Idaho residents weigh in on Areva's uranium plant proposal

Idaho residents weigh in on Areva's uranium plant proposal

Aug 10 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Rocky Barker The Idaho Statesman, Boise

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission should not have allowed Areva to level land, build roads and connect power lines to their proposed uranium enrichment plant before an environmental review is completed on the $3.3 billion facility, said Snake River Alliance energy policy analyst Liz Woodruff.

The NRC isn't considering the impacts of these "pre-construction activities" in its draft environmental impact statement -- and these activities, including the destruction of an historic homestead, could threaten sage grouse and other desert species, she said.

"This pre-construction exemption shows a bias toward licensing," Woodruff said.

She was among the people at a public meeting of the nuclear commission in Boise on Monday that gave Treasure Valley residents a chance to speak about French energy giant Areva's Eagle Rock Enrichment Plant proposal.

The anti-nuclear group's presentation offered a road map to how that group and others may work in court to delay Areva's plans.

The Snake River Alliance had 14 demonstrators outside the Oxford Suites Hotel to greet the more than 125 people who came to the meeting, with signs that read "Enrich your cranium, not uranium."

Opponents generally outnumbered supporters, and Woodruff got a loud round of applause when she completed her talk.

Many speakers, including county commissioners and business representatives, came from Idaho Falls to support the project.

"This will be one of the largest, if not the largest, commercial projects in the state's history that will generate millions in revenue for the state," said Republican Rep. Erik Simpson of Idaho Falls.

Simpson said he was not surprised by the tone or the rhetoric of the Snake River Alliance. "What I heard was not just a dislike of the Areva facility, but a condemnation of the whole nuclear power industry."

Bob Meikle, now a Boise resident but a longtime developer and contractor in eastern Idaho, supports the project that he said will benefit the whole state.

"I believe America should be the leader in nuclear technology because we're the responsible ones," he said.

The NRC staff has recommended the project move forward. The environmental impact statement could be finalized in early 2011 along with a separate safety analysis.

The license could be issued in early 2012, according to NRC staff.

Areva hopes the NRC will approve the project next year so it can begin construction. It plans to open in 2014.

Idaho officials, led by Gov. Butch Otter, have expressed support for the plant they hope will help turn around the state's depressed economy. Boise residents have historically been more concerned about waste issues, and they did not disappoint at this hearing.

Sara Cohn of the Idaho Conservation League said the NRC does not currently have rules for the waste -- mostly depleted uranium -- that will come from the enrichment technology.

"Until regulations are in place governing disposal of depleted uranium and disposal facilities have implemented those regulations, ICL believes it is inappropriate to license any new uranium enrichment facility," Cohn said.

Woodruff also challenged the need for the plant, which would create 1,000 high-paying jobs during construction and 400 full-time jobs. Areva officials have said the plant would serve a new generation of nuclear plants in the United States -- a so-called "nuclear renaissance" -- that could begin coming on line as early as 2015.

"Economic costs, delays and safety issues all indicate this supposed 'renaissance' is unlikely," Woodruff said.

Areva officials said on their website that even without taking the new facilities into account, there already is a growing demand in the United States for the power supplied by the hundred or so nuclear plants currently in operation. Nuclear power accounts for one-fifth of the nation's electrical generation capacity.

The Snake River Alliance, long the major voice against nuclear power in Idaho, had asked the NRC for the Boise meeting in addition to its meeting scheduled for Thursday in Idaho Falls. The group got support for the request from Boise Mayor Dave Bieter.

The plant would be built 18 miles west of Idaho Falls adjacent to the Idaho National Laboratory. The Department of Energy gave the project a major boost earlier this year when it approved $2 billion in loan guarantees.

In July, Otter awarded Bonneville County $500,000 from the Idaho Department of Commerce's Rural Community Block Grant program to build an overpass and other improvements on the roads used for the 4,000-acre Eagle Rock facility.

Rocky Barker: 377-6484