NRC SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT 

FOR COOPER NUCLEAR PLANT LICENSE RENEWAL; MEETINGS SCHEDULED 

 

 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff is seeking public comments on its preliminary 

conclusion that there are no environmental impacts that would preclude renewal of the operating 

license for the Cooper Nuclear Station located in Brownville, Neb., about 23 miles south of 

Nebraska City. 

 As part of Cooper’s license renewal application, dated Sept. 30, 2008, Nebraska Public 

Power District submitted an environmental report. The NRC staff reviewed the information and 

performed an on-site review. The staff also considered comments made during the environmental 

scoping process, including comments offered at public meetings held Feb. 25, 2009. 

 The draft supplemental environmental impact statement (EIS) is available for public 

comment until May 5, and will be the subject of two public meetings. The meetings will be held at 

the Auburn City Council Chambers, 1101 J. St., Auburn, Neb., on Wednesday, April 7. The 

meetings are scheduled to begin at 1:30 and 7 p.m. Both meetings will begin with identical 

overviews, including a discussion of the contents of the report, and then be opened for public 

comment. 

 In addition, the NRC staff will host informal discussions one hour prior to each meeting at 

the same facility. NRC staff members will be available to answer questions and provide information 

about the process, but no comments on environmental issues will be accepted during these informal 

sessions. 

 NRC staff will consider written comments on the draft EIS. Comments should be submitted 

either by mail to the Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Mail 

Stop T-6D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, or by e-mail to 

CooperEIS@nrc.gov. 

 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 license for the Cooper plant expires on Jan. 18, 2014. 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 

E-mail: opa.resource@nrc.gov

Site: http://www.nrc.gov

No. 10-031 February 18, 2010
 The possible environmental effects of an additional 20 years of nuclear plant operation are 

described in a generic EIS (NUREG-1437). The NRC issues a site-specific supplement to the 

generic EIS on each plant requesting license renewal; issues specific to Cooper are addressed in 

Supplement 41. 

 The Cooper draft supplement to the generic EIS and other related documents are available 

for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room at NRC headquarters, One White Flint 

North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md.; or electronically through the Agencywide Documents 

Access and Management System through the NRC webpage at 

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html. The accession number of the draft 

supplement is ML100331921. In addition, the draft supplement to the generic EIS is available for 

public inspection at the following location: Auburn Memorial Library, 1810 Court House Ave., in 

Auburn, Neb. 

 

 A copy of the Cooper license renewal application will be available on the NRC’s Web site 

at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/cooper.html. Additional 

information on the NRC’s license renewal review process is available at: 

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

 At the conclusion of the public comment period, the NRC staff will consider and address the 

comments received and issue a final supplement to the generic EIS. That supplement will contain a 

final conclusion regarding the environmental impact of proposed relicensing of the Cooper Nuclear 

Station. 

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