No. 07-036 

Contact: Victor Dricks 

Phone: (817) 860-8128 

 September 19, 2007 

 E-Mail: opa4@nrc.gov 

NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETINGS ON DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT 

STATEMENT FOR WOLF CREEK LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION

Members of the public will have an opportunity on Nov. 8, to comment on a draft report 

that assesses the environmental impact of extending the operating license for the Wolf Creek 

nuclear plant in Burlington, Kan. On Oct. 4, 2006, the NRC received an application from Wolf 

Creek Nuclear Operating Corp., which operates the plant, to renew the license for an additional 

20 years. 

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

issued on Sept. 18. 

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, and held two public 

meetings on Dec. 19, 2006, in Burlington. 

Based on its review, the NRC staff has prepared and issued its draft environmental impact 

statement, which preliminarily recommends that the Commission determine the adverse 

environmental impacts of license renewal for the Wolf Creek Generating Station plant are not so 

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

unreasonable. This recommendation is based on: 1) the analysis and findings in the Generic 

Environmental Impact Statement used for license renewal reviews; 2) the plant-specific 

environmental report submitted by Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Co.; 3) NRC consultation with 

other federal, state and local agencies; 4) the NRC staff’s own independent review; and 5) the 

NRC staff’s consideration of public comments received during the environmental scoping 

process. 

The NRC will hold two meetings on Nov. 8, to accept comments on the report. The first 

session will begin at 1:30 p.m. A second session will get under way at 7 p.m. Both meetings will 

take place at the Coffey County Library, Burlington Branch, 410 Juanita St., Burlington. NRC 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Region IV 

611 Ryan Plaza Drive - Suite 400 

Arlington, TX 76011-4005 
staff will be available for an hour prior to the start of each meeting for informal, one-on-one 

discussions of the report. 

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

Christian Jacobs, the NRC Environmental Project Manager, by telephone at 1-800-368-5642, 

extension 3874, or by e-mail at WolfCreekEIS@nrc.gov no later than Nov. 1. 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 submitted before Dec. 26 will also be considered by 

the NRC staff. Comments can be submitted by mail to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 

Christian Jacobs, Environmental Branch B, Division of License Renewal, Mail Stop 0-11F1, 

Washington, DC 20555-0001, or by e-mail to WolfCreekEIS@nrc.gov . 

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 Wolf C-reek is due to expire on March 

11, 2025. 

The draft report is posted on the NRC web page at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doccollections/nuregs/staff/sr1437/supplement32/. The Wolf Creek license renewal application is 

posted at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/wolf-creek.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 Coffey County Library. 

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