NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

 2443 Warrenville Road

 Lisle IL 60532

 Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov E-mail: opa3@nrc.gov

No. III-06-031 October 19, 2006

CONTACT: Jan Strasma (630) 829-9663 

Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662 

NRC LICENSING BOARD TO HOLD HEARING ON CLINTON EARLY SITE PERMIT;

PUBLIC COMMENTS TO BE HEARD NOVEMBER 8 IN CLINTON

The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, an independent adjudicatory arm of the Nuclear

Regulatory Commission, will conduct a hearing beginning Nov. 7 on the proposed early site permit for

the Clinton Nuclear Power Plant with a separate public comment session scheduled for Nov. 8 in

Clinton, Ill.

Exelon Generation Co. submitted an application in September 2003 for an Early Site Permit

which would resolve site-related issues, such as environmental impacts, for possible future

construction and operation of a nuclear power plant at the site. The site currently has one power

reactor which began operation in 1974.

If approved, the permit would give Exelon up to 20 years to decide whether to build one or

more nuclear plants on the site and to file an application with the NRC for approval to begin

construction.

A final decision on the permit by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, based on the Licensing

Board proceeding, is expected in May 2007.

The hearing on the proposed permit, which is required by NRC regulations, will begin at 9 a.m.

Nov. 7 in the Decatur Conference Center, 4191 West U.S. Highway 36, Decatur, Ill. This hearing is

open to public observation, but testimony will be restricted to the NRC staff and Exelon Generation

Co., which is seeking the permit.

Oral comments from interested members of the public will be received by the Licensing Board

at a separate evening session on Nov. 8. Written comments may also be submitted.

The public comment session will begin at 6 p.m. in the Clinton Junior High School, 701 Illini

Drive, Clinton, and continue until 10 p.m. if necessary. Public comments will be limited to five

minutes in length, although the time may be further restricted, if necessary to allow all those desiring to

speak to do so.

Persons wishing to make oral comments at the November 8 session are requested to notify the

Licensing Board by Oct. 30.
Anyone wishing to submit a written statement or to submit a written request to make an oral

statement may do so by email to hearingdocket@nrc.gov, by fax (301) 415-1101, or by mail to: Office

of the Secretary, Attn. Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,

Washington, DC 20555-0001. In addition, copies of written statements or requests to make an oral

statement should be sent to the Chairman of the Licensing Board by e-mail to ksv@nrc.gov, fax

(301-415-5599), or by mail to: Administrative Judge Paul B. Abramson, Atomic Safety and Licensing

Board Panel, Mail Stop: T-3F23, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

The hearing before the Licensing Board, which begins Nov. 7, will consider the suitability of

the proposed site from safety and environmental viewpoints. Testimony will be provided by witnesses

representing the NRC staff and the applicant, Exelon Generation Co.

Following Exelon’s submittal of the permit application, the NRC staff completed a thorough

review of the proposal and, in addition, considered comments submitted by the public and other

governmental agencies. The staff’s findings are contained in two documents, the Final Environmental

Statement, issued July 20, 2006, and the Safety Evaluation Report, issued May 1, 2006. The

conclusions of both documents support the issuance of the Early Site Permit.

The two documents, along with other documents related to the proposed Early Site Permit, are

available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-licensing/esp/clinton.html. The

prepared testimony and other documents related to the Early Site Permit proceeding will be available

in the agency’s online document library: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html – use

Docket No. 05200007 in the docket number box on the advanced search page. Restricting the dates

searched will reduce the number of documents listed.

###

News releases are available through a free list serve subscription at the following Web address: 

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html . The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link. 

E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.