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
Issue |
Category2 |
Findings3 |
Surface Water Quality, Hydrology, and Use (for all plants) |
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) |
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) |
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) |
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. |
Impingement of fish and shellfish |
1 |
SMALL. The impingement 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 |
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. |
Terrestrial Resources |
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) |
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. |
Air Quality |
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. |
Land
Use |
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. |
Human Health |
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. |
Socioeconomics |
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. |
Postulated Accidents |
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 |
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 excepted, is calculated to be about 14,800 person
rem, or 12 cancer fatalities, for each additional 20-year power
reactor operating term. Much of this, especially the contribution
of radon releases from mines and tailing piles, consists of tiny
doses summed over large populations. This same dose calculation
can theoretically be extended to include many tiny doses over additional
thousands of years as well as doses outside the U. S. The result
of such a calculation would be thousands of cancer fatalities from
the fuel cycle, but this result assumes that even tiny doses have
some statistical adverse health effect which will not ever be mitigated
(for example no cancer cure in the next thousand years), and that
these doses projected over thousands of ears are meaningful. However,
these assumptions are questionable. In particular, science cannot
rule out the possibility that there will be no cancer fatalities
from these tiny doses. For perspective, the doses are very small
fractions of regulatory limits, and even smaller fractions of natural
background exposure to the same populations. 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 collective effects of the
fuel cycle, this issue is considered Category 1. |
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 imposingamount 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 |
1 |
SMALL. The impacts of transporting spent fuel enriched up to 5 percent
uranium-235 with average burnup for the peak rod to current levels approved
by NRC up to 62,000 MWd/MTU and the cumulative impacts of
transporting high-level waste to a single repository, such as Yucca
Mountain, Nevada are found to be consistent with the impact values
contained in 10 CFR 51.52(c), Summary Table S–4—Environmental Impact
of Transportation of Fuel and Waste to and from One Light-Water-
Cooled Nuclear Power Reactor. If fuel enrichment or burnup conditions
are not met, the applicant must submit an assessment of the implications
for the environmental impact values reported in § 51.52. |
Decommissioning |
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. |
Environmental Justice |
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;
64 FR 48507, Sept. 3, 1999; 66 FR 39278, July 30, 2001]
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.
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.