Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 127 / Wednesday, July 7, 2021 / Notices 35831 

submission requesting OMB clearance 

of this collection for no longer than 

three years. 

Comments are invited on (a) whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the Agency, 

including whether the information shall 

have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of 

the Agency’s estimate of the burden of 

the proposed collection of information; 

(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, 

and clarity of the information on 

respondents, including through the use 

of automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology; 

and (d) ways to minimize the burden of 

the collection of information on 

respondents, including through the use 

of automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

DATES: Written comments should be 

received by September 7, 2021, to be 

assured of consideration. Comments 

received after that date will be 

considered to the extent practicable. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments 

regarding the information collection and 

requests for copies of the proposed 

information collection request should be 

addressed to Suzanne Plimpton, Reports 

Clearance Officer, National Science 

Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, 

Room W18253, Alexandria, VA 22314, 

or by email to splimpto@nsf.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Suzanne Plimpton on (703) 292–7556 or 

send email to splimpto@nsf.gov. 

Individuals who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877– 

8339, which is accessible 24 hours a 

day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year 

(including federal holidays). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title of Collection: DUE Project Data 

Form. 

OMB Control No.: 3145–0201. 

Expiration Date of Approval: 

December 31, 2021. 

Abstract: The Division of 

Undergraduate Education (DUE) Project 

Data Form is a component of all grant 

proposals submitted to NSF’s Division 

of Undergraduate Education. This form 

collects information needed to direct 

proposals to appropriate reviewers and 

to report the estimated collective impact 

of proposed projects on institutions, 

students, and faculty members. 

Requested information includes the 

discipline of the proposed project, 

collaborating organizations involved in 

the project, the academic level on which 

the project focuses (e.g., lower-level 

undergraduate courses, upper-level 

undergraduate courses), characteristics 

of the organization submitting the 

proposal, special audiences (if any) that 

the project would target (e.g., women, 

underrepresented minorities, persons 

with disabilities), strategic foci (if any) 

of the project (e.g., research on teaching 

and learning, international activities, 

integration of research and education), 

and the number of students and faculty 

at different educational levels who 

would benefit from the project. 

Respondents: Investigators who 

submit proposals to NSF’s Division of 

Undergraduate Education. 

Estimated Number of Annual 

Respondents: 2,550. 

Burden on the Public: 20 minutes (per 

response) for an annual total of 850 

hours. 

Dated: June 30, 2021. 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, 

Reports Clearance Officer, National Science 

Foundation. 

[FR Doc. 2021–14396 Filed 7–6–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7555–01–P 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

[Docket Nos. 50–456 and 50–457; NRC– 

2021–0128] 

Exelon Generation Company, LLC; 

Braidwood Station, Units 1 and 2 

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission. 

ACTION: Environmental assessment and 

finding of no significant impact; 

issuance. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) is considering 

issuance of amendments to Renewed 

Facility Operating License Nos. NPF–72 

and NPF–77, that were issued to Exelon 

Generation Company, LLC, (licensee) for 

operation of the Braidwood Station, 

Units 1 and 2. The proposed 

amendments are contained in the 

licensee’s letter dated May 27, 2021, and 

would change technical specifications 

(TSs) surveillance requirement (SR) 

3.7.9.2 to allow an ultimate heat sink 

(UHS) temperature of less than or equal 

to 102.8 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) until 

September 30, 2021. 

DATES: The environmental assessment 

and finding of no significant impact 

referenced in this document are 

available on July 7, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID 

NRC–2021–0128 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–2021–0128. Address 

questions about Docket IDs in 

Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; 

telephone: 301–415–0624; email: 

Stacy.Schumann@nrc.gov. For technical 

questions, contact the individuals listed 

in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT section of this document. 

• 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, 301– 

415–4737, or by email to pdr.resource@

nrc.gov. For the convenience of the 

reader, the ADAMS accession numbers 

are provided in a table in the 

‘‘Availability of Documents’’ section of 

this document. 

• Attention: The PDR, where you may 

examine and order copies of public 

documents, is currently closed. You 

may submit your request to the PDR via 

email at pdr.resource@nrc.gov or call 1– 

800–397–4209 or 301–415–4737, 

between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (ET), 

Monday through Friday, except Federal 

holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Briana Arlene, Office of Nuclear 

Material Safety and Safeguards, 

telephone: 301–415–1042; email: 

Briana.Arlene@nrc.gov; and Joel Wiebe, 

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, 

telephone: 301–415–6606, email: 

Joel.Wiebe@nrc.gov. Both are staff of the 

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 

Washington, DC 20555–0001. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction 

The NRC is considering issuance of 

amendments to Renewed Facility 

Operating License Nos. NPF–72 and 

NPF–77, that were issued to Exelon 

Generation Company, LLC, (Exelon) for 

operation of the Braidwood Station, 

Units 1 and 2, located in Will County, 

Illinois. Exelon submitted its license 

amendment request in accordance with 

Section 50.90 of title 10 of the Code of 

Federal Regulation (10 CFR), by letter 

dated May 27, 2021. If approved, the 

license amendments would revise 

technical specification SR in TS 3.7.9.2 

to allow a temporary increase in the 

allowable UHS average temperature of 

less than or equal to (≤) 102.8 °F (39.3 

degrees Celsius (°C)) through September 

30, 2021. Therefore, as required by 10 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
35832 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 127 / Wednesday, July 7, 2021 / Notices 

CFR 50.21, the NRC performed an 

environmental assessment (EA). Based 

on the results of the EA that follows, the 

NRC has determined not to prepare an 

environmental impact statement for the 

proposed amendments and is issuing a 

finding of no significant impact 

(FONSI). 

II. Environmental Assessment 

Plant Site and Environs 

Braidwood is in Will County, Illinois 

approximately 50 miles (mi); 80 

kilometers (km) southwest of the 

Chicago Metropolitan Area and 20 mi 

(32 km) south-southwest of Joliet. The 

Kankakee River is approximately 5 mi (8 

km) east of the eastern site boundary. 

An onsite 2,540-acre (ac); 1,030-hectare 

(ha) cooling pond provides condenser 

cooling. Cooling water is withdrawn 

from the pond through the lake screen 

house, which is located at the north end 

of the pond. Heated water returns to the 

cooling pond through a discharge canal 

west of the lake screen house intake that 

is separated from the intake by a dike. 

The pond typically holds 22,300 acrefeet (27.5 million cubic meters) of water 

at any given time. The cooling pond 

includes both ‘‘essential’’ and ‘‘nonessential’’ areas. The essential cooling 

pond is the portion of the cooling pond 

that serves as the UHS for emergency 

core cooling, and it consists of a 99-ac 

(40-ha) excavated area of the pond 

directly in front of the lake screen 

house. The essential cooling pond’s 

principal functions are to dissipate 

residual heat after reactor shutdown and 

to dissipate heat after an accident. It is 

capable of supplying Braidwood’s 

cooling system with water for 30 days 

of station operation without additional 

makeup water. For clarity, use of the 

term ‘‘UHS’’ in this EA refers to the 99- 

ac (40-ha) essential cooling pond, and 

use of the term ‘‘cooling pond’’ or 

‘‘pond’’ describes the entire 2,540-ac 

(1,030-ha) area, which includes both the 

essential and non-essential areas. 

The cooling pond is part of the 

Mazonia-Braidwood State Fish and 

Wildlife Area, which encompasses the 

majority of the non-UHS area of the 

cooling pond as well as Illinois 

Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) 

owned lands adjacent to the Braidwood 

site to the south and southwest of the 

cooling pond. Exelon and the IDNR 

have jointly managed the cooling pond 

as part of the Mazonia-Braidwood State 

Fish and Wildlife Area since 1991 

pursuant to a long-term lease agreement. 

Under the terms of the agreement, the 

public has access to the pond for 

fishing, waterfowl hunting, fossil 

collecting, and other recreational 

activities. 

The cooling pond is a wastewater 

treatment works as defined by Section 

301.415 of Title 35 of the Illinois 

Administrative Code (35 IAC 301.415). 

Under this definition, the cooling pond 

is not considered waters of the State 

under Illinois Administrative Code (35 

IAC 301.440) or waters of the United 

States under the Federal Clean Water 

Act (40 CFR 230.3(s)), and so the 

cooling pond is not subject to State 

water quality standards. The cooling 

pond can be characterized as a managed 

ecosystem where IDNR fish stocking 

and other human activities primarily 

influence the species composition and 

population dynamics. 

Since the beginning of the lease 

agreement between Exelon and IDNR, 

the IDNR has stocked the cooling pond 

with a variety of game fish, including 

largemouth bass (Micropterus 

salmoides), smallmouth bass (M. 

dolomieu), blue catfish (Ictalurus 

furcatus), striped bass (Morone 

saxatilis), crappie (Pomoxis spp.), 

walleye (Sander vitreum), and tiger 

muskellunge (Esox masquinongy x 

lucius). IDNR performs annual surveys 

to determine which fish to stock based 

on fishermen preferences, fish 

abundance, different species’ tolerance 

to warm waters, predator and prey 

dynamics, and other factors. Because of 

the warm water temperatures 

experienced in the summer months, 

introductions of warm-water species, 

such as largemouth bass and blue 

catfish, have been more successful than 

introductions of cool-water species, 

such as walleye and tiger muskellunge. 

Since annual surveys began in 1980, 

IDNR has collected 47 species in the 

cooling pond. In recent years, bluegill 

(Lepomis macrochirus), channel catfish 

(Ictalurus punctatus), threadfin shad 

(Dorosoma petenense), and common 

carp (Cyprinus carpio) have been among 

the most abundant species in the 

cooling pond. Gizzard shad (Dorosoma 

cepedianum), one of the most frequently 

affected species during periods of 

elevated pond temperatures, have 

decreased in abundance dramatically in 

recent years, while bluegills, which can 

tolerate high temperatures with 

relatively high survival rates, have 

noticeably increased in relative 

abundance. IDNR-stocked warm water 

game species, such as largemouth bass 

and blue catfish, continue to persist in 

small numbers, while cooler water 

stocked species, such as walleye and 

tiger muskellunge, no longer appear in 

IDNR survey collections. No federally 

listed species or designated critical 

habitats protected under the Endangered 

Species Act (ESA) occur within or near 

the cooling pond. 

The Kankakee River serves as the 

source of makeup water for the cooling 

pond. The river also receives 

continuous blowdown from the cooling 

pond. Water is withdrawn from a small 

river screen house located on the 

Kankakee River, and liquid effluents 

from Braidwood are discharged into the 

cooling pond blowdown line, which 

subsequently discharges into the 

Kankakee River. 

The plant site and environs are 

described in greater detail in Chapter 3 

of the NRC’s November 2015, Generic 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

License Renewal of Nuclear Plants: 

Regarding Braidwood Station, Units 1 

and 2, Final Report (NUREG–1437, 

Supplement 55) (herein referred to as 

the ‘‘Braidwood FSEIS’’ (Final 

Supplemental Environment Impact 

Statement)). Figure 3–5 on page 3–7 of 

the Braidwood FSEIS depicts the 

Braidwood plant layout, and Figure 3– 

4 on page 3–6 depicts the cooling pond, 

including the portion of the pond that 

constitutes the essential cooling pond 

(or UHS) and the blowdown line to the 

Kankakee River. 

Description of the Proposed Action 

The proposed action would revise the 

Braidwood TS to allow a temporary 

increase in the allowable average 

temperature of water withdrawn from 

the UHS and supplied to the plant for 

cooling from ≤102 °F (38.9 °C) to 

≤102.8 °F (39.3 °C) until September 30, 

2021. Specifically, the proposed action 

would revise TS SR 3.7.9.2, which 

currently states, ‘‘Verify average water 

temperature of UHS is ≤102.8 °F until 

September 30, 2020. After September 

30, 2020, verify average water 

temperature of UHS is ≤102 °F’’ to state 

‘‘Verify average water temperature of 

UHS is ≤102.8 °F until September 30, 

2021. After September 30, 2021, verify 

average water temperature of UHS is 

≤102 °F.’’ 

Under the current TS, if the average 

UHS temperature as measured at the 

discharge of the operating essential 

service water system pumps is greater 

than 102 °F (38.9 °C), TS 3.7.9 Required 

Actions A.1 and A.2 would be entered 

concurrently and would require the 

licensee to place Braidwood in hot 

standby (Mode 3) within 12 hours and 

cold shutdown (Mode 5) within 36 

hours. The proposed action would allow 

Braidwood to continue to operate 

during times when the UHS indicated 

average water temperature exceeds 

102 °F (38.9 °C) but is less than or equal 

to 102.8 °F (39.3 °C) until September 30, 

2021. The current TS’s UHS average 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 127 / Wednesday, July 7, 2021 / Notices 35833 

water temperature limit of 102 °F (38.9 

°C) would remain applicable to all other 

time periods beyond September 30, 

2021. 

The proposed action is nearly 

identical to previously approved license 

amendments that allowed for the 

average water temperature of the UHS to 

be ≤102.8 °F until September 30, 2020. 

The NRC issued an EA for the 2020 UHS 

amendments in the Federal Register on 

September 10, 2020, (85 FR 55863) and 

the NRC issued the amendments on 

September 24, 2020. The only difference 

between the previously approved 

amendments to SR 3.7.9.2 and the 

proposed action is that the proposed 

action would replace ‘‘2020’’ with 

‘‘2021.’’ The proposed action is in 

accordance with the licensee’s 

application dated May 27, 2021. 

Need for the Proposed Action 

The licensee has requested the 

proposed amendments in connection 

with historical meteorological and 

atmospheric conditions that have 

resulted in the TS UHS temperature 

being challenged. These conditions 

included elevated air temperatures, high 

humidity, and low wind speed. 

Specifically, from July 4, 2020, through 

July 9, 2020, northern Illinois 

experienced high air temperatures and 

drought conditions, which caused 

sustained elevated UHS temperatures. 

In response to these conditions in 2020, 

the licensee submitted license 

amendment requests contained in the 

licensee’s letter dated July 15, 2020, as 

supplemented by letter dated August 14, 

2020. The NRC subsequently granted 

Exelon’s request in September 2020. 

The licensee projects that similar 

conditions are likely this year. 

The proposed action would provide 

the licensee with operational flexibility 

until September 30, 2021, during which 

continued high UHS temperatures are 

likely so that the plant shutdown 

criteria specified in the TS are not 

triggered. 

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed 

Action 

Regarding radiological impacts, the 

proposed action would not result in any 

changes in the types of radioactive 

effluents that may be released from the 

plant offsite. No significant increase in 

the amount of any radioactive effluent 

released offsite or significant increase in 

occupational or public radiation 

exposure is expected from the proposed 

action. Separate from this EA, the NRC 

staff is evaluating the licensee’s safety 

analyses of the potential radiological 

consequences of an accident that may 

result from the proposed action. The 

results of the NRC staff’s safety analysis 

will be documented in a safety 

evaluation (SE). If the NRC staff 

concludes in the SE that all pertinent 

regulatory requirements related to 

radiological effluents are met by the 

proposed UHS temperature limit 

increase, then the proposed action 

would result in no significant 

radiological impact to the environment. 

The NRC staff’s SE will be issued with 

the license amendments, if approved by 

the NRC. If the NRC staff concludes that 

all pertinent regulatory requirements are 

not met by the proposed UHS 

temperature limit increase, the 

requested amendment would not be 

issued. 

Regarding potential non-radiological 

impacts, temporarily raising the 

maximum allowable UHS temperature 

from ≤102 °F (38.9 °C) to ≤102.8 °F (39.3 

°C) could cause increased cooling pond 

water temperatures until September 30, 

2021. Because the proposed action 

would not affect Braidwood’s licensed 

thermal power level, the temperature 

rise across the condensers as cooling 

water travels through the cooling system 

would remain constant. Thus, if water 

in the UHS were to rise to 102.8 °F (39.3 

°C), heated water returning to the 

cooling pond through the discharge 

canal, which lies west of the river 

screen house, would also experience a 

corresponding 0.8 °F (0.4 °C) increase. 

That additional heat load would 

dissipate across some thermal gradient 

as discharged water travels down the 

discharge canal and through the 99-ac 

(40-ha) UHS. 

Fish kills are likely to occur when 

cooling pond temperatures rise above 

95 °F (35 °C), the temperature at which 

most fish in the cooling pond are 

thermally stressed. For example, Section 

3.7.4 of the Braidwood FSEIS describes 

six fish kill events for the period of 2001 

through 2015. The fish kill events, 

which occurred in July 2001, August 

2001, June 2005, August 2007, June 

2009, and July 2012, primarily affected 

threadfin shad and gizzard shad, 

although bass, catfish, carp, and other 

game fish were also affected. Reported 

peak temperatures in the cooling pond 

during these events ranged from 98.4 °F 

(36.9 °C) to over 100 °F (37.8 °C), and 

each event resulted in the death of 

between 700 to as many as 10,000 fish. 

During the July 2012 event, cooling 

pond temperatures exceeded 100 °F 

(37.8 °C), which resulted in the death of 

approximately 3,000 gizzard shad and 

100 bass, catfish, and carp. This event 

coincided with the NRC’s granting of 

Enforcement Discretion to allow 

Braidwood to continue to operate above 

the TS limit of ≤100 °F (37.8 °C). The 

IDNR attributed this event, as well as 

four of the other fish kill events, to high 

cooling pond temperatures resulting 

from Braidwood operation. Appendix B, 

Section 4.1 of the Braidwood renewed 

facility operating licenses, requires 

Exelon to report to the NRC the 

occurrence of unusual or important 

environmental events, including fish 

kills, causally related to plant operation. 

Since the issuance of the Braidwood 

FSEIS in November 2015, Exelon has 

not reported any additional fish kill 

events to the NRC. Although not 

causally related to plant operation, fish 

kills have occurred since this time, the 

most recent of which occurred in 

August 2018 and July 2020. 

In Section 4.7.1.3 of the Braidwood 

FSEIS, the NRC staff concluded that 

thermal impacts associated with 

continued operation of Braidwood 

during the license renewal term would 

result in SMALL to MODERATE 

impacts to aquatic resources in the 

cooling pond. MODERATE impacts 

would primarily be experienced by 

gizzard shad and other non-stocked and 

low-heat tolerant species. As part of its 

conclusion, the NRC staff also noted 

that because the cooling pond is a 

highly managed system, any cascading 

effects that result from the loss of 

gizzard shad (such as reduction in prey 

for stocked species, which in turn could 

affect those stocked species’ 

populations) could be mitigated through 

IDNR’s annual stocking and continual 

management of the pond. At that time, 

the UHS TS limit was ≤100 °F (37.8 °C). 

In 2016, the NRC granted license 

amendments that increased the 

allowable UHS average water 

temperature TS limit from ≤100 °F (37.8 

°C) to ≤102.0 °F (38.9 °C). In the EA 

associated with these amendments, the 

NRC staff concluded that increasing the 

TS limit to ≤102.0 °F (38.9 °C) would 

have no significant environmental 

impacts, and the NRC issued a FONSI 

with the EA. 

In 2020, the NRC granted license 

amendments that temporarily increased 

the allowable UHS average water 

temperature TS limit from ≤102.0 °F 

(38.9 °C) to ≤102.8 °F (39.3 °C) until 

September 30, 2020. In the EA 

associated with these amendments, the 

NRC staff concluded that temporarily 

increasing the TS limit to ≤102.8 °F 

(39.3 °C) would have no significant 

environmental impacts, and the NRC 

issued a FONSI with the EA. 

The NRC staff finds that the proposed 

action would not result in significant 

impacts to aquatic resources in the 

cooling pond for the same reasons that 

the NRC staff made this conclusion 

regarding the 2020 amendments. The 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
35834 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 127 / Wednesday, July 7, 2021 / Notices 

staff’s justification for this conclusion 

follows. 

The proposed increase in the 

allowable UHS average water 

temperature limit by 0.8 °F (0.4 °C) 

would not increase the likelihood of a 

fish kill event attributable to high 

cooling pond temperatures because the 

current TS limit for the UHS of 102.0 °F 

(38.9 °C) already allows cooling pond 

temperatures above those at which most 

fish species are thermally stressed (95 °F 

(35 °C)). In effect, if the UHS 

temperature rises to the current TS 

limit, fish within or near the discharge 

canal, within the flow path between the 

discharge canal and UHS, or within the 

UHS itself would have already 

experienced thermal stress and possibly 

died. Thus, an incremental increase in 

the allowable UHS water temperature by 

0.8 °F (0.4 °C) and the corresponding 

temperature increases within and near 

the discharge canal and within the flow 

path between the discharge canal and 

UHS would not significantly affect the 

number of fish kill events experienced 

in the cooling pond. Additionally, the 

proposed action would only increase 

the allowable UHS average water 

temperature until September 30, 2021. 

Thus, any impacts to the aquatic 

community of the cooling pond, if 

experienced, would be temporary in 

nature, and fish populations would 

likely recover relatively quickly. 

While the proposed action would not 

affect the likelihood of a fish kill event 

occurring during periods when the 

average UHS water temperature 

approaches the TS limit, the proposed 

action could increase the number of fish 

killed per high temperature event. For 

fish with thermal tolerances at or near 

95 °F (35 °C), there would likely be no 

significant difference in the number of 

affected fish per high temperature event 

because, as already stated, these fish 

would have already experienced 

thermal stress and possibly died and the 

additional temperature increase would 

not measurably affect the mortality rate 

of these individuals. For fish with 

thermal tolerances above 95 °F (35 °C), 

such as bluegill, increased mortality is 

possible, as described in this notice. 

The available scientific literature 

provides conflicting information as to 

whether incremental temperature 

increases would cause a subsequent 

increase in mortality rates of bluegill or 

other high-temperature-tolerant fish 

when temperatures exceed 100 °F (37.8 

°C). For instance, in laboratory studies, 

Banner and Van Arman (1973) 

demonstrated 85 percent survival of 

juvenile bluegill after 24 hours of 

exposure to 98.6 °F (37.0 °C) water for 

stock acclimated to 91.2 °F (32.9 °C). At 

100.0 °F (37.8 °C), survival decreased to 

25 percent, and at 100.4 °F (38.0 °C) and 

102.0 °F (38.9 °C), no individuals 

survived. Even at one hour of exposure 

to 102.0 °F (38.9 °C) water, average 

survival was relatively low at between 

40 to 67.5 percent per replicate. 

However, in another laboratory study, 

Cairns (1956 in Banner and Van Arman 

1973) demonstrated that if juvenile 

bluegill were acclimated to higher 

temperatures at a 3.6 °F (2.0 °C) increase 

per day, individuals could tolerate 

water temperatures up to 102.6 °F (39.2 

°C) with 80 percent survival after 24 

hours of exposure. 

Although these studies provide 

inconsistent thermal tolerance limits, 

information from past fish kill events 

indicates that Cairns’ results better 

describe the cooling pond’s bluegill 

population because Exelon has not 

reported bluegill as one of the species 

that has been affected by past high 

temperature events. Thus, bluegills are 

likely acclimating to temperature rises 

at a rate that allows those individuals to 

remain in high temperature areas until 

temperatures decrease or that allows 

individuals time to seek refuge in cooler 

areas of the pond. Alternately, if Banner 

and Van Arman’s results were more 

predictive, 75 percent or more of 

bluegill individuals in high temperature 

areas of the cooling pond could be 

expected to die at temperatures 

approaching or exceeding 100 °F (37.8 

°C) for 24 hours, and shorter exposure 

time would likely result in the death of 

some reduced percentage of bluegill 

individuals. 

Under the proposed action, fish 

exposure to temperatures approaching 

the proposed UHS TS average water 

temperature limit of 102.8 °F (39.3 °C) 

and those exposed to the associated 

discharge, which would be 0.8 °F (0.4 

°C) higher than under the current TS 

limit, for at least one hour would result 

in observable deaths. However, as stated 

previously, Exelon has not reported 

bluegill as one of the species that has 

been affected during past fish kills. 

Consequently, the NRC staff assumes 

that bluegill and other hightemperature-tolerant species in the 

cooling pond would experience effects 

similar to those observed in Cairn’s 

study. Based on Cairn’s results, the 

proposed action’s incremental and 

short-term increase of 0.8 °F (0.4 °C) 

could result in the death of some 

additional high-temperature-tolerant 

individuals, especially in cases where 

cooling pond temperatures rise 

dramatically over a short period of time 

(more than 3.6 °F (2.0 °C) in a 24-hour 

period). 

Nonetheless, the discharge canal, flow 

path between the discharge canal and 

the UHS, and the UHS itself is a small 

portion of the cooling pond. Thus, while 

the incremental increase would likely 

increase the area over which cooling 

pond temperatures would rise, most of 

the cooling pond would remain at 

tolerable temperatures, and fish would 

be able to seek refuge in those cooler 

areas. Therefore, only fish within or 

near the discharge canal, within the 

flow path between the discharge canal 

and UHS, or within the UHS itself at the 

time of elevated temperatures would 

likely be affected, and fish would 

experience such effects to lessening 

degrees over the thermal gradient that 

extends from the discharge canal. This 

would not result in a significant 

difference in the number of fish killed 

per high temperature event resulting 

from the proposed action when 

compared to current operations for 

those species with thermal tolerances at 

or near 95 °F (35 °C) and an insignificant 

increase in the number of individuals 

affected for species with thermal 

tolerances above 95 °F (35 °C), such as 

bluegill. Additionally, the cooling pond 

is a managed ecosystem in which fish 

stocking, fishing pressure, and predatorprey relationships constitute the 

primary population pressures. 

Fish populations affected by fish kills 

generally recover quickly, and thus, fish 

kills do not appear to significantly 

influence the fish community structure. 

This is demonstrated by the fact that the 

species that are most often affected by 

high temperature events (threadfin shad 

and gizzard shad) are also among the 

most abundant species in the cooling 

pond. Managed species would continue 

to be assessed and stocked by the IDNR 

on an annual basis in accordance with 

the lease agreement between Exelon and 

IDNR. Continued stocking would 

mitigate any minor effects resulting 

from the proposed action. 

Based on the foregoing analysis, the 

NRC staff concludes that the proposed 

action would not result in significant 

impacts to aquatic resources in the 

cooling pond. 

Some terrestrial species, such as birds 

or other wildlife, rely on fish or other 

aquatic resources from the cooling pond 

as a source of food. The NRC staff does 

not expect any significant impacts to 

birds or other wildlife because, if a fish 

kill occurs, the number of dead fish 

would be a small proportion of the total 

population of fish in the cooling pond. 

Furthermore, during fish kills, birds and 

other wildlife could consume many of 

the floating, dead fish. Additionally, 

and as described previously, the NRC 

staff does not expect that the proposed 


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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 127 / Wednesday, July 7, 2021 / Notices 35835 

action would result in a significant 

difference in the number or intensity of 

fish kill events or otherwise result in 

significant impacts on aquatic resources 

in the cooling pond. 

With respect to water resources and 

ecological resources along and within 

the Kankakee River, the Illinois 

Environmental Protection Agency 

imposes regulatory controls on 

Braidwood’s thermal effluent through 

Title 35, Environmental Protection, 

Section 302, ‘‘Water Quality Standards,’’ 

of the Illinois Administrative Code (35 

IAC 302) and through the National 

Pollutant Discharge Elimination System 

(NPDES) permitting process pursuant to 

the Clean Water Act. Section 302 of the 

Illinois Administrative Code stipulates 

that ‘‘[t]he maximum temperature rise 

shall not exceed 2.8 °C (5 °F) above 

natural receiving water body 

temperatures,’’ (35 IAC 302.211(d)) and 

that ‘‘[w]ater temperature at 

representative locations in the main 

river shall at no time exceed 33.7 °C 

(93 °F) from April through November 

and 17.7 °C (63 °F) in other months’’ (35 

IAC 302.211(e)). Additional stipulations 

pertaining to the mixing zone further 

protect water resources and biota from 

thermal effluents. The Braidwood 

NPDES permit contains special 

conditions that mirror these temperature 

requirements and that stipulate more 

detailed temperature requirements at 

the edge of the mixing zone. Under the 

proposed action, Braidwood thermal 

effluent would continue to be limited by 

the Illinois Administrative Code and the 

Braidwood NPDES permit to ensure that 

Braidwood operations do not create 

adverse effects on water resources or 

ecological resources along or within the 

Kankakee River. Occasionally, Exelon 

has applied for a provisional variance to 

allow higher-than-permitted 

temperatures at the edge of the 

discharge mixing zone. For instance, 

Exelon applied for and the IEPA granted 

one provisional variance in 2012 during 

a period of extremely warm weather and 

little to no precipitation. Exelon 

reported no fish kills or other events to 

the IEPA or the NRC that would indicate 

adverse environmental effects resulting 

from the provisional variance. The 

details of this provisional variance are 

described in Section 4.7.1.3 of the 

Braidwood FSEIS. 

Under the proposed action, Exelon 

would remain subject to the regulatory 

controls described in this notice. The 

NRC staff finds it reasonable to assume 

that Exelon’s continued compliance 

with, and the State’s continued 

enforcement of, the Illinois 

Administrative Code and the Braidwood 

NPDES permit would ensure that 

Kankakee River water and ecological 

resources are protected. Further, the 

proposed action would not alter the 

types or amount of effluents being 

discharged to the river as blowdown. 

Therefore, the NRC staff does not expect 

any significant impacts to water 

resources or ecological resources within 

and along the Kankakee River from 

temporarily increasing the allowable 

UHS average water temperature TS 

limit. 

With respect to federally listed 

species, the NRC staff consulted with 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(FWS) pursuant to section 7 of the ESA 

during its license renewal 

environmental review for Braidwood. 

During that consultation, the NRC staff 

found that the sheepnose (Plethobasus 

cyphyus) and snuffbox (Epioblasma 

triquetra) mussels had the potential to 

occur in the areas that would be directly 

or indirectly affected by license renewal 

(i.e., the action area). In September 

2015, Exelon transmitted the results of 

a mussel survey to the NRC and FWS. 

The survey documented the absence of 

federally listed mussels near the 

Braidwood discharge site in the 

Kankakee River. Based on this survey 

and other information described in the 

Braidwood FSEIS, the NRC concluded 

that the license renewal may affect, but 

is not likely to adversely affect the 

sheepnose mussel, and the NRC 

determined that license renewal would 

have no effect on the snuffbox mussel. 

The FWS concurred with the NRC’s 

‘‘not likely to adversely affect’’ 

determination in a letter dated October 

20, 2015. The results of the consultation 

are further summarized in the Record of 

Decision for Braidwood license renewal. 

As previously described, impacts of 

the proposed action would be confined 

to the cooling pond and would not 

affect water resources or ecological 

resources along and within the 

Kankakee River. The NRC’s previous 

ESA section 7 consultation confirmed 

that no federally listed aquatic species 

occur within or near the cooling pond. 

The NRC has not identified any 

information indicating the presence of 

federally listed species in the area since 

that consultation concluded, and the 

FWS has not listed any new aquatic 

species that may occur in the area since 

that time. The proposed action would 

not result in any disturbance or other 

impacts to terrestrial habitats, and thus, 

no federally listed terrestrial species 

would be affected. Accordingly, the 

NRC staff concludes that the proposed 

action would have no effect on federally 

listed species or designated critical 

habitat. Consultation with the FWS for 

the proposed action is not necessary 

because Federal agencies are not 

required to consult with the FWS if the 

agency determines that an action will 

have no effect on listed species or 

critical habitat. 

The NRC staff has identified no 

foreseeable land use, visual resource, 

noise, or waste management impacts 

given that the proposed action would 

not result in any physical changes to 

Braidwood facilities or equipment or 

changes any land uses on or off site. The 

NRC staff has identified no air quality 

impacts given that the proposed action 

would not result in air emissions 

beyond what would be experienced 

during current operations. Additionally, 

there would be no socioeconomic, 

environmental justice, or historic and 

cultural resource impacts associated 

with the proposed action since no 

physical changes would occur beyond 

the site boundaries and any impacts 

would be limited to the cooling pond. 

Based on the foregoing analysis, the 

NRC staff concludes that the proposed 

action would have no significant 

environmental impacts. 

Environmental Impacts of the 

Alternatives to the Proposed Action 

As an alternative to the proposed 

action, the NRC staff considered the 

denial of the proposed action (i.e., the 

‘‘no-action’’ alternative). Denial of the 

proposed action would result in no 

changes to the current TS. Thus, under 

the proposed action, the licensee would 

continue to be required to place 

Braidwood in hot standby (Mode 3) if 

average UHS water temperatures exceed 

102 °F (38.9 °C) for the temporary period 

of July 2021 through September 2021. 

The no-action alternative would result 

in no change in current environmental 

conditions or impacts at Braidwood. 

Alternative Use of Resources 

There are no unresolved conflicts 

concerning alternative uses of available 

resources under the proposed action. 

Agencies and Persons Consulted 

No additional agencies or persons 

were consulted regarding the 

environmental impact of the proposed 

action. 

III. Finding of No Significant Impact 

The NRC is considering issuing 

amendments for Renewed Facility 

Operating License Nos. NPF–72 and 

NPF–77, issued to Exelon for operation 

of Braidwood that would revise the TS 

for the plant to temporarily increase the 

allowable average temperature of the 

UHS. 

On the basis of the EA included in 

Section II and incorporated by reference 


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35836 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 127 / Wednesday, July 7, 2021 / Notices 

in this finding, the NRC concludes that 

the proposed action would not have 

significant effects on the quality of the 

human environment. The NRC’s 

evaluation considered information 

provided in the licensee’s application as 

well as the NRC’s independent review 

of other relevant environmental 

documents. Section IV lists the 

environmental documents related to the 

proposed action and includes 

information on the availability of these 

documents. Based on its finding, the 

NRC has decided not to prepare an 

environmental impact statement for the 

proposed action. 

This FONSI and other related 

environmental documents are available 

for public inspection and are accessible 

online in the ADAMS Public Documents 

collection at https://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 pdr.resource@

nrc.gov. 

IV. Availability of Documents 

The documents identified in the 

following table are available to 

interested persons through the methods 

indicated. 

Document ADAMS 

Accession No. 

License Amendment Request 

Exelon Generation Company, LLC ..................................................................................................................................................... ML21147A543 

License Amendment to Braidwood Station, Units 1 and 2, Technical Specification 3.7.9, ‘‘Ultimate Heat Sink.’’ 

Dated May 27, 2021. 

Other Referenced Documents 

Cairns J. 1956. Effects of heat on fish. Industrial Wastes, 1 :180–183 ............................................................................................. n/a (1)

Banner A, Van Arman JA. 1973. Thermal effects on eggs, larvae and juveniles of bluegill sunfish. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA–R3–73–041.n/a (1)

Ecological Specialists, Inc ................................................................................................................................................................... ML15274A093 

(Package) 

Final Report: Five Year Post-Construction Monitoring of the Unionid Community Near the Braidwood Station Kankakee River 

Discharge. 

Dated September 29, 2015. 

Exelon Generation Company, LLC ..................................................................................................................................................... ML14339A044 

Byron and Braidwood Stations, Units 1 and 2, License Renewal Application, Braidwood Station Applicant’s Environmental Report, Responses to Requests for Additional Information, Environmental RAIs AQ–11 to AQ–15. 

Dated April 30, 2014. 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ............................................................................................................................................................ ML15299A013 

Concurrence Letter Concluding Informal Consultation with the NRC for Braidwood License Renewal. 

Dated October 20, 2015. 

Exelon Generation Company, LLC ..................................................................................................................................................... ML20197A434 

License Amendment to Braidwood Station, Units 1 and 2, Technical Specification 3.7.9, ‘‘Ultimate Heat Sink.’’ 

Dated July 15, 2020. 

Exelon Generation Company, LLC ..................................................................................................................................................... ML20227A375 

Supplement to License Amendment to Braidwood Station, Unit 1 and 2, Technical Specification 3.7.9, ‘‘Ultimate Heat Sink.’’ 

Dated August 14, 2020. 

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ................................................................................................................................................ ML15314A814 

Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants: Regarding Braidwood Station, Units 1 and 

Final Report (NUREG–1437, Supplement 55). 

Dated November 30, 2015. 

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ................................................................................................................................................ ML053040362 

Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Docket No. STN 50–456; Braidwood Station, Unit 1 Renewed Facility Operating License. 

Issued on January 27, 2016. 

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ................................................................................................................................................ ML053040366 

Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Docket No. STN 50–457; Braidwood Station, Unit 2 Renewed Facility Operating License. 

Issued on January 27, 2016. 

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ................................................................................................................................................ ML15322A317 

Record of Decision; U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Docket Nos. 50–456 and 560–457; License Renewal Application for 

Braidwood Station, Units 1 and 2. 

Dated January 27, 2016. 

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ................................................................................................................................................ ML16181A007 

Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact Related to Ultimate Heat Sink Modification. 

Dated July 18, 2016. 

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ................................................................................................................................................ ML16133A438 

Braidwood Station, Units 1 and 2—Issuance of Amendments Re: Ultimate Heat Sink Temperature Increase. 

Dated July 26, 2016. 

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ................................................................................................................................................ ML20231A469 

Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact Related to Temporary Revision of Technical Specifications for 

the Ultimate Heat Sink. 

Dated September 3, 2020. 

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ................................................................................................................................................ ML20245E419 

Braidwood Station, Units 1 and 2—Issuance of Amendments Re: Temporary Revision of Technical Specifications for the Ultimate Heat Sink. 

Dated September 24, 2020. 

(1)These references are subject to copyright laws and are, therefore, not reproduced in ADAMS. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 127 / Wednesday, July 7, 2021 / Notices 35837 

Dated: June 30, 2021. 

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Joel S. Wiebe, 

Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing 

Branch III, Division of Operating Reactor 

Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor 

Regulation. 

[FR Doc. 2021–14456 Filed 7–6–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

[NRC–2020–0266] 

Replacement Energy Cost Estimates 

for Nuclear Power Plants: 2020–2030 

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission. 

ACTION: NUREG; issuance. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) is issuing NUREG– 

2242, ‘‘Replacement Energy Cost 

Estimates for Nuclear Power Plants: 

2020–2030.’’ This report updates 

previous estimates of replacement 

energy costs for potential shutdowns of 

U.S. nuclear electricity-generating units 

due to a temporary power reactor outage 

to implement safety modifications or the 

loss of generation associated with a 

possible severe reactor accident. The 

final NUREG largely, is unchanged from 

the draft issued for public comment but 

has been revised to reflect the recent 

change to retirement dates for Byron 

Units 1 and 2, and Dresden Units 2 and 

3. 

DATES: NUREG–2242 is available on July 

7, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID 

NRC–2020–0266 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–2020–0266. Address 

questions about Docket IDs to Stacy 

Schumann; telephone: 301–415–0624; 

email: Stacy.Schumann@nrc.gov. For 

technical questions, contact the 

individual listed in the FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT section of this 

document. 

• 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, 301– 

415–4737, or by email to pdr.resource@

nrc.gov. The ADAMS accession number 

for each document referenced (if it is 

available in ADAMS) is provided the 

first time that it is mentioned in this 

document. 

• Attention: The PDR, where you may 

examine and order copies of public 

documents, is currently closed. You 

may submit your request to the PDR via 

email at pdr.resource@nrc.gov or call 1– 

800–397–4209 or 301–415–4737, 

between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (ET), 

Monday through Friday, except Federal 

holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Pamela Noto, Office of Nuclear Material 

Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission, Washington, 

DC 20555–0001; telephone: 301–415– 

6795, email: Pamela.Noto@nrc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Discussion 

The NRC has developed new 

replacement energy cost estimates for 

both short and long-term nuclear power 

plant outages. This NUREG–2242, 

‘‘Replacement Energy Cost Estimates for 

Nuclear Power Plants: 2020–2030’’ 

(ADAMS Accession No. ML21174A176), 

updates and replaces the replacement 

energy cost estimate information in 

NUREG/CR–4012, Volume 4, 

‘‘Replacement Energy Costs for Nuclear 

Electricity-Generating Units in the 

United States: 1997–2001,’’ and 

NUREG/CR–6080, ‘‘Replacement 

Energy, Capacity, and Reliability Costs 

for Permanent Nuclear Reactor 

Shutdowns’’ (ADAMS Accession Nos. 

ML20073J435 and ML20076F500). 

This report provides replacement 

energy costs that have been estimated 

for the U.S. electricity wholesale market 

regions with nuclear electricitygenerating units, over the 2020–2030 

period. These estimates were developed 

to assist the NRC in evaluating proposed 

regulatory actions that (1) require safety 

modifications that might necessitate 

temporary reactor outages and (2) 

reduce the potential for extended 

outages resulting from a severe reactor 

accident. Estimates were calculated 

using ABB’s PROMOD model and ICF’s 

Integrated Planning Model for North 

America. The models simulate 

dispatching a collection of generating 

units in merit order (i.e., lowest to 

highest incremental cost of dispatch) 

until the regional power demand is met. 

Each generating unit is characterized by 

the technology and fuel it uses to 

generate electricity, the unit’s heat rate, 

and the variable and fixed costs 

incurred in owning and operating the 

unit. To estimate the replacement 

energy cost, the report models a 

Reference Case, in which all operational 

nuclear power plants are generating, 

and an Alternative Case, in which a 

nuclear generating unit is taken offline 

so that the next unit in merit order is 

dispatched to replace the lost 

generation. The difference in market 

clearing prices between the two cases is 

the replacement energy cost. 

The resulting wholesale power price 

projections capture the dynamics and 

economics of the U.S. electricity 

markets that provide short and longterm replacement energy cost estimates 

on a market area basis. Factors that 

affect replacement energy costs include 

load growth, replacement sources of 

generation, fuel prices, air emission 

requirement outlooks and seasonal 

variations. 

II. Public Outreach 

Following development of the 

updated report, the NRC posted the 

draft NUREG–2242 to the Federal 

Rulemaking website at https://

www.regulations.gov for a 60-day public 

comment period (85 FR 82528; 

December 18, 2020). The comment 

period closed on February 16, 2021. The 

NRC received no comments on the draft 

NUREG. The NRC staff held a Category 

3 public meeting on November 18, 2020 

to discuss the updated replacement 

energy cost estimates. The NRC 

presentation can be found in ADAMS 

under Accession No. ML20322A003, 

and the meeting summary can be found 

in ADAMS under Accession No. 

ML20336A181. 

III. Backfitting, Forward Fitting, and 

Issue Finality 

The NRC’s issuance and use of this 

report do not constitute backfitting as 

that term is defined in Section 50.109 of 

title 10 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations (10 CFR), ‘‘Backfitting,’’ and 

as described in NRC Management 

Directive (MD) 8.4, ‘‘Management of 

Backfitting, Forward Fitting, Issue 

Finality, and Information Requests’’; do 

not affect the issue finality of an 

approval under 10 CFR part 52, 

‘‘Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals 

for Nuclear Power Plants’’ and do not 

constitute forward fitting as that term is 

defined and described in MD 8.4. 

Dated: June 30, 2021. 

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Kevin A. Coyne, 

Deputy Director, Division of Rulemaking, 

Environmental, and Financial Support. 

[FR Doc. 2021–14364 Filed 7–6–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P 


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