ML20148T101

Response of Tx Pirg to 781118 Applicant'S Motion for Order Establishing Sched.Objects to Proposal as Inappropriate, Since Pirg Does Not Know How Many Issues Will Be in Controversy Before the Bd After Release of SER by NRC Staff

ML20148T101
Person / Time
Site:	Allens Creek File:Houston Lighting and Power Company icon.png
Issue date:	11/22/1978
From:	Jeffrey Scott HOUSTON LIGHTING & POWER CO.
To:
Shared Package
ML20148T099	List: ML20148T098 ML20148T101
References
NUDOCS 7812040302
Download: ML20148T101 (3)

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I";1'!! D STATF.!; al' A?il;f' IGA 4

"l'Cl,LAR ill:Gl;LATORY C0":!IESIO:I j 1,c fore The Alor.ic Sa f et y atul 1.icen sit r roa r d i

~i In the Matter of J i

liOUSTO:I blGM I';G & Pok'L!! C0;;1'A'iY I s

Dectet i! 'i n -.4 6 6 i (Allens Creel 'Juclear Generating 1 S tet t ion , Unit 1) l (?C!il'o ;31 O l' fl. 2S P lV; To ,\lTL1 rA:'I' L '!nTIO.! lii'i NDi ?

4 i L5! ABl.I Stili:G LClil:DL Lr f

I on Nov. Ib, 1978, the Applicant in the above-referenced "atter filed a i

5 r.otion proposing a schedule in the countruction license bear inn process for Allens Croct- Pever vtation. Texas PIPG, a prospective petitioner for intervcntion in t ha t process, files a response ebjecting to the t tre f rain" propocod !v Applicant.

! becance 'lenas PIRG at thin t. ire does no t I not- how nany it,sucs will lc

in controversy before this Doard, Texan PlRG cannot propose an alternative sc hed u l e i

to the board.

Applicant avers that this i so t j o n is appropriate for the reope of this hea r ing. lievever Texa s PIRG l elieves the notion to be In,ppropr la tely o f fered i

at this tire. lull consideration should be niven, as to the nuabor of issues that are admit ted , the complex tty of those isnues, the nature of information that

, is presently available to part. ten concerning etich issue, the nunber of parties.

that will be par tic ipa tin;; in discover y, and otber information relevant to the spec ifics of this proceeding. 'lexas l'IRG, therefore, cannot p ro v id e specific r

coruuen ts on the proposed schedule until such contentions are admit ted.

Nevertheless, Texas PIRG does of fer the opinion that O day d iscovery t ir>e l

t 7m20ao30>

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l will be inadequate, repardicas of the number of parties.

3 The 45 days /,pplicant attributes to their discovery per iod includes the major hollday periode of Christnan and New Year. Texas PIRC believes that, in a prac tien t nense, the ac tual discovery period is cons blorably shor ter because of these winter holidays. In particular, nany of the citizen-petitioners nay 1

1 be involved lu d istant travels and other such events. It could Le unrea sonable l

( l Lo conclude that such par t ies would be d evot ing their holida ys to discovery.

j Texas P' G does not believe the proposed discovery por led would enable parties to become involved in nult iple rounds o f discovery.{/in terrop,atories w1)) not be useful unless time is available for foll ov-up o f in for ma t ion l ead ing to new lines of inquiry into a contention. Furthernore, interrogatories nay be I

, required before the proper depos i t ions may be coup,ht. To becone involved in a "r u sh" d .tscove r y t ime frane vay, for exampic, result in avi wat d or d I f( teul t sc hed ul log if neveral parties sinueltaneously seek to find tires for deposttions.

Finally, Texas Pli!G helieven the Poard should givo sono cons hiera tion t o the relative resources available to the parties involved here. ' tiny of the pet t t iener-in tervenors nay be subjected to prepar tor, f or dopou t t ions or respond ing to in t e r rop,a to r i e s Iron the Applicant or other. parties; that in cer ta inly their richt and cannot be faulted. Ilovever, Texas PIRC by tho very nature of its organ inat f onal d i f f erence from the A>plIcant t cannol drae upon a s f olla r ongn it ude of nanpower:. Properly init iat ing, and analyzine d iscovery nay be d if f l-cul t dut tnr, a short tine period for Texas PI!tc, if Texas PII:n nost alno respond to the rightful

.inquirjes of other par ties during the sarne tire frane.

~*/ i eed less to sa y, there are no assurances that partiec u111 an,ree on the relevancy of . inquiries, and the Line required to resolve such disputen might result in furtner delays in obtaining information.

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3 The1.R.C. staff han not yet released the new safety evaluat ion report. The staf f's ind icated date of relenne could prolat ly placo the distribution tion frane of that inportant doeurent- nonet tre dur ing, d is-the contonts l- covery. Thoup,h Texns PIRG vould l e specula t ion to concolve t bat of that document 6111 Fe, it tould be within the realm of reason to 1olleve i

that the SIT, could lead to further issues in thin hearina, At the leant, the new sa fety report will probably lead to new lines of dincovery for various pa r t j e s. All of thin neans anple dincovery Line tmst he p,1ven in order to e>:anine nov material.

Texas PIRG urges thr- roard to consider the factors out1ined above, and to fur ther consult all the parties--once tha t i s 1 novn--pr ior to establishing a schedule, nespec t fully sf nit ted, James Scott, Jr.

Counsel for Pot.itioner on this the 22nd Day o f !;over.ber , 197[1 in the County of llarris, T e::a s .

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