NRC SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT
FOR PROPOSED R.E. GINNA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT LICENSE RENEWAL
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There will be two sessions held on November 6 in the Betty Rissberger Community Room of the Webster Public Library, 980 Ridge Road, Webster, N.Y. The first session is scheduled for 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The second session is scheduled for 7 to 10 p.m. The NRC will host an open house beginning one hour before the start of each meeting to provide members of the public with an opportunity to talk informally with agency staff.

Both sessions will begin with identical overviews. The NRC staff will provide a presentation on the license renewal and environmental review processes, the proposed scope of the environmental review for the R.E. Ginna application and the proposed timeframe for the review. Interested government agencies, organizations and individuals will then have an opportunity to offer comments or suggestions on environmental issues they believe should be reviewed or on the proposed scope of the 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 the R.E. Ginna plant is due to expire on Sept. 18, 2009.

RG&E submitted its license renewal application on July 30. As part of its application, the company submitted an environmental report. Copies are available for review at the NRC Public Document Room, located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md., 1-800-397-4209, or through the NRC’s web site at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html, or at the following locations:

• The Ontario Public Library, 1850 Ridge Road, Ontario, N.Y. 14519; and
• The Rochester Public Library, 115 South Avenue, Rochester, N.Y. 14604.

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 November 6th sessions will be a supplement to that generic environmental statement that is specific to the R.E. Ginna plant. 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. The summary will also be available at the agency’s Public Document Room and at the previously mentioned libraries.

The NRC staff will then 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, the NRC will prepare a final EIS supplement.

Interested individuals may register to attend or present oral comments at the November 6th sessions by contacting Robert G. Schaaf of the NRC at 1-800-368-5642, ext. 1312, or by e-mail at Ginna@nrc.gov no later than October 30. Members of the public may also register to speak 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 Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Mail stop T-6 D 59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001. Written comments should be postmarked by December 11. Comments can also be sent via e-mail to Ginna@nrc.gov no later than December 11.

NRC news releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site.

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Monday, December 08, 2008