ML25279A003
| ML25279A003 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 05000615 |
| Issue date: | 11/06/2025 |
| From: | Peyton Doub Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards |
| To: | US Dept of Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service, TN Ecological Services Field Office |
| References | |
| Download: ML25279A003 (1) | |
Text
E-MAIL ONLY Tennessee Ecological Services Field Office U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 446 Neal St.
Cookeville, TN 38501-4027
SUBJECT:
REQUEST FOR CONCURRENCE WITH ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT DETERMINATIONS FOR CLINCH RIVER NUCLEAR SITE, PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION IN ROANE COUNTY, TENNESSEE (IPAC PROJECT CODE:
2025-0137715) (DOCKET NUMBER: 050-0615)
Dear Tennessee Ecological Services Field Office:
With this letter, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requests the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) written concurrence with the NRC staffs determinations pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), concerning federally listed or proposed to be listed species that may be affected by the proposed Federal action on the Clinch River Nuclear (CRN) Site in Roane County, Tennessee. This letter includes information explaining and supporting this request.
Proposed Federal Action The CRN Site is located in Roane County, Tennessee, and is owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The proposed construction includes a one-unit GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR; also referred to as CRN-1) that would use a closed-cycle cooling-water system and would require condenser cooling via a mechanical draft cooling tower.
On December 19, 2019, the NRC approved an early site permit (ESP) for development of new nuclear power units demonstrating the feasibility of SMR technology on the CRN Site. The ESP resolved many site-specific environmental issues for a future nuclear plant fitting within a plant parameter envelope and allowed TVA to bank the CRN Site for up to 20 years, with the existing approval of the ESP expiring on December 19, 2039. The CRN Site is situated in the southwestern part of the city limits of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, approximately 10 miles (16 kilometer) south of the Oak Ridge urban center. The CRN Site consists of approximately 935 acres (378 hectares) along the Clinch River Arm of the Watts Bar Reservoir. The nuclear power station, associated infrastructure, cooling lake, and the site boundary are in Roane County.
November 6, 2025
Tennessee ESFO 2
The NRCs Federal action is to decide whether to issue a construction permit for CRN-1. TVA initiated the proposed Federal action by submitting an application (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession Nos. ML25118A209 and ML25140A062) for construction of CRN-1.
Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for CRN-1 In support of its environmental review of the proposed construction of CRN-1, the NRC staff is preparing a supplement to NUREG-2226, Environmental Impact Statement for an Early Site Permit (ESP) at the Clinch River Nuclear Site (ADAMS Package Accession No. ML19087A266) to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), and the NRCs regulations at Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 51, Environmental protection regulations for domestic licensing and related regulatory functions, that implement NEPA. This supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) addresses the new and significant environmental impacts of the proposed action building on the bounding analysis in the ESP. In support of this concurrence request, the NRC staff is providing the FWS with a copy of the draft SEIS. The draft SEIS contains the NRC staffs biological assessment, as well as other supporting information. Information relevant to this concurrence request can be found in the following sections of the draft SEIS:
Section 2.1 provides a project overview.
Section 2.2 describes the CRN Site.
Section 2.5 describes the proposed action, including the purpose, duration, timing, and associated activities that would be carried out during the proposed construction.
Section 3.5 describes the freshwater aquatic ecology of the site and surrounding area.
Section 3.6 describes the terrestrial ecology of the site and surrounding area.
Appendix F contains the NRC staffs biological assessment for ESA-protected species and critical habitats.
Request for Concurrence Consistent with Title 50 of the Code of Federal Register Section 402.12, Biological assessments, the NRC staff requests your written concurrence with its determinations in the draft SEIS that the proposed action is likely to adversely affect the gray bat (Myotis grisescens) and Indiana bat (Myotis sodalist). In addition, the NRC staff requests your written concurrence with its determinations in the draft SEIS that the proposed action is not likely to adversely affect the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis).
Tennessee ESFO 3
Finally, the NRC staff requests your written concurrence with its determinations in the draft SEIS that the proposed action is not likely to adversely affect the following proposed species: tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) and monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus).
The NRC staff also determined in the draft SEIS that the proposed action has no effect (NE) on the following species: whooping crane (Grus americana), Virginia spiraea (Spiraea virginiana),
white fringeless orchid (Platanthera integrilabia), Alabama lampmussel (Lampsilis virescens),
spectaclecase (Cumberlandia monodonta), pink mucket (Lampsilis abrupta), Anthonys riversnail (Athearnia anthonyi), slender chub (Erimystax cahni), spotfin chub (Erimonax monachus), and yellowfin madtom (Noturus flavipinnis). As previously requested by FWS, the NRC analyzed the effects on the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), even though it is not currently listed or proposed.
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 that the FWS may have on these species or the NRC staffs impact assessment.
Please provide your response electronically to the following email addresses:
EndangeredSpecies@nrc.gov and Peyton.Doub@nrc.gov.
If you have any questions regarding the information in this letter, please contact me by phone at (301) 415-4016 or via email at Peyton.Doub@nrc.gov.
Sincerely, Peyton Doub, Environmental Scientist Environmental Technical Review Branch 1 Division of Rulemaking, Environment, and Financial Support Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket No. 050-615 cc: GovDelivery Signed by Doub, Joseph on 11/06/25
Tennessee ESFO 4
SUBJECT:
REQUEST FOR CONCURRENCE WITH ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT DETERMINATIONS FOR CLINCH RIVER NUCLEAR SITE, PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION IN ROANE COUNTY, TENNESSEE (IPAC PROJECT CODE:
2025-0137715) (DOCKET NUMBER: 050-0615)
DATED:
DISTRIBUTION:
Shannon Healy Briana Arlene Mitchell Dehmer Peyton Doub Madelyn Nagel Dan Barnhurst Desiree Davis Jacob Zimmerman Kimyata Savoy Daniel Elbert, Field Supervisor (Daniel_Elbert@fws.gov)
Steven Alexander, Ecologist (steven_alexander@fws.gov)
Jamie Stamps, Administrative Officer (Jamie_Stamps@fws.gov)
ADAMS Accession Number: MLXXXXXXXX