NRC SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
FOR PROPOSED NINE MILE POINT NUCLEAR PLANT LICENSE RENEWAL
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Members of the public are invited to attend and comment on environmental issues the NRC should consider in its review of the proposed license renewal. The meetings will be held in the Town of Scriba Conference Room, at 42 Creamery Road in Oswego, N.Y. The first session will begin at 1:30 p.m. and continue until 4:30 p.m. The second session, which will offer the same presentations as the first session, will get under way at 7 p.m. and continue until 10 p.m. The NRC will host an open house beginning 1 hour before the start of each meeting to provide members of the public with an opportunity to talk informally with agency staff. However, formal comments must be expressed during the transcribed meetings.

Both sessions will begin with an overview and an NRC staff presentation on the environmental review process for license renewal applications. After the NRC presentation, members of public will be given the opportunity to present their comments on environmental issues they believe the NRC should consider during its review.

Under NRC regulations, the original operating license for a nuclear power plant has a term of 40 years. The license may be renewed for up to an additional 20 years if NRC requirements are met. The current operating license for Nine Mile Point 1 is due to expire on Aug. 22, 2009, while the current operating license for Nine Mile Point 2 is scheduled to terminate on Oct. 31, 2026.

Constellation Energy submitted its license renewal application on May 27 of this year. As part of its application, the company submitted an environmental report. A copy of the application is available via the NRC’s web site at: www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/nine-mile-pt.html. In addition, the Penfield Library, located at the State University of New York Oswego, has agreed to make the environmental report available for public inspection. The library’s address is 7060 State Route 104 in Oswego.

An existing NRC document, “Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants” (NUREG-1437), assesses the scope and impact of environmental effects that would be associated with license renewal at any nuclear power plant site. The document for which the NRC will gather information at the Sept. 21st meetings will be a supplement to that generic environmental statement that is specific to the Nine Mile Point plants. It will contain a recommendation regarding the environmental acceptability of the license renewal action.

At the conclusion of the information-gathering process, the NRC staff will prepare a summary of the conclusions reached and significant issues identified. A copy will be sent to each person who participated in the scoping process. The summary will also be available on the NRC’s web site at:
www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/nine-mile-pt.html.

The NRC staff will subsequently prepare a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) supplement for public comment and will hold a public meeting to solicit comments. After consideration of comments on the draft report, the NRC will prepare a final EIS supplement.

Interested individuals may register to attend or present oral comments at the September 21st meetings by contacting Leslie Fields of the NRC at 1-800-368-5642, ext. 1186, or by e-mail at NineMilePointEIS@nrc.gov no later than September 17. Those who wish to offer comments may also register at the meetings within 15 minutes of the start of each session. Individual oral comments may be limited by the time available, depending on the number of persons who register.

In addition, members of the public may send written comments on the environmental scoping process for the supplement to the GEIS to: Chief, Rules and Directive Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Mailstop T-6 D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001. Comments may also be delivered to the NRC, Room T-6 D59, Two White Flint North, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md., from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. during Federal workdays. To be considered, written comments should be postmarked or dropped off by Oct. 11. Electronic comments can also be sent via e-mail to NineMilePointEIS@nrc.gov, again no later than Oct. 11.

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Thursday, February 22, 2007