NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

 Office of Public Affairs, Region I

 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa.

www.nrc.gov

 

No. I-05-053 October 20, 2005

Contact: Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 Email: opa1@nrc.gov

Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331

NRC ISSUES DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT FOR NINE MILE POINT

 LICENSE RENEWAL, ANNOUNCES NOVEMBER 17TH PUBLIC MEETING 

Members of the public will have an opportunity on Thursday, Nov. 17, to comment on a draft

report that assesses the environmental impact of extending the operating license for Nine Mile Point

Nuclear Station Units 1 and 2, in Scriba, N.Y. In May 2004, Constellation Energy, which operates the

two units, submitted an application to renew the licenses for an additional 20 years.

The draft NRC report, known as the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, was

issued on September 30. 

As part of its license renewal application, the company submitted an environmental 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 comments offered at public meetings held Sept. 21,

2004 in Scriba. Based on its review, the NRC staff has preliminarily recommended that the Commission

determine the adverse environmental impacts of license renewal for the Nine Mile Point units are not so

great that preserving the option of license renewal for energy planning decision-makers would be

unreasonable.

The NRC will hold two meetings on Nov. 17th to accept comments, with one session scheduled

to begin at 1:30 p.m. and another at 7 p.m. Both meetings will take place at the Town of Scriba

Conference Room, at 42 Creamery Road. NRC staff will be available for an hour prior to the start of

each meeting for informal discussions of the report. 

Those interested may pre-register to attend or speak at the meetings by contacting Leslie Fields,

of the NRC at 800/368-5642, ext. 1186, or by sending an e-mail to NineMilePointEIS@nrc.gov no

later than Nov 8. Members of the public may also register 15 minutes before each session to provide

oral comments. The duration of individual comments may be limited by the time available, depending

on the number of speakers 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. They can
also be submitted electronically to NineMilePointEIS@nrc.gov. The public comment period ends on

December 22. 

Under NRC regulations, the original operating license for a nuclear power plant has a term of 40

years. The license may be renewed for up to an additional 20 years if NRC requirements are met. The

current operating license for Nine Mile Point Unit 1 is due to expire on Aug. 22, 2009, while the current

operating license for Nine Mile Point Unit 2 is scheduled to terminate on Oct. 31, 2026. 

The draft report is posted on the NRC web page at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1437/supplement24/index.html. The

Nine Mile Point license renewal application is posted at: 

www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/nine-mile-pt.html. Additional

information about the license renewal process is available at:

www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html.

The draft report is also available for review at the NRC Public Document Room, in Rockville,

Md., and at the Penfield Library, located at the State University of New York, Oswego. 

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