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DOE seeks public comment on F-RIB project plan

A technician works on equipment at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University.
Courtesy NSCL
A technician works on equipment at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University.

By Kevin Lavery, WKAR News

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-904472.mp3

East Lansing, MI – The U.S. Department of Energy is inviting the public to comment on its latest statement on the proposed Facility for Rare Isotope Beams to be built at Michigan State University. The agency says it's not expecting any adverse environmental effects from the project.

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Federal officials call this first draft the "FONSI," short for "Finding of No Significant Impact." The $550 million nuclear particle accelerator will be built beneath and adjacent to the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at MSU.

The DOE report concludes the project will generate no harmful effects on soil, air and water quality, or to human health and safety.

The agency's Peter Siebach says the public has expressed no alarm.

"We've not had any extreme comments from any members of the public, any public officials; so I'm assuming that we've answered those concerns pretty successfully," Siebach says.

The Department of Energy will take public comments on the draft plan until June 25. Construction of the facility is estimated to be complete in 2019.

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