March 1, 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 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

 AND RULEMAKING 

On Wednesday, February 20, 2013, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) held a 

Category 3 Monthly Status Update Teleconference at the NRC Headquarters in Rockville, 

Maryland. This was the second teleconference in a series of monthly status teleconferences 

planned by the NRC to discuss the Waste Confidence rulemaking. 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 draft generic environmental impact 

statement (GEIS) that will support the revised Waste Confidence rule; and to engage 

participants through questions about the NRC’s process and activities. 

The teleconference began at 1:30 p.m. and concluded at 2:30 p.m. EST and was assisted by an 

operator who captured the name and organization of each participant, and moderated the 

individual phone lines. The NRC initiated the teleconference by reiterating its mission, noting 

the planned issuance of the scoping summary report in early March, announcing a Waste 

Confidence presentation at the upcoming 2013 Regulatory Information Conference, and 

providing a brief status of the draft GEIS development. The NRC staff concluded their 

presentation with a discussion of future public participation opportunities, and then opened the 

teleconference for questions. 

There were 99 participants in the teleconference representing members of the public, tribal and 

state governments, industry, public advocacy groups, and the NRC and its contractors. Of the 

99 participants, 11 asked questions during the teleconference. A list of meeting participants is 

included as an attachment. 

There were a variety of concerns, questions, and issues discussed during the teleconference, 

including: whether scoping comments would summarize important issues that have been 

received by NRC; how non-power reactor license renewals will be affected by the Waste 

CONTACT: Sarah Lopas, WCD/CPRB 

 (301) 492-3425 
A. Imboden 

 - 2 - 

 

Confidence rule; whether the “no repository” scenario would be in the GEIS; the locations, 

format, and number of future public meetings to discuss the draft GEIS; notification that the 

scoping summary report will be available in early March and will address scoping comments 

and clarify the scope of the GEIS; NRC contractor experience with EIS preparation and 

potential conflict of interest; the uranium recovery GEIS; a request to use a visual figure to 

address how the GEIS and the Waste Confidence decision fit into the regulatory process; 

whether any version of the Waste Confidence regulation (10 CFR 51.23) is valid; the 10 CFR 

2.206 request process as it relates to challenging a plant’s licensing basis because the 10 CFR 

51.23 rule is no longer valid; timeframe for public comment on the GEIS; references the NRC is 

using for developing the draft GEIS and accessibility of the documents; bounding analysis; a 

discussion of risk as it relates to probability and consequence; site-specific analysis; and the 

adjudication process. 

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

and Access System (ADAMS) under Accession No. ML13058A096. 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-

397-4737, or via email at pdr@nrc.gov. For convenience, the transcript is also available on the 

Waste Confidence Directorate’s website at http://www.nrc.gov/waste/spent-fuelstorage/wcd/pub-involve.html. 

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

Rulemaking is scheduled for Wednesday, March 20, 2013. Meeting details are available at 

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/index.cfm. 

Enclosure: Meeting Attendee List 

cc: See next page 
A. Imboden 

 - 2 - 

 

Confidence rule; whether the “no repository” scenario would be in the GEIS; the locations, 

format, and number of future public meetings to discuss the draft GEIS; notification that the 

scoping summary report will be available in early March and will address scoping comments 

and clarify the scope of the GEIS; NRC contractor experience with EIS preparation and 

potential conflict of interest; the uranium recovery GEIS; a request to use a visual figure to 

address how the GEIS and the Waste Confidence decision fit into the regulatory process; 

whether any version of the Waste Confidence regulation (10 CFR 51.23) is valid; the 10 CFR 

2.206 request process as it relates to challenging a plant’s licensing basis because the 10 CFR 

51.23 rule is no longer valid; timeframe for public comment on the GEIS; references the NRC is 

using for developing the draft GEIS and accessibility of the documents; bounding analysis; a 

discussion of risk as it relates to probability and consequence; site-specific analysis; and the 

adjudication process. 

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

and Access System (ADAMS) under Accession No. ML13058A096. 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-

397-4737, or via email at pdr@nrc.gov. For convenience, the transcript is also available on the 

Waste Confidence Directorate’s website at http://www.nrc.gov/waste/spent-fuelstorage/wcd/pub-involve.html. 

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

Rulemaking is scheduled for Wednesday, March 20, 2013. Meeting details are available at 

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/index.cfm. 

Enclosure: Meeting Attendee List 

cc: See next page 

DISTRIBUTION:

PUBLIC 

NMSS_WCD_Distribution 

TCampbell, OGC 

LLondon, OGC 

EHouseman, OGC 

ASzabo, OGC 

AGendelman, OGC 

Miriam Juckett (Mjuckett@swri.org) 

Rob Pauline (rpauline@swri.org) 

ADAMS Accession No.: ML13060A105 

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

NAME SLopas LLondon for TCampbell (nlo) AImboden 

DATE 03/01/13 03/01/13 03/01/13 

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
 

NRC Teleconference Attendees 

Status of Waste Confidence EIS and Rulemaking 

Wednesday, February 20, 2013 1:30 - 2:30 PM EST 

 First Name Last Name Organization 

1 John Angil VT Emergency Management & Homeland Security 

2 Jane Beetem Missouri Department of Natural Resources 

3 Jerry Bonanno Nuclear Energy Institute 

4 William Boyle Department of Energy 

5 Michael Brandon DTE Energy 

6 Daniel Breig Congressman Nunes Office 

7 Matthew Brock Commonwealth of Massachusetts 

8 Andrew Burgess Ameren Missouri 

9 Michael Callahan Governmental Strategies, Inc. 

10 Chip Cameron Private Citizen 

11 Christopher Charles Nuclear Energy Institute 

12 Tom Clements Friends of the Earth 

13 Leslie Collins Westinghouse Electric Company 

14 Pam Cowan Exelon Corporation 

15 Dan Cronin University of Florida 

16 Diane Curran Harman Curran 

17 Tom Daley South Texas Project 

18 Diane D'Arrigo Nuclear Information and Resource Service 

19 Pat Dostie State of Maine 

20 Ellen Ginsberg Nuclear Energy Institute 

21 Carlyn Greene UX Consulting 

22 Michael Griffen Maryland Department of Environment 

23 Tim Hall South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company 

24 Steven Hamrick Florida Power & Light Company 

25 Many Hancock Southern Alliance for Clean Energy 

26 Christopher Hanson Department of Energy 

27 Tony Harris Stars Alliance 

28 William Hayden Environmental Protection Agency 

29 Ace Hoffman Nuke Free North County 

30 Annie Honrath Vermont Attorney General's Office 

31 Eric Howes Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company 

32 Thomas Iaccarino Spectrum Environmental Sciences 

33 Chad Jackson Neil Gross & Company 

34 Janet Jadlowski Private Citizens 

35 Lisa Janair Council of State Government 

36 Miriam Juckett Southwest Research Institute 

37 Jeff Keenan Public Service Electric and Gas Company 
2

First Name Last Name Organization 

38 Beverly Kerr Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League 

39 John Kessler Electric Power Research Institute 

40 Sean Kice Tennessee Emergency Management Agency 

41 Phil Klevorick Clark County Nuclear Waste Division 

42 Lingard Knutson Environmental Protection Agency 

43 Vic Macks Michigan Stop Nuclear Bombs Campaign 

44 Phil Mahowald Prairie Island Indian Community 

45 Rod McCullum Nuclear Energy Institute 

46 Michael Meyer Turner Environmental Law Clinic 

47 Robert Pauline Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses 

48 Richard Pinney State of New Jersey 

49 Oleg Povetko Environmental Protection Agency 

50 Brad Ramsay National Assoc. of Regulatory Utility Commissioners 

51 David Robillard Public Service Electric and Gas Company 

52 Anthony Roisman Private Citizen 

53 Susan Shapiro IPSEC 

54 Margaret Sheehan Pilgrim Coalition 

55 Beverly Silverberg Private Citizen 

56 John Sipos State of New York 

57 Carlos Sisco Winston & Strawn 

58 Andrew Smith Private Citizen 

59 David Snellings Arkansas Department of Health 

60 Robert Snook Connecticut Attorney General Office 

61 Steven Sondheim The Sierra Club 

62 Laura Sorensen Safe Carolinas 

63 Ken Taplett South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company 

64 Craig Tepper Seminole Tribe of Florida 

65 Brittany Theis Whitt Law 

66 Ruth Thomas Environmentalist Inc. 

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

68 Alex Thrower The Nuclear Infrastructure Council 

69 Tom Tramm Certrec 

70 Judy Treichel Nevada Nuclear Waste Task Force 

71 Tony Turner West Virginia Department of Health & Human Services 

72 Heath Waldrop Electric Power Research Institute 

73 Barbara Warren Citizens Environmental Coalition 

74 Michael Wegner Kansas Corp of Emission 

75 Randal Westmoreland DTE Energy 

76 Heather Westra Prairie Island Indian Community 

77 Greg White Michigan Public Service Commission 

78 Jim Williams Western Interstate Energy Board 

79 Joseph Wojcicki By-Pass International 
3

First Name Last Name Organization 

80 Louis Zeller Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League 

81 Joseph Ziegler Nye County Nevada 

82 Margaret Cervera Nuclear Regulatory Commission/NSIR 

83 Tison Campbell Nuclear Regulatory Commission/OGC 

84 Russell Chazell Nuclear Regulatory Commission/NRO 

85 Adam Gendelman Nuclear Regulatory Commission/OGC 

86 Merri Horn Nuclear Regulatory Commission/WCD 

87 Andy Imboden Nuclear Regulatory Commission/WCD 

88 Kristen Lipuma Nuclear Regulatory Commission/OIG 

89 Lisa London Nuclear Regulatory Commission/OGC 

90 Sarah Lopas Nuclear Regulatory Commission/WCD 

91 Timothy McCartin Nuclear Regulatory Commission/WCD 

92 Keith McConnell Nuclear Regulatory Commission/WCD 

93 Paul Michalak Nuclear Regulatory Commission/WCD 

94 Alicia Mullins Nuclear Regulatory Commission/WCD 

95 TR Rowe Nuclear Regulatory Commission/WCD 

96 Carrie Safford Nuclear Regulatory Commission/WCD 

97 Neil Sheehan Nuclear Regulatory Commission/WCD 

98 Andrew Stuyvenberg Nuclear Regulatory Commission/WCD 

99 Susan Wittick Nuclear Regulatory Commission/WCD