The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment on an appendix to the draft environmental assessment for a proposed commercial irradiator facility to be operated in Honolulu, Hawaii. The appendix concludes that no significant environmental impacts are likely from a potential terrorist attack on the facility.

The appendix bases its conclusion on an evaluation of the current threat environment, information from the intelligence community, and various security enhancements imposed by the NRC on commercial irradiator facilities since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

The NRC staff conducted the terrorism assessment in response to the June 2, 2006, ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace v. NRC. That ruling required NRC to conduct an environmental assessment of the potential impacts of a terrorist attack on a proposed spent nuclear fuel storage facility to be constructed at the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant in California. That assessment was published May 29 for public comment.

In response to the Ninth Circuit ruling, the NRC decided it was appropriate to conduct a similar assessment for the proposed Pa'ina irradiator. Hawaii is in the Ninth Circuit.

More information about the Pa'ina irradiator, as well as the appendix to the draft environmental assessment, is available on the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/materials.html by clicking on "Pa'ina irradiator" under Key Topics. A Notice of Availability regarding the appendix was published today in the Federal Register. Comments will be accepted through July 9. After evaluating the public comments, staff will make a determination on a final environmental assessment for the proposed facility.

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