ML101390396

NMFS Endangered Species List Response Letter for the Proposed License Renewal of Diablo Canyon Power Plant

ML101390396
Person / Time
Site:	Diablo Canyon
Issue date:	05/10/2010
From:	Mcinnis R US Dept of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service, US Dept of Commerce, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
To:	David Wrona Division of License Renewal
References
TAC ME2625, TAC ME2626
Download: ML101390396 (3)

Text

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

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• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

" NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE Southwest Region 501 West Ocean Boulevard, Suite 4200 Long Beach, California 90802- 4213 2010/01891:DL May 10, 2010' David J. Wrona Chief, Projects Branch 2 Division of License Renewal Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Washington D.C. 20555-0001

Dear Mr. Wrona:

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has reviewed a letter from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), dated March 9, 2010, concerning an application by Pacific Gas -

& Electric (PG&E) for the renewal of the operating license for Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant (DCPP), Units 1 and 2. As part of the process to support the preparation of a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) and to ensure compliance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), NRC requests information on the Federally listed, proposed, and candidate species and critical habitat that may be in the vicinity of the DCCP site, as well as any information appropriate under the provisions of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act. In response, NMFS offers the following comments pursuant to section 7 of the ESA.

Project Details DCPP is a nuclear power producing facility located approximately 12 miles west-southwest of San Luis Obispo, California. The Site consists of approximately 750 acres of land near the mouth of Diablo Creek, bounded in part by the Pacific Ocean. DCPP utilizes once-through cooling (OTC) water system whereby raw, ambient temperature seawater is drawn from the Pacific Ocean through a shoreline intake structure, and discharged back to the Pacific Ocean at a second' separate, shoreline location- approximately 20'F above ambient temperature, on average.

Each Unit (1 &2) utilizes an independent cooling system, however the systems share common intake and discharge structures. During full operations, the plant circulates approximately 2.45 billion-gallons of raw seawater per day through the cooling system.

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2 Endangered Species Act Comments The following ESA-listed species may be present in the vicinity of DCPP:

Marine Mammals Status Blue whale (Balaenopteramusculus) Endangered Fin whale (Balaenopteraphysalus) Endangered Humpback whale (Megapteranovaeangliae) Endangered Sei whale (Balaenopteraborealis) Endangered Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) Endangered Killer whales - southern resident DPS (Orcinus orca) Endangered North Pacificright whale (Eubalaenajaponica) Endangered Steller sea lion - eastern distinct population segment Threatened (DPS) (Eumetopiasjubatus)

Sea turtles Leatherback turtle* (Dermochelys coriacea) Endangered Loggerhead turtle ** (Caretta caretta) Threatened Olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) Endangered/Threatened Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) Endangered/Threatened Marine fish Green Sturgeon, southern DPS (Acipenser medirostris) Threatened Marine invertebrates Black abalone*** (Haliotiscracherodii) Endangered Salmonids Chinook (Oncorhynchus Sacramento River winter, Endangered tshawytscha) evolutionarily significant unit (ESU)

Central Valley Spring ESU Threatened Coho (Oncorhynchus Central California Coastal ESU Endangered kistuch)

Steelhead (Oncorhynchus South-Central California DPS Threatened mykiss)

• Critical habitat for leatherback sea turtles was proposed on January 5, 2010. The proposed designation includes two adjacent marine areas totaling approximately 119,400 km 2 stretching along the California coast from Point Arena to Point Vincente; and one 63,455 square km2 marine area stretching from Cape Flattery, Washington to the Umpqua River (Winchester Bay),

Oregon east of a line approximating the 2,000 meter depth contour. Proposed critical habitat extends from the surface down to a depth of 80 m. In the proposed rule, power plants were identified as having the potential to affect prey resources (jellyfish) in the proposed critical habitat area (75 FR 319).

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• • The listing of nine distinct population segments of loggerhead sea turtles was proposed on March 16, 2010. The action area of this proposed action would include the North Pacific Ocean DPS of loggerhead sea turtles, which is now proposed for listing as endangered (75 FR 12598).

• NMFS is currently considering a proposal for designating critical habitat that may include intertidal habitat adjacent to DCPP. A proposed rule is expected to publish in the Federal Register in September, 2010, with an opportunity for the public to provide comment on the proposed rule following publication of the proposal. A final rule is expected to be published in the Federal Register by July, 2011.

Thank you for coordinating with NMFS. If you have any questions pertaining to any issue regarding compliance with the ESA or any ESA regulatory processes that may be ongoing, feel free to contact Dan Lawson at (562) 980-3209 or Dan.LawsonO~noaa.gov.

Sincerely, Regional Administrator cc: Dennis Logan, Nuclear Regulatory Commission