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Index > 10 CFR Pt. 51, Subpt. A, App. B,
Note
Appendix B to Subpart A -- Environmental Effect of Renewing the
Operating License of a Nuclear Power Plant
The Commission has assessed the environmental impacts associated with
granting a renewed operating license for a nuclear power plant to a
licensee who holds either an operating license or construction permit as
of June 30, 1995. Table B - 1 summarizes the Commission's findings on the
scope and magnitude of environmental impacts of renewing the operating
license for a nuclear power plant as required by section 102(2) of the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended. Table B - 1,
subject to an evaluation of those issues identified in Category 2 as
requiring further analysis and possible significant new information,
represents the analysis of the environmental impacts associated with
renewal of any operating license and is to be used in accordance with
§51.95(c). On a 10-year cycle, the Commission intends to review the
material in this appendix and update it if necessary. A scoping notice
must be published in the Federal Register indicating the results of the
NRC's review and inviting public comments and proposals for other areas
that should be updated.
Table B - 1. -- Summary of Findings on NEPA Issues
for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants1
| Surface Water Quality, Hydrology, and Use
(for all plants) |
| Issue |
Category2 |
Findings3 |
Impacts of refurbishment on surface water quality
|
1
|
SMALL. Impacts are expected to be negligible during
refurbishment because best management practices are expected to be
employed to control soil erosion and spills. |
| Impacts of refurbishment on surface water use |
1 |
SMALL. Water use during refurbishment will not increase
appreciably or will be reduced during plant outage. |
| Altered current patterns at intake and discharge structures. |
1 |
SMALL. Altered current patterns have not been found to be a
problem at operating nuclear power plants and are not expected to be
a problem during the license renewal term. |
| Altered salinity gradients |
1 |
SMALL. Salinity gradients have not been found to be a problem at
operating nuclear power plants and are not expected to be a problem
during the license renewal term. |
| Altered thermal stratification of lakes |
1 |
SMALL. Generally, lake stratification has not been found to be a
problem at operating nuclear power plants and is not expected to be
a problem during the license renewal term. |
| Temperature effects on sediment transport capacity |
1 |
SMALL. These effects have not been found to be a problem at
operating nuclear power plants and are not expected to be a problem
during the license renewal term. |
| Scouring caused by discharged cooling water |
1 |
SMALL. Scouring has not been found to be a problem at most
operating nuclear power plants and has caused only localized effects
at a few plants. It is not expected to be a problem during the
license renewal term. |
| Eutrophication |
1 |
SMALL. Eutrophication has not been found to be a problem at
operating nuclear power plants and is not expected to be a problem
during the license renewal term. |
| Discharge of chlorine or other biocides |
1 |
SMALL. Effects are not a concern among regulatory and resource
agencies, and are not expected to be a problem during the license
renewal term. |
| Discharge of sanitary wastes and minor chemical spills |
1 |
SMALL. Effects are readily controlled through NPDES permit and
periodic modifications, if needed, and are not expected to be a
problem during the license renewal term |
| Discharge of other metals in waste water |
1 |
SMALL. These discharges have not been found to be a problem at
operating nuclear power plants with cooling-tower-based heat
dissipation systems and have been satisfactorily mitigated at other
plants. They are not expected to be a problem during the license
renewal term. |
| Water use conflicts (plants with once-through cooling
systems) |
1 |
SMALL. These conflicts have not been found to be a problem at
operating nuclear power plants with once-through heat dissipation
systems. |
| Water use conflicts (plants with cooling ponds or cooling towers
using make-up water from a small river with low flow) |
2 |
SMALL OR MODERATE. The issue has been a concern at nuclear power
plants with cooling ponds and at plants with cooling towers. Impacts
on instream and riparian communities near these plants could be of
moderate significance in some situations. See
§51.53 |
| Aquatic Ecology (for all
plants) |
| Issue |
Category2 |
Findings3 |
| Refurbishment |
1 |
SMALL. During plant shutdown and refurbishment there will be
negligible effects on aquatic biota because of a reduction of
entrainment and impingement of organisms or a reduced release of
chemicals. |
| Accumulation of contaminants in sediments or biota |
1 |
SMALL. Accumulation of contaminants has been a concern at a few
nuclear power plants but has been satisfactorily mitigated by
replacing copper alloy condenser tubes with those of another metal.
It is not expected to be a problem during the license renewal
term. |
| Entrainment of phytoplankton and zooplankton |
1 |
SMALL. Entrainment of phytoplankton and zooplankton has not been
found to be a problem at operating nuclear power plants and is not
expected to be a problem during the license renewal term. |
| Cold shock |
1 |
SMALL. Cold shock has been satisfactorily mitigated at operating
nuclear plants with once-through cooling systems, has not endangered
fish populations or been found to be a problem at operating nuclear
power plants with cooling towers or cooling ponds, and is not
expected to be a problem during the license renewal term. |
| Thermal plume barrier to migrating fish |
1 |
SMALL. Thermal plumes have not been found to be a problem at
operating nuclear power plants and are not expected to be a problem
during the license renewal term. |
| Distribution of aquatic organisms |
1 |
SMALL. Thermal discharge may have localized effects but is not
expected to affect the larger geographical distribution of aquatic
organisms. |
| Premature emergence of aquatic insects |
1 |
SMALL. Premature emergence has been found to be a localized
effect at some operating nuclear power plants but has not been a
problem and is not expected to be a problem during the license
renewal term. |
| Gas supersaturation (gas bubble disease) |
1 |
SMALL. Gas supersaturation was a concern at a small number of
operating nuclear power plants with once-through cooling systems but
has been satisfactorily mitigated. It has not been found to be a
problem at operating nuclear power plants with cooling towers or
cooling ponds and is not expected to be a problem during the license
renewal term. |
| Low dissolved oxygen in the discharge |
1 |
SMALL. Low dissolved oxygen has been a concern at one nuclear
power plant with a once-through cooling system but has been
effectively mitigated. It has not been found to be a problem at
operating nuclear power plants with cooling towers or cooling ponds
and is not expected to be a problem during the license renewal
term. |
| Losses from predation, parasitism, and disease among organisms
exposed to sublethal stresses |
1 |
SMALL. These types of losses have not been found to be a problem
at operating nuclear power plants and are not expected to be a
problem during the license renewal term. |
| Stimulation of nuisance organisms (e.g., shipworms) |
1 |
SMALL. Stimulation of nuisance organisms has been satisfactorily
mitigated at the single nuclear power plant with a once-through
cooling system where previously it was a problem. It has not been
found to be a problem at operating nuclear power plants with cooling
towers or cooling ponds and is not expected to be a problem during
the license renewal term. |
| Aquatic Ecology (for plants with
once-through and cooling pond heat dissipation
systems) |
| Issue |
Category2 |
Findings3 |
| Entrainment of fish and shellfish in early life stages |
2 |
SMALL, MODERATE, OR LARGE. The impacts of entrainment are small
at many plants but may be moderate or even large at a few plants
with once-through and cooling-pond cooling systems. Further, ongoing
efforts in the vicinity of these plants to restore fish populations
may increase the numbers of fish susceptible to intake effects
during the license renewal period, such that entrainment studies
conducted in support of the original license may no longer be valid.
See §51.53(c)(3)(ii)(B). |
| Impingement of fish and shellfish |
2 |
SMALL, MODERATE, OR LARGE. The impacts of impingement are small
at many plants but may be moderate or even large at a few plants
with once-through and cooling-pond cooling systems. See
§51.53(c)(3)(ii)(B). |
| Heat shock |
2 |
SMALL, MODERATE, OR LARGE. Because of continuing concerns about
heat shock and the possible need to modify thermal discharges in
response to changing environmental conditions, the impacts may be of
moderate or large significance at some plants. See
§51.53(c)(3)(ii)(B). |
| Aquatic Ecology (for plants with
cooling-tower-based heat dissipation
systems) |
| Issue |
Category2 |
Findings3 |
| Entrainment of fish and shellfish in early life stages |
1 |
SMALL. Entrainment of fish has not been found to be a problem at
operating nuclear power plants with this type of cooling system and
is not expected to be a problem during the license renewal term.
|
| Heat shock |
1 |
SMALL. Heat shock has not been found to be a problem at
operating nuclear power plants with this type of cooling system and
is not expected to be a problem during the license renewal
term. |
| Ground-water Use and
Quality |
| Issue |
Category2 |
Findings3 |
| Impacts of refurbishment on ground-water use and quality |
1 |
SMALL. Extensive dewatering during the original construction on
some sites will not be repeated during refurbishment on any sites.
Any plant wastes produced during refurbishment will be handled in
the same manner as in current operating practices and are not
expected to be a problem during the license renewal term. |
| Ground-water use conflicts (potable and service water; plants
that use <100 gpm) |
1 |
SMALL. Plants using less than 100 gpm are not expected to cause
any ground-water use conflicts. |
| Ground-water use conflicts (potable and service water, and
dewatering; plants that use >100 gpm) |
2 |
SMALL, MODERATE, OR LARGE. Plants that use more than 100 gpm may
cause ground-water use conflicts with nearby ground-water users. See
§51.53(c)(3)(ii)(C). |
| Ground-water use conflicts (plants using cooling towers
withdrawing make-up water from a small river) |
2 |
SMALL, MODERATE, OR LARGE. Water use conflicts may result from
surface water withdrawals from small water bodies during low flow
conditions which may affect aquifer recharge, especially if other
ground-water or upstream surface water users come on line before the
time of license renewal. See §51.53(c)(3)(ii)(A). |
| Ground-water use conflicts (Ranney wells) |
2 |
SMALL, MODERATE, OR LARGE. Ranney wells can result in potential
ground-water depression beyond the site boundary. Impacts of large
ground-water withdrawal for cooling tower makeup at nuclear power
plants using Ranney wells must be evaluated at the time of
application for license renewal. See §51.53(c)(3)(ii)(C). |
| Ground-water quality degradation (Ranney wells) |
1 |
SMALL. Ground-water quality at river sites may be degraded by
induced infiltration of poor-quality river water into an aquifer
that supplies large quantities of reactor cooling water. However,
the lower quality infiltrating water would not preclude the current
uses of ground water and is not expected to be a problem during the
license renewal term. |
| Ground-water quality degradation (saltwater intrusion) |
1 |
SMALL. Nuclear power plants do not contribute significantly to
saltwater intrusion) intrusion. |
| Ground-water quality degradation (cooling ponds in salt
marshes) |
1 |
SMALL. Sites with closed-cycle cooling ponds may degrade
ground-water quality.Because water in salt marshes is brackish, this
is not a concern for plants located in salt marshes. |
| Ground-water quality degradation (cooling ponds at inland
sites) |
2 |
SMALL, MODERATE, OR LARGE. Sites with closed-cycle cooling ponds
may degrade ground-water quality. For plants located inland, the
quality of the ground water in the vicinity of the ponds must be
shown to be adequate to allow continuation of current
uses. |
| Issue |
Category2 |
Findings3 |
| Refurbishment impacts |
2 |
SMALL, MODERATE, OR LARGE. Refurbishment impacts are
insignificant if no loss of important plant and animal habitat
occurs. However, it cannot be known whether important plant and
animal communities may be affected until the specific proposal is
presented with the license renewal application |
| Cooling tower impacts on crops and ornamental vegetation |
1 |
SMALL. Impacts from salt drift, icing, fogging, or increased
humidity associated with cooling tower operation have not been found
to be a problem at operating nuclear power plants and are not
expected to be a problem during the license renewal term. |
| Cooling tower impacts on native plants |
1 |
SMALL. Impacts from salt drift, icing, fogging, or increased
humidity associated with cooling tower operation have not been found
to be a problem at operating nuclear power plants and are not
expected to be a problem during the license renewal term. |
| Bird collisions with cooling towers |
1 |
SMALL. These collisions have not been found to be a problem at
operating nuclear power plants and are not expected to be a problem
during the license renewal term. |
| Cooling pond impacts on terrestrial resources |
1 |
SMALL. Impacts of cooling ponds on terrestrial ecological
resources are considered to be of small significance at all
sites. |
| Power line right-of-way management (cutting and herbicide
application) |
1 |
SMALL. The impacts of right-of-way maintenance on wildlife are
expected to be of small significance at all sites. |
| Bird collision with power lines |
1 |
SMALL. Impacts are expected to be of small significance at all
sites |
| Impacts of electromagnetic fields on flora and fauna (plants,
agricultural crops, honeybees, wildlife, livestock) |
1 |
. SMALL. No significant impacts of electromagnetic fields on
terrestrial flora and fauna have been identified. Such effects are
not expected to be a problem during the license renewal term. |
| Floodplains and wetland on power line right of way |
|
SMALL. Periodic vegetation control is necessary in forested
wetlands underneath power lines and can be achieved with minimal
damage to the wetland. No significant impact is expected at any
nuclear power plant during the license renewal
term. |
| Threatened or Endangered Species (for all
plants) |
| Issue |
Category2 |
Findings3 |
| Threatened or endangered species |
2 |
SMALL, MODERATE, OR LARGE. Generally, plant refurbishment and
continued operation are not expected to adversely affect threatened
or endangered species. However, consultation with appropriate
agencies would be needed at the time of license renewal to determine
whether threatened or endangered species are present and whether
they would be adversely affected. |
| Issue |
Category2 |
Findings3 |
| Air quality during refurbishment (nonattainment and maintenance
areas) |
2 |
SMALL, MODERATE, OR LARGE. Air quality impacts from plant
refurbishment associated with license renewal are expected to be
small. However, vehicle exhaust emissions could be cause for concern
at locations in or near nonattainment or maintenance areas. The
significance of the potential impact cannot be determined without
considering the compliance status of each site and the numbers of
workers expected to be employed during the outage. See §51.53 |
| Air quality effects of transmission lines |
1 |
SMALL. Production of ozone and oxides of nitrogen is
insignificant and does not contribute measurably to ambient levels
of these gases. |
| Issue |
Category2 |
Findings3 |
| Onsite land use |
1 |
SMALL. Projected onsite land use changes required during
refurbishment and the renewal period would be a small fraction of
any nuclear power plant site and would involve land that is
controlled by the applicant. |
| Power line right of way |
1 |
SMALL. Ongoing use of power line right of ways would continue
with no change in restrictions. The effects of these restrictions
are of small significance. |
| Issue |
Category2 |
Findings3 |
| Radiation exposures to the public during refurbishment |
1 |
SMALL. During refurbishment, the gaseous effluents would result
in doses that are similar to those from current operation.
Applicable regulatory dose limits to the public are not expected to
be exceeded. |
| Occupational radiation exposures during refurbishment |
1 |
SMALL. Occupational doses from refurbishment are expected to be
within the range of annual average collective doses experienced for
pressurized-water reactors and boiling-water reactors. Occupational
mortality risk from all causes including radiation is in the
mid-range for industrial settings. |
| Microbiological organisms (occupational health) |
1 |
SMALL. Occupational health impacts are expected to be controlled
by continued application of accepted industrial hygiene practices to
minimize worker exposures. |
| Microbiological organisms (public health) (plants using lakes or
canals, or cooling towers or cooling ponds that discharge to a small
river) |
2 |
SMALL, MODERATE, OR LARGE. These organisms are not expected to
be a problem at most operating plants except possibly at plants
using cooling ponds, lakes, or canals that discharge to small
rivers. Without site-specific data, it is not possible to predict
the effects generically. See §51.53 |
| Noise |
1 |
SMALL. Noise has not been found to be a problem at operating
plants and is not expected to be a problem at any plant during the
license renewal term. |
| Electromagnetic fields, acute effects (electric shock) |
2 |
SMALL, MODERATE, OR LARGE. Electrical shock resulting from
direct access to energized conductors or from induced charges in
metallic structures have not been found to be a problem at most
operating plants and generally are not expected to be a problem
during the license renewal term. However, site-specific review is
required to determine the significance of the electric shock
potential at the site. |
| Electromagnetic fields, chronic effects5 |
4NA |
UNCERTAIN. Biological and physical studies of 60 - Hz
electromagnetic fields have not found consistent evidence linking
harmful effects with field exposures. However, because the state of
the science is currently inadequate, no generic conclusion on human
health impacts is possible.5 |
| Radiation exposures to public (license renewal term) |
1 |
SMALL. Radiation doses to the public will continue at current
levels associated with normal operations. |
| Occupational radiation exposures (license renewal term) |
1 |
SMALL. Projected maximum occupational doses during the license
renewal term are within the range of doses experienced during normal
operations and normal maintenance outages, and would be well below
regulatory limits. |
| Issue |
Category2 |
Findings3 |
| Housing impacts |
2 |
SMALL, MODERATE, OR LARGE. Housing impacts are expected to be of
small significance at plants located in a medium or high population
area and not in an area where growth control measures that limit
housing development are in effect. Moderate or large housing impacts
of the workforce associated with refurbishment may be associated
with plants located in sparsely populated areas or in areas with
growth control measures that limit housing development. |
| Public services: public safety, social services, and tourism and
recreation |
1 |
SMALL. Impacts to public safety, social services, and tourism
and recreation are expected to be of small significance at all
sites. |
| Public services: public utilities |
2 |
SMALL OR MODERATE. An increased problem with water shortages at
some sites may lead to impacts of moderate significance on public
water supply availability. |
| Public services, education (refurbishment) |
2 |
SMALL, MODERATE, OR LARGE. Most sites would experience impacts
of small significance but larger impacts are possible depending on
site- and project-specific factors. |
| Public services, education (license renewal term) |
1 |
SMALL. Only impacts of small significance are expected. |
| Offsite land use (refurbishment) |
2 |
SMALL OR MODERATE. Impacts may be of moderate significance at
plants in low population areas |
| Offsite land use (license renewal term) |
2 |
SMALL, MODERATE, OR LARGE. Significant changes in land use may
be associated with population and tax revenue changes resulting from
license renewal |
| Public services, Transportation |
2 |
SMALL, MODERATE, OR LARGE. Transportation impacts are generally
expected to be of small significance. However, the increase in
traffic associated with the additional workers and the local road
and traffic control conditions may lead to impacts of moderate or
large significance at some sites. |
| Historic and archaeological resources |
2 |
SMALL, MODERATE, OR LARGE. Generally, plant refurbishment and
continued operation are expected to have no more than small adverse
impacts on historic and archaeological resources. However, the
National Historic Preservation Act requires the Federal agency to
consult with the State Historic Preservation Officer to determine
whether there are properties present that require protection |
| Aesthetic impacts (refurbishment) |
1 |
SMALL. No significant impacts are expected during refurbishment.
|
| Aesthetic impacts (license renewal term) |
1 |
SMALL. No significant impacts are expected during the license
renewal term. |
| Aesthetic impacts of transmission lines (license renewal
term) |
1 |
SMALL. No significant impacts are expected during the license
renewal term. |
| Issue |
Category2 |
Findings3 |
| Design basis accidents |
1 |
SMALL. The NRC staff has concluded that the environmental
impacts of design basis accidents are of small significance for all
plants. |
| Severe accidents |
2 |
SMALL. The probability weighted consequences of atmospheric
releases, fallout onto open bodies of water, releases to ground
water, and societal and economic impacts from severe accidents are
small for all plants. However, alternatives to mitigate severe
accidents must be considered for all plants that have not considered
such alternatives. |
| Uranium Fuel Cycle and Waste
Management |
| Issue |
Category2 |
Findings3 |
| Offsite radiological impacts (individual effects from other than
the disposal of spent fuel and high level waste |
1 |
SMALL. Off-site impacts of the uranium fuel cycle have been
considered by the Commission in Table S - 3 of this part. Based on
information in the GEIS, impacts on individuals from radioactive
gaseous and liquid releases including radon-222 and technetium-99
are small. |
| Offsite radiological impacts (collective effects) |
1 |
The 100 year environmental dose commitment to the U.S.
population from the fuel cycle, high level waste and spent fuel
disposal is calculated to be about 14,800 person rem, or 12 cancer
fatalities, for each additional 20- year power reactor operating
term.
|
| Offsite radiological impacts (spent fuel and high
level waste disposal) |
1 |
For the high level waste and spent fuel disposal component of
the fuel cycle, there are no current regulatory limits for offsite
releases of radionuclides for the current candidate repository site.
However, if we assume that limits are developed along the lines of
the 1995 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report, "Technical Bases
for Yucca Mountain Standards," and that in accordance with the
Commission's Waste Confidence Decision, 10 CFR 51.23, a repository
can and likely will be developed at some site which will comply with
such limits, peak doses to virtually all individuals will be 100
millirem per year or less. However, while the Commission has
reasonable confidence that these assumptions will prove correct,
there is considerable uncertainty since the limits are yet to be
developed, no repository application has been completed or reviewed,
and uncertainty is inherent in the models used to evaluate possible
pathways to the human environment. The NAS report indicated that 100
millirem per year should be considered as a starting point for
limits for individual doses, but notes that some measure of
consensus exists among national and international bodies that the
limits should be a fraction of the 100 millirem per year. The
lifetime individual risk from 100 millirem annual dose limit is
about 3 x 10-3. |
| Estimating cumulative doses to populations over thousands of
years is more problematic. The likelihood an consequences of events
that could seriously compromise the integrity of a deep geologic
repository were evaluated by the Department of Energy in the "Final
Environmental Impact Statement: Management of Commercially Generated
Radioactive Waste," October 1980. The evaluation estimated the
70-year whole-body dose commitment to the maximum individual and to
the regional population resulting from several modes of breaching a
reference repository in the year of closure, after 1,000 years,
after 100,000 years and after 100,000,000 years. Subsequently, the
NRC and other federal agencies have expended considerable effort to
develop models for the design and for the licensing of a high level
waste repository, especially for the candidate repository at Yucca
Mountain. More meaningful estimates of doses to population may be
possible in the future as more is understood about the performance
of the proposed Yucca Mountain repository. Such estimates would
involve very great uncertainty, especially with respect to
cumulative population doses over thousands of years. The standard
proposed by the NAS is a limit on maximum individual dose. The
relationship of potential new regulatory requirements, based on the
NAS report, and cumulative population impacts has not been
determined, although the report articulates the view that protection
of individuals will adequately protect the population for a
repository at Yucca Mountain. However, EPA's generic repository
standards in 40 CFR part 191 generally provide an indication of the
order of magnitude of cumulative risk to population that could
result from the licensing of a Yucca Mountain repository, assuming
the ultimate standards will be within the range of standards now
under consideration. The standards in 40 CFR part 191 protect the
population by imposing |
| amount of radioactive material released over 10,000 years. The
cumulative release limits are based on EPA's population impact goal
of 1,000 premature cancer deaths worldwide for a 100,000 metric
tonne (MTHM) repository.
Nevertheless, despite all the uncertainty, some judgement as to
the regulatory NEPA implications of these matters should be made and
it makes no sense to repeat the same judgement in every case. Even
taking the uncertainties into account, the Commission concludes that
these impacts are acceptable in that these impacts would not be
sufficiently large to require the NEPA conclusion, for any plant,
that the option of extended operation under 10 CFR part 54 should be
eliminated. Accordingly, while the Commission has not assigned a
single level of significance for the impacts pf spent fuel and high
level waste disposal, this issue is considered in Category
1. |
| Non-radiological impacts of the uranium fuel cycle |
1 |
SMALL. The nonradiological impacts of the uranium fuel cycle
resulting from the renewal of an operating license for any plant are
found to be small. |
| Low-level waste storage and disposal |
1 |
SMALL. The comprehensive regulatory controls that are in place
and the low public doses being achieved at reactors ensure that the
radiological impacts to the environment will remain small during the
term of a renewed license. The maximum additional on-site land that
may be required for low-level waste storage during the term of a
renewed license and associated impacts will be small.
Nonradiological impacts on air and water will be negligible. The
radiological and nonradiological environmental impacts of long-term
disposal of low-level waste from any individual plant at licensed
sites are small. In addition, the Commission concludes that there is
reasonable assurance that sufficient low-level waste disposal
capacity will be made available when needed for facilities to be
decommissioned consistent with NRC decommissioning requirements.
|
| Mixed waste storage and disposal |
1 |
SMALL. The comprehensive regulatory controls and the facilities
and procedures that are in place ensure proper handling and storage,
as well as negligible doses and exposure to toxic materials for the
public and the environment at all plants. License renewal will not
increase the small, continuing risk to human health and the
environment posed by mixed waste at all plants. The radiological and
nonradiological environmental impacts of long-term disposal of mixed
waste from any individual plant at licensed sites are small. In
addition, the Commission concludes that there is reasonable
assurance that sufficient mixed waste disposal capacity will be made
available when needed for facilities to be decommissioned consistent
with NRC decommissioning requirements. |
| On-site spent fuel |
1 |
SMALL. The expected increase in the volume of spent fuel from an
additional 20 years of operation can be safely accommodated on site
with small environmental effects through dry or pool storage at all
plants if a permanent repository or monitored retrievable storage is
not available. |
| Nonradiological waste |
1 |
SMALL. No changes to generating systems are anticipated for
license renewal. Facilities and procedures are in place to ensure
continued proper handling and disposal at all plants. |
| Transportation |
2 |
Table S - 4 of this part contains an assessment of impact
parameters to be used in evaluating transportation effects in each
case. |
| Issue |
Category2 |
Findings3 |
| Radiation doses |
1 |
SMALL. Doses to the public will be well below applicable
regulatory standards regardless of which decommissioning method is
used. Occupational doses would increase no more than 1 man-rem
caused by buildup of long-lived radionuclides during the license
renewal term. |
| Waste management |
1 |
SMALL. Decommissioning at the end of a 20-year license renewal
period would generate no more solid wastes than at the end of the
current license term. No increase in the quantities of Class C or
greater than Class C wastes would be expected. |
| Air quality |
1 |
SMALL. Air quality impacts of decommissioning are expected to be
negligible either at the end of the current operating term or at the
end of the license renewal term. |
| Water quality |
1 |
SMALL. The potential for significant water quality impacts from
erosion or spills is no greater whether decommissioning occurs after
a 20-year license renewal period or after the original 40-year
operation period, and measures are readily available to avoid such
impacts. |
| Ecological resources |
1 |
SMALL. Decommissioning after either the initial operating period
or after a 20-year license renewal period is not expected to have
any direct ecological impacts. |
| Socioeconomic impacts |
1 |
SMALL. Decommissioning would have some short-term socioeconomic
impacts. The impacts would not be increased by delaying
decommissioning until the end of a 20-year relicense period, but
they might be decreased by population and economic
growth. |
| Issue |
Category2 |
Findings3 |
| Environmental justice |
4NA |
NONE. The need for and the content of an analysis of
environmental justice will be addressed in plant-specific reviews.6 |
[61 FR 66546, Dec. 18, 1996, as amended at 62 FR 59276, Nov. 3,
1997]
1. Data supporting this table are contained in NUREG -
1437, "Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of
Nuclear Plants" (May 1996).
2. The numerical entries in this column are based on
the following category definitions:
Category 1: For the issue, the analysis reported in the Generic
Environmental Impact Statement has shown:
(1) The environmental impacts associated with the issue have been
determined to apply either to all plants or, for some issues, to plants
having a specific type of cooling system or other specified plant or site
characteristic;
(2) A single significance level (i.e., small, moderate, or large) has
been assigned to the impacts (except for collective off site radiological
impacts from the fuel cycle and from high level waste and spent fuel
disposal); and
(3) Mitigation of adverse impacts associated with the issue has been
considered in the analysis, and it has been determined that additional
plant-specific mitigation measures are likely not to be sufficiently
beneficial to warrant implementation.
The generic analysis of the issue may be adopted in each plant-specific
review.
Category 2: For the issue, the analysis reported in the Generic
Environmental Impact Statement has shown that one or more of the criteria
of Category 1 cannot be met, and therefore additional plant-specific
review is required.
3. The impact findings in this column are based on the
definitions of three significance levels. Unless the significance level is
identified as beneficial, the impact is adverse, or in the case of
"small," may be negligible. The definitions of significance follow:
SMALL -- For the issue, environmental effects are not detectable or are
so minor that they will neither destabilize nor noticeably alter any
important attribute of the resource. For the purposes of assessing
radiological impacts, the Commission has concluded that those impacts that
do not exceed permissible levels in the Commission's regulations are
considered small as the term is used in this table.
MODERATE -- For the issue, environmental effects are sufficient to
alter noticeably, but not to destabilize, important attributes of the
resource.
LARGE -- For the issue, environmental effects are clearly noticeable
and are sufficient to destabilize important attributes of the
resource.
For issues where probability is a key consideration (i.e. accident
consequences), probability was a factor in determining significance.
4. NA (not applicable). The categorization and impact
finding definitions do not apply to these issues.
5. If, in the future, the Commission finds that,
contrary to current indications, a consensus has been reached b
appropriate Federal health agencies that there are adverse health effects
from electromagnetic fields, the commission will require applicants to
submit plant-specific reviews of these health effects as part of their
license renewal applications. Until such time, applicants for license
renewal are not required to submit information on this issue.
6. Environmental Justice was not addressed in NUREG -
1437, "Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of
Nuclear Plants," because guidance for implementing Executive Order 12898
issued on February 11, 1994, was not available prior to completion of
NUREG - 1437. This issue will be addressed in individual license renewal
reviews. |
