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-07-38 July 10, 2007

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

Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331

NRC ISSUES DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT FOR JAMES A. FITZPATRICK

LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION, ANNOUNCES AUGUST 1ST PUBLIC MEETINGS

NRC staff will accept public comments on Wednesday, Aug. 1 on a draft report that assesses

the environmental impacts of extending the operating license of the James A. FitzPatrick nuclear power

plant in Scriba, N.Y. In August 2006, Entergy Nuclear Northeast, which operates the single-reactor

plant, submitted an application to renew the license for an additional 20 years.

There will be two meetings on Aug. 1 at which comments will be taken. One session will begin

at 1:30 p.m. and another at 7 p.m. Both meetings are planned for the Scriba Municipal Building, at 42

Creamery Road in Scriba. NRC staff will be available for an hour prior to the start of each meeting for

informal discussions of the report.

The draft report, known as the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, was issued on June 8.

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 what’s known as the environmental scoping process, including comments offered at

public meetings held on Oct. 12, 2006 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 FitzPatrick plant is not so great

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

unreasonable. This recommendation is based on the analysis and findings in the agency’s Generic

Environmental Impact Statement on license renewal; the environmental report submitted by Entergy;

consultation with federal, state and local agencies; the NRC staff’s own independent review; and the

NRC staff’s consideration of public comments.

“Now that the Draft Environmental Impact Statement is available, we would encourage

interested members of the public to review the report and provide us with their comments,” Rani

Franovich, a Branch Chief in the NRC’s Division of License Renewal, said. “They will be able to do

so in person at our upcoming public meetings.”
Those interested may pre-register to attend or speak at the meetings by contacting Jessie Muir

of the NRC at 1-800-368-5642, ext. 0491, or by sending an e-mail to FitzPatrickEIS@nrc.gov no later

than July 25. Members of the public may also register to provide oral comments before the start of

each session. The duration of individual comments 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. They can

also be submitted electronically to FitzPatrickEIS@nrc.gov. The public comment period ends on Sept.

5, 2007.

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 the FitzPatrick plant is due to expire on Oct. 17, 2014.

The draft environmental report is posted on the NRC web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/fitzpatrick.html#environmental. 

The FitzPatrick license renewal application is posted at:

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/fitzpatrick.html. Additional

information about the license renewal process is available at:

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

The report is also available for review at the Oswego Public Library, 140-142 E. Second St.,

Oswego, and the Penfield Library, located at SUNY Oswego, at 7060 State Route 104, Oswego.

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