Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: 01fb3132-b05a-41a0-ab81-466a6fb6f4d3
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Preparation of Environmental Reports for Nuclear Power Plant License Renewal Applications (Rev. 1)
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 4
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0916/ML091620409.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-4.2S1
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
s seek to maintain sustainable fisheries by protecting habitat required by the fish. The regulations also direct the Councils to consider a second, more limited habitat designation within EFH for each species, known as the habitat area of particular concern, which indicate habitats that are rare, particularly susceptible to human-induced degradation, especially ecologically important, or located in an environmentally stressed area. Federal action agencies such as the NRC that fund, permit, or carry out activities that may adversely affect EFH are required to consult with NMFS regarding the potential adverse effects of their actions on EFH, where an adverse effect is defined as “any impact which reduces quality and/or quantity of EFH...[and] may include direct (e.g. contamination or physical disruption), indirect (e.g., loss of prey, reduction in species’ fecundity), site-specific or habitat wide impacts, including individual, cumulative, or synergistic consequences of actions.” If a project may have an adverse effect on EFH, NMFS is required to develop EFH conservation recommendations for the project. If license renewal has the potential to affect any EFH, the NRC will prepare an EFH assessment that will describe how any such habitat might be affected, as part of the environmental review process. The ER should include sufficient information to aid the NRC in its EFH assessment. For such species, the ER should provide information similar to that provided for protected species, which should include historical occurrences, population size and trends, important trophic links, identified EFH habitat, and potential or reported susceptibility to impingement and entrainment. The ER should discuss any license renewal activities and modifications to plant operation that may affect such species and habitats. 6 An explanation of the structure and implementation of the Endangered Species Act is found in Ray Vaughan, Endangered Species Act Handbook, Government Institutes,