ML11308A242
| ML11308A242 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Grand Gulf  |
| Issue date: | 10/28/2011 |
| From: | Entergy Operations |
| To: | Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| References | |
| GNRO-2011/00093 | |
| Download: ML11308A242 (17) | |
Text
Grand Gulf Nuclear Station Applicants Environmental Report Operating License Renewal Stage A-1 Attachment A Threatened and Endangered Species Correspondence Thomas, J. A., Enercon Services, Inc. to C. B. James, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. February 4, 2011.
Rick, S., Fish and Wildlife Service, Mississippi Field Office, to J. Thomas, Enercon Services, Inc. February 23, 2011.
Thomas, J. A., Enercon Services, Inc., to R. C. Watson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. February 4, 2011.
Rieck, B. S., Fish and Wildlife Service, Louisiana Ecological Services Office, to J. A. Thomas, Enercon Services, Inc. March 4, 2011.
Thomas, J. A., Enercon Services, Inc., to Dr. S. Surette, Mississippi Natural Heritage Program, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.
February 4, 2011.
Carney, J., Mississippi Natural Heritage Program, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, to J. Thomas, Enercon Services, Inc. February 23, 2011.
Thomas, J. A., Enercon Services, Inc. to C. Michon, Louisiana Natural Heritage Program, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. February 4, 2011.
Bass, A., Louisiana Natural Heritage Program, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, to J. A. Thomas, Enercon Services, Inc. February 18, 2011.
Thomas, J. A., Enercon Services, Inc. to D. Bernhart, NOAA Fisheries Services, Southeast Regional Office, Protected Resources Division.
March 4, 2011.
Bernhart, D., NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, to J. A. Thomas, Enercon Services, Inc. June 14, 2011.
ENERCON Excellence-~very proj ect. Every day.
Curtis B. James Assistant Field Supervisor U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mississippi Field Office 6578 Dogwood View Parkway, Suite A Jackson, MS 39213
SUBJECT:
Grand Gulf Nuclear Station License Renewal Application
Dear Mr. James,
February 4, 2011 In 2011, Entergy plans to apply to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for renewal of the operating license for the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station (GGNS), which is located in Claiborne County, Mississippi on the east bank of the Mississippi River at River Mile 406, approximately 25 miles south of Vicksburg, Mississippi and 37 miles north-northeast of Natchez, Mississippi. The existing operating license for GGNS was issued for a 40-year term that expires in 2024. If the NRC approves the application, Entergy will then have the option to continue operating GGNS until 2044. In conjunction with this effort, Enercon is gathering information on Entergy's behalf relative to this license renewal project.
The NRC requires that the license renewal application for GGNS include an environmental report assessing potential environmental impacts from operation during the license renewal term. One of these potential environmental impacts would be the effect of license renewal on threatened or endangered species or designated critical habitat located on the GGNS site, its immediate environs (6-mile radius), and transmission line corridors constructed for purposes of connecting the plant to the regional transmission grid. Accordingly, the NRC requires that the environmental report for each license renewal application assess such a potential effect (10 CFR 51.53).
Later, during its review of the license renewal environmental report pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the NRC may request information from your office to ensure compliance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.
Enercon is contacting you now (n order to obtain input regarding issues that may need to be addressed in the GGNS license renewal environmental report, and to assist Entergy in identifying any information your staff believes would be helpful to expedite NRC's review.
Corporate Headquarters 5100 East Skelly Drive Suite 450 Tu/sa, OK 74135 phone 918.665. 7693 f ax 918.665.7232
- enercon.com
Curtis B. James Assistant Field Supervisor U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mississippi Field Office Page 2 of 5 The 2,1 00 acre GGNS site consists primarily of woodlands and former farms as well as two lakes, Hamilton Lake and Gin Lake (see Figure 1). The land in the vicinity of the GGNS site is mostly rural. There are two transmission corridors containing a single-circuit 500-:-kV transmission line that were constructed for purp'oses of connecting GGNS to the regional electricity grid (see Figure 2).
These transmission corridors are considered by the NRC to be within the scope of its environmental reviews for renewal of the GGNS operating license. Entergy's Transmission group owns and operate$ these two lines. The total length of the two corridors is approximately 66 miles, and cross Claiborne, Warren, Jefferson and Franklin Counties in Mississippi.
Based on a review of information available and previous consultations, Enercon has included Table 1 which lists federally-or state-listed threatened or endangered species at the station site, the immediate environs, or the transmission line corridors (see Figures 1 and 2). No designated critical habitat was identified by Enercon for these species during the review. However, even with the presence of these species or habitats, Entergy does not expect GGNS operations during the license renewal term to adversely affect any threatened and endangered species or designated critical habitats since there are no plans to alter current operations during the 20-year license renewal period, and any maintenance activities necessary to support continued operation of GGNS would be limited to currently developed areas of the site. Although administrative procedural controls are in place to comply with applicable state and federal laws to preserve biological resources when facility expansion or land disturbance activities do occur, no expansion is planned or needed in support of license renewal. In addition, Entergy's Transmission group has established maintenance procedures for transmission lines that involve minimal disturbance of land, wetlands, and streams and are protective of threatened and endangered species, and designated critical habitats when present.
After your review of the information provided in this letter, I would appreciate you sending a letter detailing any concerns you may have about potential impacts to threatened or endangered species or designated critical habitat on the GGNS property, immediate environs, or along the transmission line corridors, or alternatively, confirming our conclusion these species or habitats will not be adversely affected as a result of renewing the GGNS operating license for an additional 20 years. Entergy will include copies of this letter and your response in the environmental report submitted to the NRC as part of the GGNS license renewal application.
Curtis B. James Assistant Field Supervisor U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mississippi Field Office Page 3 of 5 If you have any questions, please contact me at (918) 665-7693 or through my email address, jthomas@enercon.com. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
J mes A. Thomas anager, Electric Utilities Environmental Services Attachment -
6-Mile Map 50-Mile Map cc:
Rick Buckley (Entergy)
Table 1 Federal and State-Listed Species Scientific Name Common Name Federal MS LA On-Site Vicinity Transmission Status Status Status IS-mile)
ROW Mammals Puma concolor coryi Florida Panther E
E E
No No No Ursus americanus luteolus Louisiana Black Bear T
E T
Yes Yes Yes Ursus americanus American Black Bear T
E Yes Yes Yes Birds Haliaeetus /eucocephalus Bald Eagle E
E Yes Yes Yes Mycteria americana Wood Stork E
E Yes Yes Yes Sterna antil/arum atha/assos Interior Least Tern E*
E*
E No Yes Yes Picoides borealis Red-Cockaded Woodpecker E
E No No Yes Eudocimus albus White Ibis S2, S3 Yes Yes Yes Reptiles Alligator mississippiensis American Alligator T (S/A)
Yes Yes Yes Fish Scaphirhynchus albus Pallid Sturgeon E
E E
Yes Yes No Etheostoma rubrum Bayou Darter T
E No Yes No Crystal/aria asprel/a Crystal Darter E
Yes Yes No Macrhybopsis meeki Sicklefin Chub S1 Yes Yes Macroinvertebrates Potamilus capax Fat Pocketbook Mussel E
E No No Yes Quadrula cylindrica Rabbitsfoot Mussel CS No Yes Yes
Table 1 (Continued)
Federal and State-Listed Species Scientific Name Common Name Federal Status MS Status Insects Epitheca spinosa Plants Lindera me/issifo/ia T = Threatened E = Endangered CS = Candidate Species Robust Baskettail Pond berry S1 = Critically Imperiled in Mississippi S2 = Imperiled in Mississippi S3 = Rare or uncommon in Mississippi T (SIAl = Threatened by similarity of appearance.
S1 E
E LA Status Yes No Vicinity (S-mile)
Yes No Transmission ROW Yes
- Interior least terns belong to a subspecies of least terns and are protected Federally, and by the state of Miss;issippi under the species name.
Sterna antil/arum atha/assos is the subspecies endemic to the project region and is therefore specified above.
Figure 1 Location of GGNS, 6-Mile Radius Map
<?
Helicopler Pad EillJ Urban Areas
-+-- Active Railroads Il Recrealbn Area t:::J Grand Gulf Nuclear Stallon (GGNS) _
Lakes and Ponds
~
Abandoned RaUroads W
Principal Historical Site
-==-=---===---4Miles c:::J 6-Mile (10 km) Vicility
-- Highways
~Natural Gas Une C=J County Boundal'f GGNS Buldings Other Principal Roads t~:-
Stale Boundary Existing Transmi!.sion Corridor Countyl\\.ocaI Roads
Figure 2 Location of GGNS, 50-Mile Radius Map o
10 a i'Jrports Miles 15 20 Existing Transmission Corridor Interstate U.S. Highway
=- State HighwaylRoad Natchez Trace Parkway
-t-Rail
() 6-Mlle Radus o SO-Mile Radius Surface water GGNSProperty
~
State VVildlife Mgmt Areas E:J State Parks
~
National Forest
- f.
National VVilclife Refuge EJ Urban Areas
ENERCON 5100 East Skelly Drive Suite 450 Tulsa, Oklahoma 744135 Attn: James Thomas
Dear Mr. Thomas:
United States Department of the Interior FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE Mississippi Field Office 6578 Dogwood View Parkway, Suite A Jackson, Mississippi 39213 February 23, 2011 The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) received your letter dated February 4,2011, requesting information on the presence of federal threatened and endangered species, which may be affected by the proposed operating license renewal for the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station (GGNS) located approximately 25 miles south of Vicksburg in Claiborne County, Mississippi. The following comments are provided in accordance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (87 Stat. 884, as amended 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Based on the location and nature of the proposed work, the Service has determined that no federally listed species or their habitats are likely to be "affected" from the proposed license renewal and routine maintenance operations of GGNS. No further consultation under Section 7 ofthe ESA will be necessary unless the size or location of the project were to change.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Daniel Gregg with this office, telephone:
(601) 321-1136.
Sincerely, For ~~
, ~tePhen RiC~ / t/
Field Supervisor
ENERCON Excellence-Every project. Every day Mr. Russell C. Watson Supervisor U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Louisiana Field Office 646 Cajundome Blvd., Suite 400 Lafayette, LA 70506 RE:
Entergy Operations, Inc. (EOI)
Grand Gulf Nuclear Station
Dear Mr. Watson,
February 4, 2011 In 2011, Entergy plans to apply to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for renewal of the operating license for the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station (GGNS), which is located in Claiborne County, Mississippi on the east bank of the Mississippi River at River Mile 406, approximately 25 miles south of Vicksburg, Mississippi and 37 miles north-northeast of Natchez, Mississippi. The existing license for GGNS was issued for a 40-year term that expires in 2024. If the NRC approves the application, Entergy will then have the option to continue operating GGNS until 2044. In conjunction with this effort, Enercon is gathering information on Entergy's behalf relative to this license renewal project.
The NRC requires that the license reneWal application for GGNS include an environmental report assessing potential environmental impacts from operation during the license renewal term. One of these potential environmental impacts would t?e the effect of license renewal on threatened or endangered species located on the GGNS site, its immediate environs (6-mile radius), and transmission line corridors specifically constructed to connect the plant to the existing regional transmission grid. Accordingly, the NRC requires that the environmental report for each license renewal application assess such a potential effect (10 CFR 51.53). Later, during its review of the license renewal environmental report pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA),
the NRC may request information from your office to ensure compliance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.
Enercon is contacting you now in order to obtain input regarding issues that may need to be addressed in the GGNS license renewal environmental report, and to assist Entergy in identifying any information your staff believes would be helpful to expedite NRC's review.
Corporate Headquarters 5100 East Skelly Drive Suire 450 Tulsa, OK 74135 phone 918.665.7693 tax 918.665.7232 Mercon.com
Mr. Russell C. Watson Supervisor U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Louisiana Field Office Page 2 of 5 The 2,100 acre GGNS site consists primarily of woodlands and former farms as well as two lakes, Hamilton Lake and Gin Lake (see Figure 1). The land in the vicinity of the GGNS site is mostly rural. There are two transmission corridors containing a single-circuit 500-kV transmission line that were constructed to connect GGNS to the regional electricity grid (see Figure 2). These transmission corridors are considered by the NRC to be within the scope of its environmental reviews for the GGNS license renewal.
Entergy's Transmission group owns and operates these two lines. The total length of the two corridors is approximately 66 miles, ana crosses Claiborne, Warren, Jefferson and Franklin Counties in Mississippi.
Based on a review of information available and previous consultations, Enercon has included Table 1 which lists federally-or state-listed threatened or endangered species within the vicinity of GGNS and the transmission corridors. However, Entergy does not expect GGNS operations during the license renewal term (an additional 20 years) to adversely affect threatened or endangered species at the station site, the immediate environs, or the transmission line corridors because license renewal will not alter existing operations. There are no plans to alter current operations during the 20-year license renewal period, and any maintenance activities necessary to support continued operation of GGNS will be limited to currently developed areas of the site. Although administrative procedural controls are in place to comply with applicable state and federal laws to preserve biological resources when facility expansion or land disturbance activities occur, no expansion is planned or needed in support of license renewal. In addition, Entergy's Transmission group has established maintenance procedures for transmission lines that involve minimal disturbance of land, wetlands, and streams and are protective of threatened or endangered species.
After your review of the information provided in this letter, I would appreCiate you "Sending a letter detailing any concerns you have about potential impacts to threatened or endangered species or critical habitat in the area of GGNS or along the associated transmission corridors, or alternatively, confirming our conclusion that threatened of endangered species will not be adversely affected as a result of renewing the GGN'S operating license for an additional 20 years. Entergy will include copies of this letter and your response in the environmental report submitted to the NRC as part of the GGNS license renewal application.
Mr. Russell C. Watson Supervisor U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Louisiana Field Office Page 3 of 5 If you have any questions, please contact me at (918) 665-7693 or through my email address, jthomas@enercon.com. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Thank you, James A. Thomas Manager, Electric Utilities Environmental Services Attachment -
6-Mile Map 50-Mile Map cc:
Rick Buckley (Entergy)
Table 1 Federal and State-Listed Species Scientific Name Common Name Federal MS LA On-Site Vicinity Transmission Status Status Status IS-mile)
ROW Mammals Puma con c%r coryi Florida Panther E
E E
No No No Ursus americanus /uteo/us Louisiana Black Bear T
E T
Yes Yes Yes Ursus americanus American Black Bear T
E Yes Yes Yes Birds Haliaeetus /eucocepha/us Bald Eagle E
E Yes Yes Yes Mycteria americana Wood Stork E
E Yes Yes Yes Sterna antil/arum athalassos Interior Least Tern E*
E*
E No Yes Yes Picoides borealis Red-Cockaded Woodpecker E
E No No Yes Eudocimus a/bus White Ibis S2, S3 Yes Yes Yes Reptiles AI/igator mississippiensis American Alligator T (S/A)
Yes Yes Yes Fish Scaphirhynchus a/bus Pallid Sturgeon E
E E
Yes.
Yes No Etheostoma rub rum Bayou Darter T
E No Yes No Crystal/aria asp reI/a Crystal Darter E
Yes Yes No Macrhybopsis meeki Sicklefin Chub S1 Yes Yes Macroinvertebrates Potami/us capax Fat Pocketbook Mussel E
E No No Yes Quadru/a cy/indrica Rabbitsfoot Mussel CS No Yes Yes
Table 1 (Continued)
Federal and State-Listed Species Scientific Name Common Name Federal Status MS Status Insects Epitheca spinosa Plants Lindera melissifolia T = Threatened E = Endangered CS = Candidate Species Robust Basketlail Pond berry S1 = Critically Imperiled in Mississippi S2 = Imperiled in Mississippi S3 = Rare or uncommon in Mississippi T (S/A) = Threatened by similarity of appearance.
S1 E
E LA Status Yes No Vicinity IS-mile)
Yes No Transmission ROW Yes
- Interior least terns belong to a subspecies of least terns and are protected Federally, and by the state of Mississippi under the species name.
Sterna antil/arum athalassos is the subspecies endemic to the project region and is therefore specified above.
Figure 1 Location of GGNS, 6-Mile Radius Map Legend o Helicopter Pad CTIIJ Urban AUlas
-+-- Active Railroads 11 Recreation Area
(:::J Grand Gulf Nuclear Station (OGNS) _
Lake-.l and Ponds
-+- Abandoned Railroads I:l Principal Hh torical Site
'-==-=--~==!""'-*4Miles c:J e.M~e (10 km) Vicinity
-- HighwdyS
=====Nalural Gas Line
'-:=J County Boundary GGNS Buildings Other Principal Roads.
~:", Slale Boundaty Prepared toy-F Woolridge, February 4, 20HJ Exisling TransmissiOll Conidar CountyfLoeal Roads
Figure 2 Location of GGNS, 50-Mile Radius Map Miles 10 1S 20
~ i'Jrports
.-.. Existing Transmission Corridor Interstate U.S. Highway
=- State Highway/Road Natchez Trace Parkway
-t-- Rail
() 6-Mile Radius o SO-Mile Radius Surface Water D
GGNS Property g
State Wildlife Mgmt Areas State Parks
~
National Forest 1::.~J National Wildlife Re1uge illTIJ Urban Areas
United States Department of the Interior Mr. Jarnes~. 1l.homas Enercon 5100 East Skelly Drive, Suite 450 Tulsa, OK 74135
Dear Mr. Thomas:
FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 646 Cajundome Blvd.
Suite 400 Lafayette, Louisiana 70506 March 4,2011 Please reference your February 4, 2011, letter, regarding the renewal of an operating license for the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station (GGNS), which is located in Claiborne County, Mississippi. That letter requested our concurrence with your determination that the proposed project is not likely to adversely affect any federally threatened or endangered species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has reviewed the infonnation you provided, and offers the following comments on the Louisiana portion in accordance with the Endangered Species ~ct of 1973 (87 Stat. 884, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). These comments only pertain to those species that fall under the purview of the Louisiana Ecological Services Office (ESO).
The proposed project is located on the east bank of the Mississippi River at River Mile 406. The federally listed species that fall within a 50-mile radius of the GGNS (in Louisiana) include the Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus), interior least tern (Sterna antillarum), pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus), and fat pocketbook pearly mussel (Potamilus capax). ~ccording to your letter, there are no expected changes to the operation of the GGNS that would occur during the license renewal tenn (an additional 20 years). There are also no proposed construction activities.
Based on this information, the Service concurs with your determination that the proposed project is not likely to adversely affect the above listed species. Therefore, no further ES~ consultation will be necessary with our office for this project.
We appreciate the opportunity to provide these comments. If you need further assistance, please contact Seth Bordelon (337/291-3138) of this office.
Deputy Field Supervisor Louisiana Ecological Services Office cc:
LDWF Natural Heritage Program, Baton Rouge, L~