April 5, 2013 

MEMORANDUM TO: Andy Imboden, Chief 

Communications, Planning 

 and Rulemaking Branch 

Waste Confidence Directorate 

Office of Nuclear Material Safety 

 and Safeguards 

FROM: Sarah Lopas, NEPA Communications Project Manager /RA/

 Communications, Planning 

 and Rulemaking Branch 

 Waste Confidence Directorate 

 Office of Nuclear Material Safety 

 and Safeguards 

SUBJECT: SUMMARY OF PUBLIC TELECONFERENCE TO DISCUSS STATUS 

 OF WASTE CONFIDENCE GENERIC ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT 

 STATEMENT AND RULEMAKING 

On Wednesday, March 20, 2013, members of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 

staff held a Category 3 public teleconference at the NRC headquarters in Rockville, Maryland. 

The purpose of the teleconference was to maintain an open line of communication with the 

public by providing a status update on NRC staff’s progress in developing the Waste 

Confidence draft generic environmental impact statement (GEIS) and Rule. Participants had an 

opportunity to ask questions about the NRC’s process and activities. 

The meeting began at 1:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) ET and concluded at 2:30 p.m. ET. The NRC 

staff began the meeting with an overview of the NRC mission, a review of the timeline for 

Directorate activities, and a brief synopsis of the March 14, 2013 Waste Confidence session at 

the NRC Regulatory Information Conference. The NRC presentation continued with a 

discussion of the March 5, 2013, Scoping Summary Report, including details about the purpose 

and organization of the Report, a review of key issues, and methods for obtaining the Report. 

The NRC also noted that details regarding regional public meetings for commenting on the draft 

GEIS will be shared during the next status update teleconference on April 17, 2013. The staff 

then opened the teleconference for questions. 

There were 90 participants in the teleconference representing members of the public, tribal and 

state governments, industry, public advocacy and environmental interest groups, and the NRC 

and its contractors. A list of meeting attendees is attached. 

CONTACT: Sarah Lopas, WCD/CPRB 

 (301) 492-3425 
A. Imboden - 2 - 

 

Concerns, questions, and issues discussed during the teleconference included: questions 

related to the applicability of a generic environmental impact statement if there are site-specific 

issues or concerns; how sequestration would affect the progress of the GEIS and rulemaking; a 

question about storing spent nuclear fuel at the Savannah River Site; concerns about the 

probability of a permanent storage site and whether interim storage is being considered; a 

request for details regarding locations for future public meetings; whether Fukushima lessons 

learned and severe accidents are being considered as part of the GEIS; discussion of 

opportunities for local involvement in issues related to nuclear power; and, whether 

transportation of spent fuel is being considered within the GEIS. 

The transcript for this meeting is available in the NRC’s Agencywide Document Management 

and Access System (ADAMS) under Accession No. ML13081A220. Furthermore, the Scoping 

Summary Report, which was discussed during this meeting, can be found under Accession No. 

ML13060A128. The ADAMS Public Electronic Reading Room is accessible at 

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS, or 

who encounter problems in accessing documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC’s 

Public Document Room reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, or via email at 

pdr.resource@nrc.gov. For convenience, the transcript is also available on the Waste 

Confidence Directorate’s website at http://www.nrc.gov/waste/spent-fuel-storage/wcd/pubinvolve.html. 

The next public teleconference to discuss the status of the Waste Confidence GEIS and 

Rulemaking is scheduled for Wednesday, April 17, 2013. The Meeting Notice is available in 

ADAMS under Accession No. ML13087A363. Meeting details are also available on the NRC 

Public Meeting website at http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/index.cfm. 

Enclosure: 

Meeting Attendees List 

cc: See next page 
A. Imboden - 2 - 

 

Concerns, questions, and issues discussed during the teleconference included: questions 

related to the applicability of a generic environmental impact statement if there are site-specific 

issues or concerns; how sequestration would affect the progress of the GEIS and rulemaking; a 

question about storing spent nuclear fuel at the Savannah River Site; concerns about the 

probability of a permanent storage site and whether interim storage is being considered; a 

request for details regarding locations for future public meetings; whether Fukushima lessons 

learned and severe accidents are being considered as part of the GEIS; discussion of 

opportunities for local involvement in issues related to nuclear power; and, whether 

transportation of spent fuel is being considered within the GEIS. 

The transcript for this meeting is available in the NRC’s Agencywide Document Management 

and Access System (ADAMS) under Accession No. ML13081A220. Furthermore, the Scoping 

Summary Report, which was discussed during this meeting, can be found under Accession No. 

ML13060A128. The ADAMS Public Electronic Reading Room is accessible at 

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS, or 

who encounter problems in accessing documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC’s 

Public Document Room reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, or via email at 

pdr.resource@nrc.gov. For convenience, the transcript is also available on the Waste 

Confidence Directorate’s website at http://www.nrc.gov/waste/spent-fuel-storage/wcd/pubinvolve.html. 

The next public teleconference to discuss the status of the Waste Confidence GEIS and 

Rulemaking is scheduled for Wednesday, April 17, 2013. The Meeting Notice is available in 

ADAMS under Accession No. ML13087A363. Meeting details are also available on the NRC 

Public Meeting website at http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/index.cfm. 

Enclosure: 

Meeting Attendees List 

cc: See next page 

DISTRIBUTION:

PUBLIC 

NMSS_WCD_Distribution 

TCampbell, OGC 

LLondon, OGC 

EHouseman, OGC 

Miriam Juckett (mjuckett@swri.org) 

ADAMS Accession No.: ML13095A362 

OFFICE PM: CPRB/WCD/NMSS OGC BC: CPRB/WCD/NMSS 

NAME SLopas TCampbell(nlo) AImboden 

DATE 4/1/2013 4/2/2013 4/2/2013 

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
1

NRC Teleconference Attendees 

Status of Waste Confidence GEIS and Rulemaking 

March 20, 2013 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. ET 

 First Name Last Name Organization 

1 Arden Aldridge South Texas Project 

2 Sara Altherr Pilgrim Coalition 

3 John Angil VT State Department of Public Safety 

4 Dean Baker Tennessee Valley Authority 

5 Jana Bergman Scientech 

6 Jerry Bonanno Nuclear Energy Institute 

7 Rita Bowser Westinghouse 

8 Dan Breig ASME Congressional Fellow 

9 Robert Bryan Tennessee Valley Authority 

10 Genevieve Byrne Eco Law 

11 Christopher Charles Nuclear Energy Institute 

12 James Cordes Court Reporter 

13 Barton Cowan Westinghouse 

14 June Cowles Town of Apex NC 

15 Kristine Cunningham Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League/BEST 

16 Diane Curran Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg 

17 Tom Daley Southern TX Nuclear Project Operating Company 

18 Diane D'Arrigo Nuclear Information and Resource Service 

19 Patrick Dostie The State of Maine 

20 Robert Dye EPA Region 7 

21 Terrie Englehart Wisconsin Emergency Management 

22 David Fitzgerald GDF Suez 

23 Ellen Ginsberg Nuclear Energy Institute 

24 Peter Glass Xcel Energy 

25 Christopher Hanson US Dept of Energy 

26 Johanna Hariharan Morgan Lewis & Bockius 

27 Elaine Hiruo Platts 

28 Ace Hoffman North County San Diego 

29 Stewart Horn Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League/BEST 

30 Eric Howes Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company 

31 Thomas Iaccarino Spectrum Environmental 

32 Rich Janati PA Department of Environmental Protection 

33 Mel Jenkins Environmental Defense 

34 Janet Jodlowski Independent 

35 Lisa Jones Alta 

36 Miriam Juckett Southwest Research Institute 
2

First Name Last Name Organization

37 Julius Kerr Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League 

38 Phil Klevorick Clark County, NV, Nuclear Waste Division 

39 Lingard Knutson US Environmental Protection Agency 

40 Kyle Landis-Marinello VT Attorney General's Office 

41 Marvin Lewis Self Employed 

42 Bob Lincoln Private Party 

43 Vic Macks MI Stop the Nuclear Bombs Campaign 

44 Ramona McConney EPA Region 4 

45 Rod McCullum Nuclear Energy Institute 

46 Alfred Meyer Physicians for Social Responsibility 

47 Steve Nesbit Duke Energy 

48 Kenneth Okin Indian Point Safe Coalition 

49 Christian O'Rourke Union of Concerned Scientists 

50 Michael Ortiz NM Environment Department, Radiation Control 

51 William Richardson SC Private Citizen 

52 Tom Rielly Vista 360 

53 David Robillard PSEG 

54 Millie Ronnlund Balch and Bingham LLP 

55 Richard Rothstein Town of Plymouth, MA 

56 Judith Schuerman LA Department of Environmental Quality 

57 Larry Shepard US Environmental Protection Agency 

58 Beverly Silverberg Silverberg Communications 

59 John Sipos State of New York 

60 David Snellings AR Department of Health 

61 Steven Sondheim Sierra Club 

62 Jane Swanson San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace 

63 Ellen Thomas Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom 

64 Tom Tramm Certrec 

65 Judy Treichel NV Nuclear Waste Task Force 

66 Michael Wegner KS Corporation Commission 

67 Mike Welling VA Department of Health 

68 Randall Westmoreland DTE Energy 

69 Dale Wuokko Toshiba 

70 Tetsuji Yamamoto Morgan Lewis and Bockius LLP 

71 Ron Zak NJ Dept of Enviroprotection, Bureau of Nuclear Engr. 

72 Louis Zeller Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League 

73 Tison Campbell NRC/OGC 

74 Russell Chazell NRC/NRO 

75 Cathy Haney NRC/NMSS 

76 Merri Horn NRC/WCD 
3

First Name Last Name Organization

77 Esther Houseman NRC/OGC 

78 Andy Imboden NRC/WCD 

79 Lisa London NRC/OGC 

80 Sarah Lopas NRC/WCD 

81 Timothy McCartin NRC/WCD 

82 Keith McConnell NRC/WCD 

83 David McIntyre NRC/OPA 

84 Paul Michalak NRC/WCD 

85 Alicia Mullins NRC/WCD 

86 Monica Orendi NRC Region 1 

87 TR Rowe NRC/WCD 

88 Carrie Safford NRC/WCD 

89 Andrew Stuyvenberg NRC/WCD 

90 Susan Wittick NRC/WCD