The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Friday asked states and Indian tribes to weigh in with their thoughts on best practices and operations for organizations intended to provide local guidance for decommissioning of nearby nuclear power plants.
That input would be incorporated into an agency report on the topic that was mandated in the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act from Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), which President Donald Trump signed into law in January. The report is due by next June. It will address matters including topics that could be considered by a community advisory board, how decommissioning stakeholders might use input from the local board, and how the board could be a means for public input throughout a site’s decommissioning.
The NRC since August has held a series of meetings in communities near nuclear plants that have closed or are due for retirement in coming years. The final meeting is scheduled for Thursday in Crystal River, Fla., home to the same-named facility that Duke Energy closed in 2009.
Public comments are being taken through Nov. 15, Paul Michalak, chief of the NRC’s State Agreement and Liaison Programs Division, wrote in a letter addressed to all agreement and nonagreement states, state liaison officers, and federally recognized Indian tribes. Comments can be submitted via the website regulations.gov, Docket ID NRC-2019-0073; or by mail, to the Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff.
