ML071340030

Press Release I-07-027 - Oral Comments to Be Accepted in Toms River, N.J., on May 31 Regarding Proceeding on Oyster Creek License Renewal Application

ML071340030
Person / Time
Site:	Oyster Creek
Issue date:	05/14/2007
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
References
Press Release-I-07-027
Download: ML071340030 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region I 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa.www.nrc.gov No. I-07-027 May 14, 2007Contact:Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331ORAL COMMENTS TO BE ACCEPTED IN TOMS RIVER, N.J., ON MAY 31REGARDING PROCEEDING ON OYSTER CREEK LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATIONInterested citizens will have an opportunity on Thursday, May 31, to comment on matters ofconcern related to an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) proceeding regarding the license renewal application for the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant. The remarks, which will be transcribed, will be received by the three-member ASLB panel handling the proceeding.

Known as "limited appearance statements," the comments will be accepted during two sessionsto be held in Room 119 of the Ocean County (N.J.) Administration Building, at 101 Hooper Ave.,Toms River, N.J. (Directions are available at: http://www.co.ocean.nj.us/ComplexMapPage.aspx .) The first session is scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. and the second from 7 to 9 p.m.ASLB Judge E. Roy Hawkens, who is chairing the Oyster Creek panel, said there will be aneffort to make the sessions as inclusive as possible. While certain parties to the proceeding may not speak, such as an attorney for a party or an individual associated with a party who is acting as itsrepresentative by expressing its views, the ASLB panel views the sessions as an opportunity for thoseattending to speak in their capacity as citizens."Although these statements do not constitute testimony or evidence in the proceeding, theynonetheless may assist the Board and/or the parties in their consideration of the issues. In particular,these statements may serve to alert the Board and the parties to areas in which evidence may need to be adduced," a notice on the sessions issued by the ASLB states.Persons wishing to make an oral statement who have submitted a timely written request andwho are present when their names are called will be given priority over those who have not filed such a request. To be considered timely, a written request to make an oral statement must be mailed, faxed or sent by e-mail so as to be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 25, 2007. The request must specify the requestor's name and the session (afternoon or evening) during which he or she wishes to make an oralstatement. Written requests to make an oral stat ement should be mailed to: Office of the Secretary,Rulemakings and Adjudication Staff, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001; faxed to (301) 415-1101; or e-mailed to: hearingdocket@nrc.gov . Copies of requests should bemailed to: Administrative Law Judge E. Roy Hawkens, c/o: Debra Wolf, Esq., Law Clerk, Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel, Mail Stop T-3 F-23, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,Washington, D.C. 20555-0001; faxed to

(301) 415-5599; or e-mailed to: daw1@nrc.gov . In July 2005, AmerGen Energy Co., LLC, which owns and operates Oyst er Creek, applied tothe NRC for a 20-year license extension. The current 40-year operating license for the plant, located inLacey Township (Ocean County), N.J., is due to expire on April 9, 2009. Subsequently, the State ofNew Jersey and a coalition of environmental groups requested a hearing on the application. Thecoalition includes the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS), Jersey Shore Nuclear Watch, Inc., Grandmothers, Mothers and More for Energy Safety, the New Jersey Public Interest ResearchGroup, the New Jersey Sierra Club and the New Jersey Environmental Federation. The state's requestwas eventually turned down, but the coalition had a single contention admitted. That contention is scheduled to be litigated before the three-judge ASLB panel at an evidentiary hearing in September.

Additional information about the Oyster Cr eek application review is available at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/oystercreek.html

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