ML110490462
| ML110490462 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crystal River  |
| Issue date: | 03/21/2011 |
| From: | Bo Pham License Renewal Projects Branch 1 |
| To: | Franke J Florida Power Corp |
| Doyle D, NRR/DLR, 415-3748 | |
| References | |
| TAC ME0278 | |
| Download: ML110490462 (45) | |
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~O March 21, 2011 Mr. Jon Franke, Vice President Crystal River Nuclear Plant (NA 1 B)
ATIN: Supervisor, Licensing &Regulatory Programs 15760 West Power Line Street Crystal River, FL 34428-6708
SUBJECT:
ISSUANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCOPING
SUMMARY
REPORT ASSOCIATED WITH THE STAFF'S REVIEW OF THE APPLICATION BY FLORIDA POWER CORPORATION FOR RENEWAL OF THE OPERATING LICENSE FOR CRYSTAL RIVER UNIT 3 NUCLEAR GENERATING PLANT (TAC NO. ME0278)
Dear Mr. Franke:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the staff) conducted a scoping process and solicited public comments from April 6 to May 15, 2009, to determine the scope of the staff's environmental review of the application for renewal of the operating license for Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant (CR-3). The scoping process is the first step in the development of a plant-specific supplement to NUREG-1437, "Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants" (GElS), for CR-3.
As part of the scoping process, the staff held two public environmental scoping meetings in Crystal River, FL, on April 16, 2009, to solicit public input regarding the scope of the review.
The staff also received written comments bye-mail. At the conclusion of the scoping process, the staff prepared the enclosed environmental scoping summary report identifying comments received during the scoping period. In accordance with Section 51.29(b) of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, the staff will send a copy of the scoping summary report to all participants in the scoping process.
The transcripts of the public scoping meetings are available for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room (PDR). located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852, or from the NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). The ADAMS Public Electronic Reading Room is accessible at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. The transcripts for the afternoon and evening meetings are listed under accession numbers ML091460259 and ML091460260, respectively.
If you encounter problems accessing documents in ADAMS, please contact the NRC's PDR reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737 or bye-mail at pdr. resource@nrc.gov.
J. Franke
- 2 The draft supplement to the GElS is scheduled to be issued in May 2011. A notice of the availability of the draft document and the procedures for providing comments will be published in the Federal Register. If you have any questions concerning the staff's environmental review of this license renewal application, please contact Mr. Daniel Doyle, Project Manager, at 301-415-3748 or bye-mail at daniel.doyle@nrc.gov.
Sincerely.
~'-C-h-ie-f--------
Projects Branch 1 Division of License Renewal Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-302
Enclosure:
As stated cc w/encl: Distribution via Listserv
Environmental Impact Statement Scoping Process Summary Report Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant Crystal River, Florida March 2011 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Rockville, Maryland Introduction The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received an application from Florida Power Corporation (FPC), doing business as Progress Energy Florida, dated December 16, 2008, for renewal of the operating license for Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant (CR-3). CR-3 is located in Crystal River, FL. The purpose of this report is to provide a concise summary of the determinations and conclusions reached, including the significant issues identified, as a result of the scoping process in the NRCs environmental review of this license renewal application.
As part of the application, FPC submitted an environmental report (ER) (FPC, 2008) prepared in accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 51 which contains the NRC requirements for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA).
The requirements for preparation and submittal of ERs to the NRC are outlined in 10 CFR 51.53(c)(3).
The requirements in Section 51.53(c)(3) were based upon the findings documented in NUREG-1437, Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants (GEIS) (NRC, 1996), (NRC, 1999). In the GEIS, the staff identified and evaluated the environmental impacts associated with license renewal. After issuing a draft version of the GEIS, the staff received and considered input from Federal and State agencies, public organizations, and private citizens before developing the final document. As a result of the assessments in the GEIS, a number of impacts were determined to be generic to all nuclear power plants (or, in some cases, to plants having specific characteristics such as a particular type of cooling system). These generic issues were designated as Category 1 impacts. An applicant for license renewal may adopt the conclusions contained in the GEIS for Category 1 impacts unless there is new and significant information that may cause the conclusions to differ from those of the GEIS. Other impacts that require a site-specific review were designated as Category 2 impacts and are required to be evaluated in the applicants ER. The Commission determined that the NRC does not have a role in energy-planning decision-making for existing plants. Therefore, an applicant for license renewal need not provide an analysis of the need for power or the economic costs and benefits of the proposed action. Additionally, as stated in 10 CFR 51.23(b), the Commission determined that the ER need not discuss any aspect of storage of spent fuel for the facility that is within the scope of the generic determination in 10 CFR 51.23(a). This determination was based on the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 and the NRCs Waste Confidence Rule, 10 CFR 51.23.
On April 6, 2009, the NRC initiated the scoping process by issuing a Federal Register notice (74 FR 15523). This notified the public of the staffs intent to prepare a plant-specific supplement to the GEIS regarding the application for renewal of the CR-3 operating license.
The plant-specific supplement to the GEIS is also referred to as a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement or SEIS. The SEIS will be prepared in accordance with 10 CFR Part 51.
The scoping process provides an opportunity for public participation to identify issues to be addressed in the SEIS.
The notice of intent identified the following objectives of the scoping process:
Define the proposed action Determine the scope of the SEIS and identify significant issues to be analyzed in depth Identify and eliminate peripheral issues Identify any environmental assessments and other environmental impact statements being prepared that are related to the SEIS Identify other environmental review and consultation requirements Indicate the schedule for preparation of the SEIS Identify any cooperating agencies Describe how the SEIS will be prepared The NRCs proposed action is whether to renew the CR-3 operating license for an additional 20 years.
The scope of the SEIS includes an evaluation of the environmental impacts of CR-3 license renewal and reasonable alternatives to license renewal. The Scoping Comments and Responses section of this report includes specific issues identified by the comments. The subsequent NRC responses explain if the issues will be addressed in the SEIS and, if so, where in the report they will likely be addressed. Several environmental issues related to license renewal are site-specific. These include:
entrainment of fish and shellfish in early life stages for plants with once-through heat dissipation systems impingement of fish and shellfish for plants with once-through heat dissipation systems heat shock for plants with once-through heat dissipation systems groundwater use conflicts (potable, service water, and dewatering; plants that use > 100 gpm) refurbishment impacts to terrestrial resources threatened or endangered species acute effects of electromagnetic fields (electric shock) chronic effects of electromagnetic fields housing impacts public services (public utilities, education, and transportation) offsite land use historic and archaeological resources severe accidents environmental justice.
During the scoping process, the staff noted the proposed new reactors in Levy County and the potential extended power uprate of CR-3.
Throughout the scoping process, the NRC staff identified and eliminated peripheral (i.e., out-of-scope) issues for the environmental review. This report provides responses to comments that were determined to be out of the scope of the environmental review. For in-scope comments, the staff will consider the comments in the development of the SEIS. A detailed response to in-scope comments will be provided, if necessary, in Appendix A of the SEIS.
Another environmental impact statement that is currently being prepared related to this review is the NRCs review of the application for combined operating licenses for Levy Nuclear Plant Units 1 and 21. Chapter 4, Section 4.11 in the SEIS will include a comprehensive list of related projects considered in this review.
In order to meet the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act and Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, the NRC staff is required to consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to evaluate the potential impacts of continued operation on species and essential fish habitat. In order to fulfill its obligations under the National Historic Preservation Act, the NRC additionally initiated consultation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Florida State Historic Preservation Officer, and three Federally-recognized Native American tribes: the Seminole Indian Tribe, the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, and the Miccosukee Tribe of Florida.
The NRC staff expects to publish the draft SEIS in May 2011.
The NRC staff did not identify any cooperating agencies for this review. The NRC, as an independent regulatory agency, routinely and extensively consults with Federal, State, Tribal, and local entities during development of environmental impact statements and environmental assessments.
The SEIS will be prepared by NRC staff with contract support from Argonne National Laboratory.
The NRC invited the applicant; Federal, State and local government agencies; Native American tribal governments; local organizations; and individuals to participate in the scoping process by providing oral comments at the scheduled public meetings or by submitting written comments before the end of the scoping comment period on May 15, 2009. The scoping process included two public meetings which were held on April 16, 2009, at the Plantation Inn, 9301 W Fort Island Trail, Crystal River, FL 34429. The NRC issued press releases, purchased newspaper advertisements, and distributed flyers locally to advertise these meetings. Approximately 30 people attended the meetings. Each session began with NRC staff members providing a brief overview of the license renewal process and the NEPA environmental review process.
Following the NRCs prepared statements, the floor was opened for public comments. Eight attendees provided oral comments that were recorded and transcribed by a certified court reporter. The transcripts of the comments from these meetings are included at the end of this report.
All documents associated with this scoping process are available for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852, or from the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). The ADAMS Public Electronic Reading Room is accessible at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who encounter problems in accessing documents in ADAMS should contact the NRCs PDR reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737 or by e-mail at pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The ADAMS accession number for each document is listed below in Table 1.
In addition to the comments received at the meetings, the NRC also received one e-mail with comments about the review. At the conclusion of the scoping period, the staff reviewed the 1 Draft document available at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1941/
transcripts, meeting notes, and all written material received in order to identify individual comments. Each comment was marked with a unique identifier including the Commenter ID (specified in Table 1) and a comment number, allowing each comment to be traced back to the transcript, letter, or e-mail in which the comment was submitted. Comments were consolidated and categorized according to the topic within the proposed SEIS or according to the general topic if outside the scope of the GEIS. Once comments were grouped according to subject area, the staff determined the appropriate action for the comment. The action or resolution for each comment is described in the staffs responses in this report.
Table 1 identifies the individuals providing comments and the assigned Commenter ID. For oral comments, the individuals are listed in the order in which they spoke at the public meeting.
Accession numbers identify the source document of the comment in ADAMS.
TABLE 1. Individuals Providing Comments During The Scoping Comment Period Commenter Affiliation (If Stated)
Comment Source Commenter ID ADAMS Accession Number Paul Roberts E-mail A
ML101390392 Bert Henderson Afternoon Scoping Meeting B
ML091460259 Ginger Bryant Citrus County School Board Afternoon Scoping Meeting C
ML091460259 Brent Tolan Progress Energy Afternoon Scoping Meeting D
ML091460259 Andy Vukmir Afternoon Scoping Meeting E
ML091460259 Emily Casey Evening Scoping Meeting F
ML091460260 Gary Maidhof Director, Citrus County Department of Development Services Evening Scoping Meeting G
ML091460260 Mark Klutho Evening Scoping Meeting H
ML091460260 Dixie Hollins Citrus County Chamber of Commerce Evening Scoping Meeting I
ML091460260 The comments and suggestions received as part of the scoping process are documented in this section and the disposition of each comment is discussed. The formatting of the comment in the source document is not necessarily preserved. The meeting transcripts and written comments are included in their original form at the end of this report.
Comments have been grouped into general categories.
In-scope comments:
- 1. General comments in support of Florida Power Corporation, nuclear power, and license renewal for CR-3 (PRO)
- 2. Comments in opposition to nuclear power (OPP)
- 3. Comments related to human health issues (HH)
- 4. Comments related to alternatives to license renewal of CR-3 (ALT)
Out-of-scope comments:
- 1. Comments related to plant safety (SAF)
In those cases where no new environmental information was provided by the commenter, only a brief response has been provided to the comment, and no further evaluation will be performed.
The preparation of the SEIS will take into account all the in-scope issues raised during the scoping process. The SEIS will address both Category 1 and 2 issues along with any new information identified as a result of the scoping process. The SEIS will rely on conclusions supported by information in the GEIS for Category 1 issues and will include analysis of Category 2 issues and any new and significant information. The NRC will issue a draft SEIS for public comment. The comment period will offer the next opportunity for the applicant, interested Federal, State, and local government agencies, Native American tribal governments, local organizations, and other members of the public to provide input to the NRCs environmental review process. The comments received on the draft SEIS will be considered in the preparation of the final SEIS. The final SEIS, along with the staffs safety evaluation report (SER), will provide much of the basis for the NRCs decision on the FPC application to renew the license of CR-3.
Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant Scoping Comments and Responses In-Scope Comments
- 1. General comments in support of Florida Power Corporation, nuclear power, and license renewal for Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant (PRO)
The comments in this category can be found at the back of this report and are labeled with the following identifiers: B-1-PRO, C-1-PRO, D-1-PRO, E-1-PRO, G-1-PRO, I-1-PRO.
Response: These comments are general in nature and express support for Florida Power Corporation, nuclear power, or license renewal of Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant (CR-3). The comments provide no new and significant information and require no further evaluation.
- 2. Comments in opposition to nuclear power (OPP)
There was one comment in this category. It can be found at the back of this report, labeled with the following identifier: H-1-OPP.
Response: The comment is generally not supportive of nuclear power. The comment is general in nature, provides no new and significant information, and, therefore, will not be evaluated further. No change to the scope of CR-3 SEIS will be made as a result of this comment.
With regard to the general comment on emergency planningemergency planning is part of the current operating license for all operating power plants and will continue to apply to plants with renewed licenses. Requirements related to emergency planning are in the regulations at 10 CFR 50.47 and Appendix E to 10 CFR Part 50. Through its standards and required exercises, the Commission reviews existing emergency preparedness plans throughout the life of any plant, keeping up with changing demographics and other site-related factors. The comment provides no new information and does not pertain to the scope of license renewal under 10 CFR Part 51 and Part 54. However, the information was provided to the appropriate NRC staff for consideration in future evaluations of emergency planning at CR-3.
- 3. Comments related to human health issues (HH)
There was one comment in this category. It can be found at the back of this report, labeled with the following identifier: F-1-HH.
Response: The comment suggests that it would be beneficial to have an outside source do environmental radiation monitoring. Currently, monitoring is performed by the Florida Department of Health - Division of Environmental Health radiological environmental monitoring program (REMP) around the CR-3 site. The monitoring includes the following:
thermoluminescent detectors surrounding the site identify direct radiation and special air sampling stations identify radioactive particulate emissions. Department staff also collect and analyze other samples, including vegetation, fish, citrus, watermelon, milk, garden vegetables, shoreline sediment, beach sand, drinking water, surface water, and groundwater. After the samples are analyzed, the State provides the results to FPC for publication. Due to analytical complexity, cost, and complex dose calculations involved with these analyses, doses from gas and liquid effluent monitoring do not lend themselves readily to instantaneous broadcasting online, nor is that an NRC requirement. FPC reports the results to the NRC in its annual REMP Report. As part of its environmental review for license renewal, the NRC staff will review the REMP reports and present its evaluation in chapter 4 of the CR-3 Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS). CR-3s annual REMP reports are available to the public via the NRC website http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/ops-experience/tritium/plant-info.html. No change to the scope of the environmental review will be made as a result of this comment.
- 4. Comments related to alternatives to license renewal of CR-3 (ALT)
There was one comment in this category. It can be found at the back of this report, labeled with the following identifier: F-2-ALT.
Response: The comment states that the air quality in Citrus County is poor and recommends pursuing renewable sources of energy. The staff will evaluate reasonable alternatives to license renewal of CR-3 in Chapter 8 of the SEIS. No change to the scope of the environmental review will be made as a result of this comment.
Out-of-Scope Comments
- 1. Comments related to plant safety (SAF)
Comment A-1-SAF: Crystal River Unit 3 has two (2) spent fuel pools. Pool A uses a carborundum neutron absorbing material in the spent fuel racks and Pool B uses Boral as the neutron absorber material.
Our concerns are with the degradation of Carborundum neutron absorber material in the A pool.
The spent fuel storage racks in the A pool were placed in service in 1981 (28 years ago). The Carborundum neutron absorber material had a projected in-service life of 40 - 50 years.
Recent NRC documents state that the Carborundum material has experienced a 15% loss of Boron 10 areal density and the fuel pool criticality analysis has been recalculated with restrictions on spent fuel storage being instituted.
Our questions are:
- 1. How much degradation of the Carborundum material is allowed before the spent fuel racks must be replaced or modified to permit continued usage of the A fuel pool?
- 2. Is the degradation of the Carborundum material considered a factor in the plant life extension application review?)
Response: The degradation of Carborundum neutron absorber material in spent fuel pool A is addressed in the NRCs license renewal safety review. The NRC staffs preliminary evaluation of the applicants program to manage the degradation of the spent fuel pool neutron absorbing materials is presented in Section 3.0.3.3.1 of the Safety Evaluation Report with Open Items Related to the License Renewal of Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant (ADAMS Accession No. ML103490568).
As noted in the Safety Evaluation Report with Open Items, the applicant committed to ongoing implementation of the existing Fuel Pool Rack Neutron Absorber Monitoring Program for managing aging of applicable components during the period of extended operation. Particularly, the applicant committed to enhance the administrative controls for the program prior to the period of extended operation. The applicant committed to: (1) include provisions to monitor and trend data for incorporation in test procedures to ensure the projection meets the acceptance criteria, (2) incorporate acceptance criteria tables for accumulated weight losses of monitored Carborundum samples, and (3) implement periodic Boron-10 areal density gauge for evaluation racks (BADGER) testing or comparable neutron attenuation testing for racks in pools A and B to ensure that the neutron absorption intended function is maintained and that technical specifications criticality requirements are continually met.
Safety matters related to the operation of the plant are outside of the scope of this environmental review. The comments provide no new and significant environmental information and will not be evaluated further in the context of the environmental review.
References 10 CFR 50. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Energy, Part 50, Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities.
10 CFR 51. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Energy, Part 51, Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions.
10 CFR 54. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Energy, Part 54, Requirements for Renewal of Operating Licenses for Nuclear Power Plants.
Florida Power Corporation (FPC). 2008. Crystal River Unit 3 - License Renewal Application, Applicants Environmental Report, Operating License Renewal Stage. November 2008.
ADAMS Accession No. ML090080731.
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). 42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). 1996. Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, NUREG-1437, Volumes 1 and 2, Washington, D.C.,
ADAMS Accession Nos. ML040690705 and ML040690738.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). 1999. Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, Main Report, Section 6.3 - Transportation, Table 9.1, Summary of Findings on NEPA Issues for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants, Final Report, NUREG-1437, Volume 1, Addendum 1, Washington, D.C., ADAMS Accession No. ML040690720.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). 2009. Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant; Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct Scoping Process, Federal Register, Vol. 74, No. 64, pp. 11523-11525, April 6, 2009.
Comment E-mail and Meeting Transcripts The following pages contain the comments, identified by commenter designation and comment number, from e-mail and public scoping meeting transcripts.
A-1-SAF B-1-PRO B-1-PRO, continued B-1-PRO, continued B-1-PRO, continued C-1-PRO C-1-PRO, continued C-1-PRO, continued D-1-PRO D-1-PRO, continued D-1-PRO, continued E-1-PRO D-1-PRO, continued E-1-PRO, continued E-1-PRO, continued E-1-PRO, continued F-1-HH F-2-ALT F-2-ALT, continued G-1-PRO F-2-ALT, continued G-1-PRO, continued G-1-PRO, continued G-1-PRO, continued G-1-PRO, continued H-1-OPP G-1-PRO, continued H-1-OPP, continued H-1-OPP, continued H-1-OPP, continued H-1-OPP, continued H-1-OPP, continued H-1-OPP, continued H-1-OPP, continued H-1-OPP, continued I-1-PRO H-1-OPP, continued I-1-PRO, continued I-1-PRO, continued
- concurrence via e-mail OFFICE LA:DLR*
BC:DLR:RERB*
BC:DLR:RPB1 NAME SFigueroa DDoyle AJones AImboden BPham DATE 02/28/2011 03/04/2011 03/17/2011 03/09/2011 03/04/2011 OFFICE D:DLR BC:DLR:RPB1 NAME BHolian BPham DATE 03/16/2011 03/21/2011