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United States. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Proposal for Generic Environmental Impact Statement for Unknown, Untested Nuclear Reactors Facing Opposition

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has proposed a "generic" environmental impact statement (GEIS) for "small-scale advanced nuclear reactors," which has raised concerns among experts regarding the potential risks to public health and safety. The proposal aims to streamline the environmental review process for unknown, untested types of nuclear reactors, but critics argue that this contradicts the NRC's primary mission to protect the public.

Key Takeaways:

  • The NRC lacks experience regulating "advanced" nuclear reactors (ANRs), with no commercial "non-light-water reactors" in operation in the US since the 1980s.
  • Creating a generic environmental review for ANRs is an exercise in speculative fiction, as there is no such thing as a "generic" ANR, and each type would have different safety issues and environmental impacts.
  • There is no basis for assuming accidents with "small-scale" ANRs would not be able to cause significant offsite radiation releases, and the conclusion that microreactors would have a "small environmental footprint" is unfounded.
  • Non-light water reactors have been known to have significant safety risks for decades, including fires and partial meltdowns.
  • Advanced reactors would generate many different kinds and forms of radioactive waste, which would be difficult to manage and have significant environmental justice impacts.
  • The pursuit of a streamlined environmental review and licensing process for small-scale ANRs would compromise the NRC's public health and safety mission.
  • The NRC must consider the futility of streamlining the environmental review and licensing process for ANRs due to the realities of climate change and the evolution of energy alternatives.
  • Renewable energy, energy efficiency, battery storage, smart grids, and other sustainable, carbon-free energy resources are rapidly falling in price and making technological leaps and bounds.

Statistics:

  • There have been no commercial "non-light-water reactors" in operation in the US since the 1980s.
  • Only three non-light water reactors were ever built in the US, and all were licensed before the NRC was created in 1975.
  • Advanced reactors could potentially require on-site reprocessing of irradiated nuclear fuel, which entails enormous environmental impacts.
  • The international scientific consensus is that the world must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40-60% by 2030, with the US needing to achieve high end of that range.
  • By 2030, water temperatures, sea-level rise, weather patterns, and other siting conditions will already be changing dramatically.

Sources:

  • NRC: From: Carol Fox Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2020 9:32 AM To: AdvancedReactors-GEIS Resource Subject: Docket IDNRC-2020-0101: No Generic Review for Unknown, Untested Nuclear Reactors
  • Federal Register Notice: 85FR24040
  • Comment Number: 2104

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