June 6, 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, May 29, 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 proposed rule. 

Participants had an opportunity to ask questions and make comments about the NRC’s process 

and activities. 

The meeting began at 1:30 p.m. and concluded at approximately 2:30 p.m. EDT. The NRC staff 

began the meeting with an overview of the mission of the Waste Confidence Directorate, an 

update regarding the availability of additional information from the March 14, 2013, Waste 

Confidence session at the NRC Regulatory Information Conference (RIC), and a brief 

notification of the next opportunity to comment on the draft GEIS and proposed rule. 

The NRC presentation continued with a discussion of the availability of the Commission Review 

Draft documents expected at the end of June. These documents, which are being sent to the 

Commission for review, include the Commission Paper (SECY Paper), the preliminary Federal 

Register Notice regarding the proposed rule, and the preliminary draft GEIS. These documents 

will be made publicly available in the NRC’s Agencywide Document Access and Management 

System (ADAMS); however, they are subject to change by the Commission and are not for 

public comment. The official 75-day public comment period on the Commission-approved draft 

GEIS and proposed rule will begin when they are published in early fall. 

The NRC presentation continued with a reminder about the upcoming draft GEIS public 

meetings and discussion of the process used to determine meeting locations. The first and last 

CONTACT: Sarah Lopas, WCD/CPRB 

 (301) 287-0675 
A. Imboden - 2 - 

 

meetings will be held in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area at NRC Headquarters in 

Rockville, Maryland. These two meetings will be nationally webcast and accessible by 

teleconference for those who cannot attend one of the regional meetings being planned for 

venues in Massachusetts, New York, Colorado, Minnesota, Central California, Southern 

California, Ohio and North Carolina. 

Parties interested in news and updates regarding Waste Confidence activities can send an 

email to WCOutreach@nrc.gov to receive all the latest information. 

There were 70 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. 

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

Waste Confidence activities would be completed within the published schedule; the number and 

location of the draft GEIS public meetings; concern about how the draft GEIS and proposed rule 

can be completed at the same time; the relationship of the National Environmental Policy Act 

and other legislation to the rule; clarification of the schedule for public release of the 

Commission Review Draft documents; notification of a state petition regarding scoping; 

questions about the Scoping Summary Report; background information about the staff of the 

Waste Confidence Directorate; and a question regarding use of information from adjudicatory 

hearings for the draft GEIS. 

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

and Access System (ADAMS) under Accession No. ML13154A436. 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 draft GEIS and 

proposed rule is scheduled for Wednesday, June 19, 2013, at the same time, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. 

EDT, with the same call-in number. Meeting details are also available on the Waste Confidence 

Directorate’s website at http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/index.cfm. 

Enclosure: Meeting Attendees List 

cc: See next page 
A. Imboden - 2 - 

 

meetings will be held in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area at NRC Headquarters in Rockville, 

Maryland. These two meetings will be nationally webcast and accessible by teleconference for those who 

cannot attend one of the regional meetings being planned for venues in Massachusetts, New York, 

Colorado, Minnesota, Central California, Southern California, Ohio and North Carolina. 

Parties interested in news and updates regarding Waste Confidence activities can send an email to 

WCOutreach@nrc.gov to receive all the latest information. 

There were 70 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. 

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

Confidence activities would be completed within the published schedule; the number and location of the 

draft GEIS public meetings; concern about how the draft GEIS and proposed rule can be completed at 

the same time; the relationship of the National Environmental Policy Act and other legislation to the rule; 

clarification of the schedule for public release of the Commission Review Draft documents; notification of 

a state petition regarding scoping; questions about the Scoping Summary Report; background information 

about the staff of the Waste Confidence Directorate; and a question regarding use of information from 

adjudicatory hearings for the draft GEIS. 

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

System (ADAMS) under Accession No. ML13154A436. 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/pub-involve.html. 

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

rule is scheduled for Wednesday, June 19, 2013, at the same time, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. EDT, with the same 

call-in number. Meeting details are also available on the Waste Confidence Directorate’s 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), Miriam Juckett 

(mjuckett@swri.org) 

 

ADAMS Accession No.: ML13158A024 

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

NAME SLopas LLondon(nlo) AImboden 

DATE 06/05/13 06/06/13 06/06/13 

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
 

NRC Teleconference Attendees 

Status of Waste Confidence Draft GEIS and Proposed Rule 

May 29, 2013 1:30 – 2:30 PM EDT

 First Name Last Name Organization 

1 Leslie Allen Balch & Bingham 

2 Dean Baker Tennessee Valley Authority 

3 Jana Bergman Scientech 

4 Jerry Bonanno Nuclear Energy Institute 

5 Andrew Burgess Ameren Missouri 

6 Chris Clements Motto Films 

7 Pamela Cowan Exelon 

8 Barton Cowan Westinghouse 

9 Patrick Dostie State of Maine 

10 Pandora Epps Georgia Public Service Commission 

11 Patrick Gorman Department of Energy 

12 Tim Gregoire American Nuclear Society 

13 Steven Hamrick FL Power and Light 

14 Ace Hoffman Nuke Free North County 

15 Tom Iaccarino Spectrum Environmental Sciences 

16 Lisa Jones Alta 

17 Miriam Juckett Southwest Research Institute 

18 Kevin Kamps Beyond Nuclear 

19 Tom Kauffman Nuclear Energy Institute 

20 Kyle Landis Marinello Vermont Attorney General's Office 

21 Bret Leslie US Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board 

22 Rod McCullum Nuclear Energy Institute 

23 Katrina McMurrian NWSC 

24 Charles Morrison Neal Gross 

25 Richard Orthen Florida Power and Light Company 

26 Brian Paddock Sierra Club 

27 Tony Roisman State of VT 

28 Jonathan Rund Morgan Lewis 

29 Susan Shapiro Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition 

30 Beverly Silverberg Vantage 

31 John Sipos State of New York 

32 Carlos Sisco Winston & Strawn 

33 Andrew Smith Private Citizen 

34 Robert Snook CT Attorney General's Office 

35 James Spearman SC Public Service Commission 

36 Jane Swanson San Luis Obispo Mother's for Peace 

37 Ken Taplett South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Co. 

38 Brittany Theis Whitt Law 

39 Ruth Thomas Environmentalist Inc. 
2

First Name Last Name Organization 

40 Sharon Thomas Department of Energy 

41 Tom Tramm Certrec 

42 Judy Treichel NV Nuclear Waste Taskforce 

43 Joan Walter CA Energy Commission 

45 Michael Wegner The Kansas Corporation Commission 

46 David Weisman Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility 

47 Konnie Wescott Argonne National Lab 

48 Heather Westra Prairie Island Indian Community 

49 Robert Wylie Duke Energy 

50 Ron Zak NJ Department of Environmental Protection 

51 Louis Zeller Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League 

52 Tison Campbell NRC/OGC 

53 Margaret Cervera NRC/NSIR 

54 Russell Chazell NRC/NRO 

55 Sheldon Clark NRC/OGC 

56 Andy Imboden NRC/NMSS 

57 Andrea Kock NRC/COMM 

58 Lisa London NRC/OGC 

59 Sarah Lopas NRC/NMSS 

60 Timothy McCartin NRC/NMSS 

61 Keith McConnell NRC/NMSS 

62 David McIntyre NRC/OPA 

63 Paul Michalak NRC/NMSS 

64 Christine Pineda NRC/NMSS 

65 TR Rowe NRC/NMSS 

66 Carrie Safford NRC/NMSS 

67 Neil Sheehan NRC/RI 

68 Michael Waters NRC/COMM 

69 Jenny Weil NRC/OCA 

70 Susan Wittick NRC/NMSS