Should National Environmental Policy Act responsibilities be addressed in legislation?
DOE noted that it will be preparing a final environmental impact statement (EIS) for plutonium disposition (expected in July) that would include a site-specific analysis focusing on Savannah River as the preferred site. DOE stated that the EIS will address decommissioning in general terms. DOE expects that its contractor will use this EIS as the basis for the Environmental Report that it will submit to NRC. NRC’s Office of the General Counsel (OGC) indicated that NRC will have to conduct its own environmental review and determine how to document that review (e.g., by issuing its own EIS or adopting the DOE EIS) based on information available at that time, and the specificity in the DOE EIS regarding NRC’s proposed licensing action. No further legislative clarification is needed.
Related Questions
- Will DOE’s National Environmental Policy Act study (an environmental impact statement [EIS]) address alternative sites, including alternatives to the Meredosia power plant?
- How does SAFETEA-LU effect the environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)?
- Are the requirements in the National Environmental Policy Act applicable to section 319 funds?
