ML20244C854

NRC Staff Motion to Strike Intervenors Notices of Appeal of LBP-89-10.* Motion Should Be Stricken as Premature & Directed Certification of Order Denied.Certificate of Svc Encl

ML20244C854
Person / Time
Site:	Seabrook
Issue date:	04/17/1989
From:	Berry G NRC OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL (OGC)
To:	NRC ATOMIC SAFETY & LICENSING APPEAL PANEL (ASLAP)
References
CON-#289-8478 LBP-89-10, OL, NUDOCS 8904210017
Download: ML20244C854 (12)

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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION i i" ' .,

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In the Matter of ) i Docket Nos. 50-443 OL-01 ,

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION BEFORE THE ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING APPEAL BOARD In the Matter of )

Docket Nos. 50-443 OL-01 .

. PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF 50-444 OL-01 NEW HAMPSHIRE, et al. Off-site Emergency Planning

. (Seabrook Station, Units 1 and 2) l NRC STAFF MOTION TO STRIKE INTERVENERS' NOTICES OF APPEAL OF LBP-89-10 1 I

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i Gregory Alan Berry Counsel for NRC Staff April 17, 1989

l UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION BEFORE THE ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING APPEAL BOARD In the Matter of Docket Nos. 50-443 OL PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF 50-444 OL NEW HAMPSHIRE, ej a_1. ) Off-sin Emergency Planning

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NRC STAFF MOTION TO STRIKE INTERVENERS' NOTICES OF , APPEAL OF LBP-89-10 INTRODUCTION The NRC Staff hereby moves to strike the notices of appeal of LBP-89-10 II filed on March 20 and 22, 1989, respectively, by the Seacoast Anti-Pollution League (SAPL) and the Massachusetts Attorney General

(" Interveners"). A notice of appeal may be filed only from the grant or denial of a petition to intervene or from an initial decision 10 C.F.R. 99 2.714(a), 2.762. In other words, an appeal will not lie where no appealable order has issued. The Licensing Board's determination in j LBP-89-10 is not immediately appealable because it neither disposes of a ,

i major segment of the case nor terminates Interveners' right to participate l in the proceeding. For these reasons, a party may not appeal the  ;

Licensing Board's order at this time and the Appeal Board should dismiss j Interveners' notices of appeal as premature. Moreover, since LBP-89-10 ,

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-1/ .Public Service Company of New Hampshire (Seabrook Station, Units 1 and 2), LBP-89-10, 29 NRC (March 8, 1989).

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does not affect the proceeding in a basic or pervasive manner the Appeal Board should not grant directed certification of LBP-89-10.

BACKGROUND In LBP-89-10, the Licensing Board denied motions filed by SAPL and the Attorney General concerning the applicability of the Commission's fir.ancial qualification rules to the full power operating license phase of this proceeding. The late-filed contention proffered by SAPL challenged l Applicants' financial qualification to operate the facility safely at low power. The Attorney General sought to litigate the same issue but l requested a waiver of the cited regulations pursuant to 10 C.F.R. 6 2.758(b).

In denying SAPL's motion, the Board agreed with the Staff that litigation of Applicants' financial qualification was precluded by 10 C.F.R. 66 50.33(f) and 50.57(a)(4), the Commission regulations which exclude electric utilities from the class of applicants required to I

demonstrate their financial qualification to operate a nuclear facility.

LBP-89-10, slip op. at 3-5. In denying the Attorney General's petition for waiver, the Board agreed with the Staff that the petition did not make  ;

the required prima facie showing that there exist "special circumstances" which " undercut the rationale" of the Commission's financial qualification rules and which raise a "significant safety problem." Id. at 7-14. The j fatal flaw in the Attorney General's petition was its failure to allege I i

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. and show that the owners of the Seabrook Station would not be allowed to  !

recoup the costs of safe operation in the event a full power operating l license was issued. Id_. at 12.

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i L l On March 20 and 22, 1989, respectively, SAPL and the Attorney General filed notices of appeal of the Licensing Board's decision.

DISCUSSION A. LBP-89-10 Is Not A Final Order And The Notices Of Appeal Should Be Etricken In Tennesse Valley Authority (Monticello Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1A, 2A, 1B and 28), ALAB-409, 5 NRC 1391, 1396-97 (1977), the Appeal Board stated: "A motion to strike may well be a justified means of raising a  !

question respecting whether a particular submission to us is on its face, j either insufficient or improper (e_.3. scandalous)." (Footnote omitted).

Here the notices of appeal are, on their face, improper and should be i i

stricken. Under Commission regulations, with the exception of an appeal )

I pursuant 10 C.F.R. 5 2.714(a) from the denial or grant of a petition to intervene, an appeal may be taken only from a final initial decision  !

disposing of a major portion of a proceeding. 10 C.F.k. 6 2.762; )

Philadelphia Electric Company (Limerick Generating Stations, Units 1 and  !

2), ALAB-845, 24 NRC 220, 252 (1986); Public Service Company of New f I

Hampshire (Seabrook Station, Units 1 and 2), ALAB-838, 23 NRC 585, 590-91 i (1986); Toledo Edison Company (Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station),

ALAB-300, 2 NRC 762, 758 (1070 ; Public Service Company of New Hampshire j (Seabrook Station, Units 1 and 2), ALAB-894, 27 NRC 632, 636 (1988). S/

LBP-89-10 does not grant or deny any petition to intervene. Thus, an appeal of this order will not lie at this time unless the order disposes l

-2/ An exception is made for order which will subject an appellant to immediate harm which could not be undone at the conclusion of the proceeding. See je. . Consumer Power Co. (Midland Plant, Units I and 2),ALAB-122,6AEC322(1973).

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of a major segment of the proceeding or terminates Interveners' right to participate in the proceeding. The Licensing Board's order does neither.

t The Commission does not apply a hard and fast rule in determining.

whether an order is " final" for appellate review purposes. As the Appeal Board stated in Davis-Besse, supra:

The tut of " finality" for appeal purposes before this agency (as in the courts) is essentially a practical one. As a general i matter, a licensing board's action is final for appellate purposes where it either disposes of at least a major segment of the case or terminates a party's right to participate; rulings which do neither are interlocutory.

2 NRC at 758 (footnotes omitted); accord Seabrook, supra, 27 NRC at 636.

Applying these criteria to LBP-89-10, it is clear that the order is not final for purposes 'of appellate review. The Licensing Board's order manifestly did not terminate the right of SAPL or the Attorney General to participate in the proceeding. Rather, LBP-89-10 merely denies SAPL's request to inject new issues into the proceeding and the Attorney General's petition for a waiver of the rules which preclude the injection of those issues.

.Nor did the Licensing Board's order dispose of a " major segment" of the case. In LBP-89-10, the Licensing Board rejected SAPL's and the )

l Attorney General's attempt to expand the proceeding by injecting a contention (i.e., Applicants' financial qualification to operate the facility at full power) which is unrelated to any contention pending

. before the Board. An appeal may not be had on the rejection or dismissal ,

of some contentions where intervenor remains a participant in the proceeding. See M . Northern States Power Co. (Tyron Energy Park, Units 1), ALAB-492, 8 NRC 251, 252 (1978) (appeal rejecting some, but not all,

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I contentions will not lie); Cleveland Electric Co. (Perry Nuclear Plant i

Units 1 and 2), ALAB-736, 18 NRC 165, 166 (1983) (appeal of summary ,

dismissal of some, but not all, contentions will not lie); Public Service Company of New Hampshire, 23 NRC 582, 592 (1986) (appeal of a dismissal of all contentions of a state which remained a participant in the proceeding under 10 C.F.R. 9 2.715(a) will not lie). The order at issue here did not dispose of any segment of the proceeding. The Licensing i

Board's decision in LBP-89-10 is not a final order satisfying the test in the Davis-Besse, and thus is not appealable as of right at this time.

For these reasons the notices of appeal should be stricken.

B. Directed Certification Is Not Warranted Although the Appeal Board has the discretionary authority to take i review of interlocutory orders, such review is not warranted in this case.

As the Appeal Board has observed, "such relief is not ordinarily granted unless the challenged ruling either (1) ' threatens the party adversely affected by it with immediate and serious irreparable impact which, as a practical matter, could not be alleviated by a later appeal or (2) affect [s] the basic structure of the proceeding in a pervasive or unusual manner." Public Service Company of New Hampshire (Seabrook Station, Units 1 and 2), ALAB-896, 27 NRC 27, 31 (1988), quoting, Public Service Company of Indiana (Marble Hill Nuclear Generating Station, Units I and 2), ALAB-405, 5 NRC 1190, 1192 (1977). Neither o' these standards is met in this case.

The Licensing Board's order does not threaten SAPL or the Attorney General with irreparable harm. As noted above, with respect to SAPL the order merely excludes from this proceeding an issue -- the financial 1

qualification of a regulated utility -- which may not be litigated in an operating license proceeding. See 10 C.F.R. 66 50.33(f), 50.57(a)(4).

Any error committed by the Board ir excluding the late-filed contention proffered by SAPL can be redressed upoc appeal of a final order. See e.g. l Public Service Company of New Hampshire 23 NRC at 592; Long Island L.ighting Company (Shoreham Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1), ALAB-861, 25 NRC 129, 135 (1987); Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company (Perry l Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and 2), ALAB-706,16 NRC 1754,1757 (1982).

This remedy is also available to the Attorney General should he elect to I pursue his appeal of the Board's denial of his petition for waiver. See Public Service Company of New Hampshire (Seabrook Station, Units 1 and 2),

ALAB-875, 26 NRC 251, 256-58 (1987) (denial of petition for waive of 10 C.F.R. 6 50.47(d) reviewed in connection with appeal of concluding initial decision).

The Licensing Board's order does not affect the basic structure of the proceeding in an unusual or pervasive manner. On the contrary, the Licensing Board's ordar is consistent with the Rules of Practice. Those rules require a party seeking to inject new issues or contentions into a proceeding to demonstrate that the issue or contention is litigable. See 10 C.F.R. 6 2.714; Seabrook, supra, ALAB-875, 26 NRC at 264 (contentions which explicitly or implicitly challenge Commission regulations properly are subject to " summary rejection"). The Rules of Practice and Commission l t

case law also instruct a licensing board to dismiss any petition which l fails to make a prima facie showing that application of the regulation in question would not serve its intended purpose and that a waiver is needed to address a significant safety prob 1.m on the merits. 10 C.F.R.

i 92.758(b); Public Service Co:npany of New Hampshire (Seabrook Station, Units 1 and 2), CLI-88-10, 28 NRC 573, 595-600 (1988). Thus, far from having s pervasive or unusual effect 'on the proceeding, the action taken l by the Board was consistent with the Rules of Practice and settled case law.

CONCLUSION l An appeal of the Licensing Board's order does not lie at this time i .

because that order is not final for purposes of appellate review.

Moreover, the order does not affect the basic structure of the proceeding in a pervasive or unusual manner. For these reasons, the Appeal Board '

should strike Interveners' notice cf appe,1 as premature and deny directed certification of the Licensing Boerd's order.

Reg estfully submitted, kh reg ry Alj in Bel ry Counsel fd NRC ' Staff (

Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 17th day of April 1989 l

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00tKETED UNITED STATES OF AMERICA- Umt NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION BEFORE THE ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING APPEAL BOARD

'89 APR 19 A9 :58 In the Matter of- ) GFFtcE 'J d c , me.

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Docket Nos.50-444 50-443OL OL 00mW*i* "

a PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF

~NEW HAMPSHIRE, et a_l,. Off-site Emergency Planning

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(Seabrook Station, Units 1 and 2 -

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that copies ' of. "NRC STAFF ' MOTION TO STRIKE - INTERVENERS' NOTICES OF APPEAL. OF: LBP-89-10" in the above-captioced proceeding have been q served on the folicwing by deposit in the United States mail, first class or, as indicated by an _ asterisk, by deposit in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's .!

internal mail system, this.17th day of April 1989. l Ivan W. Smith, Chairman (2)* H. J. Flynn, Esq.

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Administrative Judge Assistant General Counsel Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Federal Emergency Management U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Agency Washington, DC 20555 500 C Street, SW Washington, DC. 20472 Ricnard F. Cole *-

Administrative Judge Calvin A. Canney Atemic Safety'and Licensing Board City Hall U.S. Nuc1sar Regulatory Commission 126 Daniel Street Portsmouth, NH 03801 Washington, DC_ 20555 ]

i Kenneth A. McCollom John-Trat! conte, Esq.

Administrative Judge Assistant Attorney General 1107 West Knapp Street Office of the Attorney General Stillwater, OK. 74075 One Ashbur' .,n Flace,19th Floor Boston, a 02108 James H. Carpenter, Altern ce*

Administrative Judge Geoffrey Huntington, Esq.

Atomic Safety & Licensing Branch Assistant Attorney General U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of the Attorney General Washington, DC 20555 25 Capitol Street h.- Concord, NH 03301 Philip Ahrens, Esq.

Assistant Attorney General Diane Curran, Esq. (

Office of the Attorney General Harmon, Curran & Tousley

, State House Station 2001 S Street, hw Augusta, ME 04333 Suite 430 Washington, DC 20009 l

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i Robert'A. Backus, Esq. Peter J. Matthews, Mayor Backus, Meyer & Solomon City Hall .

116 Lowell Street Newburyport, MA 01950 l Manchester, NH 03106 Mrs. Anne E. Goodman, Chairman Paul McEachern, Esq. Board of Selectmen Shaines & McEachern 13-15 Newmarket Road 25 Maplewood Avenue Durn- 'NH 03824 P.O. Box 360 Portsr;;outh, NH 03801 Hon. Gordon J. Humphrey United States Senate Charles P. Graham, Esq. 531 Hart Senate Office Building  :

McKay, Murphy & Graham Washington, DC 20510 100 Main Street-Amesbury, MA 01913 Barbara J. Saint Andre, Esq.

Kopelman & Paige, P.C.

Sandra Gavutis, Chairman 77 Franklin Street Board of Selectmen Boston, MA 02110 RFD #1, Box 1154 Kensington, NH 03827 Michael Santosuosso, Chairman Board of Selectmen William S. Lord South Hampton, NH 03827 Board of Selectmen Town Hall - Friend Street Ashod N. Amirian, Esq.

Amesbury, MA 01913 Town Counsel for Merrimac 145 South Main Street R. Scott Hill-Whilton, Esq. P.O. Box 38 Lagoulis, Clark, Hill-Whilton Bradford, MA 01835

& McGuire 79 State Street Richard R. Donovan Newburyport, MA 01950 Federal Regional Center .

J Federal Emergency Management Agency Allen Lampert 130 228th Street, S.W.

Civil Defense Director Bothell, Washington 98021-9796 Town or Brentwood l 20 Franklin Robert R. Pierce, Esq.*

Exeter, NH 03833 Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel William Armstrong U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Civil Defense Director Washington, D.C. 20555 Town of Exeter

.. 10 Front Street Thomas G. Dignan, Jr. , Esq.

Exeter, NH 06.33 Robert K. Gad, III, Esq.

Ropes & Gray 1 Gary W. Holmes, Esq. One International Place Holmes & Ellis Boston, MA 02110 47 Winnacunnet Road Hampton, NH 03842 i

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J. P. NadeaL Ms. Suzanne Breiseth .

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' Board of Selectmen Board of Selectmen 10 Central Street Town of Hampton Falls I Rye, NH 03870 Drinkwater Road Hampton Falls,.NH 03F 1 Judith H. Mizner, Esq.

79 State Street ~

Atomic Safety and Licensing

, Newburyport, MA 01950 Board (1)* l U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission i Robert Carrigg .

Washington, DC 20555  ;

Board of Selectmen  ;

. Town Office Atomic Safety and Licensing i Atlantic Avenue Appeal Panel (8)* I North Hampton, NH 03862 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555 Ms. Elizabeth Weinhold 3 Godfrey Avenue Docketing and Service Section*

Hampton, NH 03842 Office of the Secretary ,

J.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission !

Jashington, DC 20555q Mb Gregory Al @ Ber[y Counsel fo QNRC Staff [ ,

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