NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS -- REGION I

 475 Allendale Road

 King of Prussia, PA 19406

No. I-02-047 July 15, 2002

CONTACT: Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov

Neil A. Sheehan, (610) 337-5331

NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETINGS REGARDING DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL

IMPACT STATEMENT FOR PEACH BOTTOM LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION

 Members of the public will have an opportunity on Wednesday, July 31, to comment on a draft

report that assesses the environmental impact of extending the operating licenses for the Peach Bottom

nuclear power plant. Exelon Corporation has submitted an application to renew the licenses of the

twin-reactor facility near Delta, Pa., for an additional 20-year period.

 The NRC will hold two meetings on July 31 to accept comments, with one session scheduled to

begin at 1:30 p.m. and another at 7 p.m. Both meetings, which are scheduled to last up to three hours

each, will take place at the Peach Bottom Inn, 6085 Delta Road in Delta.

 In addition, NRC staff will be available for an hour prior to the start of each meeting for

informal discussions of the report.

 Interested parties may pre-register to attend or present oral comments at the meetings by

contacting Duke Wheeler of the NRC at 1-800-368-5642, ext. 1444, or by sending an e-mail to

Peach_Bottom_EIS@nrc.gov, no later than July 24. Members of the public may also register 15

minutes before each session to provide oral comments. Individual comment time may be limited by

the time available, depending on the number of persons who register. Written comments on the draft

report will also be considered by the NRC staff. Comments can be submitted by mail to the Chief,

Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Mail Stop T-6 D59, U.S. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001. The public comment period ends on

September 17, 2002.

 Under NRC regulations, the original operating license for a commercial nuclear power plant has

a term of 40 years. The license can be renewed for up to an additional 20 years if NRC requirements

are met. The current operating license for Peach Bottom Unit 2 is due to expire on August 8, 2013,

while the current operating license for Peach Bottom Unit 3 is scheduled to expire on July 2, 2014. 

(Peach Bottom Unit 1 has been permanently shut down since 1974.)

 Exelon submitted a license renewal application for the Peach Bottom reactors in July 2001. As

part of its application, the company submitted an environmental impact report. The NRC staff

reviewed the report and performed an on-site audit. The staff also considered comments made during
the environmental scoping process, including those offered at public meetings held last November in

Delta. Based on its review, the NRC staff has preliminarily recommended that the Commission

determine that the adverse environmental impacts of license renewal for Peach Bottom Units 2 and 3

are not so great that preserving the option of license renewal for energy planning decision-makers

would be unreasonable.

 When issued in its final form (scheduled for February 2003), the statement will be a Peach

Bottom-specific supplement to the "Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) for License

Renewal of Nuclear Plants," (NUREG-1437).

 The draft report can be viewed electronically via the NRC’s web site, at: www.nrc.gov/readingrm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1437/supplement10/. Copies of the report can also be reviewed at

the NRC Public Document Room, located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,

Md., 1-800-397-4209, and at the following libraries:

 Harford County Public Library, Whiteford Branch, 2407 Whiteford Road, Whiteford, Md.

21160.

 Collinsville Community Library, 2632 Delta Road, Brogue, Pa. 17309.

 Quarryville Library, 357 Buck Road, Quarryville, Pa. 17566.

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