Revisions to Environmental Review for Renewal of Nuclear Power Plant Operating Licenses

Samenvatting

On July 31, 2009, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published a proposed rule for public comment that would amend its environmental protection regulations by updating the NRC's 1996 findings on the environmental impacts related to the renewal of operating licenses for nuclear power plants. The NRC stated that it intends to review the assessment of impacts and update it on a 10-year cycle, if necessary. The proposed rule redefines the number and scope of the environmental impact issues that must be addressed by the NRC in conjunction with the review of applications for nuclear power facility license renewal. As part of this 10-year update, the NRC revised the 1996 Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants. Concurrent with the amendments described in this proposed rule, the NRC published for comment the revised GEIS and a revised Environmental Standard Review Plan (ESRP), Standard Review Plans for Environmental Reviews for Nuclear Power Plants, Supplement 1: Operating License Renewal, (74 FR 38239), and a revised Regulatory Guide (RG) 4.2, Supplement 1 Preparation of Environmental Reports for Nuclear Power Plant License Renewal Applicat