ML26002A014
| ML26002A014 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 05000615 |
| Issue date: | 12/12/2025 |
| From: | Public Commenter Public Commenter |
| To: | NRC/NMSS/DREFS |
| NRC/NMSS/DREFS | |
| References | |
| 90FR50498 | |
| Download: ML26002A014 (0) | |
Text
From:
Kajumba, Ntale <Kajumba.Ntale@epa.gov>
Sent:
Friday, December 12, 2025 11:23 AM To:
Madelyn Nagel Cc:
Bowen, Kristina
Subject:
[External_Sender] Clinch River Nuclear Site DSEIS Attachments:
Clinch River Nuclear Site DSEIS (F).pdf Good morning, Ms. Nagel, Please see EPAs comment letter on the Clinch River Nuclear Site Draft Supplemental EIS. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us. Madelyn, wishing you the very best this holiday season.
Sincerely, Ntale Ntale Kajumba National Environmental Policy Act Section U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 Email: Kajumba.ntale@epa.gov
Federal Register Notice:
90FR50498 Comment Number:
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December 12, 2025 Ms. Madelyn Nagel U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards 115555 Rockville Pike Rockville, Maryland 20555-0001 Re: EPA Comments on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for a Construction Permit at the Clinch River Nuclear Site, CEQ No. 20250151
Dear Ms. Nagel:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reviewed the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for a Construction Permit at the Clinch River Nuclear Site, in accordance with Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 309 of the Clean Air Act (CAA). The CAA Section 309 requires the EPA to review and comment on the environmental impact of any proposed Federal action subject to NEPAs EIS requirements and make the agencys comments public. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) prepared the draft SEIS to respond to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)s application for a construction permit to construct and operate a nuclear power plant in Roane County, Tennessee.
According to the draft SEIS, the TVA proposes to build and operate one General Electric-Hitachi Nuclear Energy BWXR-300 small nuclear reactor and additional facilities on 1,200 acres of the TVAs Clinch River property. Additional facilities include a radioactive waste building, service buildings, dewatering systems, cooling water intake structure, discharge structures, stormwater drainage, concrete batch plant, 161 kilovolts (kV) transmission line with switchyard and loop, 10 to 20-acre onsite quarry, and expanded barge traffic area. In addition, the Clinch River Arm of the Watts Bar Reservoir will be dredged to install the discharge line from the cooling water intake structure, and approximately 400,000 cubic yards of borrow material will be obtained from either the existing Midway Quarry or the proposed onsite quarry. The draft SEIS evaluated the no action alternative and the action alternative.
Under the no action alternative, the NRC would not issue a construction permit to the TVA.
The project supports the national goal of restoring American energy dominance. Based on our review of the draft SEIS, the EPA has enclosed comments on air quality and water resources consistent with our Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act authorities that we recommend be addressed in the Final EIS.
These comments are intended to provide clarity on the project and improve the environmental outcome of the proposed action.
2 We appreciate the opportunity to review the draft SEIS. If you have any questions, please contact Kristina Bowen, at 404-562-8399 or bowen.kristina@epa.gov.
Sincerely, Ntale Kajumba Manager NEPA Section
Enclosure:
- 1. EPA Comments on the Construction Permit at the Clinch River Nuclear Site Draft SEIS Ntale Kajumba Digitally signed by Ntale Kajumba Date: 2025.12.12 11:10:47 -05'00'
3 Enclosure EPA Comments on the Construction Permit at the Clinch River Nuclear Site Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement CEQ No. 20250151 Air Quality:
General Conformity Section 3.2.1 in the draft SEIS discusses the applicability of General Conformity to the project by stating, the General Conformity Rule, a conformity determination may need to be completed for projects that are located in or near a maintenance or nonattainment area. Because a portion of Roane County, west of the CRN Site, and Loudon County, adjacent to Roane County and within the 6 mi (10 km) radius of the CRN Site are designated as maintenance areas, in Section 3.2.2, the NRC staff evaluated the effects of emissions from building activities to determine whether a conformity analysis is needed. General Conformity does not apply because the project area is not within a maintenance area boundary for the Knoxville 1997 Ozone Area, 2008 Ozone Area or 2006 PM2.5 Area, see EPAs Nonattainment Areas for Criteria Pollutants (Green Book). Furthermore, the project area is not within the portion of Roane County that was designated nonattainment on January 5, 2005, for the Knoxville 2006 PM2.5, see 82 Federal Register (FR) 40718. The EPA recommends the final SEIS clarify that General Conformity does not apply to this project (40 CFR 93.153(b)).
De Minimis Emissions Table 3-1 in the draft SEIS lists the de minimis emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) as 50 tons per year, which is the value for maintenance areas in an ozone transport region. Roane County is not part of an ozone transport region. The value should be corrected in the final SEIS to 100 tons per year, as listed under Ozone (VOCs) for maintenance areas outside an ozone transport region in 40 C.F.R 93.153(b)(2).
Water Resources:
Clean Water Act Section 402 National Pollution Discharge Elimination System The proposed cooling water intake structure for the new nuclear unit meets the definition of new unit at 40 C.F.R § 125.92(u). Under 40 CFR § 125.94(a)(2), when a new unit results in the cumulative intake at a site to exceed 2 million gallons per day, the owner or operator of a new unit is subject to the impingement mortality and entrainment standards under 40 C.F.R §125.94(e) for all cooling water intake flows used by the new unit. The remainder of the existing facility is subject to the impingement mortality standard under 40 C.F.R. § 125.94(c), and the entrainment standard under 40 CFR§ 125.94(d). The discussion of the proposed cooling water system should address any existing intake water structures at the site, including information on the total current withdraws at the site from the Clinch River and the percentage of intake water used for cooling purposes for each cooling water intake structure per 40 C.F.R § 125.94(a)(2).