ML25206A090
| ML25206A090 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Fort Calhoun  |
| Issue date: | 08/11/2025 |
| From: | Johnston I NRC/NMSS/DREFS/EPMB2 |
| To: | US Dept of Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service, Nebraska Ecological Services Field Office |
| References | |
| Download: ML25206A090 (1) | |
Text
Nebraska Ecological Services Field Office U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 9325 South Alda Road Wood River, NE 68883
SUBJECT:
REQUEST FOR CONCURRENCE WITH ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT DETERMINATIONS FOR FORT CALHOUN STATION, UNIT 1, PROPOSED LICENSE AMENDMENT IN WASHINGTON COUNTY, NEBRASKA (IPAC PROJECT CODE: 2025-0025485) (DOCKET NUMBER:
50-285)
Dear Nebraska Ecological Services Field Office:
With this letter, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requests the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) concurrence with the NRC staffs not likely to adversely affect (NLAA) determinations pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), concerning Federally listed species that may be affected by the proposed action on the Fort Calhoun Station (FCS), Unit 1, site in Washington County, Nebraska. To best assist, this letter contains information explaining and supporting this request.
Proposed Action FCS is a single unit nuclear power plant located on the southwest bank of the Missouri River in Washington County, Nebraska approximately 19.4 miles (mi) [31.2 kilometers] north of Omaha, Nebraska that is owned by Omaha Public Power District (OPPD). The site consists of approximately 660 acres [267.1 hectares]. FCS is part of the Missouri River bottomland, which is about 15 mi wide at Blair, Nebraska north of the site, 8 mi wide at the site, and narrowing to 3 mi wide south in the vicinity of Omaha-Council Bluffs. Permanent cessation of operations at FCS occurred on October 24, 2016, with the Certification of Permanent Defueled Status achieved on November 13, 2016. The site is currently being decommissioned under the DECON method, which is the immediate decontamination and dismantlement of the facility after permanent cessation of operations. The License Termination Plan (LTP) for FCS was previously reviewed by the NRC with the Finding of No Significant Impact issued in the Federal Register notice on January 2, 2024.
On June 18, 2024, OPPD submitted a license amendment application for FCS, Unit 1 to update the LTP. The proposed amendment would alter the remediation strategy for the Auxiliary Building basement floor and revise the dose calculations for the soils deeper than 9.8 feet (ft) (3 meters [m]). Accordingly, the NRC is currently reviewing whether to approve the license amendment.
August 7, 2025
Nebraska ESFO 2
Environmental Assessment for FCS Unit 1 License Amendment In support of its review of the proposed Unit 1 license amendment, the NRC staff is preparing an environmental assessment (EA) to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), and the NRCs environmental regulations at Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 51 that implement NEPA. The EA will address the environmental impacts of the proposed action and reasonable alternatives to the proposed action. In support of this concurrence request, the NRC staff is providing the FWS with an advance copy of the draft EA. The draft EA contains the staffs biological evaluation, as well as other supporting information. Information relevant to the proposed action can be found in the following sections:
Section 1.1 describes the FCS site and background information for the request.
Section 1.2 describes the proposed action, including the purpose, duration, scope, and associated activities that would be carried out during the proposed license renewal term.
Section 3.4.1 describes the terrestrial ecology of the site and surrounding area.
Section 3.4.2 describes the freshwater aquatic ecology of the site and surrounding area.
Section 3.4.3.1 describes the NRC staffs evaluation for ESA-protected species and critical habitats for the proposed action.
Section 3.4.3.2 describes the NRC staffs evaluation for ESA-protected species and critical habitats for the parent action of the LTP which were not considered previously.
The licensee confirmed with NRC staff on May 8, 2025, that the scope of the review would be altered to include the basement of the Containment Building in addition to the Auxiliary Building.
The Containment Building is adjacent to the Auxiliary Building and the proposed change in scope would include soils and concrete material 9.8 ft (3 m) below ground surface or deeper.
The NRC staff do not expect this change in scope to alter the impact determinations for any listed species; however, the NRC staff commits to providing FWS with updated documentation to support this conclusion when the revised amendment request is submitted to the NRC for formal review. The NRC staff expect the revised amendment request to be submitted by early August 2025.
The NRC staff has concluded that the proposed action, the license amendment, has no effect (NE) on the previously reviewed northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis),
piping plover (Charadrius melodus), and pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) and NE on the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), western regal fritillary (Argynnis idalia occidentalis), and Suckleys cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus suckleyi). While the ESA does not require the NRC to consult with or receive concurrence from the FWS regarding NE determination findings, the NRC staff welcomes any comments the FWS may have on these species or the NRCs impact assessment.
Request for Conference Concurrence for Two Proposed Species Under the Parent LTP Action During the review of the proposed action, the NRC staff identified three proposed species for listing which were not considered during the initial LTP review (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML23333A049). Therefore, the
Nebraska ESFO 3
NRC staff requests your written conference concurrence with its NLAA determinations for the monarch butterfly and western regal fritillary for the parent action of the LTP review (ML23333A049). The NRC staff previously concluded that the LTP is NLAA the northern long-eared bat, the tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus), piping plover, and pallid sturgeon.
The FWS concurred with the NRC staff determination on November 5, 2023 (ML23311A086).
Please provide your response electronically to the following email addresses:
EndangeredSpecies.Resource@nrc.gov and isaac.johnston@nrc.gov.
If you have any questions regarding information in this letter, please contact me by phone at (301) 415-5649 or via email at isaac.johnston@nrc.gov.
Sincerely, Isaac Johnston, Environmental Project Manager Environmental Project Management Branch 2 Division of Rulemaking, Environmental, and Financial Support Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket No.: 50-285 Cc: Listserv Signed by Johnston, Isaac on 08/07/25
- via email OFFICE NMSS/REFS/LA NMSS/REFS/BC/
EPMB2 NMSS/REFS/PM NAME MCampestrin RSun IJohnston DATE 07/28/2025 08/06/2025 8/7/2025