Environmental Review

SVG for environmental review

An environmental report must be submitted with construction permit, early site permit, combined license, design certification, and manufacturing license applications. An applicant’s environmental report details all effects of the proposed facility on the environment. This includes not just land, waterways and wildlife, but many other aspects identified in federal law. The NRC staff reviews this report in parallel with all other required components of an application.

The NRC works with federal and state agencies during the environmental review, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Applicants should contact relevant state environmental protection organizations as soon as a facility site is selected.

Pre-application engagement in the environmental area is just as crucial to success as the safety analysis report review. The staff, in DANU-ISG-2022-01 ARCAP Roadmap Interim Staff Guidance, outlines the benefits of thorough pre-application engagement for environmental reviews, particularly in Section C, starting on page 8. Early collaboration with relevant federal, state, and regional environmental organizations will ensure that all key issues are addressed at the outset of the application process.

Guidance for environmental reports can be found in:

Type of Application	Safety Analysis Report Guidance
Non-Power	NUREG-1537, “Guidelines for Preparing and Reviewing Applications for the Licensing of Non-Power Reactors.” Interim Staff Guidance Augmenting NUREG-1537, Part 1, “Guidelines for Preparing and Reviewing Applications for the Licensing of Non-Power Reactors: Format and Content,” for Licensing Radioisotope Production Facilities and Aqueous Homogeneous Reactors (note: this guidance is used for medical isotope facilities and non-power reactors) Interim Staff Guidance Augmenting NUREG-1537, Part 2, “Guidelines for Preparing and Reviewing Applications for the Licensing of Non-Power Reactors: Format and Content,” for Licensing Radioisotope Production Facilities and Aqueous Homogeneous Reactors (note: this guidance is used for medical isotope facilities and non-power reactors)
Part 50 and Part 52	Regulatory Guide 4.2, “Preparation of Environmental Reports for Nuclear Power Stations” (note: this guidance is used for all power reactors)

Type of Application

Safety Analysis Report Guidance

Non-Power

NUREG-1537, “Guidelines for Preparing and Reviewing Applications for the Licensing of Non-Power Reactors.”

Interim Staff Guidance Augmenting NUREG-1537, Part 1, “Guidelines for Preparing and Reviewing Applications for the Licensing of Non-Power Reactors: Format and Content,” for Licensing Radioisotope Production Facilities and Aqueous Homogeneous Reactors (note: this guidance is used for medical isotope facilities and non-power reactors)

Interim Staff Guidance Augmenting NUREG-1537, Part 2, “Guidelines for Preparing and Reviewing Applications for the Licensing of Non-Power Reactors: Format and Content,” for Licensing Radioisotope Production Facilities and Aqueous Homogeneous Reactors (note: this guidance is used for medical isotope facilities and non-power reactors)

Part 50 and Part 52

Regulatory Guide 4.2, “Preparation of Environmental Reports for Nuclear Power Stations”
(note: this guidance is used for all power reactors)

More information on the environmental review process can be found on the Environmental Review Process webpage.

Page Last Reviewed/Updated Monday, March 16, 2026