Compliance, Regulatory Updates 23 Jan 2025 environmental impact, business compliance, public comment, nuclear regulatory commission, nuclear plants

⚠️NRC Reschedules Public Meeting on Environmental Impact Statement

On December 6, 2024, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) solicited public comments on draft Supplement 15, Second Renewal, to the Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, NUREG-1437, regarding the subsequent renewal of Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-12 for an additional 20 years for Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station, Unit 1 (V.C. Summer). The public comment period closed on January 21, 2025. The NRC has rescheduled the in-person public meeting to receive comments on the document and is therefore reopening the public comment period to allow more time for members of the public to submit their comments.

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Economic Development, Compliance 23 Jan 2025 environmental impact, business regulations, infrastructure development, south carolina, riverport

🚧Update on Riverport Development Project in Jasper County, SC

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District (the Corps) is issuing this notice to advise Federal, State, and local governmental agencies and the public that the Corps is withdrawing the notice of intent to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Riverport Development and Proposed New Interchange on I- 95 in Jasper County, South Carolina.

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Regulatory, Environmental Impact, Legal 22 Jan 2025 regulatory compliance, environmental impact, energy, pipeline, public participation, texas eastern
Regulatory Compliance, Environmental Regulations 22 Jan 2025 regulatory compliance, environmental impact, marine mammals, new york, offshore wind energy

🌊Changes to LOA for Marine Mammals Impacting Empire Wind Project

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, its implementing regulations, and NMFS' MMPA Regulations for Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Construction of the Empire Wind Offshore Wind Project Offshore of New York, notification is hereby given that upon request from Empire Wind, LLC (Empire Wind), NMFS has modified a Letter of Authorization (LOA) issued to Empire Wind for the take of marine mammals incidental to activities associated with construction of the Empire Wind Offshore Wind Energy Project (hereafter known as the "Project") in Federal and State waters offshore New York. Specifically, NMFS has modified the LOA Holder's name as well as mitigation and monitoring measures related to vessel strike avoidance, sound field verification reporting, and requirements for passive acoustic monitoring (PAM). NMFS has also made modifications to additional measures to improve clarify and better align with the Biological Opinion. NMFS has determined that these modifications do not change the findings made for the regulations and does not result in any change in the total estimated number of takes of marine mammals.

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Infrastructure Development, Compliance and Regulatory Requirements 22 Jan 2025 agriculture, environmental impact, washington, federal funding, irrigation

🌾Notice to Prepare Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Irrigation

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Washington State Office, in coordination with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology), announces its intent to prepare an SEIS for the Odessa Subarea Special Study Project. The SEIS is necessary to evaluate modification of a component of Alternative 4A that would install a buried pipeline irrigation across lands that were not evaluated in FEIS. Installation of this pipeline would require blasting which was not addressed in FEIS. The intended effect of this action would result in the most economically viable way of providing surface water irrigation to specific cultivated lands in the Study Area in lieu of groundwater irrigation. The SEIS will examine an irrigation delivery system designated East Low Canal (EL) 11.8 that would serve approximately 7,638 acres of land currently served by groundwater in the northeastern portion of the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District (ECBID) in Grant County. NRCS is accepting comments regarding significant issues, potential alternatives, information, and analyses relevant to the proposed action from all interested individuals, Federal and State agencies, and Tribes.

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Compliance, Regulatory Requirements 17 Jan 2025 compliance, environmental impact, regulation, business impact, nepa, department of transportation

🌍Implications of NEPA Procedures Withdrawal for Businesses

The Department of Transportation (the Department) is withdrawing a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) issued on November 23, 2020, that proposed to amend its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementing procedures.

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Financial Assistance, Infrastructure Development, Compliance 16 Jan 2025 agriculture, environmental impact, infrastructure, federal funding, oregon, irrigation management

🌾EIS for Owyhee Irrigation District Modernization Project Analysis

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Oregon State Office, in coordination with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, announces its intent to prepare an EIS for the Owyhee Irrigation District (OID) Infrastructure Modernization Project (Modernization Project). The project area is located along the Owyhee and Snake rivers in Eastern Oregon 50 miles west of Boise, Idaho in proximity to the town of Nyssa, Oregon. The proposed EIS will examine alternative solutions to improve the OID agricultural water management. OID is the sponsoring local organization for the project. NRCS is requesting comments to identify significant issues, potential alternatives, information, and analyses relevant to the proposed action from all interested individuals, Federal and State agencies, and Tribes.

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Compliance, Economic Development, Environmental Management 15 Jan 2025 environmental impact, land use, bureau of land management, resource management, north dakota, mineral leasing

🌍Approved Resource Management Plan for North Dakota Announced

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) and Approved Resource Management Plan (RMP) for North Dakota. The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management signed the ROD on January 8, 2025, which constitutes the decision of the BLM and makes the Approved RMP effective immediately.

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Regulatory Compliance, Economic Development 14 Jan 2025 regulatory compliance, environmental impact, financial assistance, surface transportation, new york, rail abandonment
Compliance, Economic Development, Industry Opportunities 14 Jan 2025 compliance, environmental impact, nuclear energy, business opportunities, uranium, haelu

⚛️Business Implications of DOE’s HALEU Record of Decision

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) announces the Record of Decision (ROD) for the "Final Environmental Impact Statement for Department of Energy Activities in Support of Commercial Production of High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU)" (Final HALEU EIS) (DOE/EIS-0559). DOE prepared the Final HALEU EIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA") to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of activities associated with DOE's Proposed Action to acquire, through procurement from commercial sources, HALEU enriched to at least 19.75 and less than 20 weight percent uranium-235 (U-235) over a 10-year period of performance, and to facilitate the establishment of commercial HALEU fuel production. The Proposed Action addresses the Energy Act of 2020 ("the Energy Act of 2020" or in context, "the Energy Act"), for the acquisition of HALEU produced by a commercial entity using enrichment technology and making it available for commercial use or demonstration projects. DOE also evaluated the No Action Alternative. DOE has decided to implement the Proposed Action, its Preferred Alternative, as described in the Final HALEU EIS.

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