ML071370610

From kanterella
Jump to navigation Jump to search

G20070320/LTR-07-0324 - Ltr. Lisa Rainwater, Request for the NRC to Reverse Decision to Limit Public Participation in Relicensing of Nuclear Power Plants
ML071370610
Person / Time
Site: Indian Point  Entergy icon.png
Issue date: 06/26/2007
From: Dyer J
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To: Rainwater L
Riverkeeper
AYALA, JUAN, NRR/DLR/RLRA, 415-4063
Shared Package
ML071370417 List:
References
CORR-07-0096, G20070320, LTR-07-0324, TAC MD5494
Download: ML071370610 (4)


Text

June 26, 2007 Dr. Lisa Rainwater Riverkeeper, Inc.

828 South Broadway Tarrytown, New York 10591

Dear Dr. Rainwater:

On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to your letter to Chairman Klein, dated May 2, 2007, regarding the NRCs review of the Indian Point license renewal application. In your letter, you request that the NRC reverse its decision to limit public participation in the relicensing of nuclear power plants, and reinstate a policy of providing at least three public meetings during the license renewal process.

As you note in your letter, the NRC staff adopted the practice of combining the license renewal process overview meeting with the environmental scoping meeting. This change was not intended to limit the level of public participation, but to more efficiently use staff resources.

However, we value public input and are continually evaluating the need to modify our practices to ensure that the needs of the public are met. The NRC staff has decided that for the Indian Point license renewal application, it will hold a separate information meeting near the plant to discuss the license renewal process. This information meeting will be in addition to the two public meetings that are typically conducted as part of the environmental review process and other meetings held during the review.

Public participation is an important part of the license renewal review process that includes multiple opportunities for public involvement, such as:

C A formal adjudicatory hearing process that allows any person who may be adversely 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.

C Meetings with members of the public to provide information about the license renewal review process.

C Meetings with members of the public as part of the environmental review to solicit comments during the scoping process and upon issuance of the draft environmental impact statement.

C Meetings with the applicant to present the NRCs inspection findings or to discuss issues related to the safety and environmental reviews, which members of the public are invited to attend.

C Meetings with the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, which members of the public are invited to attend.

The Indian Point license renewal application is currently being reviewed by the NRC staff to determine if the application is acceptable for docketing in accordance with the requirements of Section 2.101 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR 2.101). The NRC staff is considering the issues raised by Riverkeeper in Mr. Musegaas and Mr. Tafurs letter of June 4, 2007, with regard to the license renewal applications environmental report as part of the acceptance review. Should the NRC staff ultimately determine that the application is acceptable for docketing, a schedule for the license renewal review will be established and available for the public.

The public participation opportunities outlined above should provide you and other stakeholders ample opportunity to interact with the NRC staff 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 NRCs license renewal process.

Sincerely,

/RA/

J. E. Dyer, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

ML071370417 OFFICE PM:RLRA:DLR PM:REBB:DLR PM:RLRB:DLR LA:DLR Tech Editor NAME JAyala BPham KGreen YEdmonds L-ACulp DATE 05/16/07 05/16/07 05/17/07 05/17/07 05/16/07 OFFICE BC:REBB:DLR BC:RLRB:DLR D:DLR OGC D:NRR NAME RFranovich RAuluck PTKuo S.Turk (NLO) JDyer DATE 05/16/07 05/17/07 06/04/07 06/06/07 06/11/07 OFFICE EDO OCM D:NRR NAME M. Virgilio JDyer forLReyes DATE 06/13/07 06/ 26 /07 06/26/07 Letter to L Rainwater from J. E. Dyer, dated June 26, 2007

SUBJECT:

RESPONSE LETTER TO L. RAINWATER (G20070320/LTR-07-0324)

DISTRIBUTION:

HARD COPY DLR RF E-MAIL:

PUBLIC RidsEdoMailCenter RidsSecyMailCenter RidsOgcMailCenter RidsNrrWpcMail RidsNrrOd RidsNrrAdro RidsNrrAdes RidsRgn1MailCenter RidsNrrDlr RidsNrrDlrRlra RidsNrrDlrRlrb RidsNrrDlrRlrc RidsNrrDlrReba RidsNrrDlrRebb BPham RFranovich Kgreen JCaverly RAuluck MKowal JBoska ECobey, RI GMeyer, RI MMcLaughlin, RI NMcNamara, RI RBarkley, RI GBowman, RI CHott, RI RConte, RI MCox, RI DJackson, RI BWittick, RI NSheehan, RI OPA DScrenci, RI OPA SBurnell, OPA DMcIntyre, OPA RShane, OCA