ML22314A040
| ML22314A040 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07200001 |
| Issue date: | 11/10/2022 |
| From: | Jessie Quintero NRC/NMSS/DREFS/ERMB |
| To: | GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas |
| References | |
| NRC-2021-0001 | |
| Download: ML22314A040 (6) | |
Text
[7590-01-P]
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 72-0001; NRC-2021-0122]
GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas, LLC
Morris Operation Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact ; issuance.
SUMMARY
- The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering a renewal
for twenty years of special nuclear materials (SNM) License SNM -2500 for the
possession, transfer, and storage of radioactive material at th e Morris Operation
independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) in Grundy C ounty, Illinois. The
license is held by GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas, LLC, and, if renewed, would
expire on May 31, 2042.
DATES: The environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significa nt impact
(FONSI) referenced in this document is available on November 17, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2021-0122 when contacting the NRC
about the availability of information regarding this document. You may obtain publicly
available information related to this document using any of the following methods:
- Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and
search for Docket ID NRC-2021-0122. Address questions about Docket IDs in
Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; telephone: 301-415-0624; em ail:
Stacy.Schumann@nrc.gov. For technical questions, contact the i ndividual listed in the
For Further Information Contact section of this document.
- NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the ADA MS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.ht ml. To begin the
search, select Begin Web-based ADAMS Search. For problems wi th ADAMS, please
contact the NRCs Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209,
301-415-4737, or by email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov. For the con venience of the
reader, instructions about obtaining materials referenced in th is document are provided
in the Availability of Documents section.
- NRCs PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public documents,
by appointment, at the NRCs PDR, Room P1 B35, One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. To make an appointm ent to visit the PDR,
please send an email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-
4737, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET), Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christine Pineda, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commiss ion, Washington, DC
20555-0001, telephone: 301-415-6789, email: Christine.Pineda@ nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is considering a renewal of License SNM-2500, issued to GE-Hitachi
Nuclear Energy Americas, LLC (GE-Hitachi), for operation of the Morris Operation ISFSI
in Grundy County, Illinois. Theref ore, as required by section 51.21 of title 10 of the Code
of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Criteria for and identification of licensing and
regulatory actions requiring environmental assessments, the NR C performed an EA.
Based on the results of the EA, the NRC has determined not to p repare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) for the renewal and is iss uing a FONSI. The NRC
is also conducting a safety evaluation of the proposed license renewal.
2 II. Environmental Assessment
Description of and Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed license renewal would allow GE-Hitachi to continue operations at
the Morris Operation ISFSI. As proposed, GE-Hitachi would cont inue to store spent fuel
in a wet (water) storage facility consisting of a cask-loading basin and two spent fuel
storage basins. In accordance with its license, GE-Hitachi can not receive additional
spent fuel or replace any spent fuel currently in inventory at the ISFSI without prior NRC
approval. Continued storage of the spent fuel and continued op eration of the ISFSI is
necessary because Congress has not yet established a permanent national repository,
and no facility is yet available for monitored retrievable stor age.
The proposed action is in accordance with GE-Hitachis applicat ion dated
June 30, 2020, as supplemented on February 26, 2021, March 19, 2021,
March 24, 2021, January 27, 2022, and May 12, 2022.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
Approval of the proposed action is not expected to result in ch anges to current
ISFSI operations. Routine operation of the ISFSI is largely pa ssive; activities include
continuation of existing monitoring and maintenance activities for the wet storage basins,
which are inside a building. The proposed action would not res ult in any changes in
water use or in the types, characteristics, or quantities of ra diological or nonradiological
air effluents or wastes. GE-Hitachi would continue to operate onsite sanitary wastewater
lagoons in compliance with its state-issued permit and would ma nage the radioactive
wastewater system and solid radioactive wastes generated from I SFSI operations in
accordance with NRC regulations. No wastewater would be discha rged from the
property. As a result of these continued ISFSI activities, no significant radiological or
non-radiological environmental impacts are expected. Public an d occupational dose
3 estimates associated with the continued normal operation and ma intenance of the ISFSI
would continue to be at levels that are as low as reasonably ac hievable and within the
limits of 10 CFR 20.1101 and 20.1201, respectively, as well as 10 CFR 72.104. The
NRC staff also determined that the proposed action does not hav e the potential to cause
effects on historic properties, assuming such historic properti es were present.
Accordingly, under 36 CFR 800.3(a)(1), no consultation is requi red under Section 106 of
the National Historic Preservation Act.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
As alternatives to the proposed action, the staff considered de nial of the
proposed action (i.e., the no-action alternative) and the shi pment of spent fuel to an
offsite facility. Under the no-action alternative, GE-Hitachi would continue to maintain
the spent fuel under NRC license at the ISFSI. Ultimately, GE-Hitachi would need to
remove the spent fuel, transport it to another ISFSI, and decom mission the Morris
Operation ISFSI. Until that time, storage at the ISFSI would c ontinue and the potential
environmental impacts would be the same as those assessed for t he proposed action.
The NRC determined that shipment of the spent fuel to a commerc ial reprocessing
facility, a Federal repository, or an interim storage facility is not a reasonable alternative
to renewing the license because these facilities are not availa ble in the United States as
of the date of the EA.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
The NRC staff consulted with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the
Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the Illinois Envi ronmental Protection
Agency regarding the environmental impact of the proposed actio n. These agencies
had no comments on the NRCs assessment and conclusions in the EA.
4 The NRC staff contacted the Illinois State Historic Preservatio n Office (SHPO) to
inform it of the proposed action, and the Illinois SHPO indicat ed its review of this project
was not necessary. The NRC staff also notified 16 Federally recognized Indian Tribes of
the proposed action.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
Based on the EA, the NRC staff has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.31,
preparation of an EIS is not required for the proposed action, and pursuant to
10 CFR 51.32, a FONSI is appropriate.
IV. Availability of Documents
The documents identified in the following table are available to interested
persons through one or more of the following methods, as indica ted.
Document Description ADAMS Accession No.
Environmental Assessment for Proposed License Renewal ML22270A269 GE-Hitachis Renewal Application, dated June 30, 2020 ML20182A699 (Package)
Response to Request for Supplemental Information, dated February 26, 2021 ML21057A119 (Package)
Response to Request for Clarification, dated March 19, 2021 ML21085A859 Submittal of Updated Consolidated Safety Analysis Report, dated March 24, 2021 ML21083A200 (Package)
Response to Request for Additional Information, dated January 27, 2022 ML22027A516
5 Response to Request for Clarification, dated May 12, 2022 ML22132A072
Dated: November 10, 2022.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
/RA/
Jessie M. Quintero, Chief, Environmental Review Materials Branch, Division of Rulemaking, Environmental, and Financial Support, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
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