ML19169A154

Letter to J. Polanco, CA Shpo, Subject: Determination of No Effect on Historic Properties for the Review and Approval of the Humboldt Bay Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation License Renewal Request (Docket Number: 72-0027)

ML19169A154
Person / Time
Site:	Humboldt Bay
Issue date:	06/18/2019
From:	Roman C Environmental Review Branch
To:	Polanco J State of CA, Office of Historic Preservation
Coflin M
References
Download: ML19169A154 (3)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 June 18, 2019 Ms. Julianne Polanco State Historic Preservation Officer California Office of Historic Preservation 1725 23rd Street, Suite 100 Sacramento, CA 95816

SUBJECT:

DETERMINATION OF NO EFFECT ON HISTORIC PROPERTIES FOR THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE HUMBOLDT BAY INDEPENDENT SPENT FUEL STORAGE INSTALLATION LICENSE RENEWAL REQUEST (DOCKET NUMBER: 72-0027)

Dear Ms. Polanco:

By letter dated July 11, 2018, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received a request for review and approval of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) license application [Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession Number ML18215A213] to renew Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) License Number SNM-2514 for the Humboldt Bay onsite Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI), for an additional 40 years.

The Humboldt Bay ISFSI is on a small peninsula known as Buhne Point near the coastal community of Fields Landing on the eastern shore of Humboldt Bay (figure enclosed). The ISFSI occupies less than one acre of land within the PG&E owner-controlled area at the Humboldt Bay Power Plant, which is undergoing decommissioning currently scheduled to be completed in 2019. NRC issued License SNM-2514 to PG&E in November 2005, and subsequently amended the license in August 2008, August 2009, and September 2013. PG&E is authorized to receive, possess, transfer, and store spent nuclear fuel and greater than Class C process waste in the Humboldt Bay ISFSI. The current license expires on November 17, 2025. If this renewal is approved, PG&E will be allowed to continue interim storage of spent nuclear fuel at the specifically licensed ISFSI for up to a 40-year period, through November 17, 2065.

The NRC staff is preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed action in accordance with the NRCs regulations in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR)

Part 51, Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Regulatory Functions, which implement the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA). In accordance with 36 CFR § 800.8, Coordination with the National Environmental Policy Act, the NRC staff is coordinating compliance of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, with its NEPA review process. The EA will include a discussion of potential impacts to historic and cultural resources.

Renewal of the Humboldt Bay ISFSI license would be a continuation of existing conditions.

PG&E anticipates no new significant construction at the existing ISFSI and no impact to cultural resources. Further, the NRC staff contacted the California Native American Heritage

J. Polanco 2 Commission (NAHC) to request a Sacred Lands File search. The NAHC has indicated that its search of the Sacred Lands File was completed for this project with negative results. Based on the information provided above, the NRC staff has decided that the proposed license renewal does not have the potential to cause effects to historic or cultural properties. In accordance with the definition in 36 CFR Section 800.3(a)(1), of no potential to cause effects, if the undertaking is a type of activity that does not have the potential to cause effects on historic properties, assuming such historic properties were present, the agency official has no further obligations under Section 106 or this part, the NRC has concluded that it has no further obligations under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Although the NRC has no further obligations under Section 106 of the NHPA, we respectfully request your input or concurrence with this determination.

The NRC staff sent letters dated November 15, 2018, to nine Tribes notifying the Tribes of the NRCs initial determination and requesting any input the Tribes might have regarding the site and no effects determination. The NRC developed the list of nine Tribes based on NAHC information about Tribes with traditional lands or cultural places located within the boundaries of Humboldt County. The nine Tribes who received letters are the Bear River Band of Rohnerville Rancheria, Hoopa Valley Tribe, Wiyot Tribe, Yurok Tribe of California, Big Lagoon Rancheria, Blue Lake Rancheria, Elk Valley Rancheria, Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria, and the Karuk Tribe (letters available at ADAMS Accession Number ML18303A365).

To date, the NRC staff has not received any responses to these letters.

For additional consideration, we are providing you with background about the initial licensing of the Humboldt Bay ISFSI. In 2005, the NRC staff analyzed the potential environmental impacts associated with construction and operation of the ISFSI in an EA dated October 2005 (ADAMS Accession Number ML052430106). For the 2005 EA, the NRC staff contacted the NAHC, the Wiyot Tribe, the Bear River Band of Rohnerville Rancheria, and the Blue Lake Rancheria. The NAHC stated that a record search of its Sacred Lands File did not identify the presence of Native American cultural resources in the immediate project area. In addition, the 2005 EA stated that PG&E had conducted research to identify archaeological sites before constructing the ISFSI, including records searches, literature reviews, and a field survey. No cultural resources were identified on the ISFSI site because of the research or after correspondence and telephone discussions with representatives from the three Federally-recognized Tribes. As a result, the NRC staff determined in 2005 that the construction and operation of the ISFSI would not result in an impact to any historic, archaeological, or cultural resources.

In accordance with 10 CFR Section 2.390 of the NRCs Agency Rules and Practice and Procedure, a copy of this letter will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of the NRCs ADAMS.

ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. The Humboldt Bay ISFSI license renewal application is publicly available in the NRC Public Document Room located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852, or from the NRCs ADAMS. The ADAMS Public Electronic Reading Room is accessible at:

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. The ADAMS Accession Number for the license renewal application is ML18215A213.

J. Polanco 3 Please provide your concurrence or submit any comments regarding this environmental review within 30 days of receipt of this letter to the NRC to the ATTN: Ms. Cinthya I. Román, Chief, 11545 Rockville Pike, Mail Stop: T-4B16, Rockville, Maryland 20852. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Monika Coflin of my staff by telephone at 301-415-5932 or via e-mail at: Monika.Coflin@nrc.gov.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

/RA Stacey Imboden Acting for/

Cinthya I. Román, Chief Environmental Review Branch Division of Fuel Cycle Safety, Safeguards, and Environmental Review Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket No.: 72-27 License No.: SNM-2514

Enclosure:

Humboldt Bay Site Layout cc: Anmarie Medin California Office of Historic Preservation

J. Polanco 4

SUBJECT:

DETERMINATION OF NO EFFECT ON HISTORIC PROPERTIES FOR THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE HUMBOLDT BAY INDEPENDENT SPENT FUEL STORAGE INSTALLATION LICENSE RENEWAL REQUEST (DOCKET NUMBER: 72-0027)

DATED: June 18, 2019 DISTRIBUTION: CMarkley, NMSS/DSFM ADAMS Package Accession Number: ML19169A154 (L) via email OFFICE FCSE/ERB FCSE/ERB FCSE/ERB OGC FCSE/ERB NAME MCoflin CPineda* AWalker-Smith* LClark* CRomán DATE 05/30/2019 05/30/2019 06/04/2019 06/17/2019 06/18/2019 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY