ML070110598
| ML070110598 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Pilgrim |
| Issue date: | 01/11/2007 |
| From: | Annette Vietti-Cook NRC/SECY |
| To: | |
| Giitter, R L | |
| References | |
| 50-293-LR, RAS 12849, CLI-07-02 | |
| Download: ML070110598 (5) | |
Text
1 64 NRC (Oct. 16, 2006)(slip op.).
2 Pilgrim Watch Brief on Appeal of LBP-06-23 (Oct. 31, 2006) at 16. Another petitioner for a hearing, the Massachusetts Attorney General, has appealed LBP-06-23. We will address the Attorney Generals appeal in a separate decision.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION RAS 12849 DOCKETED 01/11/07 COMMISSIONERS:
SERVED 01/11/07 Dale E. Klein, Chairman Edward McGaffigan, Jr.
Jeffrey S. Merrifield Gregory B. Jaczko Peter B. Lyons
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In the Matter of
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ENTERGY NUCLEAR OPERATIONS, INC. )
Docket No. 50-293-LR (Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station)
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CLI-07-02 MEMORANDUM AND ORDER Before the Commission is an appeal of LBP-06-231 filed by Intervenor Pilgrim Watch. In LBP-06-03, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board granted Pilgrim Watchs hearing request, and admitted for hearing two of Pilgrim Watchs five contentions. In its appeal, Pilgrim Watch asks the Commission to order the admission of Pilgrim Watchs contention 4, one of three Pilgrim Watch contentions that the Board rejected as inadmissible for hearing.2 Both Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. and the NRC Staff oppose the appeal. For the reasons outlined below, we deny Pilgrim Watchs appeal.
Pilgrim Watch submits its appeal pursuant to 10 C.F.R. § 2.311, the NRCs rule allowing appeals of Presiding Officer or Board rulings on requests for hearing and petitions to intervene.
2 3 See 10 C.F.R. § 2.311(b)-(d).
4 See 10 C.F.R. § 2.311(a).
5 See Amergen Energy Co., L.L.C. (Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station), CLI 24, 64 NRC at, slip op. at 8; see also Exelon Generating Co., L.L.C. (Early Site Permit for the Clinton ESP Site), CLI-04-31, 60 NRC 461, 468 (2004); Duke Energy Corp. (Catawba Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2), CLI-04-11, 59 NRC 203, 208 (2004).
6 See Clinton, 60 NRC at 466.
7 See 10 C.F.R. § 2.341(f)(2).
The rule permits appeals as right in three circumstances only: (1) where a petitioner challenges an order denying a petition to intervene and/or request for hearing; (2) where a party other than a petitioner challenges an order granting a petition to intervene, claiming that the petition should have been wholly denied; and (3) where a party claims that an order selecting a hearing procedure was in clear contravention of applicable Commission hearing selection criteria.3 No other appeals from rulings on requests for hearings are allowed.4 In short, our rules permit appeals of rejected contentions only where a petitioner claims that the Board wrongly rejected all contentions.5 Here, however, the Board admitted Pilgrim Watch as a party to this license renewal proceeding, admitting two of its contentions. Pilgrim Watch therefore will have the opportunity to appeal the Boards rejection of Contention 4 following the Boards merits decision in this proceeding. Section 2.311 does not provide for interlocutory appeals by an admitted intervenor, and the Commission generally disfavor[s]
interlocutory, piecemeal appeals.6 In exceptional instances, the Commission may in its discretion grant a petition for interlocutory review, where a party demonstrates that a ruling threatens it with immediate and serious irreparable impact or [a]ffects the basic structure of the proceeding in a pervasive or unusual matter.7 Here, Pilgrim Watch makes neither claim. Moreover, [c]laims that a board has wrongly rejected a contention... are commonplace and cannot without more be said to
3 8 See Clinton, 60 NRC at 467.
affect a proceedings basic structure.... 8 For the reasons provided in this decision, we deny Pilgrim Watchs appeal of LBP-06-23.
For the Commission
/RA/
Annette L. Vietti-Cook Secretary of the Commission Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 11th day of January 2007.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION In the Matter of
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ENTERGY NUCLEAR OPERATIONS, INC. )
Docket No. 50-293-LR
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(Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station)
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that copies of the foregoing COMMISSION MEMORANDUM AND ORDER (CLI-07-02) have been served upon the following persons by electronic mail this date, followed by deposit of paper copies in the U.S. mail, first class, and NRC internal mail.
Office of Commission Appellate Adjudication U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001 Administrative Judge Ann Marshall Young, Chair Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Mail Stop - T-3 F23 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: AMY@nrc.gov Administrative Judge Richard F. Cole Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Mail Stop - T-3 F23 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: RFC1@nrc.gov Administrative Judge Paul B. Abramson Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Mail Stop - T-3 F23 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: pba@nrc.gov Susan L. Uttal, Esq.
Marian L. Zobler, Esq.
Molly L. Barkman, Esq.
Office of the General Counsel Mail Stop - O-15 D21 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: slu@nrc.gov E-mail: mlz@nrc.gov E-mail: mlb9@nrc.gov E-mail: OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov Diane Curran, Esq.
Harmon Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, L.L.P.
1726 M. Street N. W., Suite 600 Washington, D.C. 20036 E-mail: dcurran@harmoncurran.com
2 Docket No. 50-293-LR COMMISSION MEMORANDUM AND ORDER (CLI-07-02)
Matthew Brock, Assistant Attorney General Environmental Protection Division Office of the Attorney General One Ashburton Place Boston, MA 02108 E-mail: matthew.brock@ago.state.ma.us Terence A. Burke, Esq.
Entergy Nuclear 1340 Echelon Parkway Mail Stop M-ECH-62 Jackson, MS 39213 E-mail: tburke@entergy.com Molly H. Bartlett, Esq.
52 Crooked Lane Duxbury, MA 02332 E-mail: mollyhbartlett@hotmail.com David R. Lewis, Esq.
Paul A. Gaukler, Esq.
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP 2300 N Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20037-1128 E-mail: david.lewis@pillsburylaw.com; paul.gaukler@pillsburylaw.com Mary E. Lampert, Director of Pilgrim Watch 148 Washington Street Duxbury, MA 02332 E-mail: lampert@adelphia.net Sheila Slocum Hollis, Esq.
Town of Plymouth MA Duane Morris, LLP 1667 K. Street, N.W.
Suite 700 Washington, D.C. 20006 E-mail: sshollis@duanemorris.com Mark D. Sylvia Town Manager Town Managers Office 11 Lincoln Street Plymouth, MA 02360 E-mail: msylvia@townhall.plymouth.ma.us
[Original signed by Evangeline S. Ngbea]
Office of the Secretary of the Commission Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 11th day of January 2007