Press Release-IV-04-004, NRC to Hold Public Meeting on Grand Gulf Early Site Permit
| ML040130507 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Grand Gulf  |
| Issue date: | 01/13/2004 |
| From: | Office of Public Affairs Region IV |
| To: | |
| Category:Press Release | |
| References | |
| Press Release-IV-04-004 | |
| Download: ML040130507 (2) | |
Text
NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Region IV 611 Ryan Plaza Drive - Suite 400 Arlington, TX 76011-4005 No. IV-04-004 January 13, 2004
Contact:
Victor Dricks E-Mail: opa4@nrc.gov Phone: 817-860-8128 NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING ON GRAND GULF EARLY SITE PERMIT The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a public meeting on January 21 in Port Gibson, Mississippi, on the environmental review for System Energy Resources, Inc.s (SERI) application for an early site permit for the Grand Gulf nuclear station site, 25 miles south of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Members of the public are invited to attend and comment on environmental issues that the NRC should consider in its review of the proposed early site permit.
The meeting will be held at the Port Gibson Town Hall, located at 1005 College Street, in Port Gibson from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. The meeting will be preceded by a one-hour open house during which members of the public may meet and talk with NRC staff members on an informal basis.
For planning purposes, those who wish to attend or present oral comments at the meeting may register by contacting Cristina Guerrero of the NRC by telephone at (800) 368-5642, extension 2981, or by e-mail at GrandGulfEIS@nrc.gov. Interested persons may also register to speak before the start of each session. Individual comment time may be limited by the time available.
The meeting will include an overview and NRC staff presentation on the environmental process related to early site permits, after which members of the public will be given the opportunity to present their comments on the environmental issues that the NRC should consider during its review.
Under NRC regulations, during its review of an early site permit application, the staff must consider the suitability of a particular site for the construction and operation of a new nuclear facility. The staff must also consider whether an obviously superior site exists. SERI submitted its application for the early site permit in October.
As part of its application, SERI submitted an environmental report. That report is available for public review in the NRC Public Document Room at NRC headquarters, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. In addition, the Harriette Person Memorial Library, located at 606 Main Street, Port Gibson, Mississippi has agreed to make the environmental report available for public inspection. The application is also available on the NRC Web page at www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-licensing/license-reviews/esp/grand-gulf.html.
The NRC staff is gathering information at the January meeting for an environmental impact statement documenting the staffs review of the Grand Gulf early site permit application.
It will contain the staffs preliminary conclusions regarding suitability of the site for construction and operation of a new nuclear facility and whether obviously superior sites exist.
At the conclusion of the information-gathering process, the NRC staff will prepare a summary of conclusions and significant issues and will send a copy to interested persons who participated in the scoping process. The summary will also be available for public review at the Harriette Person Memorial County Library and will be accessible electronically through the NRC Public Electronic Reading Room found at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Assistance in using the electronic reading room is available by calling the NRC Public Document Room at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737.
The NRC staff will then prepare a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) supplement for public comment and will hold a public meeting to solicit comments. After consideration of comments received on the draft, the NRC will prepare a final EIS.
Members of the public may also submit written comments on the scope of the site-specific supplement to the generic environmental impact statement. Comments should be submitted by February 12, 2004, either by mail to the Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Mail Stop T-6-D-59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 or by Internet to: GrandGulfEIS@nrc.gov.