ML20093C541
| ML20093C541 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Surry  |
| Issue date: | 04/07/2020 |
| From: | Briana Grange Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards |
| To: | O'Brien D US Dept of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service |
| Briana Grange 301-415-1042 | |
| References | |
| Download: ML20093C541 (2) | |
Text
From:
Grange, Briana To:
O"Brien, David Cc:
Tran, Tam; Elliott, Robert; lou.chiarella@noaa.gov; Karen Greene
Subject:
NRC Issuance of Final Environmental Impact Statement for Surry Subsequent License Renewal Date:
Tuesday, April 07, 2020 4:25:00 PM Mr. OBrien:
The purpose of this email is to notify you that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a final supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), for the proposed license renewal of Surry Power Station, Units 1 and 2 (Surry) in Surry County, Virginia. The final SEIS is available online at: ML20071D538.
During its NEPA review, the NRC determined that the proposed subsequent license renewal would result in no more than minimal adverse effects on the designated EFH of the summer flounder (larvae, juveniles, and adults), Atlantic butterfish (juveniles and adults),
bluefish (juveniles), and windowpane flounder (juveniles and adults) or on the prey base of the little skate (adults) or winter skate (adults), whose designated EFH lies downstream in the Chesapeake Bay. The NRC concluded that the proposed action would result in no adverse effects on the designated EFH for any life stages of the black sea bass, Atlantic herring, clearnose skate, or red hake. The NRC documented these findings in the draft SEIS.
On October17,2019, the NRC submitted a copy of the draft SEIS to NMFS for review accompanied by a request to initiate abbreviated EFH consultation. In a letter dated December 19, 2019, the NMFS indicated that it was unable to concur with the NRCs EFH conclusions. The NMFSs position is that the mortality of federally managed species, their prey species, and diadromous species resulting from impingement and entrainment at Surry cannot be adequately quantified at this time due to dated information and inadequate sampling methods in more recent impingement and entrainment studies. Nonetheless, the NMFS provided the NRC with one EFH conservation recommendation. The NMFS recommended that the NRC postpone its license renewal decision until the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) issues a new Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (VPDES) permit for Surry.
The NRC responded to the NMFSs recommendation on January 27, 2020. In its response, the NRC explained that because the NRC does not play a role in VPDES permitting, the NRCs postponement of its license renewal decision would not function to avoid, mitigate, or otherwise offset any impacts on EFH. The NRCs response to the NMFSs recommendation fulfilled its Magnuson-Stevens Act obligations with respect to the proposed Surry license renewal. Sections 3.8.1 and 4.8.1.4 and Appendix C.2 of the NRCs final SEIS address federally listed species and critical habitats and summarize this consultation.
If you have any questions about this email or the final SEIS, please reach out to me by
ML20093C541 CONCURRENCE OFFICE PM:ELRB:REFS BC:ELRB:REFS CB:ELRB:REFS NAME TTran RElliott BGrange DATE 4/6/20 4/7/20 4/7/20