NRC issues draft EIS for James A. FitzPatrick license renewal application

NRC issues draft EIS for James A. FitzPatrick license renewal application

Washington -- NRC staff will accept public comments on Wednesday, Aug. 1 on a draft report that assesses the environmental impacts of extending the operating license of the James A. FitzPatrick nuclear power plant in Scriba, N.Y. In August 2006, Entergy Nuclear Northeast, which operates the single-reactor plant, submitted an application to renew the license for an additional 20 years.
There will be two meetings on Aug. 1 at which comments will be taken. One session will begin at 1:30 p.m. and another at 7 p.m. Both meetings are planned for the Scriba Municipal Building, at 42 Creamery Road in Scriba. NRC staff will be available for an hour prior to the start of each meeting for informal discussions of the report.
The draft report, known as the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, was issued on June 8.
As part of its license renewal application, the company submitted an environmental report. The NRC staff reviewed the report and performed an on-site audit. The staff also considered comments made during what’s known as the environmental scoping process, including comments offered at public meetings held on Oct. 12, 2006 in Scriba.
Based on its review, the NRC staff has preliminarily recommended that the Commission determine the adverse environmental impacts of license renewal for the FitzPatrick plant is not so great that preserving the option of license renewal for energy planning decision-makers would be unreasonable. This recommendation is based on the analysis and findings in the agency’s Generic Environmental Impact Statement on license renewal; the environmental report submitted by Entergy; consultation with federal, state and local agencies; the NRC staff’s own independent review; and the NRC staff’s consideration of public comments.