Press Release-I-15-026, NRC, Army Corps to Seek Public Comments on Draft Environmental Report for Application to Build New Nuclear Power Plant in Salem Township, Pa

From kanterella
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Press Release-I-15-026: NRC, Army Corps to Seek Public Comments on Draft Environmental Report for Application to Build New Nuclear Power Plant in Salem Township, Pa
ML15141A543
Person / Time
Issue date: 05/21/2015
From:
Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-15-026
Download: ML15141A543 (1)


Text

No: I-15-026 May 21, 2015 CONTACT: Diane Screnci 610-337-5330 Neil Sheehan 610-337-5331 NRC, Army Corps to Take Public Comments on Draft Environmental Report for Application to Build New Nuclear Power Plant in Salem Township, Pa.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers staff will receive comments on June 4 in Bloomsburg, Pa., on a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for a new nuclear power plant proposed for Salem Township (Luzerne County), Pa.

The meetings will take place from 3 to 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 to 10 p.m. in Montys Building, Upper Campus, at Bloomsburg University. The building is located at 400 E. Second St. in Bloomsburg.

NRC and Army Corps staff will also hold open houses for one hour prior to each meeting at the same location. However, formal comments will only be accepted during the meetings.

PPL submitted the application on Oct. 10, 2008, for the construction of a new reactor - to be named Bell Bend - on a site adjacent to the Susquehanna nuclear power plant, which the company also owns and operates. The proposal calls for the use of a single U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactor (EPR) at the site. That design has not yet been approved by the NRC.

On April 24, the NRC and Army Corps, Baltimore District, issued the DEIS. The NRC staffs preliminary environmental recommendation is that a license for the new reactor could be issued. This recommendation is based on the application, including the environmental report submitted by the company; consultation with federal, state, tribal, and local agencies; the NRC review teams independent evaluations; the consideration of public comments; and the assessments summarized in the draft environmental report.

Public comments on the DEIS will be accepted through July 7, 2015. A copy of the DEIS is available on the NRCs website.

The NRCs evaluation of the application involves both safety and environmental reviews. The safety review for the application is currently on hold at the request of PPL.

The notice for the June 4 meetings can be found on the NRC website.