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-07-042 August 10, 2007

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

Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331

NRC SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

FOR INDIAN POINT NUCLEAR PLANT LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will conduct two public meetings on Wednesday, Sept.

19, on the environmental review related to the license renewal application for the Indian Point nuclear

power plant. Members of the public are invited to attend and comment on environmental issues they

believe the NRC should consider during its review of the applicant’s proposal to extend by 20 years the

operating licenses for the two reactors at the site, located in Buchanan (Westchester County), N.Y., and

operated by Entergy Nuclear Northeast.

There will be two sessions held that day at the Colonial Terrace catering facility, 119 Oregon

Road in Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. (Directions to the facility are available at: 

www.colonialterracecaterers.com/.) Attendees are advised that parking may be limited.

The first session will begin at 1:30 p.m. and continue until 4:30 p.m. The second session,

which will follow the same format as the first meeting, will get under way at 7 p.m. and continue until

10 p.m. The NRC will host an “open house” beginning 1 hour before the start of each meeting to

provide members of the public with an opportunity to talk informally with agency staff. However,

formal comments must be expressed during the transcribed meetings.

Both sessions will start with an overview and an NRC staff presentation on the environmental

review process for license renewal applications. After the NRC presentation, audience members will

be given the opportunity to present their comments on environmental issues they consider worthy of

review as the agency reviews the Indian Point application.

“During public meetings we held in Cortlandt Manor on June 27 regarding our overall review

process for the application, we explained there will be several opportunities for members of the public

to raise concerns or offer comments on the proposed license extension for the Indian Point plant. The

meetings scheduled for September 19th will be one such opportunity and we look forward to receiving

the public’s input,” said Bo Pham, the NRC Senior Project Manager who is leading the environmental

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 licenses for Indian Point 2 and 3 expire, respectively, on Sept. 28, 2013 and Dec.

12, 2015.

Entergy’s license renewal application for Indian Point was received by the NRC on April 30,

2007. As part of the application, the company submitted an environmental report, which is posted on

the NRC’s web site at: 

www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/indian-point.html. It is also available

for review at the NRC’s Public Document Room in Rockville, Md., which can be reached by phone at

800-397-4209, and at the following area libraries: The White Plains Public Library, 100 Martine Ave.,

White Plains, N.Y.; the Hendrick Hudson Free Library, 185 Kings Ferry Road, Montrose, N.Y., and the

Field Library, 4 Nelson Ave., Peekskill, N.Y.

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 Sept. 19th meetings will be a supplement to that generic

environmental statement that is specific to Indian Point. 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 in the “scoping” process. The summary will also be available on the NRC’s web site

through the Public Electronic Reading Room at: www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html and at the

libraries previously listed. Help in accessing documents through the Reading Room is available by

contacting the NRC’s Public Document Room at 800-397-4209 or by e-mail at pdr@nrc.gov .

The NRC staff will subsequently prepare a draft environmental impact statement (EIS)

supplement for public comment and will hold public meetings at a future date to solicit comments. 

After consideration of comments on the draft report, the NRC will prepare a final EIS supplement.

Interested individuals may register to attend or present oral comments at the Sept. 19th meetings

by contacting Bo Pham at 800-368-5642, ext. 8450, or by e-mail to IndianPointEIS@nrc.gov no later

than Sept. 10, 2007. Those who wish to comment may also register 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.

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