ML071280591

G20070306/LTR-07-0312 - Rep. John Hall, Rep. Maurice Hinchey, Rep. Nita Lowey, Rep. Eliot Engel, and Rep. Christopher Shays Ltr Entergy'S Formal Filing of a License Renewal Application for Unit 2 and 3 at Indian Point

ML071280591
Person / Time
Site:	Indian Point
Issue date:	06/26/2007
From:	Klein D, Reyes L NRC/Chairman, NRC/EDO
To:	Engel E, Hall J, Hinchey M, Lowey N, Shays C US HR (House of Representatives)
Pham B, NRR/DLR/REBB, 415-8450
Shared Package
ML071280648	List: ML071240081 ML071280591
References
CORR-07-0088, G20070306, LTR-07-0312, TAC MD5439, TAC MD5440
Download: ML071280591 (3)

Text

June 26, 2007The Honorable John HallUnited States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Congressman Hall:

On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to yourletter of May 1, 2007, regarding Entergy's formal filing of a license renewal application (LRA) for Indian Point Nuclear Generating Unit Nos. 2 and 3. Specifically, you express concern that Entergy has chosen to move forward with its application for license renewal. In your letter, you urge the NRC, if it accepts Entergy's LRA for review, to schedule and hold a robust series of public hearings in the communities surrounding Indian Point to hear concerns from the public first hand.We value openness in our activities and seek opportunities for meaningful publicparticipation in our licensing processes. Public participation is an important part of the license renewal review process. The NRC staff's license renewal review process includes multiple opportunities for public involvement, such as:A formal adjudicatory hearing process that allows any person who may beadversely affected, and who wishes to participate as a party in the license renewal proceeding, to file a written request for a hearing or petition for leave to intervene with respect to the renewal of the license. Meetings with members of the public to provide information about the licenserenewal review process.Meetings with members of the public as part of the environmental review tosolicit comments during the scoping process and upon issuance of the draft environmental impact statement. Meetings with the applicant to present the NRC's inspection findings or todiscuss issues related to the safety and environmental reviews, which members of the public are invited to attend. We will welcome the State of New York's involvement in these inspection activities. Meetings with the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, which membersof the public are invited to attend. Correspondence with the applicant and other stakeholders during the licenserenewal review that is publicly available through our Agencywide Document Access and Management System. In addition, the staff plans to enhance public communications during the license renewalprocess for Indian Point. For example, as part of our public outreach effort, the NRC hosted a government-to-government outreach meeting on March 20, 2007, for New York State elected officials and Federal, State and local agencies with an interest or involvement in Indian Point.

During this meeting, the NRC staff presented information about the license renewal process and responded to questions. The staff will also hold an information meeting near the plant to discuss the license renewal process, in addition to the public meetings that are normally conducted as part of the environmental review process. The Indian Point LRA is currently being reviewed by the NRC staff for acceptance fordocketing in accordance with the requirements of Section 2.101 of Title 10 of the Code ofFederal Regulations (10 CFR 2.101). Should the NRC staff determine that the application isacceptable for docketing, a schedule for the license renewal review will be established and will be made available to the public. To the extent that the substantive issues raised in your letter may affect the license renewal application, they will be evaluated during the course of the license renewal review. We believe that public participation within the license renewal process, as outlinedabove, allows ample opportunity for interaction between the NRC staff and the public to address environmental and safety concerns that are within the scope of license renewal. If you have additional questions, the NRC staff would be pleased to meet with you or your staff to discuss the NRC's license renewal and oversight process.Sincerely,/RA by Luis A. Reyes For/

Dale E. Klein Identical letter sent to:The Honorable John HallUnited States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515The Honorable Maurice HincheyUnited States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515The Honorable Nita M. LoweyUnited States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515The Honorable Eliot L. EngelUnited States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 The Honorable Christopher ShaysUnited States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515