NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC SCOPING MEETINGS FOR WASTE CONFIDENCE 

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY NOV. 14 IN ROCKVILLE, MD

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Waste Confidence Directorate will hold two 

public meetings Nov. 14 at agency headquarters in Rockville, Md., to discuss the scope of the 

agency’s review of the environmental impacts of extended interim storage of spent nuclear fuel, 

including impacts associated with never building a permanent spent fuel repository and risks 

from spent fuel pool leaks and fires.

The public scoping meetings are the initial step in developing an environmental impact 

statement (EIS) to support a revised “waste confidence” decision and rule. The agency’s plan for 

public outreach to solicit comments on the scope of the EIS includes the Nov. 14 meetings and 

webinars on Dec. 5 and 6.

The waste confidence EIS and rulemaking stem from a June 8 ruling by the U.S. Court of 

Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit striking down the NRC’s 2010 waste confidence 

decision and rule. On Aug. 7, the Commission said NRC will not issue licenses dependent on the

waste confidence rule – such as new reactors and early site permits, renewal of existing reactor 

operating licenses, and renewal of certain spent fuel storage facility licenses – until the Court’s 

remand is appropriately addressed. On Sept. 6, the Commission directed the staff to develop the 

environmental study and the revised rule within 24 months.

To facilitate public outreach, the Waste Confidence Directorate has established its own 

page on the NRC website. This page will be updated regularly with new public documents and 

information regarding the waste confidence EIS and rule. NRC’s Office of Public Affairs will 

also provide updates on the waste confidence project through social media.

“In order to meet our 24-month deadline for this important project, we will work

diligently to ensure the public is fully informed and has a chance to provide feedback,” said 

Keith I. McConnell, director of the Waste Confidence Directorate in the NRC’s Office of 

Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. “We are committed to giving the public meaningful 

opportunities to participate in this process.”

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. 12-119 October 24, 2012
The Nov. 14 meetings will take place in the Commission Hearing Room in the One 

White Flint North building of NRC headquarters, at 11555 Rockville Pike. The first will be held 

from 1-4 p.m., and will be webcast with a moderated teleconference line to accommodate 

interested members of the public unable to attend in person. The second meeting will be held 

from 9 p.m. to midnight (6-9 p.m. Pacific Time) to accommodate people in other time zones. The 

evening meeting will be by webcast and moderated teleconference only (with no members of the 

public in attendance in Rockville), and will cover the same material as the earlier meeting. The 

meetings will be transcribed and the webcasts archived on the NRC website.

In addition to the public meetings, the NRC staff will conduct webinars on Dec. 5 from 1-

4 p.m. and Dec. 6 from 9 p.m. to midnight (both Eastern Time), to explain the staff’s progress in 

developing the scope of the EIS and to accept public comments.

More information about the scoping process, public meetings and webinars will be 

included in a Federal Register notice to be published tomorrow and subsequent updates to the 

waste confidence Web page.

Public comments on the scope of the environmental review will be accepted through 

Jan. 2. Comments may be submitted through the federal government’s rulemaking website, 

www.regulations.gov, using Docket ID NRC-2012-0246; by mail to Cindy Bladey, Chief, Rules, 

Announcements, and Directives Branch (RADB), Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWB-05-

B01M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; or fax to 301-492-

3446.

###

NOTE: Anyone wishing to take photos or use a camera to record any portion of a NRC meeting should 

contact the Office of Public Affairs beforehand.

News releases are available through a free Listserv subscription or by clicking on the EMAIL UPDATES 

link on the NRC homepage (www.nrc.gov). E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are 

posted to NRC's website. For the latest news, follow the NRC on www.twitter.com/NRCgov.