[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 218 (Tuesday, November 12, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 89049-89052]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-26109]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-397; NRC-2024-0160]


Energy Northwest; Columbia Generating Station; Environmental 
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice; issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an amendment to Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-
21, issued on May 22, 2012, held by Energy Northwest for the operation 
of Columbia Generating Station (Columbia) located in Benton County, 
Washington, on land leased from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). 
The proposed amendment would revise the Columbia Emergency Plan by 
changing the emergency response organization (ERO) staffing plan. The 
NRC staff evaluated the potential environmental effects of the proposed 
action (license amendment request) and is issuing an environmental 
assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI).

DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on 
November 12, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2024-0160 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain publicly available

[[Page 89050]]

information related to this document using any of the following 
methods:
    <bullet> Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2024-0160. Address 
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; 
telephone: 301-415-0624; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#085b7c696b71265b6b607d6569666648667a6b266f677e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4013342123396e132328352d212e2e002e32236e272f36">[email protected]</span></a>. For technical 
questions, contact the individual listed in the For Further Information 
Contact section of this document.
    <bullet> NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS 
Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public 
Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, at 301-415-4737, 
or by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#431307116d1126302c36312026032d31206d242c35"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="623226304c3007110d17100107220c10014c050d14">[email protected]</span></a>. For the convenience of the reader, 
information for obtaining materials referenced in this document are 
provided in the ``Availability of Documents'' section.
    <bullet> NRC's PDR: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies 
of publicly available documents, is open by appointment. To make an 
appointment to visit the PDR, please send an email to 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#84d4c0d6aad6e1f7ebf1f6e7e1c4eaf6e7aae3ebf2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="db8b9f89f589bea8b4aea9b8be9bb5a9b8f5bcb4ad">[email protected]</span></a> or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between 8 
a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (ET), Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mahesh L. Chawla, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-8371; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f2bf939a97819adcb19a93859e93b29c8091dc959d84"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="cc81ada4a9bfa4e28fa4adbba0ad8ca2beafe2aba3ba">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    By letter dated January 30, 2024, as supplemented by letters dated 
March 20, September 10, and September 24, 2024, Energy Northwest 
submitted a request to amend Renewed Facility Operating License No. 
NPF-21, issued to Energy Northwest, for the operation of Columbia 
Generating Station (Columbia), which is located in Benton County, 
Washington, on land leased from the DOE. If approved, the proposed 
amendment would revise the emergency plan to be consistent with the 
guidance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Radiological 
Emergency Preparedness (REP) document in NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1, 
``Criteria for Preparation and Evaluation of Radiological Emergency 
Response Plans and Preparedness in Support of Nuclear Power Plants,'' 
Revision 2, December 2019. The proposed changes would revise the 
Columbia Emergency Plan by changing the ERO staffing plan to align 
staff functions and major task delineations, specifically, the on-shift 
and augmenting positions assigned within certain functional areas and 
remove references to non-minimum augmented ERO positions from the 
Columbia Emergency Plan while retaining appropriate positions in the 
applicable implementing procedures.
    Each licensee for a nuclear power plant is required to establish an 
emergency plan to be implemented in the event of an accident in 
accordance with part 50, ``Domestic Licensing of Production and 
Utilization Facilities,'' section 50.47, ``Emergency plans,'' and 
appendix E, ``Emergency Planning and Preparedness for Production and 
Utilization Facilities,'' of title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR). The emergency plan covers preparation for 
evacuation, sheltering, and other actions to protect people living near 
the nuclear power plant in the event of an accident. An effective 
emergency preparedness program decreases the likelihood of an 
initiating event at a nuclear facility proceeding to a severe accident. 
Emergency preparedness cannot affect the probability of the initiating 
event, but a high level of emergency preparedness increases the 
probability of accident mitigation if the initiating event proceeds 
beyond the need for initial operator actions.
    The regulations in 10 CFR 50.54(q)(2) require licensees for nuclear 
power plants to follow and maintain the effectiveness of an emergency 
plan that meets the standards in 10 CFR 50.47(b) and the requirements 
in 10 CFR part 50, appendix E. Sections 50.54(q)(3) and (4) of 10 CFR 
specify the process by which a licensee may make changes to its 
emergency plan. In accordance with 10 CFR 50.54(q)(4), Energy Northwest 
submitted the January 30, 2024, license amendment request, pursuant to 
10 CFR 50.90, to obtain NRC approval of the proposed changes to the 
Columbia Emergency Plan prior to implementation.
    In accordance with 10 CFR 51.21, ``Criteria for and identification 
of licensing and regulatory actions requiring environmental 
assessments,'' the NRC prepared the following environmental assessment 
(EA) that analyzes the environmental impacts of the proposed licensing 
action. Based on the results of this EA, and in accordance with 10 CFR 
51.31(a), the NRC has determined not to prepare an environmental impact 
statement for the proposed licensing action and is issuing a finding of 
no significant impact (FONSI).
    In addition to this EA, the NRC is conducting a safety evaluation 
of Energy Northwest's proposed changes to the Columbia Emergency Plan, 
which will be documented separately. The safety evaluation of the 
proposed changes to the emergency plan will determine whether Columbia 
would continue to meet the requirements in 10 CFR 50.47(b) and the 
requirements in 10 CFR part 50, appendix E with the requested 
amendment.

II. Environmental Assessment

Description of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would revise the ERO staffing plan identified 
in the Columbia Emergency Plan, including the on-shift and augmenting 
ERO staffing requirements. The proposed revisions would remove 
reference to non-minimum augmenting ERO positions from the Columbia 
Emergency Plan while retaining appropriate positions in implementing 
procedures. The proposed action would also align the ERO staffing plan 
with the functions and major task delineations related to on-shift and 
augmenting ERO positions assigned within certain functional areas.
    The NRC staff notes that Energy Northwest's request referred to on-
shift and minimum augmenting ERO positions. Although NUREG-0654/FEMA-
REP-1 does not refer to minimum augmenting ERO positions, the NRC staff 
understands phrases like minimum augmenting ERO positions to refer to 
those positions described in NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1. Similarly, the NRC 
staff understands phrases like non-minimum augmented ERO positions to 
refer to positions described by the Columbia Emergency Plan beyond 
those described in NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1. For clarity, this 
environmental assessment will refer to augmenting ERO positions instead 
of minimum augmenting ERO positions when discussing the positions 
described in NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1 but will refer to non-minimum 
augmenting ERO positions when discussing positions beyond those 
described in NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1.
    The proposed action is in accordance with Energy Northwest's 
request for a license amendment, to revise the Columbia Emergency Plan 
dated January 30, 2024, notice of which the NRC published in the 
Federal Register (89 FR 49238).

Need for the Proposed Action

    If granted, the proposed action would align the Columbia Emergency 
Plan

[[Page 89051]]

with the NRC's guidance for EROs in NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1, Revision 2. 
The application states that Energy Northwest shared the proposed 
Columbia Emergency Plan changes with offsite response organizations for 
the State of Washington, Benton County, and Franklin County, and these 
organizations had no concerns.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action consists of changes related to staffing 
positions, position descriptions, titles, duties, duty locations, and 
response times specified in the Columbia Emergency Plan. The on-shift 
and augmenting ERO staffing requirements listed in the emergency plan 
would be revised. The proposed revisions include eliminating ERO 
positions; adding ERO positions; changing position descriptions, 
titles, duties, and duty locations; changing response times, and 
relocating certain position descriptions to other parts of the 
emergency plan or to implementing procedures.
    The proposed changes would have no direct impacts on land use or 
water resources, including terrestrial and aquatic biota, as the 
proposed action involves no new construction, ground disturbing 
activities, or modification of nuclear power plant operational systems. 
For the same reasons, there would also be no changes to the quality or 
quantity of non-radiological effluents and no changes to the nuclear 
plant's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits. 
Overall staffing levels are not expected to increase; therefore, worker 
vehicle air emissions are not expected to increase. In addition, for 
the reasons stated previously in this notice, there would be no 
noticeable effect on socioeconomic conditions in the region, no 
environment justice impacts, and no impacts to historic properties and 
cultural resources from the proposed licensing action. Therefore, there 
would be no significant non-radiological environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed agency action.
    In addition, the proposed licensing action would not have a 
significant effect on the probability or consequences of radiological 
accidents because the emergency plan must continue to meet the 
standards of 10 CFR 50.47(b) and the requirements in 10 CFR part 50, 
appendix E. For the same reasons there would be no change to the types 
or amounts of non-radioactive effluents, there would also be no change 
to the types or amounts of radioactive effluents released into the 
environment and, therefore, no change in occupational or public 
radiation exposure from the proposed changes. Therefore, there would be 
no significant radiological impacts associated with the proposed agency 
action.
    The NRC staff therefore concludes that the proposed licensing 
action would not significantly affect plant safety and would not have a 
significant adverse effect on the probability of or consequences from 
an accident. Accordingly, the NRC staff concludes that the proposed 
agency action would have no significant environmental effect on the 
quality of the human environment.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    As an alternative to the proposed action, the NRC staff considered 
denial of the license amendment request (i.e., the ``no-action'' 
alternative). Denial of the license amendment request would result in 
no change in current environmental impacts at Columbia. As determined 
above, the proposed action would have no significant environmental 
effect on the quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the 
environmental impacts of the proposed action and the no action 
alternative would be similar.

Alternative Use of Resources

    There are no unresolved conflicts concerning alternative uses of 
available environmental resources under the proposed action.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    No additional agencies or persons were consulted regarding the 
environmental impact of the proposed action. Because the proposed 
action is not a type of activity that has the potential to cause 
effects on historic properties, the NRC has no further obligations 
under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Similarly, 
the proposed action would not affect threatened or endangered species. 
Therefore, consultation under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act 
is not required. However, in accordance with 10 CFR 50.91(b), the 
licensee provided copies of its application to the State of Washington, 
and the NRC staff will consult with the State prior to issuance of the 
amendment.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    Energy Northwest has requested a license amendment pursuant to 10 
CFR 50.90, consistent with the requirements of 10 CFR 50.54(q), 
``Emergency plans,'' to revise the Columbia Emergency Plan by removing 
references to non-minimum augmenting ERO positions from the Emergency 
Plan while retaining appropriate positions in implementing procedures. 
The amendment would also revise the Columbia Emergency Plan by changing 
ERO staffing requirements to align staff functions and major task 
delineations, specifically, the on-shift and augmenting positions 
assigned within certain functional areas.
    The environmental effects of the proposed license request are 
described in the EA, presented in Section II of this notice, and 
incorporated by reference in this FONSI. In the EA, the NRC staff 
determined the proposed licensing action would not have a significant 
adverse effect on the probability of or consequences from an accident, 
and would not have any significant radiological or non-radiological 
environmental effects. Based on information presented in the EA, the 
NRC concludes that the proposed agency action would not have a 
significant impact on the quality of the human environment. 
Accordingly, there is no need to prepare an environmental impact 
statement for this proposed action.
    As required by 10 CFR 51.32(a)(5), the most recent document 
describing the environmental effects of ongoing reactor operations and 
a description of environmental conditions at Columbia is the ``Generic 
Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants: 
Regarding Columbia Generating Station, Final Report,'' NUREG-1437, 
Supplement 47, April 2012.
    This FONSI and other related documents may be examined, and/or 
copied for a fee, at the NRC's PDR, located at One White Flint North, 
11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. Publicly available 
records are accessible electronically from ADAMS Public Electronic 
Reading Room on the internet at the NRC's website: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who 
encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS should 
contact the NRC's PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 
301 415 4737, or by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ffafbbadd1ad9a8c908a8d9c9abf918d9cd1989089"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="104054423e4275637f65627375507e62733e777f66">[email protected]</span></a>.

IV. Availability of Documents

    The documents identified in the following table are available to 
interested persons through ADAMS.

[[Page 89052]]



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            Document description                 ADAMS accession No.
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Energy Northwest, Columbia Generating        ML24030A844.
 Station, Docket No. 50-397, License
 Amendment Request to Revise Columbia
 Generating Station Emergency Plan, dated
 January 30, 2024.
Energy Northwest, Columbia Generating        ML24081A193.
 Station, Docket No. 50-397, Supplement to
 License Amendment Request to Revise
 Columbia Generating Station Emergency
 Plan, dated March 20, 2024.
Energy Northwest, Columbia Generating        ML24254A366.
 Station, Docket No. 50-397, Response to
 Request for Additional Information
 Regarding License Amendment Request to
 Revise Columbia Emergency Plan, dated
 September 10, 2024.
Energy Northwest, Columbia Generating        ML24269A254.
 Station, Docket No. 50-397, Supplement to
 Response to Request for Additional
 Information Regarding License Amendment
 Request to Revise Columbia Emergency Plan,
 dated September 24, 2024.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and       ML19347D139.
 Federal Emergency Management Agency,
 ``Criteria for Preparation and Evaluation
 of Radiological Emergency Response Plans
 and Preparedness,'' NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1,
 Revision 2, dated December 2019.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, letter   ML18022A352.
 to Nuclear Energy Institute, ``Alternative
 Guidance for Licensee Emergency Response
 Organizations,'' dated June 12, 2018.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,          ML12096A334.
 ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement
 for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants:
 Regarding Columbia Generating Station,''
 NUREG-1437, Supplement 47, Volume 1, dated
 April 2012.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,          ML12096A336 (Package).
 ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement
 for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants:
 Regarding Columbia Generating Station,''
 NUREG-1437, Supplement 47, Volume 2, dated
 April 2012.
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    Dated: November 5, 2024.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Mahesh Chawla,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch IV, Division of Operating 
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2024-26109 Filed 11-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P


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