ML070510526
| ML070510526 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Indian Point, Pilgrim, Crane  |
| Issue date: | 02/22/2007 |
| From: | Annette Vietti-Cook NRC/SECY |
| To: | Rainwater L Consolidated Edison Co of New York, Power Authority of the State of New York |
| Reed T, NRC/NRR/DPR/PFPB, 415-1462 | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML070470181 | List: |
| References | |
| 10 CFR Part 50, 10 CFR Part 72, 10 CFR Part 73, RIN 3150-AG63 | |
| Download: ML070510526 (6) | |
Text
February 22, 2007 Lisa Rainwater, Ph.D.
Indian Point Campaign Director Riverkeeper, Inc.
828 South Broadway Tarrytown, New York 10591
Dear Dr. Rainwater:
I am responding to your request of February 16, 2007, that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) extend by 60 days the public comment period for the proposed power reactor security requirements rulemaking (RIN 3150-AG63). After careful consideration of your request, the NRC is reopening the public comment period on this rulemaking for 30 days to March 26, 2007. Furthermore, to enhance public participation, the NRC is rescheduling the public meeting on this rulemaking for March 9, 2007.
In support of your request, you note that the public meeting scheduled to occur on February 14, 2007, was canceled due to inclement weather and that this public meeting was intended to provide information to the public to help inform their comments on the proposed rulemaking.
You stated that a 60-day extension of the comment period would allow full public participation in the process. Additionally, you noted that the proposed rule and supporting documentation is extensive, and that the request for a 60-day extension is reasonable in light of this extensive documentation.
On October 26, 2006 (71 FR 62664), the NRC published for public comment a proposed rule that would amend its current security regulations and would add new security requirements pertaining to nuclear power reactors. Additionally, this rulemaking includes new proposed security requirements for Category I strategic special nuclear material facilities for access to enhanced weapons and firearms background checks. A 75-day comment period was provided for the proposed rule that expired on January 9, 2007. The comment period for the information collection aspects of the proposed rule expired on November 27, 2006. The comment period for this rulemaking was extended on January 5, 2007 (72 FR 480) to close on February 23, 2007. In the same notice, the comment period for the information collection aspects of the rulemaking was extended to January 11, 2007.
Consistent with the NRCs desire to receive informed comments from external stakeholders on this proposed rulemaking, and recognizing that a public meeting prior to the end of the comment period would support that objective, the comment period for the proposed rulemaking will be reopened for an additional 30 days and will now expire on March 26, 2007. The comment period for the information collection analysis will also be extended to close on this same date. This partial grant of your request recognizes that the power reactor security requirements impact new reactor applications, and it is the NRCs objective to not adversely impact new reactor applications which the NRC expects to be submitted in late 2007. This partial grant also recognizes that the NRC has previously extended the public comment by 45 days, and this additional 30-day extension (which now results in a comment period totaling 150 days) is judged to be reasonable in light of this previous action. A notice of this reopening of the comment period will be published in the Federal Register (enclosed).
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact Mr. Timothy Reed of the NRC at 301-415-1462.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Annette L. Vietti-Cook
Enclosure:
Federal Register Notice:
Power Reactor Security Requirements; Reopening of Public Comment Period cc: Mary Lampert Pilgrim Watch 148 Washington Street Duxbury, Massachusetts 02332 Eric J. Epstein, Chairman Three Mile Island Alert 4100 Hillsdale Road Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17112 Rochelle Becker, Executive Director Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility P.O. Box 1328 San Luis Obispo, California 93406 Jim Warren, Executive Director North Carolina Waste Awareness and Reduction Network P.O. Box 61051 Durham, North Carolina 27715 Paul Gunter, Director Reactor Watchdog Project Nuclear Information and Resource Service 6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 340 Takoma Park, Maryland 20912
[7590-01-P]
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 10 CFR Parts 50, 72, and 73 RIN 3150-AG63 Power Reactor Security Requirements; Reopening of Public Comment Period AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Proposed rule: Reopening of public comment period.
SUMMARY
- On October 26, 2006 (71 FR 62664), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published for public comment a proposed rule that would amend its current security regulations and would add new security requirements pertaining to nuclear power reactors. Additionally, this rulemaking includes new proposed security requirements for Category I strategic special nuclear material (SSNM) facilities for access to enhanced weapons and firearms background checks. A 75 day comment period was provided for the proposed rule that expired on January 9, 2007. The comment period for the information collection aspects of the proposed rule expired on November 27, 2006. The comment period for this rulemaking was extended on January 5, 2007 (72 FR 480) to close on February 23, 2007. In the same notice, the comment period for the information collection aspects of the rulemaking was extended to January 11, 2007.
The comment period for the proposed rule has been reopened and now expires on March 26, 2007. This includes an extension to the comment period on the information collection aspects of the rulemaking to have both comment periods close on the same day.
DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule has been reopened and now expires on March 26, 2007. This applies to all aspects of the rulemaking, both general comments, as well as comments on the information collection aspects of the rulemaking. Comments received
2 after this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the Commission is able to ensure consideration only for comments received before this date.
ADDRESSES: Mail written comments to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001, ATTN: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff.
Hand delivered comments should also be addressed to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and delivered to 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD, between 7:30 am and 4:15 pm Federal workdays.
You may also provide comments via the NRCs interactive rulemaking website:
http://ruleforum.llnl.gov. This site also provides the availability to upload comments as files (any format), if your web browser supports that function. For information about the interactive rulemaking site, contact Ms. Carol Gallagher, (301) 415-5905; e-mail: CAG@nrc.gov.
Certain documents relating to this rulemaking, including comments received may be examined at the NRC Public Document Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Room O1-F21, Rockville, MD. The same documents may also be viewed and downloaded electronically via the rulemaking website: http://ruleforum.llnl.gov. Documents created or received at the NRC after November 1, 1999 are also available electronically at the NRCs Public Electronic Reading room on the Internet at http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/ADAMS/index.html. From this site, the public can gain entry into the NRCs Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image files of NRCs public documents. For more information, contact the NRC Public Document Room Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 202-634-3273 or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov.
3 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Timothy Reed, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone (301) 415-1462; e-mail: TAR@nrc.gov or Mr. Dennis Gordon, Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone (301) 415-6671; e-mail: DXG@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Due to inclement weather, a public meeting scheduled to be held on February 14, 2007 was postponed until March 9, 2007. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the proposed rule with members of the public and thereby provide information to the public to help inform their comments on the proposed rulemaking. Subsequently on February 16, 2007, the NRC received two separate requests for extension of the comment period on the proposed rule from Riverkeeper, Inc., and the New York State Attorney Generals Office. Both requests suggested an extension of the comment period until a date after the public meeting planned for February 14, 2007, was rescheduled. Riverkeeper requested a 60 day extension, while the New York State Attorney Generals Office did not specify a particular date.
In order to enable this dialogue with stakeholders to take place prior to the close of the comment period on this proposed rule, and in response to requests from Riverkeeper and the New York State Attorney General, the comment period for the proposed rulemaking is reopened for an additional 30 days. This action is consistent with the NRCs desire to
4 receive informed comments from external stakeholders on this proposed rulemaking. Note that the NRC is now extending the comment period on the information collection aspects of this rulemaking to close on the same day as the general comment period.
The deadline for comments on any aspect of this proposed rulemaking is extended to March 26, 2007.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd day of February, 2007.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
/RA/
Annette L. Vietti-Cook, Secretary of the Commission.