No. I-09-037 

Contact: Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 

 Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331 

Sept. 9, 2009 

E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov

NRC SCHEDULES MEETING IN NEWTON, MASS., ON PROPOSED CHANGES 

TO NUCLEAR PLANT LICENSE RENEWAL ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will conduct a public meeting on Thursday, 

Sept. 17 in Newton, Mass., to hear comments on proposed changes to environmental regulations 

related to nuclear power plant license renewal. 

The meeting, which will take place at the Boston Marriott Newton, at 2345 

Commonwealth Ave. in Newton, is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. It will be preceded by an open 

house scheduled for 5 p.m. at the same location. At the open house, NRC staff will be available 

to answer questions. During the formal meeting, members of the public will have an opportunity 

to comment on the proposed revisions. 

The proposed changes are contained in the Summary of Findings on National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Issues for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants and the 

draft revision of Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) for License Renewal of 

Nuclear Plants, NUREG-1437. The NRC is also publishing for comment a revised Regulatory 

Guide 4.2, Supplement 1, Preparation of Environmental Reports for License Renewal 

Applications, and NUREG-1555, Supplement 1, Standard Review Plans for Environmental 

Reviews for Nuclear Power Plants. 

The proposed rule revisions redefine the number and scope of environmental impact 

issues that must be addressed in a nuclear power plant license renewal review. The Commission 

has stated it intends to review the rule every 10 years and update it as necessary. 

The GEIS assesses the overall scope and impact of environmental effects associated with 

license renewal at any nuclear power plant. Plant-specific supplements to the GEIS are prepared 

for each individual license renewal review. 

Those who wish to speak during the meetings are encouraged to pre-register and anyone 

with questions or special needs should contact Jeffrey Rikhoff, Bo Pham or Jason Lising at 1-

800-368-5642, extensions 1090, 8450 or 3220 respectively, or by e-mail at 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region I 

475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406 

Site: http://www.nrc.gov
LRGEISupdate.Resource@nrc.gov. Meeting transcripts will be posted to NRC’s Web site at 

www.nrc.gov/public-involve/doc-comment.html . 

Comments on the proposed rule, draft revised GEIS and associated documents may be 

submitted over the federal e-Rulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov (Docket I.D. NRC2008-0608); by e-mail to Rulemaking.Comments@nrc.gov; by mail to Secretary, U.S. Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001, ATTN: Rulemakings and 

Adjudications Staff; or by fax to 301-492-3466. Written comments on the draft revised GEIS 

should be sent to: Chief, Rulemaking, Directives and Editing Branch, Division of Administrative 

Services, Office of Administration, Mailstop TWB-05-B01M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001. The deadline for comments is Oct. 14. 

The draft revised GEIS is publicly available at the NRC Public Document Room (PDR), 

located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md. 20852, or from the 

NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) at 

adamswebsearch.nrc.gov/dologin.htm . The number for the draft revised GEIS is 

ML090220654; the draft Regulatory Guide 4.2 Supplement 1, Rev. 1 is ML091620409 and the 

Draft NUREG-1555, Supplement 1, Rev. 1 is ML090230497. 

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