ML19301C169
| ML19301C169 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07000003 |
| Issue date: | 10/28/2019 |
| From: | Jessie Quintero Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards |
| To: | Catawba Indian Nation |
| Quintero J | |
| References | |
| Download: ML19301C169 (2) | |
Text
9 Quintero, Jessie From:
Quintero, Jessie Sent:
Monday, October 28, 2019 6:40 AM To:
wenonahh@ccppcrafts.com Cc:
caitlinh@ccppcrafts.com
Subject:
Notification of Publication of Draft EA and Comment Period related to the License Renewal of Westinghouse Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in Richland County, SC Good morning Ms. Haire, The purpose of this email is to notify you that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a draft environmental assessment (EA) for the proposed license renewal of the Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in Richland County, South Carolina. This email requests concurrence on the Section 106 finding and provides information on how your office may submit public comments on the draft EA [ML19228A278].
In June 2018, the NRC published a Final EA and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) related to the 40-year license renewal request. However, shortly after the EA publication, there was an equipment leak that released contamination into the subsurface in July 2018. In addition, Westinghouse was conducting additional investigations into a previous buried pipe leak. Therefore, the NRC decided to re-open its environmental review. Westinghouse submitted a new environmental report to the NRC for its review [ML19088A100]. The proposed action40 year license renewalhas not changed. However, Westinghouse will be conducting further investigation into water and soil contamination which includes collecting lithographic samples and installing groundwater monitoring wells in previously undisturbed areas of the site. The exact locations and number of wells are not known at this time. Well installation activities are short-term and cause minimal land disturbance. Once installed, the wells would be sampled several times a year.
NHPA Section 106 Finding Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the NRC staff must evaluate the impact of license renewal on historic and cultural resources. The NRCs preliminary determination is that the proposed Westinghouse license renewal would have no effect on properties, if present. The NRCs NHPA Section 106 analysis appears within Sections 3.9, 4.9, and 6.1 of the draft EA. The installation of new groundwater wells in previously undisturbed areas will be performed by a contractor and they will follow their procedures to avoid subsurface objects (e.g., human remains, underground utilities) and thus should be able to avoid digging in an area that might have remains or artifacts. Further, Westinghouse has a procedure in place to address inadvertent discoveries and Westinghouse must follow state law. The NRC staff is requesting your offices concurrence with the NRCs preliminary Section 106 determination.
Draft EA Comment Period The NRC staff is seeking general public comments on the draft EA through November 27, 2019. You may submit comments either online or via U.S. mail.
Online: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2015-0039; Email: WEC-CFFF-EA@nrc.gov; or U.S. Mail: Address comments to: Office of Administration, Mail Stop TWFN-7-A60M, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; or If you would like to request a hardcopy, please let me know and I can send you a copy.
10 Public Meeting The NRC will be hosting a public meeting on Thursday, November 14, 2019 at the Medallion Conference Center, located at 7309 Garners Ferry Rd, Columbia, SC 29209. The purpose of the meeting is to provide an overview of the draft EA and accept comments from the public. There will be an open house from 5:30-6:00pm where the public can ask questions of the staff, followed by the formal meeting from 6:00-8:00pm. More information about the public meeting can be found at: https://www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg.
If you have any questions or have any issues with accessing the files, please let me know.
Sincerely, Jessie Muir Quintero
JessieMuirQuintero EnvironmentalProjectManager U.S.NuclearRegulatoryCommission Phone:301.415.7476 Email:Jessie.Quintero@NRC.gov Mailstop:TWFN4B72