ML25149A270

Ltr to L. Taylor, Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa - Palisades Final EA

ML25149A270
Person / Time
Site:	Palisades
Issue date:	05/30/2025
From:	Rome M NRC/NMSS/DREFS/EPMB3
To:	Taylor L Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
References
EPID L-2024-LNE-0003
Download: ML25149A270 (1)

Text

Louis D. Taylor, Chairman Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa 13394 West Trepania Road Building #1 Hayward, WI 54843

SUBJECT:

CONCLUSION OF SECTION 106 CONSULTATION AND NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT FOR HOLTEC DECOMMISSIONING INTERNATIONAL, LLCS LICENSING AND REGULATORY REQUESTS FOR REAUTHORIZATION OF POWER OPERATIONS AT PALISADES NUCLEAR PLANT (EPID NUMBER: L-2024-LNE-0003) (DOCKET NUMBER: 50-0255)

Dear Chairman Louis D. Taylor:

The purpose of this letter is to inform your office that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff has completed its environmental review for a series of licensing and regulatory requests submitted by Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC (HDI) that, if approved, would collectively support reauthorizing power operations at the Palisades Nuclear Plant (Palisades).

These requests are the proposed actions before the NRC, including any revisions or supplements thereto and other regulatory or licensing requests submitted to the NRC that are necessary to reauthorize power operations of Palisades. Table 1-1 of the final environmental assessment (EA) lists the regulatory and licensing actions that fall within the scope of the final EA and final finding of no significant impact (FONSI), which includes an exemption request, a license transfer request, and several license amendment requests. The NRC is the lead Federal agency for the environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), and for Section 106 consultation under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (NHPA), with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO) serving as a cooperating agency on the environmental review and Section 106 consultation.

As part of this review, the NRC and DOE LPO staff have completed a final EA and FONSI, Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for the Palisades Nuclear Plant Reauthorization of Power Operations Project (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System ML25111A031). The associated Federal Register notice was published on May 30, 2025, and is available at https://www.federalregister.gov/. The final EA and FONSI are also available from the NRCs Palisades website: https://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactors/pali.html#pali-1.

Section 3.8 and Appendix C, D, and I of the final EA serve as the administrative record for the NRC staffs NHPA Section 106 consultation. The NRC and DOE LPOs determination under Section 106 of the NHPA, is that the undertaking will have no historic properties affected as no historic properties have been identified in the area of potential effects and activities associated with the resumption of power operations are limited to previously disturbed areas. Additionally, no historic and cultural resources have been identified within the area of potential effects.

May 30, 2025

L.Taylor Therefore, there will be no significant impacts under NEPA to historic and cultural resources at Palisades. As noted in Section 3.8.2 of the draft EA, HDI has cultural resources procedures in place to address inadvertent discoveries. The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office concurred with this determination by letter dated February 24, 2025 (ML25055A099). No additional comments were received from consulting parties. Therefore, pursuant to 36 CFR 800.5(c)(1), consultation for this undertaking is concluded.

If you have any questions concerning the NRCs Section 106 environmental review, please contact Staff Archaeologist, Jennifer Davis, by phone at 301-415-3835 or via email at Jennifer.Davis@nrc.gov; or Environmental Project Manager, Mary Richmond, by phone at 301-415-7218 or via email at Mary.Richmond@nrc.gov.

Sincerely, Michelle M. Rome, Chief Environmental Technical Review Branch 1 Division of Rulemaking, Environmental, and Financial Support Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket No. 50-0255 cc:

1.

GovDelivery 2.

Brian Bisonette, THPO Brian.bisonette@lco-nsn.gov Signed by Rome, Michelle on 05/30/25

L.Taylor

SUBJECT:

CONCLUSION OF SECTION 106 CONSULTATION AND NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT FOR HOLTEC DECOMMISSIONING INTERNATIONAL, LLCS LICENSING AND REGULATORY REQUESTS FOR REAUTHORIZATION OF POWER OPERATIONS AT PALISADES NUCLEAR PLANT (EPID NUMBER: L-2024-LNE-0003) (DOCKET NUMBER: 50-0255)

DATED:

DISTRIBUTION:

PUBLIC K. Bernstein, OGC J. Kozal, RIII A. Ghosh-Naber, OGC L. Willingham, NMSS H. Logaras, RIII M. Richmond, NMSS C. Wolf, OCA W. Burris, NMSS S. Burnell, HQ/OPA J. Davis, NMSS V. Mitlyng, RIII/OPA D. Barnhurst, NMSS P. Chandrathil, RIII/OPA M. Rome, NMSS C. Conrad, PNNL (cyler.n.conrad@pnnl.gov)

T. Smith, NMSS L. Hare, PNNL (leah.hare@pnnl.gov)

C. Regan, NMSS A. Williamson, DOE (alicia.williamson@hq.doe.gov)

J. Poole, NRR K. Erwin, DOE (kenneth.erwin@hq.doe.gov)

N. Otto, NRR T. Stribley, DOE (todd.stribley@hq.doe.gov)

J. Pelton, NRR I. Berrios, NRR P. McKenna, NRR ADAMS Package Accession No.: ML25141A118; Letter: ML25149A270 *via email OFFICE PM:REFS/ETR1 LA:REFS/EPM3 PM:REFS/EPM3 OGC PM:REFS/ETR1 NAME JDavis MCampestrin MRichmond KBernstein JDavis DATE 05/21/2025 05/21/2025 05/22/2025 05/28/2025 05/29/2025 OFFICE BC:REFS/ETR1 NAME MRome DATE 05/30/2025 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY May 30, 2025