ML070660053

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Comment (1) of John Filippelli on Behalf of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regarding Renewal of Operating License for Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant
ML070660053
Person / Time
Site: Oyster Creek
Issue date: 02/21/2007
From: Filippelli J
Environmental Protection Agency
To:
NRC/ADM/DAS/RDB
References
71FR2715 00001
Download: ML070660053 (2)


Text

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UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY W REGION 2 290 BROADWAY NEWYORK, NY 10007-1866 0

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FEB 2 12007 --- 4t 7Th Chief, Rules Review and Directives Branch U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mail Stop T6-D59 X/©<c "-4'

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Washington, DC 20555-0001

Dear Sir or Madam:

In accordance with Section 309 of the Clean Air Act and the Nationa! Environmental ofiitcy AI (NElA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reviewed the Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, Supplement 28 (Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS)): Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station (CEQ # 20070017). The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing to renew the current operating license for the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station (OCNGS) for an additional 20 years.

fh*sFSEI.S was. preared, as a supp~ement to the N.ucear Regulatory Co.mffif.ssion's (N'4RCY"l996 Final' eneric Envirornmental ac't Statemeni fGE:S)(which was prepared to str-eanmlinethe license renewal process on the premise that,i general,, the",

envi'onne&fit!l impacts from ie-licensin.nuc power plints ariesimilar. ThatGEIS proposed that NRC will develop facility.speifri SEIS d',cumentsfdri iiiViddal plants as the; fdciliti's apply for license reneWal. EPA p*"riovded comments on the GEIS during-the de-veldpirient process in 1992 and 1996.

The OCNGS is.located in Ocea*i County, New.Jersey, on the confluenc.e of the South Branch:4f the Forked Riv'er and Oyster Creek, .djacdnt to Bajiie'gat Bays. The..fa6ilitfy has one unit that is a single boiling water reactor with a power i-ating of .1930 megawatts of thermal energy and 640 megawatts of eiectrical power. Plant cooling is provided by a once-through circulating water system that draws water from the Barnegat. Bay: viatIhe South Branchi of the Forked River and dischargesto, OysterCreek." EPA comiiented on the draft supplement EIS in September 2006. "

Co6inmmenit s:

Qur concern With the use of outdated information anid' the lack of a complete evaluation of the environmental effects from-the continued operation of the*facility in'the DSEIS remain's for ithe FSEIS. In response to this concern,,NRC states that nieither NEPA nor the-tcde of Federal Regulations' s NRC't' collect Idata for aialysis.' While we agree that NEPA.regulations do not miandate quaititativ6e aalysis, _umericai measurements prov'id6 the'inforrmation ne~cesga r d"'toefteliine thesnigniihca 6fnce6f imnpaicts, and differentiate alternatives. This type of quantification of impacts has become standard practice for many types of impact analysis including those carried out

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for hydroelectric facility relicensing. Also, the Council on Environmental Quality's overarching guidance is for federal agencies to ensure that there is sufficient information in the record for the public and decision makers to make an informed evaluation of the action being proposed. In the FSEIS, NRC states on page 4-16, "Because recent population data are not available, the NRC staff cannot arrive at a definitive conclusion concerning the current impact of entrainment associated with OCNGS." We recognize that NRC goes on to recommend that additional environmental monitoring studies be conducted in the bay by other agencies. However, EPA still supports the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's recommendation that at least 3 years of biological sampling studies be performed and, along with findings and any mitigation measures, included in a final NEPA document before relicensing OCNGS for the next 20 years.

We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the FSEIS. Please call Lingard Knutson of my staff, at (212) 637-3747 if you have any questions.

Sincerely yours, John Filippelli, Chief Strategic Planning and Multi-Media Programs Branch cc: C. Day, USFWS 2