JULY 29, 2022 – The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has published its final environmental impact statement (FEIS) associated with the Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility (CFFF) license renewal application. As part of the agency’s process, the NRC also has filed the FEIS with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Final Environmental Impact Statement for the License Renewal of the Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in Richland County can be found here.
The FEIS includes the NRC’s independent assessment of environmental impacts related to continued operation of the CFFF. The renewal recommendation is based on a variety of factors including the license application, supplemental information provided by Westinghouse, consultation with federal, state, tribal and local agencies, as well as input from the public and others. We are proud of the positive impact that the Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility has maintained for more than 50 years, and we remain committed to the safety of our employees and our local community. We are pleased with the NRC’s recommendation to renew the facility’s license for another 40 years and look forward to the agency’s final licensing decision for our plant later this year.
After receiving the FEIS, the EPA will publish a separate Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal Register (FR) on August 5. In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations section 51.100(a)(1)(ii), the NRC is required to wait 30 days after EPA’s NOA is published before it can make a final licensing decision. We anticipate that the NRC will publish its Record of Decision on the CFFF licensing action in September.
