ML090280534
| ML090280534 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Oyster Creek |
| Issue date: | 01/28/2009 |
| From: | Baty M NRC/OGC |
| To: | NRC/OCM |
| SECY RAS | |
| References | |
| 50-219-LR, RAS H-90 | |
| Download: ML090280534 (5) | |
Text
January 28 2009 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION BEFORE THE COMMISSION In the Matter of )
)
AMERGEN ENERGY COMPANY, LLC ) Docket No. 50-219-LR
)
(Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station) )
NRC STAFFS RESPONSE TO RECENT LETTERS AND NOTIFICATION TO THE COMMISSION INTRODUCTION The staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Staff) hereby responds to:
(1) letter to Dale E. Klein, Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, from Alex S.
Polonsky, counsel for Exelon Corporation (Exelon), regarding submission of the results of the three-dimensional structural analysis of the Oyster Creek drywell shell (Jan. 22, 2009) (Exelon Letter); (2) Commission Notification (Jan. 23, 2009) (Citizens Notification) filed by Citizens1; and (3) letter to Dale E. Klein, Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, from Richard Webster, counsel for Citizens, regarding the three-dimensional analysis of the Oyster Creek drywell shell (Jan. 26, 2009) (Citizens Letter).
For the reasons set forth below, these communications to the Commission should not be considered to the extent they attempt to argue the merits of Citizens pending petition for review 1
Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Jersey Shore Nuclear Watch, Inc., Grandmothers, Mothers, and More for Energy Safety, New Jersey Public Interest Research Group, New Jersey Sierra Club, and New Jersey Environmental Federation (collectively Citizens).
of AmerGen Energy Co. LLC (Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station), LBP-07-17, 66 NRC 237 (2007) (LBP-07-17).2 DISCUSSION In a previous decision in this proceeding, the Commission noted that communications to the Commission arguing the merits of the pending petition for review will not be considered.3 While the Staff has no objection to parties providing notice to the Commission of the status and availability of pertinent information, the Exelon Letter, Citizens Notification, and Citizens Letter go beyond notifying the Commission of the status and availability of information. The letters and the notification, to varying degrees, argue the merits of the information and attempt to supplement the respective partys position on the merits of the pending Petition for Review of LBP-07-17 and other interlocutory decisions.
Exelons and Citizens letters concern the three-dimensional structural analysis (3D Analysis) of Oyster Creeks drywell shell. The Exelon Letter transmitted a copy of Exelons 3D Analysis of Oyster Creeks drywell shell only for informational purposes, and asserted that submittal of this three-dimensional analysis is not necessary for the NRCs finding of reasonable assurance. Exelon Letter at 1. In response, Citizens Letter critiques the 3D Analysis and argues that the submission of the 3D Analysis confirms that without further analysis we do not have reasonable assurance that the drywell at Oyster Creek meets the 2
Citizens Petition for Review of LBP-07-17 and Interlocutory Decisions in the Oyster Creek Proceeding (January 14, 2008) (Petition for Review).
3 See AmerGen Energy Co. LLC (License Renewal for Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station),
CLI-08-28, 68 NRC __ (slip op. at n.74) (stating that the Commission did not consider Citizens October 14, 2008, letter to Chairman Klein, with an attachment prepared by Citizens expert, Dr.
Hopenfeld, to be part of the record).
CLB. Citizens Letter at 3. Thus, to the extent that the two letters go beyond notifying the Commission of the availability of information, they should not be considered by the Commission.
The subject of Citizens Notification to the Commission was the Staffs Inspection Report No. 05000219/2008008 (ADAMS Accession No. ML090210734) (Jan. 21, 2009) (Inspection Report). 4 Under the auspices of bringing the Staffs publicly available Inspection Report to the Commissions attention, Citizens Notification argues that the Inspection Report supports Citizens Petition for Review by demonstrating that Oyster Creeks drywell aging management program is inadequate. See, e.g., Citizens Notification at 2. Because Citizens Notification argues the merits of the case, it should be disregarded by the Commission.
CONCLUSION For the reasons set forth above, the Commission should disregard attempts to argue the merits of the proceeding through communications to the Chairman.
Respectfully submitted,
/RA/
Mary C. Baty Counsel for NRC Staff Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 28th day of January 2009 4
The Staff informed the parties of the inspection report and provided them with copies of the report on January 21, 2009. The Staffs letter to the parties is available at ADAMS Accession No. ML090210734.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION BEFORE THE COMMISSION In the Matter of )
)
AMERGEN ENERGY COMPANY, LLC ) Docket No. 50-219-LR
)
(Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station) )
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that copies of NRC STAFFS RESPONSE TO RECENT LETTERS AND NOTIFICATION TO THE COMMISSION in the above-captioned proceeding have been served on the following by electronic mail with copies by deposit in the NRCs internal mail system or, as indicated by an asterisk, by electronic mail, with copies by U.S. mail, first class, this 28th day of January 2009.
E. Roy Hawkens, Chair Office of the Secretary Administrative Judge ATTN: Docketing and Service Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Mail Stop: O-16G4 Mail Stop: T-3F23 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: HEARINGDOCKET@nrc.gov E-mail: ERH@nrc.gov Office of Commission Appellate Anthony J. Baratta Adjudication Administrative Judge Mail Stop: O-16G4 Atomic Safety and Licensing Board U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mail Stop: T-3F23 Washington, DC 20555-0001 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission E-mail: OCAAMail@nrc.gov Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: AJB5@nrc.gov Emily Krause Law Clerk Paul B. Abramson Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Administrative Judge Mail Stop: T-3F23 Atomic Safety and Licensing Board U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mail Stop: T-3F23 Washington, DC 20555-0001 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission E-mail: EIK1@nrc.gov Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: PBA@nrc.gov
Suzanne Leta Liou*
New Jersey Public Interest Research Group J. Bradley Fewell, Esq.*
11 N. Willow St. Exelon Corporation Trenton, NJ 08608 4300 Warrenville Road E-mail: sliou@environmentnewjersey.org Warrenville, IL 60555 E-mail: bradley.fewell@exeloncorp.com Donald Silverman, Esq.*
Alex S. Polonsky, Esq. Richard Webster, Esq.*
Kathryn M. Sutton, Esq. Julia LeMense, Esq.
Raphael P. Kuyler, Esq. Eastern Environmental Law Center Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP 744 Broad Street, Suite 1525 1111 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Newark, NJ 07102 Washington, DC 20004 Email: rwebster@easternenvironmental.org E-mail: dsilverman@morganlewis.com jlemense@easternenvironmental.org apolonsky@morganlewis.com ksutton@morganlewis.com rkuyler@morganlewis.com Paul Gunter, Director*
Kevin Kamps Reactor Watchdog Project Nuclear Information And Resource Service 6930 Carroll Avenue Suite 340 Takoma Park, MD 20912 E-mail: paul@beyondnuclear.org kevin@beyondnuclear.orq
/RA/
Mary C. Baty Counsel for the NRC Staff