The NRC staff recently made public plans to move ahead with early preparations for an Environmental Impact Statement for Waste Control Specialists’ interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel. The staff took the position that starting this review early would benefit the purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act by providing additional time for analysis and stakeholder involvement. Although not explicitly noted, this move likely reflects the importance of and strong public interest in the facility, given that Waste Control Specialists’ application for the interim storage facility has not yet completed its “acceptance review,” a process which usually precedes any significant environmental review efforts by the agency.
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