ML19250B856

Response to Intervenor Tx Pirg 790914 Amends to 790512 Addl Contentions.Amended Addl Contentions AA1-AA3 Can Be Admitted.Amended Addl Contentions AA4-AA6 Should Be Rejected.Certificate of Svc Encl

ML19250B856
Person / Time
Site:	Allens Creek File:Houston Lighting and Power Company icon.png
Issue date:	09/28/1979
From:	Sohinki S NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE LEGAL DIRECTOR (OELD)
To:	Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel
References
NUDOCS 7911050397
Download: ML19250B856 (10)

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%LIC UNITED STATES OF AMERICA D0cg3 NUCLEAR REGUf.ATORY COMMISSION RO9y BEFORE THE ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING BOARD g

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2 HOUSTON LIGHTING & POWER COMPANY Docket No. 50-466 OCT 21979 > i g*.l*M (Allens Creek Nuclear Generating

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NRC STAFF'S RESPONSE TO TEXPIRG'S AMENDMENTS TO CONTENTIONS OF MAY 12, 1979 On May 12,1979, TEXPIRG submitted approximately fifty additional contentions which it seeks to have admitted as issues in controversy in the captioned proceeding.

The Staff responded to that filing on June 5,1979, and the Board has not yet ruled on the admissibility of these issues as matters in controversy.

On 'eo ember la,1979, TEXPIRG submitted amendments to certain of the May 12 contentions.

Tne Staff believes tna: Amended Acditional Contention 1 (AAl), AA2, and AA3 a: ieast minimally mee: the recuirements of 10 CFR !2.714 and should now be admitted as issues in :ontroversy.

However, for the res. sons stated below, we cor.:inue to believe that the issues presented in AA4, AA5, and AAS should be rejected by the Scard.

Contention AAA This contention is an amendment to contention 26 set forth in TEXPIRG's May 12 filing, and avers that the Applicant is not financially qualified to design and construct Allens Creek. This contention is based upon (1) the allegation tna: c:nstruction costs have so substantially increased ' hat the Apold" 1

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l9; not ha've the financing available to build the plant, and (2) speculation con-

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.s cerning the effect of.the Three Mile Island accident and price elasticities'on ~

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3. the.abij f ty.of the Applicant to. acquire the necessary funding.

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^1TEXPIRG appears ^to" ignore the y...

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financial qualifications of the Applicant in Suppiement No. 2 to the SER (Section 20), includinc a reflection of an estimated substantial increase in costs. TEXPIRG has not challenged that analysis, except to make vague references to cost concerns at other power plants, including Scuth Texas.

As stated in Section 20.5 of Supplement Nc. 2 to the SER, the Staff conclusion is based upon an assessment that the finan'cial projections submitted by the A::plican: constit'u e a reasonable financing plan, and that:

We do not censider these projections to be a forecast of the financing which will necessarily occur.

They need only cemonstrate one possible way by which the planned construction program, including the subject facility, might reat, na:)ly be financed.

It is excected that financinc olans will chance from time to ame to accomo-ca:e enangin; conc 1: ions _.

TEXPIRG has raised nothing, except pure speculation, which calls into question either the reasonableness of the financing plan; or its ability to adapt to changing economic conditions.

In fact, TEXPIRG does not specifically challenge any portion of the Staff analysis.

Tne contention shoulc, therefore, be rejected by the Board as speculative and lacking a valid basis.

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'Q Contention AA5

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This conte'ntien is an amencment of additional contention 3 set forth in TEXPIRG's

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May 12 filing. TEXPIRG remains under the. misapprehension that (a) there will

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be a vertical temperature distribution in~'the~ shallow Allens Creek cooling lake.

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and th.a. t fish. will s.eek o.ut--the. lower, coo'ler__ depths, and- (b)-that these icwer '-

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cooler depths will be devoid of the oxygen necessary for game fish life.

Petitioner cites NRC Staff evaluation of the Blue Hills Nuclear Plant as veri-fication of this conclusion. The Staff would make the following observati:ns which mandate the rejection of this contention by the Board:

First, the 31.e Hills reserv:ir data cannot be applied to -he Aller.s Creek c:cii.g lake. Tne 3'.ue H1'. h reserv:i r i s deep, (67 feet at the piant eff'.uent dis charge point).. and exhibi s themil stratification.

(Blue Hills Final Site Envir:nmen.ai Statement, pace 5-11). Allens Creek cooling lake is shallow, meen 13 feet (prc:able Ica water level) and 18 feet (nomal upper

.er ceptn.

(FES Supplement, ficure S.3.6, page S.3-7).

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ke will have little Or no stratification, thus dissolved xygen th o ghout t.e water column.

(FES. Secticn 5.3.2, page 5-3).

/ i mdly, the FES and FES Supplement have analy::ed the effects of Allens Creek cocling lake water temperatures on t'.e basis of a unifonn temperature thrcughout the e ter column.

This is r.:ted in the 'PID, e.g., in finding 39, where it is sta ad that "'uring July of the average year with a discharge temperature Of 105.?.*F, the er.: ire eservoir wcuid have a temoerature abcut 55.7 F, --.

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c (e..prasis added)(2 fiRC at 87E). The Staff has analyzed the effects of these

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elevated temperatures, both in the FES and the FES Supplement.

(FES Supplement, pages S.5-12,13 and 14). - The Staff has concluded that themal loading of

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Allens Creek cooling lake by plant operation will_ adversely affect productivity

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of'ttose(fiih with; temperature optima of 30*C ~.(86*F) or less but that direc.t.

fish mortality will not result.

petitioner has neither challenged these Staff conclusions, nor presented any infomation :o support the allegation that there w.ill be temperature distri-tuti:7s leading to Oxygen defitiencies at depth, or that surface water temperatures M'l esult 'n fish mortalities. The contention should be denied.

Contentien AA6 Tnis :cn.ention is an amendment to additional contention 16 set forth in TEXPIRG's Fa;.

'.2 :leaci ng.

Ir. response to additional contention 16, the Staff made the felic.ci nc argu ent, which applies ecually to the amended contention:

TEX?:R3 asse-:s the Town of Wallis should be cnsidered as the pcpulation center because, due to 7e large interc:nti-nental air: r: near the clan:, the Wallis peculation will exceed 25,000 ::y the year 2027. This c:ntentien snculd be reje cted for several reasons.

First, :nis Scard in its PID, suora, at paragraph 81 found it appropriate to designate Rosenberg, Texas, as the population center with respect to the Allens Creek facility.

Since the current popu-lation cf Wallis, Texas, is only approximately 1,000 pe:ple any allegation that Wallis should be the appropriate po;ulation center based upon an alleged future population of 25,000 is totally soeculative.

No concrete new infor-ma:icn has been suggested by TEXPIRG whicn would mandate a reconsideration of the Scard's findin; that Rosenberg is the ap;r::riate pe:ulaticn center.

TEXp:R3 neitner i denti 'i e

ne alleged large inter:onti. ental airport near the :lant which it mentions in the Contention nor explains wny :ne presence of that airport wouic cause One populaticr. to exceed 25,000 at any time in the foreseeacie future.

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• ':y TE7.?IRG did not originally, and does not now, identify any demographic data which would support its incredible allegation that Wallis will expand frca 1,000 peop.l.e' to,a.popul.ation o.f"25,000 i.n the._ fore.seeabl e. future.

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Therefore),- the Staff continues':to"believe 'that' this contention should be.

rejected by the Board.

Respectfully submitted, n

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Stephen M. Schinki Counsel for NRC Staff s

'a ed a t S e nesca, F.a ryl a r.d r.is 25tn day of Se;;em::er, '.979 1270 108 P00R BUM

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NUCLEERffGULi.TCRY CCm:SSION 01 q,\\N@

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"t UNITED STAT S OF A".ER~CA I

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BEFCRE THE *iTOMIC SA ETY A.'lD LICEt:SI.';G SOADD Q:V e

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JiCUSTCN L:GHT:N3 & POWER COMPANY

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D::ket No.

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CERTIFICATE CF SER":CE I hereby certify that ecpies of "NR' STAFF'5 :.ESPONSE TO TEXPIRG'S

. AF.ENDPE'iTS TO CCNTENTIONS OF MAY 12, 1979" in the above-captioned pro-ceedir; nave teen servec on the fol".cwing t ce:osi in the United States mail, f' rs: class, or, as indicated by an a :erisk, through deposit in the N'.:'. ear Re; latory Comission 's ir.terna:.. ail system, this 28th day of Septe:ter,1979:

Shel d:- J. Wo: fe, Esq., Chai rmar

• J a:k.Ne'.trer., Esq.

At:ri: Ea'ety a-d _icensing L:ce stei, Reis, Mewran & Axeirad' 5 card 017ei 1:25 orn:-::icut Avenue, M.W.

J.5. 5;:: sir :e ui2 tory Cc aission Wi: r. i r.s te, D. C.

20C37 Washir.:;;or., D. C. 20555 Ri:'r ard L:.verre, Esq.

- neatur-A::. Att:- ey General for the Dr. E. ' e: iar:

0.ca te 3, ::x 2 5.~ A 5 tate of Texas WE:k it:. i'. e, 3eorgia 20577 P. C. Box 125a8 Ca.itol Station

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Bell,'ill e, Texas 77418 War b.1n;;.or., D. C. 20006 At:-ic Safety and Licensing

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eal ?oard' Eaker ; 3 :ts U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission One Shell Plaza War.-' ng ton, D. C.

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• Texas Public Interest Cffice of the Secretary Research Group, Inc.

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Co raission c/o James Scott, Jr., Esq.

7 Washington, DC _20555..;

8302 Albacore Ji Houston, Texas 77074

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. Brenda A. McCorkle Houston, Texas 77021 6140 Darnell Heustcn,' Texas '77074 F.r. and M.rs. R:bert S. Fra son 4322 Wayr.e cor: Drive Mr. ',4yne Rentfro Hous tor., Texas 77:35 P.O. Box 1335 Rosenberg, Texas 77471 M. F. H. Fatticff, III

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Gayle :e 3reco-i 2311 3amore 2 317 ^2:i csri th Resenberg, Texas 77471

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Houston, TX 77019 Eo;ston, Texas 77 72 Helen Foley D. 3. 'Ja l i t'r, J r.

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Houston, TX 77005 Houst:n, T' Marjorie A. Gurasich J ef fe ry R. Jes t Route 1, Box 410 10:-33 Sa;e:er y Wallis, TX 77485 Mc stcr., T-77039 Mrs. R. P. Erichsen Jar. ice Slui 327 Hedwig Road 17:3 R: sex:::

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Hous ton, TX 77055 Houston, TT 77015 Margaret Bish Lectis J:h s :r 11413 Cak Sprinc

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