November 19, 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 OCTOBER PUBLIC TELECONFERENCE TO 

DISCUSS STATUS OF WASTE CONFIDENCE GENERIC 

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT AND RULEMAKING 

On Wednesday, October 30, 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 (DGEIS) and proposed rule. 

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

The meeting began at 1:30 p.m. and concluded at approximately 2:20 p.m. EDT. The NRC staff 

began with an introduction to the meeting, and then continued with a status of the Waste 

Confidence proceeding. Staff reported that due to the lapse in Federal appropriations and the 

subsequent government shutdown, the comment period on the Waste Confidence DGEIS and 

proposed rule is extended to Friday, December 20, 2013. Furthermore, meetings in California, 

Ohio, Minnesota, and Illinois that were postponed due to the shutdown have been rescheduled. 

New dates for these meetings are: Oak Brook, Illinois, on Tuesday, November 12; Carlsbad, 

California, on Monday, November 18; San Luis Obispo, California, on Wednesday, November 

20; Perrysburg, Ohio, on Monday, December 2; and Minnetonka, Minnesota, on Wednesday, 

December 4. Open house and meeting times remain the same—6:00 p.m. local time for open 

houses and 7:00 p.m. local time to begin the meetings. NRC staff also announced the addition 

of another public meeting on Monday, December 9. This meeting will be a facilitated 

teleconference to accept comments on the documents. 

There were 46 participants in the teleconference, including members of the public, state and 

Federal governments, industry, public advocacy and environmental interest groups, and the 

NRC. A list of meeting attendees is attached. 

CONTACT: Sarah Lopas, WCD/CPRB 

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

Questions and issues discussed during the teleconference primarily concerned the upcoming 

public meetings, including: whether the public meetings would be videotaped; the availability of 

meeting transcripts; pre-registration for the meetings; how the NRC advertises public meetings; 

meeting ending times and whether there would be enough time for everyone to present oral 

comments; locations of the public meetings; and security procedures at the meetings. Other 

questions and concerns included the length of the public comment period, the impact of the 

comment period extension on the overall schedule of the Waste Confidence rulemaking, and 

impacts of natural-gas-fracking-related earthquakes on nuclear power plants. 

The transcript for this meeting is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML13308D072. 

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. A direct link to the transcript is 

also available on the Waste Confidence Directorate’s website at 

http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1330/ML13308D072.pdf. 

Enclosure: Meeting Attendees List 

cc: See next page 
A. Imboden - 2 - 

Questions and issues discussed during the teleconference primarily concerned the upcoming 

public meetings, including: whether the public meetings would be videotaped; the availability of 

meeting transcripts; pre-registration for the meetings; how the NRC advertises public meetings; 

meeting ending times and whether there would be enough time for everyone to present oral 

comments; locations of the public meetings; and security procedures at the meetings. Other 

questions and concerns included the length of the public comment period, the impact of the 

comment period extension on the overall schedule of the Waste Confidence rulemaking, and 

impacts of natural-gas-fracking-related earthquakes on nuclear power plants. 

The transcript for this meeting is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML13308D072. 

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. A direct link to the transcript is 

also available on the Waste Confidence Directorate’s website at 

http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1330/ML13308D072.pdf. 

Enclosure: Meeting Attendees List 

DISTRIBUTION:

PUBLIC 

NMSS_WCD_Distribution 

TCampbell (OGC) 

LLondon (OGC) 

Miriam Juckett (mjuckett@swri.org) 

 

ADAMS Accession No.: ML13323B491

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

NAME SLopas Campbell(NLO) MHorn for AImboden 

DATE 11/19/13 11/19/13 11/19/13 

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
 Enclosure 

NRC Teleconference Attendees 

Status of Waste Confidence DGEIS and Proposed Rule 

October 30, 2013 1:30 – 2:20 PM EDT

 First Name Last Name Organization 

1 Leslie Allen Balch & Bingham 

2 Dean Baker TVA 

3 Jeff Baran US House of Representatives 

4 Jana Bergman Scientech 

5 Mike Carberry Sierra Club 

6 Barton Cowan West Virginia University College of Law 

7 Patrick Gorman Department of Energy 

8 Erica Gray Citizen 

9 Steven Hamrick Nextera 

10 Eric Howes Main Yankee Atomic Power Co 

11 Rich Janati PA DEP 

12 Jay Jones Department of Energy 

13 Carol Kurz NEIS 

14 Kyle Landis-Marinello VT Attorney General Office 

15 Stephanie Lee Court Reporter with Neal Gross 

16 Marvin Lewis Citizen 

17 Kathryn Liberatore NY State 

18 Brandi Lowell Duke Energy 

19 Rod McCullum NEI 

20 Katrina McMurrian Nuclear Waste Strategy Coalition 

21 Michael O'Keefe Certrec Corp 

22 Mary Olson NIRS 

23 Richard Orthen Florida Power & Light Company 

24 Brad Ramsay NARUC 

25 Darani Reddick Winston and Strawn 

26 Myla Reson Citizen 

27 Tom Rielly VISTA360 

28 Tony Roisman Citizen 

29 Dennis Sewell NWSC 

30 John Sipos State of NY 

31 Andrew Smith Andrew Smith 

32 David Snellings AR Department of Health 

33 Gail Snyder Nuclear Energy Information Service 

34 Steven Sondheim Sierra Club 

35 Susan Spear US Senator Gillibrand 

36 Laura Swett Morgan Lewis 

37 Judy Treichel NV Nuclear Waste Taskforce 

38 Jeff Wood US Senate 

39 Ron Zak NJ EPA 
2

First Name Last Name Organization 

40 Louis Zeller Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League 

41 Tison Campbell NRC/WCD 

42 Merri Horn NRC/WCD 

43 Sarah Lopas NRC/WCD 

44 Keith McConnell NRC/WCD 

45 Christine Pineda NRC/WCD 

46 Susan Wittick NRC/WCD