Press Release-I-06-058, NRC to Discuss Process for Review of License Renewal Application for Susquehanna Nuclear Plant, Seeks Environmental Input

Press Release-I-06-058: NRC to Discuss Process for Review of License Renewal Application for Susquehanna Nuclear Plant, Seeks Environmental Input

ML063100410
Person / Time
Site:	Susquehanna
Issue date:	11/06/2006
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-06-058
Download: ML063100410 (2)

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NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region I 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa.www.nrc.gov No. I-06-058 November 6, 2006Contact:Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331NRC TO DISCUSS PROCESS FOR REVIEW OF LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATIONFOR SUSQUEHANNA NUCLEAR PLANT, SEEKS ENVIRONMENTAL INPUTNuclear Regulatory Commission staff will c onduct two public meetings on Wednesday, Nov.15, to discuss the agency's review process for th e license renewal appli cation for the Susquehanna nuclear power plant, located in Salem Township (Luzerne County), Pa. The sessions will also providean opportunity for members of the public to comment on environmental issues they believe the NRCshould consider during its review of the application, which requests an additional 20 years of operation.The meetings will be held at the Eagles Building, 107 S. Market St. in Berwick, Pa. (Directionsto the building are available at: http://www.luzerne.edu/offcampus/B erwick/berwickdirections.asp .) The first session will begin at 1:30 p.m. and continue until 4:30 p.m., as necessary. The second

session, which will offer the same presentation as the earlier one, will get under way at 7 p.m. andcontinue until 10 p.m., as needed.Both meetings will begin with NRC staff presentations on how the overall license renewalreview process, which includes safety and environmental assessments, will work. Following the presentations, attendees will be able to offer their comments."These meetings will afford interested citizens the chance to learn exactly what it is we look atwhen we perform these reviews," NRC License Renewal Branch Chief Rani Franovich said. "What'smore, they will be able to call our attention to any environmental issues they think our review should include."The NRC will host an open house beginning 1 hour1.157407e-5 days <br />2.777778e-4 hours <br />1.653439e-6 weeks <br />3.805e-7 months <br /> before the start of each meeting to givemembers of the public an opportunity to talk informally with agency staff. However, formal commentsmust be expressed during the transcribed meetings.Under NRC regulations, the original operating li cense for a nuclear power plant has a term of40 years. The license may be renewed for up to an additional 20 years if NRC requirements are met. The current operating license for the Susquehanna Unit 1 reactor is due to expire on July 17, 2022, while the current license for Susquehanna Unit 2 has an expiration date of March 23, 2024.

PPL Susquehanna, LLC, submitted its license renewal application for the plant on Sept. 15 ofthis year. As part of its application, the company submitted an environmental report. A copy of theapplication is available via the NRC's web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/susquehanna.html . In addition,the Berwick Public Library, located at 205 Chestnut St., Berwick, Pa., and the Mill Memorial Library, at 495 E. Main St., Nanticoke, Pa., have agreed to make the license renewal applicati on available forpublic inspection.An existing NRC document, "Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants" (NUREG-1437), assesses the scope of environmental impacts that would beassociated with license renewal at any nuclear power plant site. The document for which the NRC will gather environmental comments at the Nov. 15 th meetings will be a supplement to that report that isspecific to the Susquehanna plant. It will contain a recommendation regarding the environmental acceptability of the li cense renewal action.At the conclusion of the information-gathering process, the NRC staff will prepare a summaryof the conclusions reached and significant issues identified. A copy will be sent to each person whoparticipated in the scoping process. The summary will also be available on the NRC's web site.The NRC staff will subsequently prepare a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) supplement for public comment and will hold a public meeting to solic it comments. After consideration of comments on th e draft report, the NRC will prepare a final EIS supplement.Interested individuals may register to attend or present oral arguments at the Nov. 15 th meetingsby contacting Alicia Mullins of the NRC at 1-800-368-5642, ext. 1224, by Nov. 13 th. Those who wishto offer comments may also register at the meetings 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.In addition, members of the public may send writte n comments on the environmental scopingprocess for the supplement to the GEIS to: Chief, Rules and Directive Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Mailstop T-6D59, Two White Flint North, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockv ille, Md., from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. during Federal workdays. To be considered, written comments should be postmarked or dropped off by Jan. 2, 2007. Electronic comments can also be sent via e-mail to SusquehannaEIS@nrc.gov, again no later than Jan. 2, 2007.