WEDS MARCH 3 – NRC TO CONDUCT ENVIRONMENTAL SCOPING MEETING AS PART OF THE LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION FOR DIABLO CANYON NUCLEAR PLANT

NRC TO CONDUCT ENVIRONMENTAL SCOPING MEETING AS PART OF THE LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION FOR DIABLO CANYON NUCLEAR PLANT

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will conduct two public meetings on Wednesday, Mar. 3, to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on environmental issues the agency should consider in reviewing the license renewal application for the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant.

The meetings, which will be transcribed as well as recorded for local public-access television, will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 333 Madonna Road in San Luis Obispo. The first session will run from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The second session, which will follow the same format as the afternoon meeting, will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. The NRC will also host an “open house” beginning one hour before the start of each meeting to provide interested citizens with an opportunity to talk informally with agency staff. However, comments must be expressed during the transcribed meetings in order to be formally considered by NRC staff.

Both sessions will start with an NRC presentation on the environmental scoping process that is part of the license renewal review. Following the presentations, audience members will have an opportunity to provide comments on environmental issues that the agency should consider in its review of the Diablo Canyon license renewal application.

NRC Project Manager for the environmental review, Andrew Stuyvenberg said, “Public input is a cornerstone of the environmental review process. As an open and transparent agency, the NRC considers it important to seek input from residents around the plant about the environmental issues they consider significant.”

The NRC staff will prepare a summary of its conclusions on significant issues and provide a copy to each person who participated in the “scoping” process and provided contact information. The summary will also be made available on the NRC’s web site through the Public Electronic Reading Room at: www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html and at the San Luis Obispo Public Library and the Paso Robles Public Library. Help in accessing documents through the Reading Room is available by contacting the NRC Public Document Room at 1-800-397-4209 or http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/contact-pdr.html.

Additional information on the license renewal process is available on the NRC’s web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html.

Under NRC regulations, the original operating license for a nuclear power plant has a term of 40 years. The license may be renewed for up to an additional 20 years if NRC requirements are met. The current operating licenses for Diablo Canyon Units 1 and 2 expire on Nov. 2, 2024, and Aug. 26, 2025, respectively. The plant is owned and operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co.

The company’s license renewal application for Diablo Canyon was received by the NRC on Nov. 23, 2009. The Diablo Canyon renewal application is online at:  http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/diablo-canyon.html.

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