ML19330A119

Discusses Mm Cherry 770324 Allegations Re Inconsistency of CPC Written Testimony & NRC 770325 Arrangements for Deposing R Timm.Allegations Made Re Replacement Power,Reliability & Coal Costs

ML19330A119
Person / Time
Site:	Midland
Issue date:	03/29/1977
From:	Hoefling R NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE LEGAL DIRECTOR (OELD)
To:	Coufal F, Leeds J, Luebke E Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel
References
NUDOCS 8007150891
Download: ML19330A119 (3)

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1 4Frederic J. Coufal, Esq., Chaiman

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Q o9-In' the Matter of y&

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Docket Nos. 50-329 and 50-330

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'At the Thursday, March 24, 1977 hearing session in this proceeding, we%

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Counsel for All Intervenors Other Than Dow, Mr. Myron Cherry, alleged s

to this Board that material presented ta the Board in the form of' j

written testimony by the Consumers Power Company (Licensee) was in-consistent with material presented by the Licensee in its most recent rate filings before the Michigan Public Service Comission (Tr. 5039).

General' allegations were made (Tr. 5043-44) regarding replacement power, reliability and coal costs by Mr. Cherry.

The source of the allegations l

was identified by Mr. Cherry as Dr. Richard Tim, a potential witness i

for the Intervenors. There was and is some question as to whether or i

not Dr. Tim will appear as a witness in this proceeding.

In the event

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that Dr. Tim does not appear, the Board has ordered the NRC Staff to i

i depose Dr. Tim.and to report to the Board the _ substance of Dr. Tim's allegations.

(Tr.5053). The Staff was to take Dr. Tim's deposition as soon as it felt the need (Tr. 5159).

On Friday, March 25, 1977, Staff Counsel contacted Mr. Cherry to make arrangements for taking the deposition of Dr. Tim. Mr. Cherry indicated j

that he'would oppose the Staff's deposing Dr. Tim unless the Staff reimbursed Dr. Tim for his expert witness fees and arranged to have Mr. Cherry present. The Staff responded that it did not feel that Dr. Tim was acting in an expert capacity in this instance and in no event would the Staff provide any financial assistance to Mr. Cherry.

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$also, unless the Staff reimbu'rsed Dr. Tim for his e The Staff next requested an opportunity to contact Dr. Timm informally M '$

i V. and perhaps meet with.him if required.

Mr. Cherry opposed this request.

Nr The Staff refused both req and~ sent Mr..' Cherry a telegram indicating that, absent Dr. Tim, the Staff could. n' t conduct its investigation.

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By Mr. Cherry's ' stone-welling, the Staff's investigation (..., w #%*'d%%

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is severely

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. impeded.

The record in.this proceeding is extensive. ; Dozens of witnesses j

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have testified and the transcript has run~approximately 5200 pages.. The... K ^

. application-filed by the Licensee.with the Michigan Public Service 4 Q,&'..,

Commission is approximated 6-8 inches thick, much of which.is in the fons

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- of complex exhib1_ts.

Review of this material would require a large:

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.a The Staff does not feel thatDit should comit the resources required % ;;2' N.

T to move forward without greater. specificity. This is particularly truei if?.

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~in light-of Mr. Cherry's past performance.' He raised the so-called 9 W h.

i Bechtel " hot item" at the_- February 9,1977 hearing sessio'n but refused - @N i

to follow up on the allegations.

Later testimony by Mr. Keeley on

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February 10,1977. demonstrated there was nothing to Mr. Cherry's." hot.

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In addition, the Staff does not judge Dr. Tim to b_e a reliable witness based on its assessment of his direct testimony. As an example, Dr.

g Tim is making judgments in his direct testimony on Loss of Load Probability (LOLP) calculations, an area where he is singularly un-qualified.

Since Dr. Tim is the purported source of the allegation and there is little assurance that his information is reliable, greater certainty should be required.-

Finally, Mr. Cherry, the one who raised the allegations, is attempting to impede their investigation by insisting on financial assistance as a condition precedent to cooperation.

Is Mr. Cherry genuinely concerned to the extent that he will permit inquiry without waiving his arguments on financial assistance already made many times on the record or do we have yet another effort by Mr. Cherry to interject the financial assistance question into the proceeding knowing full well what the Board's position will be?

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'The Staff Las sought the opportunity to work with Dr. Tim informally, hydf

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• allegations.. The Staff'should be' pemitted' % W

' t %to. pursue this course'without' the. interference ~ of Mr. ' Cherry. 'The' Staff 2 9 - $

V mcognizes that Dri Ti%isla~ witness of Mr. Cherg's. 'But Mr. Cherry?,7%$

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4 5 ?hes ~himself raised these allegations ~~and bi2so' doing has exposed Dr.*T78h i

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^1 Tim, the acknowledged' source of the allegations, to infomal as'wel155% ?

, ; Staff be permitted to* contact Dr. -Tim. :The Staff seeks a Boar

_- 'as fomal inquiry.

Furthermore, the public interest requires that the permitting infomal_ Staff contact with Dr. Tim and. proscribing any ;fW 2Z interference by Mr.l Cherry.,

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Furthermore, the present state of the record' must be improved.

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not acceptable for Mr,. Cherry to simply make allegations w more on the record and walk away.. e.have seen this practice too many i W'

W times. The Staff urges -the Board to order. Mr. Cherry to supply an ~ JQnQ affidavit from Dr. Tim indicating the specifics of his allegations,; J7Qpfg i

with specific references to documents. This is all.the more required W % i;,],

for the present suspension' proceeding.. for' if Dr. Tim does.not_testi.fyM.AggCi

~ fon April 4,1977, Mr. Cherry's stated opposition to the dep

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' Dr. Tim may make :1t a'* protracted affair.

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Sincerely, l

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Richard K. Hoefling

,_N' Counsel for NRC Staff l

cc:

Myron M. Cherry, Esq.

i Judd L. Bacon, Esq.

4 Honorable Curt T. Schneider Ms. Mary Sinclair Harold F. Reis, Esq.

L. F. Nute, Esq.

Mr. Steve Gadler R. Rex Renfrow, III, Esq.

Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Atomic Safety and Licensing Appeal Panel Docketing and Service Section i

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