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UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 |
March 24, 1995 I
Carol Browner, Chair
Environmental JusticeInteragency
Working Group
^•Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20451
Dear Ms. Browner:
The enclosed Environmental Justice Strategy is provided by the Nuclear
Mission (HRC) in accordance with the Presid nt'I Execute Order
•ederal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority
-Income P°Pulations." Also enclosed Is a description of
ojects wnere NRC is addressing environmental justice.
If you have any questions, I can be reached at (301) 415-1713. "
Sincerely,
Hugh L. Thompso
Environmental J
Working Group
Enclosures:
As stated
C Member
teragency
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U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE STRATEGY
MARCH 1995
Introduction:
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NRC Is not a "land management" agency, I.e
2
In this regard, the NRC is committed to giving careful consideration to the
Background:
.
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of « stlna
of environmental laws,
1 ATTACHMENT 1
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Principles of Environmental Justice Implementation: i
The goal of the NRC's Environmental Justice Implementation Strategy is to
integrate environmental justice into the conduct of all pertinent activities
at the agency primarily in the NRC's fulfillment of its NEPA responsibilities
The Strategy contains five principles of implementation. The first three
principles are institutional in nature and serve as the foundation for the
II24S P"nc Ples wh^ch are operational in nature, i.e., they address
specific activities. The principles emulate the "Principles of Good
Regulation" which have been part of NRC policy for several years.
Integration of Environmental Justice Into NRC's MEPA Activities
NRC is committed to integrating environmental justice Into NRC's
NEPA activities. Greater emphasis will be placed 1n discussing
Impacts on minority and low-income populations when preparing
agency NEPA documents such as Environmental Impact Statements
(EIS), supplemental EISs, and where appropriate, Environmental
Assessments.
Continue senior management involvement !
The NRC Environmental Justice Group, whose members are senior
agency officials, will continue to provide guidance in this area
An Environmental Justice Coordinator has been appointed to ensure
appropriate policy information flow among the different entities
within the NRC, as well as with outside interested members of the
public.
i
Openness and Clarity i
Nuclear regulation is the public's business, and must be
transacted publicly and candidly. Agency positions should be
readily understood and easily applied/ This is of particular
import when dealing with environmental justice issues.
Seeking and Welcoming Public Participation i
The NRC maintains regular communication with a broad spectrum of
entities, such as the States, Indian Tribes, members of the public
and other Federal agencies. Outreach programs such as the
Enhanced Participatory Rulemaking, open meeting policy, and
scheduled meetings with Agreement States are being Implemented.
ine NRC management is committed to Improving our outreach efforts
with stakeholders, Including minority and low-income communities,
and welcoming their input.
2 From the agency's "Principles of Good Regulations'
January 17, 1991, announcement #6.
issued in
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Continue Review and Monitoring of Title VI Activities
The NRC's financial assistance programs under Title VI of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 are limited to funding training and
travel under Section 274 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 as
amended, In connection with States assuming certain regulatory
authority over specified nuclear materials, and the award of
grants for the support of basic and applied scientific research
and for the exchange of scientific Information. 10 CFR Part 4
calls for nondiscrimination with respect to race, color, national
origin and sex in any program or activity receiving Federal
financial assistance from the NRC. NRC Is coimltted to monitoring
this activity. i s
Implementation:
The NRC's statutory offices—the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
which regulates nuclear power plants and research r&actors; the Office
of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards which regulates materials
uses, fuel cycle facilities and waste disposal facilities; and the
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research responsible for rulemakings and
confirmatory research—will assess their existing environmental
activities and integrate environmental justice into these activities as
appropriate.
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SPECIFIC PROJECTS WHERE NRC IS ADDRESSING
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
The staff of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) recently
performed an evaluation of environmental justice in preparing its draft
supplement to the Final Environmental Statement Related to the Operation
of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Units 1 and 2. The environmental justice
review was performed In two phases. In the first phase, the staff
Zr Snr?o^C?2L?C2?0m*c* T*c1il« «* ethn1c Infonntlon -for the Watts
Bar Nuclear (WBN) Plant region and concluded that th« HBN Plant is
located in a predominately non-minority, low-income area. Input to the
staff's evaluation was solicited from the public during the public
comment period. No comments were received on environmental justice.
The staff then considered in the second phase whether the low-income
community near the WBN Plant is expected to experience
disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental
effects and concluded the community would not experience such impacts.
The Environmental Protection Agency did not comment on environmental
justice during its review of the draft supplement. The WBN site review
f pr°viri«9 the NRC.wlth a means to begin assessing the effectiveness
ot its NEPA process in addressing environmental justice issues in its
Pi=rj1n9*JCtJV^1es' *W1«wwHy. the "Environmental Standard Review
Plan for the Environmental Review of Construction Permit Applications
for Nuclear Power Plants," ESRP (NUREG-0550), will include staff review
guidance on evaluation of environmental justice. NRR intends to utilize
workshops and media announcements to solicit input from affected
NR? a"tic1Pates gaining considerable information
?S2nC2Id+?tS an !xtf ?1v? Public scoping process (i.e., workshops, local
town meetings, etc.) in the preparation of environmental impact
?hf nnM?S r *Jaj?r Ilcens1"9 act1ons 1n order to solicit input from
the public on the issues to be reviewed. This scoping process will, to
the maximum extent possible, include specific solicitations from
minority and low-income communities on environmental justice issues
JSli1?!!*11?' ?nviro"mental 1mPact statements are published in draft in
?Sfn DSM -Clt Pub1ic cT"ents PHor to the proposed actions being
taken. Public comment and opportunity for hearing aro solicited via
Federal Register notice.
Louisiana Energy Services (LES) applied to the NRC in January 1991, for
fo,, JSJIn ubUlld * S""1?1?" enr]chment plant in Claiborne Parish,
Louisiana Northern Louisiana, Including Claiborne Parish, Is an
economically depressed area, and the proposed site is near two small
communities popuated almost entirely by African Americans. The Office
of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) issued the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement in November 1993. Since the Executive
ATTACHMENT 2
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Order had not been issued as of that date, there was no discussion of
environmental justice in the Draft EIS, although thore was a discussion
of the socio-economic impacts of the proposed action. The Final
Environmental Impact Statement was issued in August 1994. It contains a
discussion of environmental justice, including a description of the
surrounding neighborhoods, the site selection process and a
consideration of whether there was possible discrimination in the
process, and possible disproportionate Impact. The statement concludes
that there Is no evidence of discrimination, and that there will be no
significant disproportionate impacts on minorities or economically
disadvantaged persons. ]
The Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) is using an enhanced
participatory process for developing radiological criteria for
decommissioning. As part of this process, the NRC conducted a series of
seven workshops from January through May 1993. Workshop participants
represented a broad spectrum of interests Including interests related to
environmental justice.
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