ML113140116

Press Release-11-211: NRC Seeks Public Input on Draft Supplement to Watts Bar 2 Nuclear Plant Environmental Statement; Meetings on Dec. 8

ML113140116
Person / Time
Site:	Watts Bar
Issue date:	11/10/2011
From:	Office of Public Affairs
To:
References
Press Release-11-211
Download: ML113140116 (2)

See also: see also:Press Release-11-211

Text

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001

E-mail: opa.resource@nrc.gov Site: www.nrc.gov

Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov

No.11-211 November 10, 2011

NRC SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON DRAFT SUPPLEMENT TO WATTS BAR 2 NUCLEAR

PLANT ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT; MEETINGS ON DEC. 8

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff is seeking public comments on its preliminary

finding that there are no environmental impacts that would preclude issuing an operating license

for the under-construction Watts Bar 2 reactor near Spring City, Tenn.

Staff from the NRC will discuss their Draft Supplement to the Final Environmental

Statement (DSFES) in meetings from 2-4 p.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 8, at the

Magnuson Hotel, 1421 Murrays Chapel Road in Sweetwater, Tenn. The NRC will transcribe the

meetings and post the transcript on the agencys website. NRC staff will also be available for

informal discussions with members of the public during open house sessions from 1-2 p.m.

and 5:30-6:30 p.m. No formal comments on the DSFES will be accepted during these open

houses.

The DSFES is available on the agencys website, as well as the NRCs electronic

document database, ADAMS, by entering accession number ML112980199 in the ADAMS

search engine. In addition, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library, at 1001

Broad St. in Chattanooga, Tenn., will have a hardbound copy of the DSFES available for public

inspection.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) originally applied for Unit 2s operating license

in 1976, then halted construction in late 1985. TVA informed the NRC in Aug. 2007 that it

would resume construction of Unit 2. TVA issued a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact

Statement for Unit 2 in February 2008 and updated its operating license application on March 4,

2009. TVA is requesting permission to operate Unit 2, a 1,150-megawatt electric, Westinghouse-

designed pressurized-water reactor of the same type as Unit 1, which began operating in 1996.

The Watts Bar site is approximately 50 miles northeast of Chattanooga, Tenn.

The NRC held meetings in Sweetwater in October 2009 to gather the communitys

comments on the environmental review before drafting the DSFES. The NRC also sought input

from Federal, state, tribal, regional and local agencies during the review. The NRC continues its

safety review of the license application, and the agency expects to update its Final Safety

Evaluation Report on Unit 2 in May 2012. The NRC must complete both the safety and

environmental reviews before reaching a decision on whether TVA can begin operating Watts

Bar Unit 2.

Those wishing to register in advance to present their comments at the meeting, or with

special needs for attending or presenting information at the meeting, should contact Carmen Fells

by telephone at (800) 368-5642 x6337, or via e-mail at Carmen.Fells@nrc.gov by Dec. 1. Those

wishing to speak may also register at the meetings no later than 1:45 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.,

respectively. Individual comments could be limited by the time available and the number of

people wishing to speak.

NRC staff will also consider written comments on the DSFES through Dec. 27.

Comments may be submitted through the federal governments Rulemaking website at

www.regulations.gov using Docket ID NRC-2008-0369; by fax to 301-492-3446; or by mail to

Chief, Rulemaking, Directives, and Editing Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office

of Administration, Mailstop TWB-05-B01M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,

Washington, DC 20555-0001.

NOTE: Anyone wishing to take photos or use a camera to record any portion of a NRC meeting should

contact the Office of Public Affairs beforehand.

News releases are available through a free listserv subscription or by clicking on the EMAIL UPDATES

link on the NRC homepage (www.nrc.gov). E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are

posted to NRC's website. For the latest news, follow the NRC on www.twitter.com/NRCgov.