ML22109A181
| ML22109A181 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 04/20/2022 |
| From: | Brian Anderson Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards |
| To: | State of CT, State of IN, State, Agreement States, State, Non-Agreement States |
| S. Talley, NMSS/MSST/SLPB | |
| References | |
| STC-22-023 | |
| Download: ML22109A181 (3) | |
Text
April 20, 2022 ALL AGREEMENT STATES, CONNECTICUT, INDIANA NON-AGREEMENT STATES FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES THE U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSIONS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF HOW AGENCY PROGRAMS, POLICIES AND ACTIVITIES ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE (STC-22-023)
Purpose:
To inform the States, Agreement States, Non-Agreement States, and Federally Recognized Tribes that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)s has completed its systematic assessment on how the NRC approaches environmental justice (EJ) in its programs, policies and activities and submitted a paper to the NRC Commission with recommendations and actions.
Background:
In response to the Commissions April 23, 2021, Staff Requirements Memorandum (SRM) M210218B (ADAMS Accession No. ML21113A070), the staff conducted a systematic review of how the agencys programs, policies, and activities address EJ.
Specifically, the staff evaluated Executive Order (EO) 12898 and recent EOs and assessed whether EJ is appropriately considered and addressed in the agencys programs, policies, and activities, such as adjudicatory procedures and environmental reviews, given the agencys mission. The staff considered the EJ practices of other Federal, state, and Tribal agencies, and evaluated whether the EJ Policy Statement is adequate, and whether the NRC should incorporate EJ beyond implementation through National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The staff also considered whether establishing formal mechanisms to gather external input would benefit any future NRC EJ efforts. To inform this review, the staff engaged with partners and stakeholders representing a broad range of EJ perspectives and leveraged resources within the agency.
Discussion: Based on its review, the staff concluded the NRCs programs, policies, and activities that address EJ through NEPA are consistent with applicable law. They are also generally consistent with the spirit of EOs that address EJ. The EJ considerations at the NRC are currently limited to NEPA-related activities for regulatory and licensing actions. The staff has identified areas where consideration of EJ could be updated, enhanced, or modernized both 0F within and outside the NEPA context, including enhancements to the EJ Policy Statement and implementation of formal mechanisms to benefit future EJ efforts.
The staff formally submitted its EJ paper (SECY-22-0025) and supporting enclosures to the Commission on March 29, 2022, and the documents were released to the public on April 12, 2022. The three links below all lead to SECY-22-0025 and enclosures.
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/recent/2022/index.html https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/secys/2022/index.html
STC-22-023 2 https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/combined/2022/index.html In addition, the NRCs public EJ website update can be found here: https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/licensing/nepa/environmental-justice/assessment.html. Social media posts are also available via Twitter and Facebook.
If you have any questions regarding this communication, please contact the individual named below:
POINT OF CONTACT: Allen Fetter E-MAIL: allen.fetter@nrc.gov TELEPHONE: 301-415-8556 Signed by Anderson, Brian on 04/20/22 Brian C. Anderson, Chief State Agreement and Liaison Programs Branch Division of Materials Safety, Security, State and Tribal Programs Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
STC-22-023 3
SUBJECT:
THE U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSIONS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF HOW AGENCY PROGRAMS, POLICIES AND ACTIVITIES ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE DATED: April 20, 2022 DISTRIBUTION:
Public KWilliams, NMSS TClark, T Clark ADAMS Accession Number:ML22109A181 *concurred via email OFFICE NMSS/MSST NMSS/MSST NRR/DORL NMSS/MSST NAME STalley MArribas-Colon GStuber* BAnderson DATE 04/19/22 04/19/22 04/19/22 04/20/22 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY