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The
NRC’s public comment period on the scope of an environmental impact
statement for the waste confidence decision and rule ends January 2. The
waste confidence decision and
rule is related to the safety of spent fuel storage. So far, we have
received more than 400 wide-ranging comments and suggestions on issues
we should cover in this important document. Several more are anticipated
before the deadline.
In
addition to the hundreds of thoughtful comments on the scope of the
environmental impact statement, we received much criticism on the
scoping process itself, in particular with regard to the length of the
scoping period, the January 2 deadline, how the
notice
was phrased, and whether the NRC was in compliance with its
regulations. These concerns have been reviewed and considered by the NRC
staff and the Commission. NRC Chairman Allison Macfarlane also
responded in a letter earlier this month to some of the overarching concerns that have been raised.
The
Commission maintained the original 70-day formal comment period, as it
provides in its judgment sufficient time for the public to develop
thoughtful comments. This period is also consistent with, or longer
than, most other comment periods for other NRC actions. The scoping
notice was published on October 25, 2012, and the NRC has held four
public meetings to date.
The
NRC will take into consideration all of the comments received and
develop a draft environmental impact statement and proposed rule by
August 2013. The public will also have an opportunity to comment on
these documents. We plan to hold a number of regional public meetings
across the U.S. after their issuance.
For
more information about the NRC’s ongoing efforts to develop a generic
environmental impact statement to support a revised Waste Confidence
Decision and Rule, please visit the NRC’s
website. While there, you can also sign up for automatic updates.
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