SECY-22-0024, Enclosure 1 - Significant Issues Raised During Public Scoping Period for the Review and Potential Update of the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants (NUREG 1437)

SECY-22-0024: Enclosure 1 - Significant Issues Raised During Public Scoping Period for the Review and Potential Update of the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants (NUREG 1437)

ML22062B647
Person / Time
Issue date:	03/25/2022
From:	NRC/SECY
To:
Malave-Velez Y
Shared Package
ML22062B592	List: SECY-22-0024, Enclosure 1 - Significant Issues Raised During Public Scoping Period for the Review and Potential Update of the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants (NUREG 1437)
References
LR GEIS, NRC-2018-0296, RIN 3150-AK32, SRM-S21-0066-1 SECY-22-0024
Download: ML22062B647 (2)

Text

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES RAISED DURING THE PUBLIC SCOPING PERIOD FOR THE REVIEW AND POTENTIAL UPDATE OF THE GENERIC ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR LICENSE RENEWAL OF NUCLEAR PLANTS (NUREG-1437)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff conducted a thorough environmental scoping process in 2020. The scoping process was conducted in accordance with Commission direction and the NRCs regulations in Appendix B, Environment al Effect of Renewing the Operating License of a Nuclear Power Plant, to Subpart A, Nat ional Environmental Policy ActRegulations Implementing Section 102(2), of Part 51 of Tit le 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic L icensing and Related Regulatory Functions. The introduction to Appendix B to Subpart A of 10 CFR Part 51 states that, on a 10-year cycle, the Commission intends to revi ew the material in Appendix B, including Table B-1, and update it, if necessary (61 FR 28467; June 5, 1996). Thus, the NRC began the latest review in April 2020, approximately 7 years af ter the completion of the previous revision cycle in June 2013. The NRC published a notice in the Federal Register on August 4, 2020 (85 FR 47252), initiating the scoping process to solicit public input on th e review of NUREG-1437, Revision 1, Generic Environmental Impact Statem ent for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, issued June 2013 (LR GEIS). The NRC staff dir ectly contacted other Federal agencies and Tribes to invite their participation.

The staff received five comment submissions, in addition to com ments received during the public scoping meetings, for a total of 26 comments. Most of t he comments received were from the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). Other commenters included the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and three American Indian Tribes. The staff developed a scoping summary report (Agency Documents Access and Management System Accession No. ML21039A574) to document the results of the scoping process. The report summar izes all stakeholder comments received and the NRC staffs responses to those comments. The comments received were considered by the staff in developing the rulemaking plan submi tted to the Commission in July 2021 (SECY-21-0066). Based on the scoping work already perform ed, the staff is proposing in its rulemaking plan to not perform an additional scoping proces s for this rulemaking. The staff does not propose to conduct an additional scoping process becau se all LR GEIS and associated Table B-1 NEPA issues discussed within this rulemaki ng plan were included in the completed environmental scoping effort. In the interim, the NR C staff has also considered comments from stakeholders as part of environmental scoping and during the public comment periods conducted for SLR environmental reviews conducted since 2013. The following is a high-level summary of the comments and proposals received durin g public scoping completed in 2021.

Comments included support for t he NRCs proposal to update the LR GEIS and Table B-1, in Appendix B to Subpart A of 10 CFR Part 51 to apply to subsequen t license renewal environmental reviews. Comments also suggested that the applic ability should be reflected in both the LR GEIS and 10 CFR Part 51.

A commenter questioned whether it is the appropriate time to in corporate changes the NRC had listed in the public scoping notice related to advanced reactor s and small modular reactors; large light water reactors permitted for construction after Jun e 30, 1996; and a proposal no longer under consideration related to expanding the period of e xtended operation to 40 years in 10 CFR Part 54.

Enclosure 1 Other commenters encouraged the NRC to consider the Council on Environmental Qualitys rule changes (85 FR 43304) in the context of the agencys broader efforts to enhance and streamline its environmental reviews. Commenters also recommen ded that the NRC evaluate changes to aquatic systems over time (e.g., changes in water vo lume, seasonal flow, and water temperatures). Commenters also recommended reevaluating the po tential environmental impacts on water quality and water levels related to thermal di scharges and rising temperatures so that hydrologic alteration can be evaluated generically. Se veral commenters supported revisions to interagency consultations on threatened, endangere d, and protected species and essential fish habitat if interagency consultations do not incl ude State-listed species.

One commenter supported updating the LR GEIS to incorporate the U.S. Department of Energys Standard 1153-2019, A Graded Approach to Evaluating R adiation Doses to Aquatic and Terrestrial Biota. The commenter also supported incorpora ting NEI guidance, NEI 17-04, Revision 1, Model SLR New and Significant Assessment Approach for SAMA (November 12, 2019), in Regulatory Guide 4.2, Supplement 1, Rev ision 1, Preparation of Environmental Reports for Nuclear Power Plant License Renewal A pplications, issued June 2013. One commenter opposed the use of generic analyses t o evaluate environmental impacts to sacred land, air, and water quality, all of which th e commenter considered components of the cultural environment.