NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS -- REGION I

 475 Allendale Road

 King of Prussia, PA 19406

No. I-02-063 October 21, 2002

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

Neil A. Sheehan, (610) 337-5331

NRC SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT

FOR PROPOSED R.E. GINNA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT LICENSE RENEWAL

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will accept public comments on Wednesday, November

6, regarding an application submitted by Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E) Corp. to renew the

operating license for the R.E. Ginna nuclear power plant in Wayne County, N.Y. Members of the

public are invited to attend and comment on environmental issues they believe the NRC should

consider in its review of the application.

 There will be two sessions held on November 6 in the Betty Rissberger Community Room of

the Webster Public Library, 980 Ridge Road, Webster, N.Y. The first session is scheduled for 1:30 to

4:30 p.m. The second session is scheduled for 7 to 10 p.m. The NRC will host an open house

beginning one hour before the start of each meeting to provide members of the public with an

opportunity to talk informally with agency staff.

 Both sessions will begin with identical overviews. The NRC staff will provide a presentation

on the license renewal and environmental review processes, the proposed scope of the environmental

review for the R.E. Ginna application and the proposed timeframe for the review. Interested

government agencies, organizations and individuals will then have an opportunity to offer comments

or suggestions on environmental issues they believe should be reviewed or on the proposed scope of

the review.

 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 R.E. Ginna plant is due to expire on Sept. 18, 2009.

 RG&E submitted its license renewal application on July 30. As part of its application, the

company submitted an environmental report. Copies are available for review at the NRC Public

Document Room, located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md., 1-800-397-

4209, or through the NRC’s web site at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html, or at the following

locations:

 The Ontario Public Library, 1850 Ridge Road, Ontario, N.Y. 14519; and

 The Rochester Public Library, 115 South Avenue, Rochester, N.Y. 14604.
 An existing NRC document, "Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal

of Nuclear Power Plants" (NUREG-1437), assesses the scope and impact of environmental effects that

would be associated with license renewal at any nuclear power plant site. The document for which the

NRC will gather information at the November 6th sessions will be a supplement to that generic

environmental statement that is specific to the R.E. Ginna plant. It will contain a recommendation

regarding the environmental acceptability of the license renewal action.

 At the conclusion of the information-gathering process, the NRC staff will prepare a summary

of the conclusions reached and significant issues identified. A copy will be sent to each person who

participated. The summary will also be available at the agency’s Public Document Room and at the

previously mentioned libraries.

 The NRC staff will then prepare a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) supplement for

public comment and will hold a public meeting to solicit comments. After consideration of comments

on the draft, the NRC will prepare a final EIS supplement.

 Interested individuals may register to attend or present oral comments at the November 6th

sessions by contacting Robert G. Schaaf of the NRC at 1-800-368-5642, ext. 1312, or by e-mail at

GinnaEIS@nrc.gov no later than October 30. Members of the public may also register to speak at the

meetings within 15 minutes of the start of each session. Individual oral comments may be limited by

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

 In addition, members of the public may send written comments on the environmental scoping

process for the supplement to the GEIS to: Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of

Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Mail stop T-6 D 59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001. Written comments should be postmarked by December

11. Comments can also be sent via e-mail to GinnaEIS@nrc.gov no later than December 11.

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