ML12005A163

License Renewal Application Review

ML12005A163
Person / Time
Site:	Grand Gulf
Issue date:	02/06/2012
From:	David Wrona Division of License Renewal
To:	Michon C State of LA, Dept of Wildlife & Fisheries
Drucker D
Shared Package
ML12023A183	List: ML12005A163
References
Download: ML12005A163 (13)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555*0001 February 6, 2012 Ms. Carolyn Michon Assistant Data Manager Louisiana Natural Heritage Program Department of Wildlife and Fisheries P.O. Box 98000 Baton Rouge, LA 70898-9000

SUBJECT:

GRAND GULF NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT 1, LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION REVIEW

Dear Ms. Michon:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the staff) is reviewing an application to renew the operating license for Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, Unit 1 (GGNS). The application for renewal was submitted to the NRC by Entergy Operations, Inc. (Entergy) in a letter dated October 28, 2011, pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 54 (10 CFR Part 54).

The purpose of this letter is threefold: (1) to inform you of the NRC's National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process for the GGNS license renewal review; (2) to request your comments pertaining to the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act; and (3) to request your concurrence with the NRC's list of Federally endangered and threatened species that may be affected by the proposed GGNS license renewal.

The NRC's Federal action is the decision whether to renew GGNS's operating license for an additional 20 years. GGNS is a single unit boiling-water reactor plant using a closed-cycle cooling water system that withdraws make-up water from the Mississippi River Alluvium groundwater aquifer through Ranney wells. The proposed action includes the use and continued maintenance of existing plant facilities and transmission lines. Entergy states that it has no plans for refurbishment or replacement activities to support renewal of the operating license.

GGNS is located approximately 25 miles south of Vicksburg in Claiborne County, Mississippi.

The 2,100 acre GGNS site consists primarily of woodlands and former farms as well as two lakes (see Figure 1 of Enclosure 1). The land in the vicinity of the GGNS site is mostly rural.

Entergy constructed three 500-kV transmission lines to connect GGNS to the power grid (see Figure 2 of Enclosure 1). The Baxter-Wilson line runs north for 22 miles from GGNS to the Baxter-Wilson substation just south of Vicksburg in Warren County. This line traverses rural, sparsely populated areas used for agriculture and forestry. The Franklin line runs southeast for 43.6 miles to the Franklin substation near McCall Creek in northeastern Franklin County. This line traverses the Bayou Pierre and Homochitto Rivers and Homochitto National Forest. Both

C. Michon -2 transmission lines have a 200-foot-wide right-of-way. The third line is 300 feet long and is contained within the developed portion of the GGNS site. This line runs from the GGNS Unit 1 Turbine Building to the GGNS switchyard.

NRC's NEPA Process The NRC has established that, as part of the staff's review of any nuclear power plant license renewal action, a site-specific supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) to its "Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants,"

NUREG-1437, will be prepared under the provisions of 10 CFR Part 51, the NRC's regulations that implement NEPA. The SEIS includes an analysis of pertinent environmental issues, including endangered or threatened species and impacts to fish and wildlife.

Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act To support the SEIS preparation process, please provide any information you consider appropriate under the provisions of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1934, as amended.

Endangered Species Act To ensure compliance with the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, the NRC staff will consider effects of the proposed license renewal on Federally listed species. The NRC has prepared the enclosed table (Enclosure 3) of Federally listed species that may occur in the vicinity of GGNS for your concurrence per 50 CFR 402(b)(2){c).

Prior to submitting their application to the NRC, Entergy corresponded with your office regarding Federally listed species by letter dated February 4, 2011. You replied by letter dated February 18, 2011, that no Federally listed species or their habitats are likely to be affected by the proposed license renewal or routine maintenance operations of GGNS. Both the February 4, 2011, letter from Entergy and your February 18, 2011, response letter are enclosed for your reference (Enclosures 1 and 2).

To ensure that your reply to this letter contributes to our review process in a timely manner, please respond no later than March 15, 2012.

C. Michon - 3 The GGNS license renewal application is available on the internet at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operatingllicensing/renewallapplications/gg1.html. If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact David Drucker, License Renewal Project Manager, by phone at 301-415-6223 or bye-mail at David.Drucker@nrc.gov.

Sincerely,

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David J. Wrona, Chief Projects Branch 2 Division of License Renewal Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-416

Enclosures:

As stated cc wlencls: Listserv

a ENERCON Excellence-Every projecr. tvery day.

February 4, 2011 Ms. Carolyn Michon Assistant Data Manager louisiana Natural Heritage Program Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Post Office Box 98000 Baton Rouge, LA 70898-9000

SUBJECT:

Grand Gulf Nuclear Station license Renewal Application

Dear Ms. Michon,

In 2011, Entergy plans to apply to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for renewal of the operating license for the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station (GGNS), which is located in Claiborne County, Mississippi on the east bank of the Mississippi River at River Mile 406, approximately 25 miles south of Vicksburg, Mississippi and 37 mifes north-northeast ofNatchez, Mississippi. The existing license for GGNS was issued for a .

40-year term that expires in 2024. If the NRC approves the application, Entergy will then have the option to continue operating GGNS until 2044. In conjunction with this effort, Enercon is gathering Information on Entergy's behalf relative to this license renewal project.

The NRC requires that the license renewal application for GGNS include an environmental r~port assessing potential environmental impacts from operation during the license renewal term. One of these potential environmental impacts would be the effect of license renewal on threatened or endangered species located on the GGNS site, its immediate environs (6-mile radius), and transmission line corridors routed to connect the plant to the existing transmission system. Accordingly, the NRC requires that the environmental report for each license renewal application assess such a potential effect (10 CFR 51.53). Later, during its review of the license renewal environmental report pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the NRC may request information from your office to ensure compliance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.

Enercon is contacting you now in order to obtain input regarding issues that may need to be addressed in the GGNS license renewal environmental report, and to assist Entergy in identifying any information your staff believes would be helpful to expedite NRC's review. .

The 2,100 acre GGNS site consists primarily of woodlands and former farms as well as two lakes, Hamilton lake and Gin Lake (see Figure 1). The land in the vicinity of the Corporate Headq*uarre,., 5100 East Skeily Drive Suite 450 Tulsa, OK 74135 phone 918.665.7693 f"~ 91,8.665.7232 "nercolI.com

Ms. Carolyn Michon Assistant Data Manager Louisiana Natural Heritage Program Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Page 2 of4 GGNS site is mostly rural. There are two transmission corridors containing a single circuit 500-kV transmission lines that connect the GGNS site to the regional electricity grid (see Figure 2). These transmission corridors are considered by the NRC to be within the scope of its environmental reviews for the GGNS license renewal. Entergy's Transmission group owns and operates these two lines. The total length of the two corridors is approximately 66 miles, and cross Claiborne, Warren, Jefferson and Franklin Counties in Mississippi.

Based on a review of information available and previous consultations, Enercon has included Table 1 which lists federally- or state-listed threatened or endangered species within the vicinity of GGNS and the transmission corridors. However, Entergy does not expect GGNS operations during the license renewal term (an additional 20 years) to adversely affect threatened or endangered species at the station site, the immediate environs, or the transmission ,line corridors because license renewal will not alter existing operations. There are no plans to alter current operations during the 20-year license renewal period, and any maintenance activities necessary to support continued operation of GGNS will be limited to currently developed are.as of the site. Although

. administrative procedural controls are in place to comply with applicable state and federal laws to preserve biological resources when facility expansion or land disturbance activities occur, no expansion is planned or needed in support of license renewal. In addition, Entergy's Transmission group has established maintenance procedures for transmission lines that involve minimal disturbance of land, wetlands, and streams and are protective of threatened ()r endangered species.

After your review of the information provided in this letter, I would appreCiate you sending a letter detailing any concerns you have about potential impacts to threatened or endangered species or critical habitat in the area of GGNS or along the associated transmission corridors, or alternatively, confirming our conclusion that threat~ned of endangered species will not be adversely affected as a result of renewing the GGNS operating license for an additional 20 years. Entergy will include copies of this letter and your response in the environmental report submitted to the NRC as part of the GGNS license renewal application.

If you have any questions, please contact me at (918) 665-7693 or through my email address, jthomas@enercon.com, Thank you in advance for your assistance.

ames A. Thomas Manager, Electric Utilities Environmental Services Attachment Mile Map cc: Rick Buckley (Entergy)

Table 1 Federal and State-Listed Species Scientific Name Common Name Federal MS LA On-Site Vicinity Transmission

~ ~ i!!!!:!! i6-mile} BQrl Mamma's Puma conc%r coryi Florida Panther E E E No No No Ursus americanus lUteo/us Louisiana Black Bear T E T Yes Yes Yes Ursus americanus American Black Bear T E Yes Yes Yes mE.!J§ Ha/iaeetus Teucocephalus Bald Eagle E E Yes Yes Yes Mycteria americana Wood Stork E E Yes Yes Yes Sterna antillarum atha/assos Interior Least Tem E'" E* E No Yes Yes Picokies borealis Red-Cockaded Woodpecker E E No No Yes Eudocimus a/bus White Ibis S2,S3 Yes Yes Yes Repti'es Afligator mississippiensis American Alligator T (S/A) Yes Yes Yes Fish Scaphirhynchus a/bus Pallid Sturgeon E E E Yes Yes No Etheostoma rubrum Bayou Darter T E No Yes No Crystal/aria asprella Crystal Darter E Yes Yes No Macrhybopsis meek; Sick/efin Chub S1 Yes Yes Macroinvertebrates Potami/us capax Fat Pocketbook Mussel E E No No Yes Quadru/a cylindrica Rabbitsfoot Mussel CS No Yes Yes

Table 1 (Continued)

Federal and State*Listed Species Scientific Name Common Name Federal MS LA On.$ite Vicinity Transmission

§!!W! §!!W! ~ (6-mUe) ROW Insects Epitheca spinosa Robust 8askettail S1 Yes Yes Plants Undera meJissifolia Pondberry E E No No Yes

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T Threatened E =Endangered CS = Candidate Species S1 = Critically Imperiled in Mississippi

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S2 Imperiled in Mississippi

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S3 Rare or uncommon in Mississippi

=

T (SJA) Threatened by similarity of appearance.

• Interior least terns belong to a subspecies of least terns and are protected Federally, and by the state of Mississippi under the species name.

Sterna antillarum atha/assos is the subspecies endemic to the project region and is therefore specified above.

Figure 1 Location of GGNS, 6-Mile Radius Map

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Figure 2 Location of GGNS, 50-Mile Radius Map

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.,,'>*0 existing TrllllSrnission Corridor

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• Surface 'Nater fill GGNS Property r:;";"'i State VWdllte Mgmt Areas IlllllllI State Parke

"'<.:i National Forest National Vliildllfa Refuge Urban Areas

BoSBY .JINDAl.. RoBERT.J. BAAH.U4 GOVERNOR Jihdt af 1UllUtSmna: SECRETARY DEPARTMENT OF WlLDUFE AND FISHERIES JIMMY L. ANTHONY OFFICE OF WILDUFE AsSISTANT SECRETARY Date February 18, 2011 Name James A. Thomas Company ENERCON Street Address 5100 East Skelly Driv, Suite 450 City, State, Zip Tulsa, OK 74135 Project Grand GulfNuc1ear Station License Renewal Application ProjectID 572011 Invoice Number 11021805 Personnel of the Habitat Section of the Coastal & Non-Game Resources Division have reviewed the preliminary data for the captioned project. After careful review ofour database, no impacts to rere, threatened, or endangered species or critical habitats are anticipated for the proposed project. No state or federal parks, wildlife refuges, scenic streams, or wildlife management areas are knovvn at the specified site within Louisiana's boundaries.

The Louisiana Natural Heritage Program (LNHP) has compiled data on rare, endangered, or otherwise significant plant and animal species, plant communities, and other natural features throughout the state of Louisiana. Heritage reports summarize the existing infonnation knovvn at the time of the request regarding the location in question. The quantity and quality of data collected by the LNHP are dependent on the research and obseIVations ofmany individuals. In most cases, this infonnation is not the result ofcomprehensive or site-specific field surveys; many natural areas in Louisiana have not been surveyed This report does not address the occurrence of wetlands at th.e site in question. Heritage reports should not be considered final statements on the biological elements or areas being considered, nor should they be substituted for on site surveys required for environmental assessments. LNHP requires that this office be acknowledged in all reports as the source of all data provided here. If at any time Heritage tracked species are encountered within the project area, please contact the LNHP Data Manager at 225-765-2643. If you have any questions, or need additional information, please oall 225-765-2357.

Sincerely,

~~

.G:Y Amity Bass, Coordinator Natural Heritage Program P.O. eO)( QaOOO

• SAitlH FlQIJaE, LOUISIANA 708~' PHONE (etas) 765-2800 AN EQUAl. 0PP0fmJNm' E.MI'LC!1ER

Table of Federally Listed Species in the Vicinity of Grand Gulf Nuclear Station and its Associated Transmission Lines County(ies) of Occurrence(b}

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Scientific Name Birds Picoides borealis red-cockaded woodpecker E x x Sterna antiJIarum least tern (interior pop.) E x x x Clams Potami/us capax fat pocketbook E x x x Quadru/a cylindrica cylindrica rabbitsfoot C x x Fish Etheostoma rubrum bayou darter T x Scaphirhynchus a/bus pallid sturgeon E x x x Mammals Ursus americanus /uteo/us Louisiana black bear T x x x x (S) C = candidate; E = endangered; T = threatened (b) Grand Gulf Nuclear Station (GGNS) is located in Claiborne County, Mississippi. The transmission lines associated with GGNS traverse Claiborne, Franklin, Jefferson, and Warren Counties.

Data source: [FWSl U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2011. Find Endangered Species Database. Available at <http://www.fws.gov/endangered/> (accessed 13 December 2011).

ENCLOSURE 3

ML12023A183 (Pkg); ML12005A163 (Ltr); ML11308A234 (Encls 1 and 2 found in Attachment A); ML11356A185 (Encl3)

OFFICE LA:DLR:RPB2 PM:DLR:RPB2 GS:DLR:RERB BC:DLR:RERB BC:DLR:RPB2 NAME IKing DDrucker BBalsam Almboden DWrona (DDrucker for)

DATE 1/20/12 1123112 1/26/12 1/26/12 2/06/12

Letter to C. Michon from D. Wrona, dated February 6, 2012

SUBJECT:

GRAND GULF NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT 1, LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION REVIEW DISTRIBUTION:

HARDCOPY:

D. Drucker E-MAIL:

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