NRC STAFF TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING APRIL 19 IN CLINTON, ILL.
FOR COMMENTS ON PROPOSED NUCLEAR PLANT EARLY SITE PERMIT
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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a public meeting April 19 in Clinton, Ill., to receive public comments on its draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed issuance of an Early Site Permit for possible construction of a nuclear power reactor at a site about six miles east of Clinton. Exelon Generation Company currently operates a nuclear power plant at the site.

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the Clinton Junior High School, 701 Illini Drive, Clinton. The meeting will be preceded by a one-hour open house during which members of the public may meet and talk with NRC staff members on an informal basis. (Note that this is the new junior high school, which is located on a new portion of Illini Drive that extends south beyond State Route 54.)

The meeting had been previously scheduled to be held at the Vespasian Warner Library in Clinton but was moved to provide sufficient space for the public to attend.

The preliminary conclusion in the draft Environmental Impact Statement is that the environmental impacts would not prevent issuing the permit. This conclusion is contained in NUREG-1815, "Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for an Early Site Permit at the Exelon ESP Site." The draft EIS is open for public comment until May 25.

The early site permit process allows an applicant to address site-related issues, such as environmental impacts, for possible future construction and operation of a nuclear power plant at the site. The Clinton application was filed Sept. 25, 2003, by Exelon Generation Company. If approved, the permit would give Exelon up to 20 years to decide whether to build a new nuclear unit on the site and to file an application with the NRC for approval to begin construction.

The NRC staff’s conclusion is based on its independent review of a report submitted by Exelon, taking into account consultations with federal, state, tribal and local agencies and consideration of comments received during the public scoping process. The staff’s preliminary conclusions include a finding that there are no environmentally preferable or obviously superior sites, and that any adverse environmental impacts from possible site preparation and preliminary construction activities at Clinton could be redressed.

For planning purposes, anyone interested in attending or presenting oral comments at the April 19 meeting is encouraged to pre-register by contacting Harriet Nash at the NRC by telephone at (800) 368-5642, extension 4100, or by e-mail at ClintonEIS@nrc.gov. Interested persons may also register to speak at the start of the meeting. Time for individual comments at the meetings may be limited to accommodate all speakers.

Written comments on the draft EIS will also be considered by NRC staff. Comments should be submitted either by mail (postmarked by May 25, 2005) to the Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Mailstop T-6D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, or by e-mail (sent no later than May 25, 2005) at ClintonEIS@nrc.gov.

The draft EIS and related documents are available electronically on the NRC’s Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-licensing/esp/clinton.html. In addition, the Vespasian Warner Public Library in Clinton has agreed to make the draft EIS available for public inspection.

At the conclusion of the public comment period on May 25, 2005, the NRC staff will consider and address the comments provided, and then issue a final EIS on the environmental acceptability of an early site permit at Clinton later in 2005.

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