NRC SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT FOR

SEABROOK NUCLEAR PLANT LICENSE RENEWAL; MEETING SEPT. 15th

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff is seeking public comments at two meetings on 

Thursday, Sept. 15, regarding its preliminary conclusion that there are no environmental impacts that 

would preclude a 20-year extension of the operating license for the Seabrook Station in Seabrook, 

N.H.

The meetings will be held at One Liberty Lane Conference Center, at 1 Liberty Lane East in 

Hampton, N.H. The first meeting is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. and the second identical session 

is planned for the same location at 7 p.m. The two 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 1 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.

As part of Seabrook’s license renewal application, dated May 25, 2010, NextEra Energy 

Seabrook, LLC. , submitted an environmental report. The NRC staff reviewed the report and 

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

scoping process, including comments offered at public meetings held on Aug. 19, 2010. The staff

drafted a supplemental environmental impact statement (EIS) that will form the basis for 

discussions at the meetings. The Seabrook 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 at the NRC website. The 

accession number of the draft supplement is ML11213A080. In addition, the draft supplement to the 

generic EIS is available for public inspection at the following locations: Seabrook Library 25 

Liberty La. in Seabrook, and at Amesbury Public Library, located at 149 Main St. in Amesbury, 

Mass.

NRC staff will consider written comments on the draft EIS until Oct. 26. Comments should 

be submitted by mail to Cindy Bladey, Chief, Rules, Announcements, and Directives Branch 

(RADB), Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Mail Stop: 

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: www.nrc.gov

Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov

No. 11-145 August 2, 2011
TWB-05-B01M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Faxed

comments may be sent to RADB at (301) 492-3446. Comments may be submitted electronically 

thorough the Federal rulemaking website, regulations.gov using Docket ID NRC-2010-0206.

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 Seabrook current operating license is set to expire on March 

15, 2030.

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 Seabrook are addressed in

Supplement 46.

A copy of the Seabrook license renewal application is available on the NRC’s website. 

Additional information on the NRC’s license renewal review process is available also on the 

website.

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 recommendation regarding the environmental acceptability for license renewal.

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