ML24036A246

NRC to Fws, NRC Issuance of Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Monticello Subsequent License Renewal, Opportunity for Public Comment, and Endangered Species Act Determinations

ML24036A246
Person / Time
Site:	Monticello
Issue date:	04/24/2024
From:	Arlene B Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
To:	US Dept of Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service
References
Download: ML24036A246 (1)

Text

From: Briana Arlene To: twincities@fws.gov Cc: Jessica Umana; Steve Koenick; Mitchell Dehmer; Michelle Rome (She/Her); Angela Sabet

Subject:

NRC Issuance of Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Monticello Subsequent License Renewal, Opportunity for Public Comment, and ESA Determinations (Consultation Code: 2023-0098374)

Date: Wednesday, April 24, 2024 6:53:00 AM

Dear Twin Cities Ecological Services Field Office:

The purpose of this email is to notify you that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed subsequent license renewal of Monticello Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 1, (Monticello) in Wright County, Minnesota. This email describes the proposed action, summarizes the NRCs environmental review, and explains how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) may submit public comments on the draft EIS.

During preparation of the EIS, the NRC staff determined that the proposed action may affect but is not likely to adversely affect (NLAA) the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus ), whooping crane (Grus americana),

and monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). The staff obtained the FWSs concurrence with these determinations under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), through the FWSs Northern Long-Eared Bat Determination Key (DKey) and Minnesota-Wisconsin Endangered Species DKey.

Proposed Action Monticello is a single-unit nuclear power plant that lies on the southern bank of the Mississippi River within Wright County, Minnesota, approximately 22 miles southeast of St.

Cloud and approximately 30 miles northwest of the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis, St.

Paul. The Monticello site totals approximately 2,000 acres. Northern States Power Company owns and operates the plant. By letter dated January 9, 2023, Northern States Power Company submitted an application requesting subsequent license renewal (SLR) for Monticello. The current renewed facility operating license (DPR-22) expires at midnight on September 8, 2030.

The NRCs current Federal action is to decide whether to issue a renewed facility operating license for Monticello authorizing an additional 20 years of operation. If the NRC grants Northern States Power Company a renewed license, the company may continue to operate Monticello until September 8, 2050.

Draft Environmental Impact Statement In support of its review of the proposed action, the NRC staff prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), and the NRCs environmental regulations at Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 51 that implement NEPA.The draft EIS addresses the environmental impacts of the proposed action and relevant alternatives to the proposed action. The NRC staff recently completed the draft EIS, and it is available online at: ML24102A276 .

ESA NLAA Determinations As part of its environmental review, the NRC staff evaluated impacts of the proposed action on federally listed species and critical habitats. The NRCs ESA analysis appears within the following sections of the draft EIS.

Section 3.8.1.1 describes the ESA action area.

Section 3.8.1.2 describes the species biology, habitat, distribution and relative abundance, and occurrence within the action area and designated critical habitat, as applicable.

Section 3.8.4.1 evaluates the potential for the proposed action to affect the species.

Section 3.8.4.3 addresses cumulative effects.

Appendix C describes the NRCs obligations under Section 7 of the ESA and relevant correspondence with the FWS in connection with the NRC staffs review of the proposed action.

In Section 3.8.4.1 of the draft EIS, the NRC staff finds that the proposed action is NLAA the northern long-eared bat, tricolored bat, whooping crane, and monarch butterfly. The NRC staff evaluated the potential for these species to be affected by several stressors, all of which the staff determined would result in no more than insignificant or discountable effects.

FWS Concurrence under the Northern Long-Eared Bat and Minnesota-Wisconsin Endangered Species DKeys The NRC staff used the FWSs Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC) system to seek the FWSs concurrence pursuant to ESA Section 7 regarding the federally listed species potentially affected by the proposed action. On June 27, 2023, the NRC staff used the Northern Long-Eared Bat DKey to obtain concurrence with the NRC staffs determination that the proposed SLR is NLAA this species.(1) Also on June 27, 2023, the NRC staff used the Minnesota-Wisconsin Endangered Species DKey to obtain concurrence for the remaining species.(2) Notably, although the NRC staffs responses to the DKey questions generated a no effect finding for whooping crane and monarch butterfly, in its draft EIS, the NRC staff conservatively concludes that the proposed SLR is NLAA these species because these species may occasionally be present in the action area during migration periods.

NEPA Comment Period and Public Meeting With respect to the NEPA process, the NRC staff is currently seeking public comments on its draft site-specific EIS through June 3, 2024. If you wish to submit comments on aspects of the draft site-specific EIS unrelated to ESA Section 7 consultation, you may submit such comments either online or via U.S. mail. Information on how to submit public comments is available in the NRCs Federal Register notice: 89 FR 31225.

In connection with the public comment period, the NRC staff will hold a virtual meeting on May8,2024, 1 p.m. CT , and an in-person meeting on May15,2024, 5 p.m. CT, that will include a presentation on the staffs preliminary findings and an opportunity for members of the public to submit oral comments. Meeting details are available on webpages linked in this paragraph.

Conclusion

ML24016A228 .

2. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2023. Letter from Minnesota-Wisconsin Ecological Services Field Office, to B. Arlene, NRC.

Subject:

Verification letter for Monticello SLR for specified threatened and endangered species that may occur in your proposed project location consistent with the Minnesota-Wisconsin Endangered Species Determination Key. June 27, 2023. ADAMS Accession No. ML24016A230.

ADAMS Accession No.: ML24036A246

CONCURRENCE OFFICE PM:EPMB1:REFS BC:ETRB1:REFS OGC(NLO) CB:ETRB1:REFS NAME JUmana MRome KBernstein BArlene DATE 4/16/2024 4/15/2024 4/17/2024 4/24/24