Press Release-12-037, NRC Issues Final Environmental Impact Statement for Columbia Nuclear Plant License Renewal Application

Press Release-12-037: NRC Issues Final Environmental Impact Statement for Columbia Nuclear Plant License Renewal Application

ML12107A324
Person / Time
Site:	Columbia
Issue date:	04/11/2012
From:	Office of Public Affairs
To:
References
Press Release-12-037
Download: ML12107A324 (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.resource@nrc.gov Site: www.nrc.gov Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov No.12-037 April 11, 2012 NRC ISSUES FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR COLUMBIA NUCLEAR PLANT LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has issued its final supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) for the proposed renewal of the operating license for the Columbia Generating Station, located in Benton County, Wash., northwest of Richland. The report contains the NRCs finding that the adverse environmental impacts of license renewal are not great enough to deny the option of renewing the license for an additional 20 years of operation.

Columbia is a single-unit boiling-water reactor operated by Energy Northwest. The current operating license expires Dec. 20, 2023. Energy Northwest submitted an application to the NRC on Jan. 19, 2010, to extend the license by 20 years. 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.

As part of its environmental review of the application, the NRC held public meetings near the plant to discuss the review process and the draft version of the environmental impact statement. Comments were received and considered from members of the public, local officials, and representatives of state and federal agencies.

Publication of the final environmental impact statement does not represent final NRC action on the license renewal application. The agency staff has completed its safety evaluation report, which is being evaluated by NRCs Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS).

The ACRS will make its recommendations before the agency makes a final decision on whether to renew the operating license.

The Columbia Generating Station final environmental impact statement, volumes 1 and 2, is available on the NRCs website, and can also be viewed in the NRCs ADAMS online documents system by entering accession number ML12096A334 for volume 1 and ML12096A336 for volume 2 in the search window. Help in using ADAMS is available by contacting the NRCs Public Document Room at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail at PDR.Resource@nrc.gov.

The Columbia license renewal application and information about the license renewal process are posted on the NRC website.

Documents related to the Columbia license renewal review are also located at available at the Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive, Richland, and at the Kennewick Branch of Mid-Columbia Libraries, 1620 South Union Street, in Kennewick, Wash.

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