Press Release-12-078, NRC Requests Public Comment on Draft Supplement to Environmental Report on Indian Point License Renewal

Press Release-12-078: NRC Requests Public Comment on Draft Supplement to Environmental Report on Indian Point License Renewal

ML12179A417
Person / Time
Site:	Indian Point
Issue date:	06/27/2012
From:	Office of Public Affairs
To:
References
Press Release-12-078
Download: ML12179A417 (2)

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.12-078 June 27, 2012 NRC REQUESTS PUBLIC COMMENT ON DRAFT SUPPLEMENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT ON INDIAN POINT LICENSE RENEWAL The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment on a draft supplement to its final environmental impact statement on the proposed license renewal for the Indian Point nuclear power plant, Units 2 and 3, in Buchanan, N.Y.

The supplement, issued June 26, evaluates data submitted by the plants owner, Entergy Nuclear Operations Inc., after the NRC issued its final environmental report in December 2010.

These data concern the effect of plant operations on fish and other aquatic life in the Hudson River.

Indian Point is the site of two pressurized-water reactors. The initial 40-year operating license for Indian Point Unit 2 is set to expire on Sept. 28, 2013, while the initial license for Indian Point Unit 3 runs through Dec. 12, 2015. Entergy is seeking a 20-year license extension for each unit. The company submitted an application for the extensions to the NRC on April 23, 2007. (Indian Point Unit 1 ceased operations in 1974.)

As part of its review of the application, the NRC staff performed a detailed assessment of potential environmental impacts if the plant continues to operate for the extended period. During the course of this assessment, the NRC solicited comments from members of the public, local officials and representatives of state and federal agencies and tribal governments. The final environmental impact statement, totaling more than 2,000 pages, was published on Dec. 3, 2010.

The report recommended approval of a license extension for the plant.

New information evaluated for the current supplement includes:

• Additional details provided by Entergy on the field data units of measure for impingement and entrainment. (Impingement refers to the trapping of fish and other aquatic organisms against intake screens by the force of the water being drawn through a cooling water intake structure, while entrainment refers to the drawing of small aquatic organisms through a cooling water intake structure into the cooling system of a power plant.)

• A new study completed by Entergy and submitted to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation characterizing the plants thermal plume in the Hudson River.

• New developments concerning the staffs consultation under the Endangered Species Act with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) regarding endangered species.

The supplement is currently available through the NRCs ADAMS online database by entering accession number ML12174A244 in the search window. It will also be posted on the Indian Point license renewal page on the NRC website.

Comments will be accepted on the supplement through Aug. 20. They may be submitted on the federal governments www.regulations.gov website using Docket ID NRC-2008-0672; by mail to Cindy Bladey, Chief, Rules Announcements and Directives Branch (RADB), Office of Administration, Mail Stop TWB-05-B01M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington D.C. 20555-0001; or by fax to 301-492-3446.

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