ML19312E933

Rept on Settlement Negotiations.Suggests That Conference Be Held to Determine Addl Time Needed by Applicant.Trial Should Be Preceded by Pretrial Conference to Accommodate Discovery & Other Matters.W/Certificate of Svc

ML19312E933
Person / Time
Site:	South Texas, Comanche Peak
Issue date:	05/09/1980
From:	Cyphert S, Dopsovic D, Lugue N, Parmenter F, Wallace R JUSTICE, DEPT. OF
To:	Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel
References
NUDOCS 8006180189
Download: ML19312E933 (9)

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' 9 9 CCC)CETEa UNITED STATES OF AMERICA @C -

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION. E 9} 2 2 l980 >

EY 4 Before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board C- Bg ,'{#

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In the Matter of )

HOUSTON LIGHTING & POWER )

COMPANY, et al. (South ) Docket Nos. 50-498A Texas Project, Units 1 ) 50-499A and 2) )

)

TEXAS UTILITIES GENERATING )

COMPANY, et al. (Comanche ) Docket Nos. 50-445A Peak Steam Electric ) 50-446A Station, Units 1 and 2) )

SETTLEMENT STATUS REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE I.

BACKGROUND On April 2, 1980, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Staff

("NRC Staf f"), Texas Utilities Generating Company ("TUGCO"),

Houston Lighting and Power Company ("EL&P"), City of Austin, City Public Service Board of San Antonio, South Texas Electric Cooperative, Medina Electric Cooperative, and Tex-La Electric Cooperative of Texas, Inc. filed a Joint Motion for a thirty-day extension on procedural matters. The Department of Justice

(" Department") took no position on the Joint Motion and the City of Brownsville opposed this Joint Motion. On April 9, 1980, the Board heard oral argument by all parties. On April 10, 1980, the Licensing Board granted the Joint Motion on the basis that it "uould be an appropriate furtherance of the Commission's policy

! to encourage the ' fair and reasonable nettlement' of contested l

8006180@$ f

e proceedings (10 C.F.R. 52.759)." On April 15, 1980, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Appeal Board stated:

"We wish to urge all parties to take the brief 30-day hiatus from the pressure of impending trial to pursue vigorously settlement of the antitrust proceeding. A settlement vol-untarily reached is far preferable to a lengthy trial fol-lowed by an involuntary resolution."

II.

Pursuant to the orders of both the Appeal Board and the  ;

Licensing Board, the Department undertook, initiated and participated in numerous meetings with the NRC Staff, other governmental agencies, 1/ Applicants, Intervenors, and other  ;

I interested parties or potential witnesses to these proceedings  !

to pursue a settlement.

Participants Place of Date of Meeting in Meeting Meeting April 15, 1980 Department of Jus- Washington, D.C.

tice Staff NRC Staff '

FERC Staff April 17, 1980 Department of Jus- Washington, D.C.

tice Staff NRC Staff FERC Staff SEC Staff 1/ The Federal Energy Regulatory 5taff ("FERC Staff") and Secur-Ities and Exchange Commission ("SEC Staff") are involved in pro-ceedings in their respective agencies which involve some of the I parties and issues in the instant proceedings.

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Participants Place of Date of Meeting -

in Meeting Meeting April 18, 1980 Department of Jus- Washington, D.C.

tice Staff NRC Staff HLEP TUGCO City of San Antonio City of Austin Central Power &

Light Co.

City of Brownsville FERC Staff SEC Staff April 21, 1980 Department of Jus- Washington, D.C.

tice Staff NRC Staff FERC Staff TUGCO April 22, 1980 Department of Jus- Washington, D.C.

tice Staff NRC Staff FERC Staff Central Power &

Light Co.

April 22, 1980 Department of Jus- Washington, D.C.

tice Staff NRC Staff FERC Staff HL&P April 23, 1980 Department of Jus- Washington, D.C.

tice Staff NRC Staf.f FERC Staff Tex-La of Texas Cooperatives April 24, 1980 Department of Jus- Washington, D.C.

tice Staff NRC Staff FERC Staff City of Brownsville

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Participants Place of Date of Meeting -

in Meeting Meeting April 24, 1980 Department of Jus- Washington, D.C.

tice Staff NRC Staff FERC Staff Central Power &

Light Co.

April 28, 1980 Department of Jus- Dallas, Texas tice Staff NRC Staff FERC Staff Power Procure-ment Group April 28, 1980 Department of Jus- Dallas, Texas tice Staff NRC Staff FERC Staff Gulf States Utilities May 1, 1980 Depar tment of Jus- Washington, D.C.

tice Staff NRC Staff May 4, 1980 Department of Jus- Washington, D.C.

tice Staff Tex-La of Texas Cooperatives May 5, 1980 Department of Jus- Washington, D.C.

tice Staff NRC Staff FERC Staff City of Austin City of San Antonio In addition to the aforementioned personal meetings, numerous telephone conferences were held among the governmental and private parties on April 25, May 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, 1980, to further the Licensing Board's April 10, 1980 Order and the Appeal Board's April 15, 1980 Order to explore a fair and reasonable settlement of these proceedings.

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o Despite good f aith and diligent efforts by the parties to resolve the issues pending before this Board, the Department is unable to report at this time that it has reached a settle-ment with any of the Applicants in these proceedings. On the other hand, the Department can report that progress has been made on narrowing the issues in dispute. The thirty-day extension of time granted by the Licensing Board, however, has not been sufficient to allow the parties time to address all i

of the issues involved. While the Department stands ready to l

proceed with the trial, the Department also believes that the Board may wish to consider granting a further limited extension of its April 10, 1980 Order in order to allow the parties to ascertain if all issues can be resolved without a hearing.

The Department has been told by Applicants that one critical area of concern cannot be addressed oy Applicants without additional time. For this reason, the Department suggests that the Board convene a status conference to ascertain the exact amount of time needed by Applicants to gather any data or information so that any additional extension of time

, be as limited as possible. In the event the Licensing Board determines that the trial commence, the Department suggests the Board convene a pre-trial conference to permit a modest

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adjustment in the present trial schedule to accomodate the com-pletion of outstanding discovery, final trial preparation, and to resolve any remaining procedural matters relating to these proceedings.

Respectfully submitted, d x j6u an Braden yohert V'

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d Parmedtef David A. Dop'sovic l 77estce fee Nandy Luque [/ f /

[%% l Muyo4 Wd/ac</dc.

Range 1ey*WallaVe

Washington, D.C. Attorneys, Energy Section May 9, 1980 Antitrust Division U.S. Department of Justice  !

(202) 724-6667 '

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, e UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Do m NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION I.9 C USNRC 4

Before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board h MAY 121980 >

Office of the Secte!ary Docketing & Strylce Il In the Matter of . ) q, Sta h BOUSTON LIGHTING AND POWER ) Docket Nos. 50-498A p CO. , et al. (South Texas ) 50-499A N Project, Units 1 and 2) )

)

TEXAS UTILITIES GENERATING ) Docket Nos. 50-445A COMPANY (Comanche Peak ) 50-446A Steam Electric Station, )

Units 1 and 2) )

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that service of the foregoing Set'lement Status Report of the Department of Justice has been made on the ,

following parties listed hereto this 9th day of May, 1980, by depositing copies thereof in the United States mail, first class, postage prepaid.

l Marshall E. Miller, Esquire Alan S. Rosenthal, Esquire Chairman Chairman 1

Atomic Safety & Licensing Board Michael C. Farrar, Esquire Panel Thomas S. Moore, Esquire U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Atomic Safety and Licensing Commission Appeal Board Panel Washington, D. C. 20555 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Michael L. Glaser, Esquire Washington, D. C. 20555 1150 17th Street, N.W.

Washington, D. C. 20036 Jerome E. Sharfman, Esquire U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Sheldon J. Wolfe, Esquire Comnission Atomic Safety & Licensing Board Washington, D. C. 20555 Panel U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Chase R. Stephens, Secretary Commission Docketing and Service Branch Washington, D. C. 20555 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Samuel J. Chilk, Secretary Washington, D. C. 20555 Office of the Secretary of the Commission Jerome Saltzman U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Chief, Antitrust and Commission Indemnity Group Washington, D. C. 20555 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

~ Commission Washington, D. C. 20555 S

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Mr. William C. Price Michael Blume, Esquire Central Power & Light Co. Fredric D. Chanania, Esq.

P. O. Box 2121 Ann P. Hodgdon, Esq.

Corpus Christi, Texas 78403 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

. Commission G. K. Spruce, General Manager Washington, D. C. 20555 City Public Service Board P 0. Box 1771 Jerry L. Harris, Esquire San Antonio, Texas 78203 City Actorney, Richard C. Balough, Esquire Ferry G. Brittain Assistant City Attorney President City of Austin Texas Utilities Generating P.O. Box 1088 Company Austin, Texas 78767 2001 Bryan Tower Dallas, Texas 75201 Robert C. McDiarmid, Esquire Robert A. Jablon, Esquire R.L. Hancock, Director Spiegel and McDiarmid City of Austin Electric 2600 Virginia Avenue, N.W.

Utility Department Washington, D. C. 20036 P. O. Box 1088 Austin, Texas 78767 Dan H. Davidson City Manager G. W. Oprea, Jr. City of Austin Executive Vice President P. O. Box 1088 Houston Lighting & Power Austin, Texas 78767 Company P . O. Box 1700 Don R. Butler, Esquire Houston, Texas 77001 1225 Southwest Tower Austin, Texas 78701 Jon C. Wood, Esquire W. Roger Wilson, Esquire Joseph Irion Worsham, Esquire Matthews, Nowlin, Macfarlane Merlyn D. Sampels, Esquire

& Barrett Spencer C. Relyea, Esquire 1500 Alamo National Buildin9 Robert A. Wooldridge San Antonio, Texas 78205 Worsham, Forsythe & Sampels ,

2001 Bryan Tower, Suite 2500 David M. Stahl, Esquire Dallas, Texas 75201 Isham, Lincoln & Beale Suite 325 Joseph Knotts, Esquire 1120 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Nicholas S. Reynolds, Esquire Washington, D. C. 20036 Leonard W. Belter Debevoise & Liberman Michael I. Miller, Esquire 1200 17th Street, N.W.

James A. Carney, Esquire Washington, D. C. 20036 Sarah N. Welling, Esquire Isham, Lincoln & Beale Douglas F. John, Esquire 4200 One First National Plaza Akin, Gump, Hauer & Feld Chicago, Illinois 60603 1333 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.

Suite 400 Washington, D. C. 20036 l

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Morgan Hunter, Esquire RCoert Lowenstein, Esquire McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore J. A. Bouknight, Esquire 5th Floor, Texas State Bank William J. Franklin, Esquire Building Lowenstein, Newman, Reis, 900 Congress Avenue -

Axelrad & Toll Austin, Texas 78701 1025 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D. C. 20036 Jay M. Galt, Esquire Looney, Nichols, Johnson E. W. Barnett, Esquire

& Hayes Charles G. Thrash, Jr., Esquire 219 Couch Drive J. Gregory Copeland, Esquire Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73101 Theodore F. Weiss, Jr., Esquire Baker & Botts Knoland J. Plucknett 3000 One Shell Plaza Executive Director Houston, Texas 77002 Committee on Power for the Southwest, Inc. Kevin B. Pratt, Esquire 5541 East Skelly Drive Assistant Attorney General Tulsa, Oklahoma 74135 P.O. Box 12548 l Capital Station i John W. Davidson, Esquire Austin, Texas 78711 Sawtelle, Goode, Davidson

& Tioilo Frederick H. Ritts, Esquire l

1100 San Antonio Savings Law Offices of Northcutt Ely l Building Watergate 600 Building  !

San Antonio, Texas 78205 Washington, D.C. 20037 W. S. Robson Donald M. Clements, Esq.

General Manager Gulf States Utilities Company South Texas Electric P.O. Box 2951 Cooperative, Inc. Beaumont, Texas 77704 Route 6, Building 102 Victoria Regional Airport Mr. G. Holman King Victoria, Texas 77901 West Texas Utilities Co.

P. O. Box 841 Robert M. Rader, Esquire Abilene, Texas 79604 Conner, Moore & Corber 1747 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. W. N. Woolsey, Esquire Washington, D.C. 20006 Kleberg, Dyer, Redford & Weil 1030 Petroleum Tower R. Gordon Gooch, Esquire Corpus Christi, Texas 78474 John P. Mathis, Esquire Steven R. Hunsicker /

Baker & Botts 1701 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. c / ff(,

Washington, D. C. 20006 'EEs a n B . Cypher , jfttornd Energy Section Antitrust Division Department of Justice

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