Comment by Nov. 23 on the review of four reactors near Amarillo

You have until Monday, Nov. 23 to comment on the environmental review for four nuclear reactors 15 miles from Amarillo.

The NRC published its draft environmental impact statement for Project Matador's four AP1000 reactors on Oct. 9. A few things worth knowing before you read it:

• Fermi prepared it, under a voluntary NRC pilot program. NRC staff say they oversaw it, evaluated it independently and take responsibility for its content.
• Its preliminary recommendation is to issue the license, if the safety review is completed successfully.
• It rates the effect on groundwater and surface water SMALL, because the water would come from the City of Amarillo.
• It estimates 9,239 new residents at the 2033 construction peak, most of them in Potter and Randall counties, and says demand "would likely tighten the market and possibly drive up housing costs."

Comments go to the NRC under dockets 05200051 through 05200054. Public comment is how residents put their questions on the record before the license decision.

What the EIS says about water, jobs, housing and traffic: amarilloledger.com/amarillo/project-matador