ML20090L671

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FOIA Request for Six Categories of Documents Re Application of Sholly Amend to Consideration of TMI-1 Steam Generator OL Amend
ML20090L671
Person / Time
Site: Crane 
Issue date: 03/01/1984
From: Bell N
NUCLEAR INFORMATION & RESOURCE SERVICE
To:
NRC OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATION (ADM)
References
FOIA-84-148 NUDOCS 8405260002
Download: ML20090L671 (3)


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Nuclear Information anc Resource Service 1346 Cmned:

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March 1, 1984 FREEDOM OF INFORMATK".

Director ACT id QUEST fD_gp - gy _gy Office Adminstration U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission gg, s d,3_g, p Washington, D.C.-20555 FREEDOP OF INFORMATI0f; ACT BEOUEST I

To whom it may concern:

Pursuant"to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C.

522, as amended, the Nuclear Information and Resource Service requests.the following documents regarding the application of the "Sholly Amendment" to the consideration of the Three Mile Island-1 Steam Generator operating license amendment.

Please consider." documents" to include reports, studies, test results, correspondence, memoranda, meeting notes, meeting minutes, working papers, graphs, charts, diagrams, notes and summaries of conversations and interviews, computer records, and any other forms of written communication, including internal NRC Staff memoranda.

The documents are specifically requested from, but not limited L

to, the following offices of the NRC: Office of the Executive Legal Director (OELD), Office of the General Counsel (OGC), and Office of Nuclear Reactc-Regulation (NRR). In your response, please identify which documents correspond to which requests set out below.

Pursuant to this request, please provide all documents prepared or utilized by, in the possession of, or routed through the NRC related to:

1. The impact of the application of the "Sholly Amendment" no-significant-hazards-consideration determination on the TMI-1 Steam Generator operating license amendment to other operating license amendments currently under consideration by the Staff;
2. The impact of the application of the "Sholly Amendment" no-significant-hazards-consideration determination on the r

p TMI-1 Steam Generator operating license amendment to other i

operating license amendments which have received no

[

significant hazards consideration determinations by the NRC j

Staff;

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8405260002 840301 PDR FOIA BELL 84-148 PDR

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1 3. The implications of the application of the "Sholly Amendment" no-significant-hazards-consideration determination on the TMT-1. Steam Generator operating license amendment to any or all operating license amendments; 4

Analyses of the "Sholly Amendment" and interpretations of its application to operating license amendments;

5. Instructions to the staff for making "Sholly Amendment" proposed and final no-significant-hazards-consideration determinations; and
6. Any other documents which could be construed to be directives, analyses or interpretations of NRC's current

" working law" with respect to "Sholly Amendment" no-significant-hazards-consideration determinations.

The documents requested must be made available under the Freedom of Information Act and are not exempt under Exemption 5.

The Supreme Court r.ecognized a distinction between. pre-decisional documents, which are exempted, and post-decisional documents which are not exempted.

NLRB v.

Sears. Roebuck & Co., 421 U.S. at 151-53.

The Court noted that it would tut reluctant to consider " statements of policy and interpretations which have been adopted by the agency" and " instructions to staff that affect a member of the public" to be exempt under Exemption 5.

Sears, supra.

This is consistent with numerous court interpretations that the FOIA's Exemption 5 does not exist to protect an agency's

" secret law."

The statements made by the Office of General Counsel at recent Commission meetings demonstrate clearly that the counsel to the Commissioners believes that such a secret law is in effect.

This law is currently governing decisions made by the staff of the agency in interpretation of the Sholly amendment and its implementing regulations.

Moreover, it has the effect of affecting many members of the public, namely those who may be deprived of representation of their interests in a orior hearing on an operating license amendment.

When such a hearing is being denied in favor of merely a right to a post hearing, it is nct on the basis of existing law as written, but on the " secret" or

" working" law interpretation presently being utilized by the NRC Staff.

In our opinion, it is appropriate in this case for you to waive copying an'd search charges, pursuant to 5 U.S.C.

552(a)(4)(A) "because furnishing the information can be considered as primarily benefiting the general public."

The Nuclear Information and Resource Service is a non-profit organization serving local organizations concerned about

. nuclear power and providing information to the general public.

Sincerely, N...

Nina Bell Nuclear Safety Analyst ec: File i

h.

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