8.0 Environmental Impacts of Alternatives to Operating License Renewal

This chapter examines the potential environmental impacts associated with denying the renewal of the operating licenses (OLs) (i.e., the no-action alternative); the potential environmental impacts from electric generating sources other than Catawba Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2 (Catawba); the possibility of purchasing electric power from other sources to replace power generated by Catawba and the associated environmental impacts; the potential environmental impacts from a combination of generating and conservation measures; and other generation altematives that were deemed unsuitable for replacement of power generated by Catawba. The environmental impacts are evaluated using the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) three-level standard of significance (i.e., SMALL, MODERATE, or LARGE) developed using the Council on Environmental Quality guidelines and set forth in the footnotes to Table B-1 of 10 CFR Part 51, Subpart A, Appendix B: SMALL- Environmental effects are not detectable or are so minor that they will neither destabilize nor noticeably alter any important attribute of the resource. MODERATE- Environmental effects are sufficient to alter noticeably, but not to destabilize important attributes of the resource. LARGE- Environmental effects are clearly noticeable and are sufficient to destabilize important attributes of the resource. The impact categories evaluated in this chapter are the same as those used in the Generi