How to submit your public comments by the July 30th, 2018 deadline
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PUBLIC COMMENTS BY THE CURRENT JULY 30TH (EXTENDED FROM THE ORIGINAL MAY 29TH), 2018 DEADLINE:
Please include “Docket ID NRC–2018–0052” in your comment submission, such as in the subject line of your e-comments or snail-mailed hard copy comments.
An email option for submission of public comments was added on May 3rd. Thanks to Joni Arends of CCNS (Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, Santa Fe, NM) requesting it (see note at bottom*) at the May 1st Hobbs, NM public comment mtg., NRC granted the request:
Here's the official NRC email address for folks to submit comments directly to NRC:
Holtec-CISFEIS Resource <Holtec-CISFEIS@nrc.gov>
You can also submit written comments electronically via the Federal Rulemaking website: Go to
http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC–2018–0052, then follow the instructions given there. (**See note below.)
Submit written comments via snail mail, by sending them to: May Ma; Office of Administration; Mail Stop: TWFN-7-A60M; U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Washington, DC 20555-0001.
Notes:
[*The only reason NRC even has an email option for submitting public comments is because Joni Arends of CCNS -- Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety -- requested it, at the Hobbs, NM NRC public comment meeting on May 1st. Thank you Joni! And the reason Joni requested it, was because her friends and colleagues had encountered so much difficulty with the regulations.gov site, even at that point. In the year 2018, the public should not have to ask for an NRC email address to be provided, as one way for submission of public comments. And in the year 2018, NRC's regulations.gov site should not be out of order for two solid weeks, and counting! The question is, does NRC stand for Nobody Really Cares, or No Remaining Credibility -- or both at the same time?!]
[**Update on June 14, 2018: Outrageously, NRC's regulations.gov site, re: this subject matter docket, had not worked, from May 18th to June 7th! It had been spotty even weeks before that, as indicated in the note* above. Beyond Nuclear, and other groups, called this to NRC's attention multiple times, beginning with Joni Arends of CCNS on May 1st as noted above, and again on May 22nd (Beyond Nuclear via emails, Nuclear Issues Study Group's Cody Slama via verbal testimony at the NRC public comment meeting in ABQ, NM), as well as again on May 31st (Beyond Nuclear emails to NRC staff). NRC's response was, for weeks on end, essentially, that's not our department, and there are other ways to submit your comments -- or even outright denial that there was even a problem. This was a real outrage. NRC cannot get away with being this irresponsible. NRC itself has held up regulations.gov as a gold standard way of submitting public comment. Only it was not working at all for a solid three weeks?! On June 7th, 2018, it was finally confirmed that the regulations dot gov site is working again, as it was supposed to be the whole time. If you do encounter any problems using the Regulations.gov site, please let Beyond Nuclear staffer Kevin Kamps know ASAP at kevin@beyondnuclear.org, or (240) 462-3216, so that Beyond Nuclear can continue to hold NRC's feet to the fire!
In an effort to get NRC to do its job, and grant the public unfettered rights and means to submit comments on the environmental scoping, a coalition of environmental groups (Beyond Nuclear, Don't Waste Michigan, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, and Nuclear Issues Study Group, represented by legal counsel) submitted a letter to NRC on June 12th, demanding NRC fix the Regulations.gov website once and for all, or else offer an alternative; and extend the current July 30th public comment deadline till October 30th. We'll keep you posted here as to how that develops! If NRC cannot even guarantee that its public comment webform works, how can we trust this agency to safeguard, secure, and contain forever deadly highly radioactive waste?!]
April 10, 2018