NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 

E-mail: opa@nrc.gov 

Site: http://www.nrc.gov

No. 07-118 September 12, 2007

NRC SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON VOGTLE EARLY SITE PERMIT 

APPLICATION; MEETING TO BE HELD OCT. 4 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment on its preliminary 

conclusion that environmental impacts would not keep the agency from issuing an Early Site 

Permit (ESP) for the Vogtle site, about 26 miles southeast of Augusta, Ga. 

 The preliminary conclusion is contained in NUREG-1872, “Draft Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) for an Early Site Permit at the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant Site.” The draft 

EIS is available for public comment until Nov. 28, and will also be the subject of a public 

meeting Oct. 4 in Waynesboro, Ga. 

 The ESP process allows an applicant to address site-related issues, such as environmental 

impacts, for possible future construction and operation of a nuclear power plant at the site. The 

Vogtle application was filed Aug. 15, 2006, by Southern Nuclear Operating Company. If 

approved, the permit would give Southern 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. 

 The NRC staff’s preliminary recommendation is that a permit should be issued. The staff 

bases its conclusion on its independent review of Southern’s environmental report, taking into 

account consultations with federal, state, tribal and local agencies and consideration of comments 

received during the public scoping process. The staff’s preliminary conclusions include a finding 

that there are no environmentally preferable or obviously superior sites, and that any adverse 

environmental impacts from possible site preparation and preliminary construction activities at 

Vogtle could be redressed. 

 On Thursday, Oct. 4, the NRC staff will meet with the public to obtain comments on the 

draft EIS at the Waynesboro Auditorium of the Augusta Technical College, Waynesboro/Burke 

Campus, 216 Highway 24 South. The formal meeting will be transcribed and will run from 7 

p.m. to 11 p.m. In addition, the NRC staff will host an informal discussion two hours prior to the 

meeting. NRC staff members will answer questions and explain the ESP process during this 

informal session. An NRC staff person and a court reporter will also be available from 5 p.m. 

until 6:45 p.m. to receive comments from members of the public who wish to provide input but 

are unable to speak at the formal meeting. 
 For planning purposes, anyone interested in attending or presenting oral comments at the 

Oct. 4 meeting is encouraged to pre-register no later than Sept. 27 by contacting Cristina 

Guerrero of the NRC by telephone at (800) 368-5642, extension 2981, or by e-mail at 

Vogtle_EIS@nrc.gov . Interested persons may also register to speak within 15 minutes of the 

start of the meeting. Time for individual comments at the meetings may be limited to 

accommodate all speakers. People requesting special accommodations to attend or present 

information at the meeting should contact the NRC by Sept. 27 so the requests can be properly 

reviewed. 

 Written comments on the draft EIS will also be considered by NRC staff. Comments 

should be submitted either by mail (postmarked by Nov. 28) to the Chief, Rules and Directives 

Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Mailstop T-6D59, U.S. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, or by e-mail (sent no later than 

Nov. 28) at Vogtle_EIS@nrc.gov . 

The NRC staff has also issued a Safety Evaluation Report (SER), with open items, for the 

Vogtle ESP application. Southern must address the open items before the staff can finalize the 

report. The draft EIS, SER and related documents are available electronically for public 

inspection in the NRC Public Document Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md. They will 

also be available on the NRC’s Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/newlicensing/esp/vogtle.html . In addition, the Burke County Library in Waynesboro has agreed to 

make the draft EIS and SER available for public inspection. 

 At the conclusion of the public comment period on Nov. 28, the NRC staff will consider 

and address the comments provided, then issue a final EIS on the environmental acceptability of 

an ESP at Vogtle in mid-2008. 

### 

 News releases are available through a free listserv 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.