The
NRC staff is already hard at work on an environmental impact statement
to support an update to the Commission’s waste confidence rule, which
evaluates the storage of spent nuclear fuel after the expiration of a
nuclear reactor’s license.
This
project is part of the NRC’s response to last June’s U.S. Appeals Court
ruling striking down the agency’s generic finding that spent fuel can
be stored safely for several decades after a plant’s license expires.
The court held the NRC should have examined the environmental effects of
never having a repository, as well as the effects of spent fuel pool
fires and leaks. The Commission then decided that the agency
would not issue licenses
dependent on waste confidence until the court’s remand is addressed.
As director of the new Waste Confidence Directorate, established to meet the
24-month deadline
the
Commission set for this ambitious and important project, I plan to give
you occasional updates on our progress here on the NRC blog. These
updates will be part of an extensive and innovative public outreach
effort.
,
which has oversight and licensing responsibilities for spent fuel
storage and disposal. But we have drawn our staff from offices
throughout the agency in order to utilize a variety of expertise and
knowledge. I come to the Directorate from the
Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs,
which handles environmental reviews and rulemaking for fuel cycle
facilities, decommissioning and waste. My deputy, Carrie Safford, comes
from our
Office of the General Counsel to provide legal expertise.
We
will oversee two branches, with a total staff of 20 employees. The
Environmental Review Branch includes many talented and experienced
environmental experts with deep knowledge of the National Environmental
Policy Act and its requirements. They will work with contractors from
the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses in San Antonio, Texas,
to develop the environmental impact statement.
Our
Communications Branch will lead our public outreach effort. The NRC is
committed to engaging the public to the maximum extent possible in this
important project, and we will keep you informed every step of the way.
We have already set up a dedicated
Waste Confidence page on
the NRC website (one click from our home page under “Spotlight”), where
you will be able to find documents, meeting notices and transcripts,
and regular updates on our work. You can also reach us directly by email
at
WCOutreach@nrc.gov.
our
“scoping” effort for the environmental review. We want the public’s
suggestions on what we should examine in the environmental impact
statement. To that end, we will hold two public meetings here at NRC
headquarters on Wednesday, November 14 to explain the project and hear
public comments. Both of these meetings will be webcast, with moderated
teleconference lines, so people who cannot come to Rockville can still
participate. The second meeting will be held late in the evening to
accommodate people in other time zones. We will also conduct two
webinars in early December to explain the review process and receive
public comments. Finally, you may comment online through the
government’s rulemaking website –
regulations.gov, under docket number NRC-2012-0246. The comment period ends Wednesday, January 2, 2013.
With our dedicated Waste Confidence Web page, webcasts, webinars, this blog and the NRC’s
Twitter
feed and
YouTube channel,
we intend to keep you informed and engaged as we tackle this important
project. We are confident that we can meet the September 2014 deadline
for the environmental impact statement and waste confidence rule, and we
look forward to working with you, our stakeholders, along the way.
Keith I. McConnell
Director, Waste Confidence Directorate
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
Enjoy this satirical look at the politics of energy by PCI Senior Fellow Richard Heinberg.