/index.html
28 Submitting Comments Submitting Comments 3/4 By mail:
Chief, Rules and Directives Branch Division of Administrative Services Mailstop T-6D59 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington DC 20555 3/4By e-mail:
VermontYankeeEIS@nrc.gov 3/4In person:
11545 Rockville Pike Rockville, Maryland
29