The following letter requests the Department of Energy to extend the comment period for the proposed General Guidelines for Recommendation of Sites for Nuclear Repositories, and postpone the scheduled public hearings.
January 6, 2000
Mr. Ivan Itkin, Acting Director
Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington DC 20585
Dear Mr. Itkin:
Eureka County is an affected unit of local government under Section 116 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act as amended. We are writing to request that the Department of Energy extend the comment period by at least 60 days on the proposed General Guidelines for Recommendation of Sites for Nuclear Repositories, and postpone the scheduled public hearings.
As you know, the comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Yucca Mountain ends February 9, 2000. We will be considering draft comments at our January 20 Board of County Commissioners meeting in order to finalize them by the deadline.
This provides us with little time to review the proposed Guidelines. The timing of the release of the Guidelines, in addition to the rigorous and intense review process already occurring for the draft EIS is unreasonable, and does not encourage full public participation in the process. The hearing dates of January 18 and 19 are in conflict with our Commission meeting date as well as an EIS hearing and a Nuclear Regulatory Commission meeting.
We urge that you extend the comment period for the guidelines by at least 60 days and that you postpone the January 18 and 19 hearings until after the comment period on the draft EIS has closed so that affected parties and the general public will have adequate time to consider and comment on the proposed Guidelines.
Sincerely,
Pete Goicoechea, Chairman
cc:
Leonard Fiorenzi
Abby Johnson
AULGs
Nevada Nuclear Waste Project Office
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