January 24, 2023 NRC Proposing Revision to Generic Environmental Impact Statement for Renewing Reactor Licenses
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: 23-004 January 24, 2023
CONTACT: Scott Burnell, 301-415-8200
NRC Proposing Revision to Generic Environmental Impact Statement for Renewing Reactor Licenses
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has directed the staff to publish a proposed rule that includes an update to the license renewal Generic Environmental Impact Statement the agency uses when considering applications to renew operating reactor licenses.
The proposed rule, to appear in the Federal Register in the near future, responds to a Commission order that concluded the license renewal GEIS did not analyze the environmental impacts of a subsequent license renewal term (from 60 to 80 years of operation). The proposed rule amends the relevant rule language to account for intial license renewal and one term of subsequent license renewal, redefines the number and scope of the environmental issues that must be addressed during the review of each application for license renewal, and updates related guidance to fully address subsequent renewal. Following publication of the proposed rule, the NRC will hold public meetings to gather comments before finalizing the rule and license renewal GEIS for Commission consideration.
The license renewal GEIS covers environmental topics relevant to all nuclear power plant licensees seeking renewed licenses. The revised document accounts for new or revised environmental impacts and applies what the agency has learned during previous license renewals. The revised document also clarifies which specific environmental issues are resolved generically by the license renewal GEIS and which require site-specific review.
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