NRC REQUESTS PUBLIC COMMENT ON DRAFT SUPPLEMENT TOENVIRONMEN

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NRC REQUESTS PUBLIC COMMENT ON DRAFT SUPPLEMENT TOENVIRONMENTAL REPORT ON INDIAN POINT LICENSE RENEWALThe Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment on a draft supplement to its final environmental impact statement on the proposed license renewal for the Indian Pointnuclear power plant, Units 2 and 3, in Buchanan, N.Y.The supplement, issued June 26, evaluates data submitted by the plant’s owner, EntergyNuclear Operations Inc., after the NRC issued its final environmental report in December 2010. These data concern the effect of plant operations on fish and other aquatic life in the Hudson River. Indian Point is the site of two pressurized-water reactors. The initial 40-year operatinglicense for Indian Point Unit 2 is set to expire on Sept. 28, 2013, while the initial license forIndian Point Unit 3 runs through Dec. 12, 2015. Entergy is seeking a 20-year license extensionfor each unit. The company submitted an application for the extensions to the NRC on April 23, 2007. (Indian Point Unit 1 ceased operations in 1974.)As part of its review of the application, the NRC staff performed a detailed assessment ofpotential environmental impacts if the plant continues to operate for the extended period. Duringthe course of this assessment, the NRC solicited comments from members of the public, local officials and representatives of state and federal agencies and tribal governments. The final environmental impact statement, totaling more than 2,000 pages, was published on Dec. 3, 2010. The report recommended approval of a license extension for the plant.New information evaluated for the current supplement includes:• Additional details provided by Entergy on the field data units of measure for impingementand entrainment. (Impingement refers to the trapping of fish and other aquatic organismsagainst intake screens by the force of the water being drawn through a cooling water intake structure, while entrainment refers to the drawing of small aquatic organisms through acooling water intake structure into the cooling system of a power plant.)• A new study completed by Entergy and submitted to the New York State Department ofEnvironmental Conservation characterizing the plant’s thermal plume in the Hudson River.NRC NEWSU.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSIONOffice of Public AffairsTelephone: 301/415-8200Washington, D.C. 20555-0001E-mail: opa.resource@nrc.gov Site: www.nrc.govBlog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.govNo. 12-078June 27, 2012
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• New developments concerning the staff’s consultation under the Endangered Species Actwith the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) regarding endangered species.The supplement is currently available through the NRC’s ADAMS online database byentering accession number ML12174A244 in the search window. It will also be posted on theIndian Point license renewal page on the NRC website.Comments will be accepted on the supplement through Aug. 20. They may be submitted on the federal government’s www.regulations.gov website using Docket ID NRC-2008-0672; bymail to Cindy Bladey, Chief, Rules Announcements and Directives Branch (RADB), Office ofAdministration, Mail Stop TWB-05-B01M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington D.C. 20555-0001; or by fax to 301-492-3446.###NOTE: Anyone wishing to take photos or use a camera to record any portion of a NRC meeting should contact the Office of Public Affairs beforehand.News releases are available through a free Listserv subscription or by clicking on the EMAIL UPDATESlink on the NRC homepage (www.nrc.gov). E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's website. For the latest news, follow the NRC on www.twitter.com/NRCgov.