ML20122A149
| ML20122A149 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | HI-STORE |
| Issue date: | 05/01/2020 |
| From: | Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards |
| To: | |
| Caverly J | |
| References | |
| Download: ML20122A149 (2) | |
Text
Commenting on the Scope Draft Environmental Impact Statement How to Comment on NRCs Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a Proposed Consolidated Interim Storage Facility for Spent Nuclear Fuel in Lea County, New Mexico T he NRC is conducting its environmental review for a proposed Consolidated Interim Storage Facility (CISF) for spent nuclear fuel in Lea County, New Mexico in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The NRC is evaluating the potential environmental impacts of the proposed facility, which is documented in a draft environmental impact statement (EIS). The NRC is requesting public comments on the content of this draft EIS.
Why is NRC requesting comments?
The NRC announced its publication of a draft EIS on March 20, 2020, and seeks public input on the draft EIS. The NRCs announcement can be found at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/03/20/2020-05690/holtec-international-hi-store-consolidated-interim-storage-facility-project. The public comment period is intended to: (i) to provide the public with an opportunity to participate in the environmental review process; (ii) provide interested members of the public an opportunity to provide their input into the NRCs environmental analysis; and (iii) identify supplemental resources for the environmental analyses which NRC staff can review and incorporate as necessary.
What topics are included in the draft EIS?
The EIS describes the Proposed Action and the No-Action Alternative, and the potential environmental impacts that these actions could have on the affected environment. The NRC included the following environmental resources in its environmental evaluation:
- Air Quality
- Water Quality
- Ecological Resources (including Threatened and Endangered Species)
- Historic and Cultural Resources
- Land Use
- Transportation
- Geology and soils
- Socioeconomics and Environmental Justice
- Public and Occupational Health
- Noise
- Visual and scenic resources
- Waste Management
Where can I find information about the NRCs review?
The NRC has set up a public webpage for Holtecs application for the CISF at https://www.nrc.gov/waste/spent-fuel-storage/cis/holtec-international.html. The webpage contains links to the Holtec application, the NRCs request for supplemental information and Holtecs responses, the NRCs letter to Holtec accepting the application for detailed review, scoping information, requests for additional informaiton and Holtecs responses, readers guide, and the draft EIS. The NRC will continue to update the webpage with additional information as the review progresses.
What are the next steps?
After the close of the draft EIS comment period, the NRC staff will collect the comments submitted, organize them according to subject, and review the input received. The staff will then issue a comment response appendix as part of the final EIS that provides a concise summary of the NRCs conclusions regarding the comments. The appendix will also note whether any edits were made to the content of the EIS in response to comments. The final EIS, when completed, will be made available on the NRCs webpage for the Holtec application and distributed, as appropriate.
The NRC will include the following steps in its draft EIS process:
- The NRC will hold public meetings and present the preliminary findings and receivepublic comments during transcribed public meetings.
- The NRC will revise the draft EIS, as appropriate, based on the comments received.
- The NRC will publish a final EIS and make it publicly available.
In parallel to the EIS process, the NRC also is conducting a detailed safety review. The results of that review will be documented in a safety evaluation report. The NRC will make its licensing decision on Holtecs application based on the results of both the safety review and the environmental review.
How can I submit my comments?
The NRC is accepting comments in the following ways:
Post comments to the Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for documents filed under Docket ID NRC-2018-0052. Click on the comment icon and complete the web form.
Mail comments to: May Ma, Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
Comment at a public meeting: Attendees are invited to speak comments on the record at public scoping meetings (transcriptions are publicly available). (To see the public meeting schedule, visit https://www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg)
Email comments to: Holtec-CISFEIS@nrc.gov Remember to include Docket ID NRC-2018-0052 in written comments.
Comment at a public meeting or webinar: Attendees are invited to speak comments on the record at the public meetings (transcriptions are publicly available) or webinar. (To see the public meeting schedule, visit https://www.nrc.
gov/pmns/mtg)
Comments should be submitted by July 22nd, 2020, to ensure consideration. All comments are considered equally, regardless of how they are submitted.