ML19338C078

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State of Ks Response to Util Answer to Ks Petition to Intervene.Intervention Necessary Due to Ks Fear That Atomic Waste Disposal Problem Will Not Be Resolved by Aec.Motion to Intervene Should Be Granted
ML19338C078
Person / Time
Site: Midland
Issue date: 11/01/1971
From: Collister E, William Ward
KANSAS, STATE OF
To:
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel
References
NUDOCS 8007310661
Download: ML19338C078 (4)


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PETITIONER'S RESPONSE TO APPLICANT'S ANSWER TO THE PETITION TO INTERVENE OF THE STATE OF KANSAS i

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VERN MILLER-Attorney General State of Kansas i

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By:

Edward G. Col'.is ter, Jr.

William H.~ Ward Assistant-Attorncys Goncral Attorncys for State-of Kansas 8.0g73.1 shy.

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PETITIONER'S~' RESPONSE TO APPLICANT 'S ANSWER

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TO THE PETITION TO INTERVENE OF THE STATE OF KANSAS Applicant has filed its Answer to the Petition of the -

Siatn of-Mannan to intorvono in the above proceeding.

Kansas herchy files its Response to 'that Answer.

i-Petitioner cannot' agree with the Applicant that Kansas '

only source of administrative; or judicial-relief lies in a Petition under the' Administrative Procedure.Act to the AEC for a moritorium on licensing nuclear reactors until the waste issue

'is resolved.*

The decision regarding Kansas ' ' intervention should not be

-made-on the basis of a simple choice ~of forum analysis.: The

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Board should understand'the essential concern which-Kansas-feels neces 4tates its-intervention ~in'this. proceeding.

Our fear is

-that'tho atomic waste' problem will dictate its solution; that lins t e.ut ' otl f i ndi t

a narc" _ place for the want on, the AEC
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  • 5. U.S.C....S553 (2)l -permits an interested person". to make such

' :a-petition, but, - should the AEC adopt. the Applicant's vicwpoint,-

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Kansas would inot:be such an' " interested person" even for those purposes.-

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p ida cod 1toi cant. about. for a place ; they ' docm. " acceptable"--ai place

wh icie :mayihi L ar' f rom; :are.

'We:can'forocco,.as atomi~c power plants f

pi oil f erate, Congre:;nional' Iteprenantat i ve:: -in <1istricLn Lh rough oo f.

the~ Country. demanding, understandably, that wastes be rcn.oved lfrom;their state, Kansas:does not want t'o be a place of'last resort.

Yet, despite the!AEC's: renewed scarch for an acceptablo saltibed in Kansas,'no definite indication-has been forthcoming thatLthe Lyons site'will.bc abandoned.

We are told mercly that,

~ shouldl water circulation and well-plugging problems be found

.insurmountabic, alternate sites should be available.*

We have no indication 'that fundamental concerns over such things as rock-

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' phimring,.walr r migraLj on and energy abnorpt}on-rcleanc by salt-f will-be dispelled before the.. AEC reaffirms its existing commitment I

to deposit' wastes in Kansas.

~ Applicant tells us.the use of Kansas salt beds as a nuclear

.wasterdump is:"too unce'rtain" to create an interest supporting, such an intervention. ;If it-is possible that it-will be shown that 4

Jeither.the plac'e,~the'means,.or the' concept'of dispasal, itscif,

is undesirable, it would be sfoolhardy for us to simply. cit' by and wait until thef appearance.of the-first waste canister 'makes the-

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emplaccmont.of.'such wastes in" Kansas:"certain."

Welchoose tihis licensing proceeding through which to e

reach thonAEC.because:the, commission's' interest seems absorbed in

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  • (Sce_Mr. Putnam's statomont; attached to Applicant's Answer bo? our Petition. ) '

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promoting the > usc of.. atomic: energy.

Thellongtime fruitless' efforts ~

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l of16ur; ncionf int.n: Loiraine even the. smallest - doubts in Commission mindsircgarding theisafetyi of' the Lyons : site Memonctrated thei r pre-eminenticoncern with promotirg such use as against: protecting

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public fsomlits hazards.- Regardless of tho' extent to which the:Commiss' ion-hasMaltered its. thinking:concerning wasto disposal

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~issucs, it91s; incumbent 1upon us"to. resist'AEC action which

'increascr -the pressure ' to come.up with a solution,- however unsafe..

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. We moved tol intervene to -assert the requirements of the National Environmental Pol' icy Act.

Two of those regtilrements are -

of particular concern to us.

First, NEPA. requires that government l

agencias considor the environmental impact of the'ir' actions "to

the f.u))nst extent'ponnibic."
In the case of nuclear reactor I

licerining, this; includes tho ; impact of ' wastes Linovitably produced.

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This is'not solely Kansas'~ issue. - This'is an environmental issuc'

~ which1should,.as'we~ understand the Calvert Cliff's decision, be <p considered 1by the'~AEC in thisLproceeding even-without the efforts 1 of an intervenor. -(Calvert Cliff's. Coordinating Committee, Inc., 4 i ? I' et al. vs.1C.C.D;C.' July 23,'1971', p. 18.): C 3 Second, NEPA re'uires1that agencies " study, develop and q Jdescribe: appropriate 1 alternatives ltc.' recommended courses of ~ a cetion51n :any - proposal which1 involves. unresolved conflicts concern- [ .in~g alternstivo; uses 'of.~ available resources. "' (NEPA S1022c)' Here, ?the alternative to the; generationiof power by-nuclear energy, and- ~~ y findeed ;thcTalterndtivecof;notiproducing that power munt be weighed. ' lNof propo;r?" balance" can be' struck Luntil the - environmental- ~ 3 "-['- 1 . 8 u y p s = be wy- .'n .4_= .m yy, 4 f L. y, i y,i,, on,. 43-

+ 1 + AA ~ - - - = e *s .a: q.. ~q f ]. . contr anur; cia t;dd Lwi th tho' generation of. the wastes bisIdotermined.- .it'h.:, bee n pre'::inne el tha t th in ' cj em< n L to' la halanced harl:a weight' of f zero, y since : the AEC's. plan was: " safe. "- I.t.may bc [how,- ever, thaticach; canister of-waste produced createn a quantifiable ' hczard for the environment. and - the. hazard must~ be quanti fica and weighed agalnst'the' benefits deris. '.n the-course of producing the wastes. Finally, it may woll bo, as Applicant intimate..(Anawer,

p. 2) that the-requisite-" balancing" can'only be done with refer-encclto a yet,to be developed National Energy Policy.

This fact, ~ 'in itself, should not, be grounds for defering consideration of the. wa:it o clinpocal probicm' to another proceeding, fer, even if such .a National' Energy Policy existed it'would be.left to such proceed-ings an.the instant:one to' determine whether a given power -fac ill tyfis consonant, with that' plan. For these reasons','we respcctfully submit that the Motion i-of Kansas to Intervene in the.above proceeding should be granted. 3 2 -Dated: November 1, 1971 Respectfully submdtted, f 2 i hl VERN MILLER ~

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Attorney General State.of Kansas. Statehouse ~ . Topeka, Kansas ~66612 h 'r By: EDWAltD C. Col.I l::'I'l-:lt, J it. and .0 ' WILLI AM II. WAl(D D D ' )' d Assistant'Attorncyn Ccncral m 4.h

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