Press Release-11-093, NRC Seeks Comments on Draft Environmental Report for Crystal River Nuclear Plant Unit 3 License Renewal Proposal; Meeting June 28

Press Release-11-093: NRC Seeks Comments on Draft Environmental Report for Crystal River Nuclear Plant Unit 3 License Renewal Proposal; Meeting June 28

ML111530062
Person / Time
Site:	Crystal River
Issue date:	06/02/2011
From:	Office of Public Affairs
To:
References
Press Release-11-093
Download: ML111530062 (2)

Text

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: www.nrc.gov Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov No.11-093 June 2, 2011 NRC SEEKS COMMENTS ON DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT FOR CRYSTAL RIVER NUCLEAR PLANT UNIT 3 LICENSE RENEWAL PROPOSAL; MEETING JUNE 28 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will solicit public comments at two meetings on Tuesday, June 28, regarding its preliminary conclusion that there are no environmental impacts that would preclude a 20-year extension of the operating license for the Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant.

The NRC issued a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) on the proposed license renewal for Crystal River on May 26. The EIS will be discussed at meetings to be held at 2 p.m.

and 7 p.m. on June 28 at the Plantation Inn at 9301 W. Fort Island Trail in Crystal River, Fla.

The two meetings will follow the same format and cover the same content. They will begin with an overview, followed by more details of the contents of the report, and then will open for public comment.

In addition, the NRC staff will host informal discussions one hour prior to each meeting at the same facility. NRC staff members will be available to answer questions and provide information about the process during these discussions, but no oral comments on environmental issues will be accepted at these sessions.

For planning purposes, those who wish to present oral comments at the meeting are encouraged to contact Daniel Doyle by phone: 301-415-3748 or email: Daniel.Doyle@nrc.gov.

People may also register to speak before the start of each session. Individual comment time may be limited by the time available.

As part of its license renewal application, Florida Power Corporation, doing business as Progress Energy Florida, Inc., submitted an environmental report. The NRC staff reviewed the report and performed an on-site audit. The staff also considered comments made during the environmental scoping process, including comments offered at public meetings held on April 16, 2009, in Crystal River. Based on its review, the NRC staff has preliminarily determined that the adverse environmental impacts of license renewal for Crystal River are not great enough to deny the option of license renewal for energy planning decision-makers.

The Crystal River nuclear power plant is a pressurized-water reactor located on the west coast of Florida about 80 miles north of Tampa.

The NRC staff has been reviewing the Crystal River license renewal application since Florida Power Corporation submitted it on Dec. 18, 2009. Under NRC regulations, the original operating license for a nuclear power plant has a term of 40 years. The license may be renewed for up to an additional 20 years if NRC requirements are met. The current operating license will expire on Dec. 3, 2016.

The possible effects of an additional 20 years of nuclear plant operation are described in the NRCs Generic Environmental Impact Statement, or GEIS (NUREG-1437). The NRC issues a site-specific supplement to the GEIS on each plant requesting license renewal to address the potential environmental impacts. The draft supplemental EIS pertaining specifically to the Crystal River plant is the subject of the meeting.

The draft EIS, along with other related documents, is available for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room at the NRC Headquarters, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md.; or electronically through the agencys online system (ADAMS).

ADAMS is accessible through the NRC Web page at:

www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html using accession number ML11139A153. In addition, the draft EIS is available for public inspection at the Coastal Region Library, 8619 W. Crystal St., in Crystal River.

Members of the public may also submit written comments on the draft EIS by July 25.

Comments should be submitted by mail to the Cindy Bladey, Chief, Rules, Announcements, and Directives Branch (RADB), Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWB-05-B01M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001 or send faxes to RADB at (301) 492-3446.

After the conclusion of the public comment period on July 25, the NRC staff will consider and address the comments received and issue a final supplement to the EIS for the plant. That supplement will contain a recommendation regarding the environmental acceptability for license renewal.

Additional information on the license renewal review process is available 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 NRCs website.