Press Release-I-07-038, - NRC Issues Draft Environmental Report for James A. Fitzpatrick License Renewal Application, Announces August 1st Public Meetings

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Press Release-I-07-038 - NRC Issues Draft Environmental Report for James A. Fitzpatrick License Renewal Application, Announces August 1st Public Meetings
ML071910381
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Site: FitzPatrick Constellation icon.png
Issue date: 07/10/2007
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Press Release-I-07-038
Download: ML071910381 (2)


Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region I 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa.

www.nrc.gov No. I-07-38 July 10, 2007

Contact:

Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 Email: opa1@nrc.gov Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331 NRC ISSUES DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT FOR JAMES A. FITZPATRICK LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION, ANNOUNCES AUGUST 1ST PUBLIC MEETINGS NRC staff will accept public comments on Wednesday, Aug. 1 on a draft report that assesses the environmental impacts of extending the operating license of the James A. FitzPatrick nuclear power plant in Scriba, N.Y. In August 2006, Entergy Nuclear Northeast, which operates the single-reactor plant, submitted an application to renew the license for an additional 20 years.

There will be two meetings on Aug. 1 at which comments will be taken. One session will begin at 1:30 p.m. and another at 7 p.m. Both meetings are planned for the Scriba Municipal Building, at 42 Creamery Road in Scriba. NRC staff will be available for an hour prior to the start of each meeting for informal discussions of the report.

The draft report, known as the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, was issued on June 8.

As part of its license renewal application, the company submitted an environmental report. The NRC staff reviewed the report and performed an on-site audit. The staff also considered comments made during whats known as the environmental scoping process, including comments offered at public meetings held on Oct. 12, 2006 in Scriba.

Based on its review, the NRC staff has preliminarily recommended that the Commission determine the adverse environmental impacts of license renewal for the FitzPatrick plant is not so great that preserving the option of license renewal for energy planning decision-makers would be unreasonable. This recommendation is based on the analysis and findings in the agencys Generic Environmental Impact Statement on license renewal; the environmental report submitted by Entergy; consultation with federal, state and local agencies; the NRC staffs own independent review; and the NRC staffs consideration of public comments.

Now that the Draft Environmental Impact Statement is available, we would encourage interested members of the public to review the report and provide us with their comments, Rani Franovich, a Branch Chief in the NRCs Division of License Renewal, said. They will be able to do so in person at our upcoming public meetings.

Those interested may pre-register to attend or speak at the meetings by contacting Jessie Muir of the NRC at 1-800-368-5642, ext. 0491, or by sending an e-mail to FitzPatrickEIS@nrc.gov no later than July 25. Members of the public may also register to provide oral comments before the start of each session. The duration of individual comments may be limited by the time available, depending on the number of persons who register.

Written comments on the draft report will also be considered by the NRC staff. Comments can be submitted by mail to the Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Mail Stop T-6 D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001. They can also be submitted electronically to FitzPatrickEIS@nrc.gov. The public comment period ends on Sept.

5, 2007.

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 FitzPatrick plant is due to expire on Oct. 17, 2014.

The draft environmental report is posted on the NRC web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/fitzpatrick.html#environmental.

The FitzPatrick license renewal application is posted at:

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/fitzpatrick.html. Additional information about the license renewal process is available at:

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html.

The report is also available for review at the Oswego Public Library, 140-142 E. Second St.,

Oswego, and the Penfield Library, located at SUNY Oswego, at 7060 State Route 104, Oswego.

News releases are available through a free list serve subscription at the following Web address:

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.