ML22098A229
| ML22098A229 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 99902094 |
| Issue date: | 04/14/2022 |
| From: | William Kennedy NRC/NRR/DANU/UARL |
| To: | Michael Pope Spotlight Air Environmental (SAE) |
| Muniz A | |
| References | |
| Download: ML22098A229 (3) | |
Text
Ms. Maie Pope Executive Director Spotlight Air Environmental 1807 S. Neil St.
Champaign, IL 61820
SUBJECT:
RESPONSE TO LETTER OPPOSING UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN TEST REACTOR FACILITY PROJECT
Dear Ms. Pope:
Thank you for your letter dated March 1, 2022 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML22077A009) regarding the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaigns (UIUC) plans to locate a test reactor at its campus. The U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff considers public involvement in the agency's activities to be a cornerstone of openness and transparency in the fulfillment of its mission.
Our regulatory process provides a variety of opportunities for members of the public to be heard and involved in the licensing process. For example, we announce upcoming public meetings on the NRCs web site at https://www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg. On October 27, 2021, the NRC staff held a public meeting to discuss UIUCs draft regulatory engagement plan. During the meeting, the NRC staff discussed its roles in reviewing a construction permit application and UIUC discussed the project overview, preliminary information about the proposed location for the reactor, environmental review, technology overview, and regulatory strategy. You can find the NRC staffs presentation at this link, NRC Slides - October 27, 2021 UIUC Public Meeting, or in the NRCs ADAMS at Accession No. ML21299A320. UIUCs presentation is available at this link, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Slides - October 27, 2021 Public Meeting, or in ADAMS at Accession No. ML21301A225. The NRC staffs meeting summary is available at this link, October 27, 2021 Meeting Summary - UIUC Draft Regulatory Engagement Plan, or in ADAMS at Accession No. ML21321A293.
I want to emphasize that UIUC has not submitted an application for the proposed test reactor and the project is in the pre-application stage in terms of interactions between UIUC and the NRC staff. If UIUC submits a construction permit application, the NRC staff would review the application to ensure that it meets the regulations in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities. Guidance for the NRC staffs review of a testing facility or test reactor application is in NUREG-1537, Part 2, Guidelines for Preparing and Reviewing Applications for the Licensing of Non-Power Reactors:
Standard Review Plan and Acceptance Criteria. You can get the guidance on the NRC web page at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/research-test-reactors/regs-guides-comm.html or in ADAMS at Accession No. ML042430048. The guidance covers test reactor siting, including, Geography and Demography, and Nearby Industrial, Transportation, and Military Facilities.
In addition, the NRC staffs environmental review under the National Environmental April 14, 2022
M. Pope Policy Act, or NEPA, will include an environmental justice review that would examine potential disproportionate impacts on minority and low-income communities. If the NRC staff accepts an application for a UIUC reactor facility for review, we would provide opportunities for public involvement in hearings in accordance with the NRCs regulations in 10 CFR Part 2, Agency Rules of Practice and Procedure. Our regulation, 10 CFR 50.58, Hearings and Report of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, also requires the Commission to hold a hearing on a construction permit application after publication of at least 30-days notice in the Federal Register. Documents related to UIUCs interactions with the NRC are available to the public in ADAMS (https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html) and can be located using the ADAMS Advanced Search feature and selecting Docket Number under Property and is equal to under Operator, and entering 99902094 under Value.
If you have any questions about this matter, please contact Adrian Muniz at (301) 415-4093 or via e-mail at Adrian.Muniz@nrc.gov.
Sincerely, William B. Kennedy, Acting Chief Advanced Reactor Licensing Branch Division of Advanced Reactors and Non-Power Production and Utilization Facilities Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Project No.: 99902094 Signed by Kennedy, William on 04/14/22
ML22098A229 NRR-106 OFFICE NRR/DANU/UAL1/PM NRR/DANU/UAL1/LA NRR/DANU/UAL1/BC(A)
NAME AMuniz DGreene WKennedy DATE 4/ /2022 4/12/2022 4/14/2022