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
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.
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.
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
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).
3 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.
8 See Clinton, 60 NRC at 467.
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) )
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 Administrative Judge Adjudication Ann Marshall Young, Chair U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Washington, DC 20555-0001 Mail Stop - T-3 F23 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: AMY@nrc.gov Administrative Judge Administrative Judge Richard F. Cole Paul B. Abramson Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Mail Stop - T-3 F23 Mail Stop - T-3 F23 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: RFC1@nrc.gov E-mail: pba@nrc.gov Susan L. Uttal, Esq. Diane Curran, Esq.
Marian L. Zobler, Esq. Harmon Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, L.L.P.
Molly L. Barkman, Esq. 1726 M. Street N. W., Suite 600 Office of the General Counsel Washington, D.C. 20036 Mail Stop - O-15 D21 E-mail: dcurran@harmoncurran.com 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
2 Docket No. 50-293-LR COMMISSION MEMORANDUM AND ORDER (CLI-07-02)
Matthew Brock, Assistant Attorney General Terence A. Burke, Esq.
Environmental Protection Division Entergy Nuclear Office of the Attorney General 1340 Echelon Parkway One Ashburton Place Mail Stop M-ECH-62 Boston, MA 02108 Jackson, MS 39213 E-mail: matthew.brock@ago.state.ma.us E-mail: tburke@entergy.com Molly H. Bartlett, Esq. David R. Lewis, Esq.
52 Crooked Lane Paul A. Gaukler, Esq.
Duxbury, MA 02332 Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP E-mail: mollyhbartlett@hotmail.com 2300 N Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20037-1128 E-mail: david.lewis@pillsburylaw.com; paul.gaukler@pillsburylaw.com Mary E. Lampert, Sheila Slocum Hollis, Esq.
Director of Pilgrim Watch Town of Plymouth MA 148 Washington Street Duane Morris, LLP Duxbury, MA 02332 1667 K. Street, N.W.
E-mail: lampert@adelphia.net 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