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	NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
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NRC REQUESTS COMMENTS ON DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR PROPOSED SPENT FUEL STORAGE FACILITY IN UTAH; SCHEDULES MEETINGS

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is requesting comments on its "Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Construction and Operation of an Independent Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Installation on the Reservation of the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians and the Related Transportation Facility in Tooele County, Utah," NUREG-1714. The reservation is located about 85 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.

The agency also has scheduled two public meetings for July 27 and 28, to describe the draft environmental impact statement, and to provide an opportunity for interested members of the public to comment. The meetings will be held in the Arizona Room of the Little America Inn, at 500 South Main Street in Salt Lake City on July 27, and at the Grantsville Middle School, at 318 South Hale Street in Grantsville, Utah on July 28. Both meetings are scheduled for 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

In June, 1997, Private Fuel Storage, L.L.C. (PFS) submitted an application for a license to store spent fuel from nuclear reactors in dry storage cask systems within an independent spent fuel storage installation to be constructed and operated on the reservation. Under NRC's regulations, the initial term of such a license would be twenty years.

The draft environmental impact statement evaluates the potential impacts of the PFS proposal, including its effect on minerals, soils, water resources, air quality, ecological resources, socio-economic and community resources, cultural resources, human health, noise and environmental justice. The statement also discusses the impact of a proposed rail line to be built to the site, describes a potential alternate site and transportation method, and identifies mitigation measures that could eliminate or lessen certain impacts on the surrounding community and the environment. It also discusses the option of not building the facility at Skull Valley.

The proposed PFS facility requires approval from three other federal agencies, which have cooperated in the preparation of the draft environmental impact statement, namely : the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Surface Transportation Board.

The draft statement is available for public inspection and duplication at the NRC's Public Document Room at 2120 L Street, N.W., Washington, DC, and will be available on the agency's web site, at http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/NUREGS/indexnum.html . To the extent supply is available, a free copy of the statement can be obtained by writing to the Office of the Chief Information Officer, Reproduction and Distribution Services Section, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

Any interested party may submit written comments on the proposed action and on the draft statement for consideration by the staffs of the four cooperating agencies. To be certain of consideration, comments must be received by September 21. Comments received after the due date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the staffs of the cooperating agencies are able to assure consideration only for comments received on or before this date.

Comments should be submitted to the Chief, Rules Review and Directives Branch, Division of Freedom of Information and Publications Services, Office of Administration, Mail Stop T-6D-59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, 20555-0001. Comments may also be submitted electronically on the NRC's web site.

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