The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is accepting comments from the public through Jan. 13 on the scope of an add-on to its environmental impact statement (EIS) for SHINE Medical Technologies’ isotope production plant in Janesville, Wis.
The agency issued the original document in October 2015 for SHINE’s application for a construction permit for its facility, which it approved in February 2016. The NRC is now conducting a full technical review of the company’s July application for a 30-year operations license for the plant.
The supplement to the EIS “will update the prior environmental review,” the NRC said in a Nov. 27 Federal Register notice. “The supplement will only cover matters that differ from or reflect significant new information concerning matters discussed” in the original document.
A scoping process will precede preparation of a draft supplement for public review. Scoping, according to the Federal Register notice, will encompass matters including: the definition of the proposed action; key matters to be evaluated and issues that do not require assessment; determining if other environmental impact statements or assessments are being prepared separate from the supplement; and identifying potential partner agencies. Participants in the process can include SHINE; relevant federal agencies; impacted state, local, and tribal entities; and individuals who request to be involved.
SHINE is building a 43,000-square-foot facility to house production of medical isotopes including molybdenum-99. That isotope decays into technetium-99m, which annually is employed in 40 million medical procedures, including diagnosing cancers. Management aims to complete construction and begin production in 2021, assuming approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Agency staff will conduct a meeting on Dec. 12 in Janesville to receive public input on environmental issues related to the project, the NRC said in a Monday press release. The event will begin with an open house at 5 p.m. at the Celtic House at Glen Erin Golf Club, 1417 West Airport Road, followed by staff presentations and public comments from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Comments on the EIS supplement can also be submitted via regulations.gov, Docket ID NRC 2019-0173; or by mail to Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff.
