Press Release-09-109, NRC Seeks Public Input on Environmental Review of Palo Verde Nuclear Plant License Renewal; Meetings June 25

Press Release-09-109: NRC Seeks Public Input on Environmental Review of Palo Verde Nuclear Plant License Renewal; Meetings June 25

ML091630165
Person / Time
Site:	Palo Verde
Issue date:	06/11/2009
From:	Office of Public Affairs
To:
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Press Release-09-109
Download: ML091630165 (2)

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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: http://www.nrc.gov No.09-109 June 11, 2009 NRC SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW OF PALO VERDE NUCLEAR PLANT LICENSE RENEWAL; MEETINGS JUNE 25 Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold two public meetings on Thursday, June 25, in Tonopah and Avondale, Ariz., to discuss the agencys environmental review of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2 and 3, license renewal application.

The Palo Verde nuclear plants are pressurized-water reactors located in Maricopa County, Ariz., approximately 50 miles west of Phoenix. The current operating licenses for Palo Verde Units 1, 2 and 3 expire on June 1, 2025, April 24, 2026 and Nov. 25, 2027, respectively. Arizona Public Service Company submitted the application for renewal Dec. 11, 2008, and supplemented the application by letter dated April 14.

This is the first of several opportunities for the Palo Verde community to let us know what issues the NRC should look at while we review the potential environmental impacts of renewing the license, said David Wrona, a branch chief in the NRCs Division of License Renewal. Well consider all the comments and publish them in a scoping summary as we move forward with our review.

The staff will start the first session at 2 p.m., at Tonopah Valley High School, 38201 West Indian School Road in Tonopah, and the second session at 7 p.m., at Estrella Mountain Community College, 3000 North Dysart Road in Avondale. Both sessions will follow the same format and cover the same material. The staff will briefly describe the agencys process for reviewing license renewal applications. Members of the audience will then have the opportunity to comment on environmental issues they feel the agency should consider in the review of the Palo Verde application. NRC staff will be available for informal discussions during an open house session an hour before each meeting. However, formal comments on the renewal will be accepted only during the meetings.

Members of the public may register to present oral comments at this meeting by June 18 by contacting NRC Project Manager, Lisa Regner, by telephone at 1-800-368-5642, extension 1906 or by e-mail at Lisa.Regner@nrc.gov. Those who wish to make comments may also register at the meeting within 15 minutes of the start of each session. Individual oral comments may be limited by the time available, depending on the number of persons who register. Those with special needs should contact Mrs. Regner by June 18.

The application is available on the NRC Web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/palo-verde.html and a copy is also available at the Litchfield Park Branch Public Library, 101 West Wigwam Blvd., Litchfield Park, Ariz. 85340.

Members of the public may send written comments on issues to be considered in the Palo Verde environmental review by July 27 to: Chief, Rulemaking and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Mailstop TWB 5B-01M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, or via e-mail to PaloVerde.EIS@nrc.gov.

Additional information on the license renewal process is available on the NRCs Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html.

NOTE: Anyone wishing to take photos or use a camera to record any portion of a NRC meeting should contact the Office of Public Affairs beforehand.

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.