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 

Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov

 

No. 07-067 May 29, 2007

NRC SEEKS PUBLIC COMMENT ON SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL

ASSESSMENT FOR DIABLO CANYON SPENT FUEL STORAGE FACILITY

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission seeks public comment on a draft supplement to the

agency’s environmental assessment for a spent fuel storage facility under construction at the Diablo

Canyon nuclear power plant in San Luis Obispo County, Calif. The supplement concludes that

construction, operation and decommissioning of the facility will not result in a significant effect on the

human environment, even when potential terrorist attacks are considered.

The NRC staff conducted the supplemental assessment by order of the Commission, in

response to last year’s ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Luis Obispo

Mothers for Peace v. NRC. In its Feb. 26 order, the Commission directed the staff to develop the

supplement within 90 days and set a schedule for public comment and potential adjudicatory hearings. 

The supplemental assessment considers the potential radiological impacts of terrorist acts on

the Diablo Canyon spent fuel storage facility. It concludes that the probability of a successful terrorist

attack on any such facility is very low. This conclusion is based on the NRC’s continual evaluation of

the threat environment and coordination with other federal, state and local agencies; protective

measures currently in place that reduce the chances of any terrorist attack being successful; the robust

design of dry cask storage systems, which provide substantial resistance to penetration; and NRC’s

security assessments of potential consequences of terrorist attacks at these facilities.

Although the agency concludes the likelihood of a terrorist attack on the facility resulting in a

substantial radiological release is very low, the supplement also describes the potential impacts of such

an event at Diablo Canyon. It concludes that any radiation dose to members of the public near the plant

from a successful terrorist attack on the facility would likely be below 5 rem, even in the most severe

plausible threat scenarios. In many scenarios, the hypothetical dose could be substantially less than 5

rem, or none at all. (Five rem is the maximum annual occupational dose limit for workers in the

nuclear industry.)

The draft supplement will soon be available on the NRC’s Web site at

http://www.nrc.gov/waste.html, by selecting “Diablo Canyon” in the “Quick Links” box.

The NRC welcomes public comment on the supplemental environmental assessment for 30

days from publication of a “Notice of Availability” in the Federal Register, expected shortly.
Comments may be submitted to Chief, Rulemaking, Directives and Editing Branch, Mail Stop T6-D59,

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C., 20555-0001; by e-mail at

NRCREP@nrc.gov; or by fax to 301- 492-3342. Please note Docket No. 72-26.

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