Press Release-III-03-076, NRC to Hold Public Meeting December 18 on Environmental Scoping Process for Clinton Early Site Permit

Press Release-III-03-076: NRC to Hold Public Meeting December 18 on Environmental Scoping Process for Clinton Early Site Permit

ML033490522
Person / Time
Site:	Clinton
Issue date:	12/15/2003
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-III-03-076
Download: ML033490522 (1)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region III 801 Warrenville Road Lisle, IL 60532 Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov No. III-03-076 December 15, 2003 CONTACT: Jan Strasma (630) 829-9663 E-mail: opa3@nrc.gov Viktoria Mitlyng (639) 829-9662 NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING DECEMBER 18 ON ENVIRONMENTAL SCOPING PROCESS FOR CLINTON EARLY SITE PERMIT Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff will hold a public meeting on December 18 in Clinton, Illinois, to discuss the agencys review of the Early Site Permit (ESP) application for the Clinton site and the environmental issues the NRC should consider in reviewing the application.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Vespasian Warner Public Library, 310 N. Quincy Street, Clinton. The meetings proceedings, including any follow-up answers the staff provides later, will be transcribed and made available on the NRC website. NRC staff will be available before the meeting for informal discussions with members of the public during an open house session from 6 - 7 p.m. No formal comments on the environmental review will be accepted during the open house.

The meeting will include an overview of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental review process, the proposed scope of the Environmental Impact Statement, the NRCs proposed review schedule and the opportunity for the public to submit comments and suggestions on the environmental issues.

The ESP process allows an applicant to resolve site-related issues, such as environmental impacts, before possible future construction and operation of a nuclear power plant. Exelons application was filed September 25. If approved, the ESP would give Exelon up to 20 years to decide whether to build one or more nuclear plants on the site, and to file an application with the NRC for approval to begin construction. There will also be a full technical review of the application which will address site safety, environmental protection, and plans for coping with emergencies, independent of the review of a specific nuclear plant design. Following that review

and issuance of a safety evaluation and environmental impact statement, the Commission will hold a hearing on the matter.

Those wishing to present their comments at the meeting may register on the day of the meeting no later than 6:45 p.m. Individual comments could be limited by the time available, depending on how many people wish to speak.

Information about new reactor licensing and the Clinton Early Site Permit can be found at the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactor-licensing.html.