ML24226A031
| ML24226A031 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Kemmerer File:TerraPower icon.png |
| Issue date: | 08/12/2024 |
| From: | Helling S - No Known Affiliation |
| To: | Office of Administration |
| References | |
| NRC-2024-0078, 89FR49917 00033 | |
| Download: ML24226A031 (1) | |
Text
PUBLIC SUBMISSION As of: 8/13/24, 7:23 AM Received: August 12, 2024 Status: Pending_Post Tracking No. lzr-dkse-mtvc Comments Due: August 12, 2024 Submission Type: Web Docket: NRC-2024-0078 US SFR Owner, LLC; Construction Permit Application Comment On: NRC-2024-0078-0006 US SFR Owner, LLC.; Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1; Notice of Intent To Conduct Scoping Process and Prepare Environmental Impact Statement Document: NRC-2024-0078-DRAFT-0033 Comment on FR Doc # 2024-12810 Submitter Information Name: Steven Helling Address:
Casper, WY, 82609 Email:steveandkathyh@hotmail.com General Comment I do not understand how you can do scoping or an environmental impact statement for the proposed experimental nuclear reactor in Kemmerer, Wyoming. As it is experimental, no one really knows what its impact on the environment will be. We know it will use bomb-grade, high assay uranium as fuel, but we do not know what the consequences of doing so will be. The last I saw, the project had multiple unknowns, including fuel supply, ultimate construction and operational costs and even its commercial structure. It appears to be part of a rush to take advantage of federal support. At this point, it is clearly a risky, experimental project, such that the environmental impact statement should be more extensive than normal. The impact from a severe accident or a terrorist attack needs to be evaluated. I have read that if the fuel source were mis-directed it could be used to make a home-made atomic bomb. I also saw TerraPower was hoping to have the review process expedited, despite the experimental nature of this plant. We need to take a deep breath and have TerraPower build a prototype, perhaps at a site that already has nuclear, so it can be seen if the experiment will work, before allowing them to proceed with building an actual full-size experimental plant. In addition, there needs to be an evaluation of what happens if the project fails and its impact on the environment, as determined at various stages of the project. The environmental impact would logically increase as the project proceeds. In the meantime, Wyoming is in an area of the United states where there are no nearby nuclear power plants, such that there is a psychological impact on the residents that should be evaluated for having nuclear suddenly appear in their backyards. TerraPower has stated that this will be the first such facility in the Western Hemisphere of planet earth. To risk nuclear contamination of the State of Wyoming with a first-of-its-kind nuclear reactor must be subject to the strictest of review processes because of its potential devastating environmental impact, at a time when the regulatory authority of the NRC is being weakened. Finally, the ongoing environmental impact once the plant has exceeded its 60-year life expectancy and how the plant will be dismantled needs to be addressed, including who will do the dismantling and who will pay for it. I renew my comment that requiring a prototype for a risky, experimental plant is what should be ordered. Of 8/13/24, 7:24 AM blob:https://www.fdms.gov/d6e4e985-0955-498a-875e-838876508d3b blob:https://www.fdms.gov/d6e4e985-0955-498a-875e-838876508d3b 1/2 SUNSI Review Complete Template=ADM-013 E-RIDS=ADM-03 ADD: Patricia Vokoun, Josh Borromeo, Deion Atkinson, Stephanie Devlin-Gill, Mallecia Sutton; Roel Brusselmans, Antoinette Walker-Smith, Mary Neely Comment (33)
Publication Date:6/12/2024 Citation: 89 FR 49917
course, there is always the issue of nuclear waste, which remains highly radioactive and for which there is no permanent storage site. I have seen that almost every on site temporary storage facility has leaked radioactive waste, such that an evaluation of the environmental impact of such leakage should also be performed. As the nuclear plants and their temporary storage facilities age, it is presumed there will be more and more leaks. I understand some leaks have gone unreported for years, and the environmental impacts of such need to be reflected in the environmental impact statement, in the event a nuclear leak in Kemmerer were unreported for years. Please require a prototype before proceeding further. Thank you.
Steve Helling, Casper, Wyoming 8/13/24, 7:24 AM blob:https://www.fdms.gov/d6e4e985-0955-498a-875e-838876508d3b blob:https://www.fdms.gov/d6e4e985-0955-498a-875e-838876508d3b 2/2