NRC TO SEEK INPUT ON NOV. 17th ON DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTS 

FOR SALEM, HOPE CREEK NUCLEAR PLANT RELICENSING APPLICATIONS 

 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will take public comments Nov. 17 on the Draft 

Environmental Impact Statements prepared as part of the license renewal applications for the Salem 

and Hope Creek nuclear power plants. The reports preliminarily conclude there are no 

environmental impacts that would preclude a 20-year extension of the operating licenses for the 

plants, operated by PSEG and co-located in Hancocks Bridge (Salem County), N.J. 

 At a 1:30 p.m. meeting and subsequent 7 p.m. session at the Salem County Emergency 

Services Building, at 135 Cemetery Road in Woodstown, N.J., the staff will present the results of 

the reviews to date and take comments from the public. Each session will include a one-hour NRC 

“open house” just prior to the meeting starting time to allow interested members of the public a 

chance to talk informally with agency experts about the reports and/or the review process. Formal 

comments must be made during the transcribed public meetings. 

 “A significant amount of NRC time and effort has been devoted to the compilation of these 

reports,” said Brian Holian, Director of the NRC’s Division of License Renewal. “We now look 

forward to giving the public a chance to weigh in on our assessments as we continue with our 

comprehensive review of the Salem and Hope Creek applications.” 

Based on its review, the NRC staff’s Draft Environmental Impact Statements for the Salem 

and Hope Creek plants preliminarily recommend that the Commission determine the adverse 

environmental impacts of license renewal for the facilities are “not so great that preserving the 

option of license renewal for energy planning decision-makers would be unreasonable.” These 

recommendations are based on five factors: 1) the analysis and findings in the NRC Generic 

Environmental Impact Statement used for license renewal reviews; 2) the plant-specific 

environmental reports submitted by PSEG; 3) NRC consultation with other federal, state and local 

agencies; 4) the NRC staff’s own independent review; and 5) the NRC staff’s consideration of 

public comments received during the environmental scoping process. 

 Copies of the Draft Environmental Impact Statements are available on the NRC’s web site 

at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications.html. The reports will also 

be available at the Salem Free Library, at 112 W. Broadway in Salem, N.J. 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region I 

475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406 

E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov 

Site: http://www.nrc.gov

No. I-10-046 

Contact: Diane Screnci 610/337-5330 

 Neil Sheehan 610/337-5331 

November 9, 2010

Email: OPA1.RESOURCE@nrc.gov
 PSEG is seeking license extensions for Salem Units 1 and 2, which are pressurized-water 

reactors, and Hope Creek, which is a boiling-water reactor. The company submitted the applications 

on Aug. 18, 2009. 

 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, provided that NRC 

requirements are met. The current operating licenses for the plants are set to expire as follows: 

Salem 1 – Aug. 13, 2016; Salem 2 – April 18, 2020; and Hope Creek – April 11, 2026. 

 Individuals may pre-register to provide oral comments at the meetings by contacting Leslie 

Perkins, the Project Manager for the NRC environmental review, at 1-800-368-5642, ext. 2375, or 

by e-mail at Leslie.Perkins@NRC.GOV. They may also register in person at the meetings within 15 

minutes of the start of each session. The duration of individual comments may be limited by the 

number of speakers who register. 

 Additional information on the license renewal review process is available at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html.

 

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