ML061300677

2006/05/10- Request for Comments Concerning the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station License Renewal Application Review

ML061300677
Person / Time
Site:	Vermont Yankee File:NorthStar Vermont Yankee icon.png
Issue date:	05/10/2006
From:	Rani Franovich NRC/NRR/ADRO/DLR/REBB
To:	Libby T Greater Lowell Indian Cultural Association
Hernandez S, NRR/DLR/REBB, 415-4049
References
%dam200610
Download: ML061300677 (8)

Text

May 10, 2006The Honorable Tom Eagle Rising Libby, ChiefGreater Lowell Indian Cultural Association P.O. Box 1181 Lowell, MA 01853-1181

SUBJECT:

REQUEST FOR COMMENTS CONCERNING THE VERMONT YANKEENUCLEAR POWER STATION LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION REVIEW

Dear Chief Libby:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is seeking input for its environmental reviewof an application from Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (Entergy) for the renewal of the operating license for the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station (VYNPS), located in the townof Vernon, Vermont, in Windham County on the west shore of the Connecticut River. VYNPS is in close proximity to lands that may be of interest to the Greater Lowell Indian Cultural Association. As described below, the NRC's process includes an opportunity for public andinter-governmental participation in the environmental review. We want to ensure that you areaware of our efforts and, pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 51.28(b) (10 CFR 51.28(b)), the NRC invites the Greater Lowell Indian Cultural Association to provide input to the scoping process relating to the NRC's environmental review of the application. Inaddition, as outlined in 36 CFR 800.8, the NRC plans to coordinate compliance with Section106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, through the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.Under NRC regulations, the original operating license for a nuclear power plant is issued for upto 40 years. The license may be renewed for up to an additional 20 years, if NRC requirementsare met. The current operating license for VYNPS will expire in March 21, 2012. Entergysubmitted its application for renewal of the VYNPS operating license in a letter dated January 25, 2006, as supplemented by letter dated March 15, 2006.The NRC is gathering information for a VYNPS site-specific supplement to its

?GenericEnvironmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants" (GEIS),

NUREG-1437. The supplement will contain the results of the review of the environmentalimpacts on the area surrounding the VYNPS site that are related to terrestrial ecology, aquatic ecology, hydrology, cultural resources, and socioeconomic issues (among others) and willcontain a recommendation regarding the environmental acceptability of the license renewalaction. Provided for your information is the layout of the general area near the VYNPS site (Enclosure 1) and an overview of the site location (Enclosure 2).

Chief Libby-2-The NRC will hold two public scoping meetings for the VYNPS license renewal supplement tothe GEIS on June 7, 2006, at the Latchis Theatre, 50 Main Street, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301. There will be two sessions to accommodate interested parties. The first session will conv ene at1:30 p.m. and will continue until 4:30 p.m., as necessary. The second session will conv ene at7:00 p.m., with a repeat of the overview portions of the meeting, and will continue until10:00 p.m., as necessary. Additionally, the NRC staff will host informal discussions one hourbefore the start of each session. To be considered, comments must be provided either at the transcribed public meetings or in writing. No formal comments on the proposed scope of the supplement to the GEIS will be accepted during informal discussions.In addition to the environmental scoping meeting described above, the NRC will hold aninformal open house at the Quality Inn & Suites, 1380 Putney Road, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301, on Tuesday, June 6, 2006, from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., as necessary. At the openhouse, NRC staff will be available to provide information about the environmental reviewprocess for license renewal of nuclear plants. During the open house, members of the public will have the opportunity to provide formal comments on the proposed scope of the supplementto the GEIS either verbally or in writing to a transcriptionist. Comments provided to the transcriptionist will be considered in the same manner as comments provided during thescoping meetings described above. No formal comments on the proposed scope of the supplement to the GEIS will be accepted at the open house during informal discussions with thestaff.The license renewal application (LRA) is publicly available at the NRC Public Document Room(PDR), located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, 20852, or fromthe NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). The ADAMSPublic Electronic Reading Room is accessible at http://adamswebsearch.nrc.gov/dologin.html

.The Accession Number for the LRA is ML060300086. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS, or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC's PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737, orby e-mail at pdr@nrc.gov

.The VYNPS license renewal application is also available on the Internet atwww.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/vermont-yankee.html. Inaddition, the LRA is available for public inspection near the VYNPS site at the following four public libraries: Vernon Free Library, 567 Governor Hunt Road, Vernon, VT 05354; Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301; Hinsdale Public Library, 122 Brattleboro Road, Hinsdale, NH, 03451; and Dickinson Memorial Library, 115 Main Street, Northfield, MA 01360. The GEIS, which assesses the scope and impact of environmental effects that would beassociated with license renewal at any nuclear power plant site, also can be found on the NRC's website or at the NRC's PDR.Please submit any comments that the Greater Lowell Indian Cultural Association may have tooffer on the scope of the environmental review by June 23, 2006. Written comments should besubmitted by mail to the Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Mail Stop T-6D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Electronic comments may be submitted to the NRC by e-mail at VermontYankeeEIS@nrc.gov. At the conclusion of the scoping process, the NRC staff will prepare a summary of the significantissues identified and the conclusions reached, and mail a copy to you.

Chief Libby-3-The staff expects to publish the draft supplement to the GEIS in December 2006. The NRC willhold another set of public meetings in the site vicinity to solicit comments on the draft. A copy of the draft supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) will be sent to you for your reviewand comment. After consideration of public comments received on the draft, the NRC willprepare a final SEIS. The issuance of a final SEIS for VYNPS is planned for August 2007. If you need additional information regarding the environmental review process, please contact Mr.

Richard L. Emch, Jr., Senior Environmental Project Manager, at 301-415-1590 or by e-mail at RLE@nrc.gov

.Sincerely,/RA/Rani L. Franovich, Branch ChiefEnvironmental Branch B Division of License Renewal Office of Nuclear Reactor RegulationDocket No. 50-271

Enclosures:

1. Layout of General Area near VYNPS Site

2. Overview of the Site Locationcc w/encls: See next page Chief Libby-3-The staff expects to publish the draft supplement to the GEIS in December 2006. The NRC willhold another set of public meetings in the site vicinity to solicit comments on the draft. A copy of the draft supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) will be sent to you for your reviewand comment. After consideration of public comments received on the draft, the NRC willprepare a final SEIS. The issuance of a final SEIS for VYNPS is planned for August 2007. If you need additional information regarding the environmental review process, please contact Mr.

Richard L. Emch, Jr., Senior Environmental Project Manager, at 301-415-1590 or by e-mail at RLE@nrc.gov

.Sincerely,/RA/Rani L. Franovich, Branch ChiefEnvironmental Branch B Division of License Renewal Office of Nuclear Reactor RegulationDocket No. 50-271

Enclosures:

1. Layout of General Area near VYNPS Site

2. Overview of the Site Locationcc w/encls: See next page DISTRIBUTION

EmailF. Gillespie / P.T. Kuo (RidsNrrDlr)R. Sc haafJ. Schlueter (STP)D. Miller (david.s.miller@anl.gov)

R. Bores Region IJ. Eads R. Franovich (RidsNrrDlrRebb)J. Shea R. EmchC. Anderson, Region I S. HernandezD. Pelton, Region I N. Sheehan, Region IRidsOGCMailRoomDLR/REBBAdam Accession No.: ML061300677Document Name: E:\Filenet\ML061300677.wpdOFFICELA:DLRGE:DLR:REBBPM:DLR:REBBBC:DLR:REBBNAMEYEdmondsSHernandezREmchRFranovich DATE5/9/06 5/9/ 06 5/9/06 5/10/06 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY Enclosure 1 Enclosure 2 Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station cc:

Regional Administrator, Region IU. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406-1415Mr. David R. LewisPillsbury, Winthrop, Shaw, Pittman, LLP 2300 N Street, N.W.

Washington, DC 20037-1128Mr. David O'Brien, CommissionerVermont Department of Public Service 112 State Street Montpelier, VT 05620-2601Mr. James Volz, ChairmanPublic Service Board State of Vermont 112 State Street Montpelier, VT 05620-2701Chairman, Board of Selectmen Town of Vernon P.O. Box 116 Vernon, VT 05354-0116Operating Experience CoordinatorVermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station 320 Governor Hunt Road Vernon, VT 05354G. Dana Bisbee, Esq.Deputy Attorney General 33 Capitol Street Concord, NH 03301-6937Chief, Safety Unit Office of the Attorney General One Ashburton Place, 19th Floor Boston, MA 02108Ms. Deborah B. KatzBox 83 Shelburne Falls, MA 01370Ms. Carla A. White, RRPT, CHPRadiological Health Vermont Department of Health P.O. Box 70, Drawer #43 108 Cherry Street Burlington, VT 05402-0070Mr. James M. DeVincentisManager, Licensing Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station P.O. Box 0500 185 Old Ferry Road Brattleboro, VT 05302-0500Resident InspectorVermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

P.O. Box 176 Vernon, VT 05354Director, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency ATTN: James Muckerheide 400 Worcester Rd.

Framingham, MA 01702-5399Jonathan M. Block, Esq.Main Street

P.O. Box 566 Putney, VT 05346-0566Mr. John F. McCannDirector, Licensing Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601Mr. Gary J. TaylorChief Executive Officer Entergy Operations 1340 Echelon Parkway Jackson, MS 39213 Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station cc:

Mr. John T. HerronSr. VP and Chief Operating Officer Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601Mr. Oscar LimpiasVice President, Engineering Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601Mr. Christopher SchwartzVice President, Operations Support Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601Mr. Michael J. ColombDirector of Oversight Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601Mr. Travis C. McCulloughAssistant General Counsel Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601Mr. Jay K. ThayerSite Vice President Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station P.O. Box 0500 185 Old Ferry Road Brattleboro, VT 05302-0500Mr. James H. Sniezek5486 Nithsdale Drive Salisbury, MD 21801Ms. Stacey M. LousteauTreasury Department Entergy Services, Inc.

639 Loyola Avenue New Orleans, LA 70113Mr. Raymond ShadisNew England Coalition Post Office Box 98 Edgecomb, ME 04556Mr. James P. MatteauExecutive Director Windham Regional Commission 139 Main Street, Suite 505 Brattleboro, VT 05301Mr. William K. ShermanVermont Department of Public Service 112 State Street Drawer 20 Montpelier, VT 05620-2601Mr. Michael D. Lyster5931 Barclay Lane Naples, FL 34110-7306Ms. Charlene D. FaisonManager, Licensing 440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601Mr. James RossNuclear Energy Institute 1776 I Street, NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20006-3708