October 22, 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 3 PUBLIC MEETING IN DENVER, 

COLORADO, TO RECEIVE COMMENTS ON THE WASTE 

CONFIDENCE DRAFT GENERIC ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT 

STATEMENT AND PROPOSED RULE 

On Thursday, October 3, 2013, members of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 

staff held a Category 3 public meeting at the Crowne Plaza Denver International Airport 

Convention Center in Denver, Colorado. The purpose of the meeting was to provide an 

overview of the Waste Confidence draft generic environmental impact statement (DGEIS) and 

proposed rule, and to accept public comments on the documents. Participants had an 

opportunity to ask questions about the NRC’s environmental review and rulemaking process. 

The NRC conducted an open house beginning at 6:00 p.m. MDT where members of the public 

met informally with NRC staff and asked questions related to the DGEIS and proposed rule. 

The public meeting began at 7:00 p.m. MDT and concluded at 9:15 p.m. MDT. The meeting 

began with an introduction of NRC staff and a review of meeting ground rules, followed by a 

short presentation on the Waste Confidence DGEIS and proposed rule. The majority of the 

meeting was the presentation of comments from members of the public. 

The staff's slide presentation is available in the NRC's Agencywide Document Management and 

Access System (ADAMS) under Accession No. ML13273A339. The transcript for the meeting is 

available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML13282A605. NRC handouts and posters displayed 

during the open house can be accessed at ML13279A003 and ML13279A004, respectively. 

The ADAMS Public Electronic Reading Room is accessible at http://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/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 

CONTACT: Sarah Lopas, WCD/CPRB 

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

reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, or via e-mail at pdr@nrc.gov. For convenience, web links to 

the staff’s presentation materials and the meeting transcript are also available on the Waste 

Confidence Directorate’s website at http://www.nrc.gov/waste/spent-fuel-storage/wcd/pubinvolve.html. 

Approximately 57 people attended the meeting. Meeting participants included members of the 

public, representatives from Colorado and Nevada local governments, local trade unions, the 

Western Interstate Energy Board, students from the Colorado School of Mines, and members of 

industry and public advocacy groups. A list of meeting participants is included as Attachment 1. 

Questions asked following the staff’s presentation included whether the GEIS and rule needed 

to be approved by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals; whether the meeting was being 

videotaped; and how the government shutdown would impact the remaining Waste Confidence 

public meetings. Topics and concerns raised during the public comment portion of the meeting 

included: the NRC's assumptions regarding the timing of repository availability; support for 

continuing the NRC's current halt on licensing and relicensing; support for phasing out nuclear 

power and replacing that generation with renewable energy and energy efficiency; general 

opposition to nuclear power; support for expedited transfer of spent fuel from fuel pools to 

hardened onsite storage (HOSS); opposition to the term “Waste Confidence”; concerns about 

accidents similar to Fukushima; general concerns about the safety of storing spent nuclear fuel; 

critique of the NRC's transportation analysis in the DGEIS; support for a permanent geologic 

repository; successful foreign experience with deep geologic repositories; cumulative impacts of 

the entire nuclear cycle, including impacts from uranium mining; the financial cost of nuclear 

power; critique of the NRC's analysis of risks from terrorism and spent fuel pool fires; and 

support for the timely completion of the Waste Confidence rulemaking. 

Enclosure: Meeting Attendees List 

cc: See next page 
A. Imboden - 2 - 

reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, or via e-mail at pdr@nrc.gov. For convenience, web links to 

the staff’s presentation materials and the meeting transcript are also available on the Waste 

Confidence Directorate’s website at http://www.nrc.gov/waste/spent-fuel-storage/wcd/pubinvolve.html. 

Approximately 57 people attended the meeting. Meeting participants included members of the 

public, representatives from Colorado and Nevada local governments, local trade unions, the 

Western Interstate Energy Board, students from the Colorado School of Mines, and members of 

industry and public advocacy groups. A list of meeting participants is included as Attachment 1. 

Questions asked following the staff’s presentation included whether the GEIS and rule needed 

to be approved by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals; whether the meeting was being 

videotaped; and how the government shutdown would impact the remaining Waste Confidence 

public meetings. Topics and concerns discussed during the public comment portion of the 

meeting included: the NRC's assumptions regarding the timing of repository availability; support 

for continuing the NRC's current halt on licensing and relicensing; support for phasing out 

nuclear power and replacing that generation with renewable energy and energy efficiency; 

general opposition to nuclear power; support for expedited transfer of spent fuel from fuel pools 

to hardened onsite storage (HOSS); opposition to the term “Waste Confidence”; concerns about 

accidents similar to Fukushima; general concerns about the safety of storing spent nuclear fuel; 

critique of the NRC's transportation analysis in the DGEIS; support for a permanent geologic 

repository; successful foreign experience with deep geologic repositories; cumulative impacts of 

the entire nuclear cycle, including impacts from uranium mining; the financial cost of nuclear 

power; critique of the NRC's analysis of risks from terrorism and spent fuel pool fires; and 

support for the timely completion of the Waste Confidence rulemaking. 

Enclosure: Meeting Attendees List 

DISTRIBUTION:

PUBLIC 

NMSS_WCD_Distribution 

TCampbell (OGC) 

LLondon (OGC) 

Miriam Juckett (mjuckett@swri.org) 

 

ADAMS Accession No.: ML13295A427

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

NAME SLopas LLondon(NLO) MHorn for AImboden 

DATE 10/17/13 10/21/13 10/21/13 

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
 Enclosure 

List of Attendees 

Public Meeting to Receive Comments on the 

Waste Confidence DGEIS and Proposed Rule 

Denver, CO - October 3, 2013 - 7:00 – 9:15 PM MDT 

 First Name Last Name Organization 

1 Dave Adams SENES Consultants 

2 Rick Allen United Association 

3 Ghadeer Alquadeeri Colorado School of Mines 

4 Richard Andrews Self 

5 Carl Andrews Pipefitters Local 208 

6 Michael Apted INTERA Incorporated 

7 Tammera Baker Arizona Public Service 

8 Daniel Baker Colorado School of Mines 

9 Bill Bartlett Green Party of Colorado 

10 Russell Benson Colorado School of Mines 

11 Jason Brookman Colorado School of Mines 

12 Thomas Cannon Arizona Public Service 

13 Ryan Collette Colorado School of Mines 

14 Jeff Cotton Pipefitters Local 208 

15 Rebecca English Sierra Club and CO Renewable Energy Society 

16 Daryl Estes Pipefitters Local 208 

17 Savannah Fitzwater Colorado School of Mines 

18 Chris Frankland ConverDyn Corp. 

19 Peter Glass Xcel Energy, Inc. 

20 Michael Green Arizona Public Service 

21 Bern Haggerty Private Citizen 

22 Jay C. Hornel Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center 

23 Janet Johnson Grand Valley Peace & Justice 

24 Bob Kinsey CO Coalition for the Prevention of Nuclear War 

25 Phil Klevorik Clark County, NV 

26 Jim Kumar Pipefitters Local 208 

27 Darrell Liles SENES Consultants 

28 Shawn Martini Consumer Energy Alliance 

29 Richard McAllister Western Interstate Energy Board 

30 James McDonald Pipefitters Local 208 

31 Kandice McKeon CO Building & Construction Trades Council 

32 Mark Miller Pipefitters Local 208 

33 Timothy Moore Colorado School of Mines 

34 Rachel Morneau Colorado School of Mines 

35 Alisa Navrkal 350 Colorado 

36 Jim Neubecker Pipefitters Local 208 

37 Brooke Oleen National Conference of State Legislatures 

38 Jennifer Opela Colorado School of Mines 
2

First Name Last Name Affiliation or Organization 

39 Theann Sandos ConverDyn Corp. 

40 Eamonn Smith Colorado School of Mines 

41 Kelsey Stevenson Colorado School of Mines 

42 Yeen Gard Tam Colorado School of Mines 

43 Jim Williams Western Interstate Energy Board 

44 Clinton Wilson Colorado School of Mines 

45 Chip Cameron Facilitator 

46 Miriam Juckett Southwest Research Institute 

47 John Stamatakos Southwest Research Institute 

48 Scott Burnell NRC 

49 Jennifer Davis NRC 

50 Sarah Lopas NRC 

51 Timothy McCartin NRC 

52 Keith McConnell NRC 

53 Paul Michalak NRC 

54 Sarah Price NRC 

55 TR Rowe NRC 

56 Carrie Safford NRC 

57 Michael Wentzel NRC