Press Release-12-114, NRC and Prairie Island Indian Community Sign Memorandum of Understanding
| ML12289A886 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 10/15/2012 |
| From: | Office of Public Affairs |
| To: | |
| Category:Press Release | |
| References | |
| Press Release-12-114 | |
| Download: ML12289A886 (1) | |
Text
NRC AND PRAIRIE ISLAND INDIAN COMMUNITY SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Prairie Island Indian Community (PIIC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining the path forward to work together to review the potential environmental impacts of renewing the spent fuel storage facility license at the Prairie Island nuclear plant in Minnesota. The plant is located near Red Wing, adjacent to the PIIC reservation.
The MOU describes the roles and responsibilities of both the NRC and the PIIC. The NRC will lead the environmental review and retains final authority over whether to renew the storage facility license. The Prairie Island Indian Community will be a cooperating agency throughout the environmental review process. The MOU recognizes the communitys special expertise and access to information regarding historic and archeological resources, socioeconomics, land use and environmental justice. The NRC will give extra weight to the communitys comments in those areas.
The agency will give the Prairie Island Indian Community copies of technical reports, data and other pertinent information, allowing tribal officials to share their special expertise on environmental issues of concern.
Mark Satorius, director of the NRCs Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs, and PIIC Tribal Council President Johnny Johnson signed the MOU.
This agreement is unique and marks a significant step in NRCs effort to enhance government-to-government consultations with federally recognized Native American tribes, Satorius said. The MOU is an important tool to ensure efficient and effective communication between the NRC and the tribe during the environmental review.
The complete text of the MOU is publicly available in the NRC Public Document Room located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852, or from the NRCs document management system under accession number ML12284A456.
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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: www.nrc.gov Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov No.12-114 October 15, 2012