Press Release-08-119, NRC and Prairie Island Indian Community Sign First-of-a Kind Memorandum of Understanding

Press Release-08-119: NRC and Prairie Island Indian Community Sign First-of-a Kind Memorandum of Understanding

ML081780445
Person / Time
Site:	Prairie Island
Issue date:	06/26/2008
From:	Office of Public Affairs
To:
References
Press Release-08-119
Download: ML081780445 (1)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov Site: http://www.nrc.gov No.08-119 June 26, 2008 NRC AND PRAIRIE ISLAND INDIAN COMMUNITY SIGN FIRST-OF-A KIND MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING On June 17, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Prairie Island Indian Community (PIIC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for working together to review potential environmental impacts of the proposed license renewal of the Prairie Island nuclear power plant located near Red Wing, Minn. This is the first MOU dealing with a reactor license renewal environmental review.

The MOU describes each sides roles and responsibilities as the NRC leads the review of the application to renew the operating licenses for Units 1 and 2 at the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant. Eric Leeds, Director of the NRCs Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, and PIIC Tribal Council President Ronald Johnson signed the memorandum.

We look forward to collaborating with the Prairie Island Indian Community, Leeds said.

This close cooperation will lead to a more effective and complete environmental review before the NRC reaches a decision on renewing the plants license.

The MOU recognizes PIICs special expertise and information as it relates to historic and archeological resources, socioeconomics, land use, and environmental justice. The NRC will give the community copies of technical reports, data and other information that fall under the PIICs areas of interest, and the agency will give extra weight to the communitys comments in those areas.

The agency retains final authority on the renewal decision.

The complete text of the MOU is available in the NRCs electronic document database, ADAMS, by entering ML081610273 on this Web page:

http://adamswebsearch.nrc.gov/dologin.htm. For more information contact Richard Plasse, telephone (301) 415-1427 or email, richard.plasse@nrc.gov.

News releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address:

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.