ML25332A079
| ML25332A079 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Oyster Creek |
| Issue date: | 02/24/2026 |
| From: | Dehmer M NRC/NMSS/DREFS/ETRB1 |
| To: | US Dept of Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service, New Jersey Field Office |
| References | |
| IPAC 2025-0110329 | |
| Download: ML25332A079 (0) | |
Text
E-MAIL ONLY New Jersey Ecological Services Field Office U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 4 E. Jimmie Leeds Road, Suite 4 Galloway, NJ 8205
SUBJECT:
REQUEST FOR CONCURRENCE WITH ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT DETERMINATIONS FOR OYSTER CREEK NUCLEAR GENERATION STATION, PROPOSED LICENSE TERMINATION PLAN IN LACEY AND OCEAN TOWNSHIPS, NEW JERSEY (IPAC PROJECT CODE:
2025-0110329) (DOCKET NUMBER: 050-00219)
Dear New Jersey 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 Oyster Creek Nuclear Generation Station (OCNGS), site in Lacey and Ocean Townships, New Jersey. In accordance with 50 CFR 402.13(c)(2), the NRC requests written concurrence within 60 days of the date of this letter.
Proposed Federal Action OCNGS is a single unit Boiling Water Reactor located in Lacey and Ocean Townships in Ocean County, New Jersey. OCNGS was licensed to generate 1930 megawatts of thermal energy. The NRC issued the initial construction permit in 1964, with commercial operation beginning in 1969.
The renewed facility operating license for OCNGS allowed operation until April 9, 2029. Exelon permanently shut down OCNGS on September 17, 2018. By letter dated August 31, 2018 (ML18243A489), Exelon submitted to the NRC an application for transfer of the OCNGS facility licenses to Oyster Creek Environmental Protection, LLC as owner and Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC (HDI) as operator. This transfer was completed on July 1, 2019 (ML19164A157).
The OCNGS site is 152 acres in the state of New Jersey located mostly in Lacey Township in Ocean County about two miles inland from the shore of Barnegat Bay. The site is approximately nine miles south of Toms River, New Jersey and about fifty miles east of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The intake canal flows from Barnegat Bay along the north and northwest sides of the site and the discharge canal flows along the southwest and south sides of the site back east to Barnegat Bay. The two canals are separated by a dam on the west side of the site.
February 24, 2026
New Jersey ESFO 2
The NRCs Federal action is to review and to subsequently approve, if appropriate, the OCNGS License Termination Plan (LTP) for decommissioning the site and releasing the land for unrestricted use. In its license amendment request (ML25345A095), HDI requested an amendment to the OCNGS license to add license conditions that (1) reflect the NRC staffs approval of the LTP and (2) provide criteria for when NRC approval is needed for subsequent LTP changes. If the NRC approves the LTP, approval will be issued in the form of an amendment to the OCNGS license.
Environmental Assessment for OCNGS License Termination Plan In support of its environmental review of the OCNGS LTP application, 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 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 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 a draft of the EA. The draft EA contains the NRC staffs biological evaluation, as well as other supporting information. Information relevant to this concurrence request can be found in the following sections of the draft EA:
Section 1 describes the proposed action, including the purpose, duration, timing, and associated activities that would be carried out under the proposed LTP.
Sections 3.5.1 and 3.5.2 describe the terrestrial ecology of the site and surrounding area.
Sections 3.5.3 and 3.5.4 describe the aquatic ecology of the site and surrounding area.
Appendix A contains the NRC staffs biological evaluation for ESA-protected species and critical habitats.
Appendix A.1 describes the ESA action area.
Appendix A.1.2 describes the ESA-protected species and critical habitats under FWS jurisdiction that are potentially present in the action area.
Appendix A.1.3 analyzes the impacts of the proposed OCNGS LTP on ESA-protected species and critical habitats under FWS jurisdiction.
Request for Concurrence Consistent with Title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations Section 402.12, Biological assessments, the NRC staff requests your written concurrence with its determinations in the draft EA that the proposed action may affect but is not likely to adversely affect the following listed species: American chaffseed (Schwalbea americana), eastern black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis ssp. Jamaicensis), Knieskerns beaked-rush (Rhynchospora knieskernii), rufa red knot (Calidris canutus rufa), and swamp pink (Helonias bullata).
Additionally, the NRC staff requests FWS written concurrence with its determinations in the
New Jersey ESFO 3
draft EA that the proposed action is not likely to adversely affect the following proposed species: monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus).
Please provide your response electronically to the following email addresses:
EndangeredSpecies.Resource@nrc.gov and Mitchell.Dehmer@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 Mitchell.Dehmer@nrc.gov.
Sincerely, Mitchell Dehmer, Environmental Scientist Environmental Technical Review Branch 1 Division of Rulemaking, Environment, and Financial Support Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket No. 050-00219 cc: GovDelivery Signed by Dehmer, Mitchell on 02/24/26
New Jersey ESFO 4
SUBJECT:
REQUEST FOR CONCURRENCE WITH ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT DETERMINATIONS FOR OYSTER CREEK NUCLEAR GENERATION STATION, PROPOSED LICENSE TERMINATION PLAN IN LACEY AND OCEAN TOWNSHIPS, NEW JERSEY (IPAC PROJECT CODE: 2025-0110329)
(DOCKET NUMBER: 050-00219)
DATED:
DISTRIBUTION:
Shannon Healy Briana Arlene Mitchell Dehmer Patrick Donohue Ted Smith Robert Sun Kimyata Savoy Jake Zimmerman AGendelman (OGC)
New Jersey Ecological Service Field Office (NJFO_ProjectReview@fws.gov)
Eric Schrading, Field Supervisor (Eric_Schrading@fws.gov)
Ross Conover, Assistant Supervisor (Ross_Conover@fws.gov)
Lori Holway, Administrative Officer (Lori_Holway@fws.gov)
ADAMS Accession Number: ML25332A079