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This rulemaking would amend the NRC’s regulations that govern the agency's National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews. The rulemaking would codify the findings of the Advanced Nuclear Reactor Generic Environmental Impact Statement (ANR GEIS). The ANR GEIS would use a technology-neutral regulatory framework and performance-based assumptions to determine generic environmental impacts for new commercial advanced nuclear reactors. The ANR GEIS would streamline the NEPA reviews for future advanced reactor applicants.

Statement of Need:

The NRC is developing a GEIS for advanced nuclear reactors in order to streamline the environmental review process for future advanced nuclear reactor (ANR) environmental reviews. The purpose of an ANR GEIS is to determine which environmental impacts could result in essentially the same (generic) impact for different ANR designs that fit within the parameters set in the GEIS, and which environmental impacts would require a plant-specific analysis. Environmental reviews for advanced nuclear reactor license applications could incorporate the ANR GEIS by reference and provide site-specific information and analyses in a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), thereby streamlining the environmental review process. 

Summary of the Legal Basis:

42 U.S.C. 4332, 4334, 4335

Alternatives:

As an alternative to the rulemaking, the NRC staff considered the "no-action" alternative. Under this alternative the NRC would not modify 10 CFR part 51 to codify the results of the ANR GEIS. This alternative would not provide the benefits of streamlining the environmental review process. Therefore, rulemaking is the preferred alternative.

Anticipated Costs and Benefits:

The anticipated benefits would exceed the costs associated with the proposed regulatory action. The supporting regulatory analysis will provide a detailed analysis of the costs and benefits associated with this action.

Risks:

None.