ML20227A115

NRC E-mail to Catawba Indian Nation, Westinghouse Environmental Impact Statement Scoping Process

ML20227A115
Person / Time
Site:	Westinghouse
Issue date:	07/31/2020
From:	Diaz-Toro D Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
To:	Haire W Catawba Indian Nation
Diaz-Toro D
References
Download: ML20227A115 (5)

Text

Diaz Toro, Diana From: Diaz Toro, Diana Sent: Friday, July 31, 2020 4:58 PM To: wenonahh@ccppcrafts.com Cc: caitlinh@ccppcrafts.com; Trefethen, Jean; Quintero, Jessie

Subject:

Westinghouse Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility License Renewal Environmental Impact Statement Scoping Process Attachments: Ltr to Catawba Indian Nation-Scoping FRN-July 2020 -signed.pdf; Westinghouse EIS Scoping FRN.pdf; Enclosure 1-ML15104A250.pdf; Enclosure 2.pdf; Enclosure 3-Ltr to WEC signed FINAL060520.pdf Good afternoon, Attached please find a courtesy electronic copy of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissions letter notifying and inviting the Catawba Indian Nation to participate in the environmental impact statement scoping process for the license renewal request from Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC (Westinghouse) for its Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in Hopkins, South Carolina.

A hardcopy will be provided by mail.

Regards, Diana Diana Diaz-Toro Project Manager NMSS/REFS/ERMB 301-415-0930 diana.diaz-toro@nrc.gov 1

July 31, 2020 Ms. Wenonah Haire Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Catawba Indian Nation 1536 Tom Steven Road Rock Hill, SC 29730

SUBJECT:

NOTICE OF INTENT TO PREPARE AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT AND CONDUCT SCOPING PROCESS FOR THE LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION FOR THE WESTINGHOUSE COLUMBIA FUEL FABRICATION FACILITY IN RICHLAND COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA, AND SECTION 106 CONSULTATION OF THE NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACT (LICENSE NUMBER: SNM-1107, DOCKET NUMBER:

70-1151)

Dear Ms. Haire:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff will be preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the license renewal application from Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC (Westinghouse) for its Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in Hopkins, South Carolina. If the license renewal request is approved, the facility would continue making fuel assemblies for commercial nuclear power plants for an additional 40 years.

On July 31, 2020, the NRC staff published a notice of intent, in the Federal Register (see 85 FR 46193), to prepare an EIS for Westinghouses license renewal request and announced the beginning of the scoping process. The NRC is conducting the scoping process in accordance with section 51.29 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR). The purpose of the scoping process is to determine the appropriate scope of the EIS, including significant environmental issues to be analyzed in depth, as well as those that should be eliminated from detailed study because they are peripheral or are not significant. After the close of the scoping comment period, the NRC staff will prepare a concise summary of its scoping process in accordance with 10 CFR 51.29(b). The scoping summary report will be sent to each participant in the scoping process for whom the staff has a physical or e-mail address.

The NRC staff is inviting the public, local, State, Tribal, and Federal government agencies to participate in the environmental scoping process by submitting written comments during the scoping comment period, which ends on August 31, 2020, via:

o Federal Rulemaking Web Site: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2015-0039, o E-mail comments to: WEC_CFFF_EIS.resource@nrc.gov, or o Mail comments to: Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWFN-7-A60M, U.S.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

W. Haire 2 Consultation History Previously, the NRC staff consulted with the Catawba Indian Nation and in May 2015 sent a letter requesting concurrence on the NRCs determination that the 40-year renewal of the Westinghouse facility operating license would not adversely affect any historical or cultural resources at the site (Enclosure 1, Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML15104A250).

In October 2019, the NRC staff published, for public review and comment, the draft environmental assessment (EA) for Westinghouses license renewal request. In the draft EA, the NRC explained that Westinghouse would be conducting further investigation into water and soil contamination, including installation of groundwater monitoring wells and sampling in previously undisturbed areas of the site. Installation of the new groundwater wells would be conducted by Westinghouses contractor who would follow procedures to address inadvertent discoveries and 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.

In November 2019, the Catawba Indian Nation provided comments to the NRC indicating no immediate concerns with regard to traditional cultural properties, sacred sites or Native American archaeological sites within the boundaries of the proposed project areas, and requesting that the Tribe be notified if Native American artifacts and/or human remains are located during the ground disturbance phase of the project. (Enclosure 2, ADAMS Accession No. ML19331A585).

In March 2020, Westinghouse provided additional information to the NRC staff regarding its investigation into water and soil contamination. The new information revealed uncertainty about the source and extent of contamination onsite and the potential future migration pathways offsite, which precluded the NRC staff from making a finding of no significant impact or FONSI through the EA process and, necessitated the NRC prepare an EIS in accordance with 10 CFR 51.31(a) (Enclosure 3, ADAMS Accession No. ML20150A289).

Next Steps Preparation of an EIS is the next step in the NRC staffs environmental review process for the Westinghouse license renewal request. It will include a discussion of NRC staffs historic and cultural resources effects determination. The EIS will also acknowledge and reflect the Tribes input and comments on the draft EA. The proposed action has not changed, and Westinghouse continues to conduct investigation activities. Notwithstanding, the NRC staff finds that its previous no effects determination no significant impacts to historic or cultural resources expected from continued operation of the facility remains the same based on the same reasons discussed in the October 2019 draft EA. Once the draft EIS has been prepared, the NRC staff will publish it for public review and comment in accordance with 10 CFR 51.73.

W. Haire 3 As discussed above, comments on the scope of the EIS can be submitted through August 31, 2020. Additional information regarding the proposed action is publicly available in ADAMS, which can be accessed online at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. The ADAMS Accession Numbers have been provided for the documents referenced in this letter.

Hardcopies of the enclosures are also provided.

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Diana Diaz-Toro of my staff by telephone at (301) 415-0930 or via e-mail at Diana.Diaz-Toro@nrc.gov.

Sincerely, Digitally signed by Jessie M.

Jessie M. Quintero Quintero Date: 2020.07.31 14:38:16 -04'00' Jessie M. Quintero, Acting Chief Environmental Review Materials Branch Rulemaking, Environmental, and Financial Support Division Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket No.: 70-1151 License No.: SNM-1107

Enclosures:

(1) May 2015 NRC Letter to Catawba Indian Nation (2) November 2019 Catawba Indian Nation Letter to NRC (3) June 2020 NRC Letter to Westinghouse regarding decision to prepare EIS

W. Haire 4

SUBJECT:

NOTICE OF INTENT TO PREPARE AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT AND CONDUCT SCOPING PROCESS FOR THE LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION FOR THE WESTINGHOUSE COLUMBIA FUEL FABRICATION FACILITY IN RICHLAND COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA, AND SECTION 106 CONSULTATION OF THE NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACT (LICENSE NUMBER: SNM-1107, DOCKET NUMBER:

70-1151)

DATED: July 31, 2020 DISTRIBUTION:

Public JTrefethen, NMSS MDiaz Maldonado, NMSS ADAMS Package Accession No.: ML20211L680(Pkg) ML20211L681 (Ltr) *via email OFC NMSS/REFS/ERMB NMSS/REFS/ERMB NMSS/REFS/ERMB NMSS/REFS/ERMB NAME DDiaz-Toro* JTrefethen* AWalker-Smith* JQuintero*

DATE 07/23/2020 07/23/2020 07/23/2020 07/31/2020 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY