The Nuclear Regulatory Commission plans a meeting Wednesday to tell the public about its upcoming review of the Department of Energy's regulatory processes for the Hanford vitrification plant.

The meeting will be from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Red Lion, 802 George Washington Way, Richland. Much of the meeting will be devoted to a question-and-answer session.

In the Omnibus Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2008, Congress directed the NRC to review the regulatory processes of the $12.2 billion vit plant under construction and then make recommendations by late June.

The review will evaluate DOE regulations, requirements, orders and guidance for the vit plant from the perspective of the regulatory framework the NRC uses for commercial nuclear facilities. It will cover safety and environmental programs, but not security, emergency planning or decommissioning.