[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 1, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5382-5383]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-1324]



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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 70-3103-ML; ASLBP No. 04-826-01-ML]


Atomic Safety and Licensing Board; Before Administrative Judges: 
G. Paul Bollwerk, III, Chairman, Dr. Paul B. Abramson, Dr. Charles N. 
Kelber; In the Matter of Louisiana Energy Services, L.P. (National 
Enrichment Facility); Notice of Hearing and of Opportunity To Make Oral 
or Written Limited Appearance Statements

January 26, 2006.
    The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board hereby gives notice that it 
will convene an evidentiary session to receive testimony and exhibits 
in the ``mandatory hearing'' portion of this proceeding regarding the 
December 2003 application of Louisiana Energy Services, L.P., (LES) for 
a license under 10 CFR part 70 to construct and operate a uranium 
enrichment facility--the National Enrichment Facility (NEF)--to be 
constructed near Eunice, New Mexico. This mandatory hearing will 
concern safety and environmental matters other than those being 
litigated in the ongoing ``contested'' hearing that pertains to 
admitted issues proffered by intervening parties regarding the LES 
application. In addition, the Board gives notice that, in accordance 
with 10 CFR 2.315(a), it will entertain oral limited appearance 
statements from members of the public in connection with this 
proceeding.

A. Date, Time, and Location of Mandatory Hearing

    The Board will conduct a mandatory hearing regarding the 
sufficiency of the LES application and NRC staff's environmental 
findings relative to the LES application,\1\ beginning at 9 a.m., 
Mountain Standard Time (MST) on Monday, March 6, 2006, at the New 
Mexico Junior College, Moran Building Multi-Purpose Room, 5317 
Lovington Highway, Hobbs, New Mexico. The hearing on these issues will 
continue day-to-day until concluded.
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    \1\ LES and the staff will be parties to the mandatory hearing 
and will present witnesses and evidentiary material.
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    The public is advised that, in accordance with 10 CFR 2.390, 
portions of the hearing sessions may be closed to the public because 
the matters at issue may involve the discussion of protected 
information.

B. Date, Time, and Location of Oral Limited Appearance Statement 
Sessions

    These sessions will be on the following date at the specified 
location and times:

1. Date: Sunday, March 5, 2006.
    Time: Afternoon Session (if there is sufficient interest)--3 to 5 
p.m. MST.
    Location: New Mexico Junior College, Moran Building Multi-Purpose 
Room, 5317 Lovington Highway, Hobbs, New Mexico.

2. Date: Monday, March 6, 2006.
    Time: Evening Session (if there is sufficient interest)--7 to 9 
p.m. MST.
    Location: Same as Session 1 above.

C. Participation Guidelines for Oral Limited Appearance Statements

    Any person not a party, or the representative of a party, to the 
proceeding will be permitted to make an oral statement setting forth 
his or her position on matters of concern relating to this proceeding. 
Although these statements do not constitute testimony or evidence, they 
nonetheless may help the Board and/or the parties in their 
consideration of the issues in this proceeding.
    Oral limited appearance statements will be entertained during the 
hours specified above, or such lesser time as may be necessary to 
accommodate the speakers who are present.\2\ In this regard, if all 
scheduled and unscheduled speakers present at a session have made a 
presentation, the Licensing Board reserves the right to terminate the 
session before the ending times listed above. The Board also reserves 
the right to cancel the Sunday afternoon and/or Monday evening sessions 
scheduled above if there has not been a sufficient showing of public 
interest as reflected by the number of preregistered speakers.
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    \2\ Any members of the public who plan to attend either the 
evidentiary hearings or the limited appearance sessions are advised 
that security measures may be employed at the entrance to the 
hearing facility, including searches of hand-carried items such as 
briefcases or backpacks. Also, during the limited appearance 
sessions, signs no larger than 18 by 18 will 
be permitted, but may not be attached to sticks, held up, or moved 
about in the rooms.
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    The time allotted for each statement normally will be no more than 
five minutes, but may be further limited depending on the number of 
written requests to make an oral statement that are submitted in 
accordance with section D below and/or the number of persons present at 
the designated times. In addition, although an individual who has 
previously addressed the Licensing Board at a limited appearance 
session, including the January 12, 2005 sessions in Eunice, New Mexico 
or, in the case of the Monday evening session, the Sunday afternoon 
session, may request an opportunity to make an additional presentation, 
the Board reserves the right to defer such additional presentations 
until after it has heard from speakers who have not had an opportunity 
to make an initial presentation.

D. Submitting a Request To Make an Oral Limited Appearance Statement

    Persons wishing to make an oral statement who have submitted a 
timely written request to do so will be given priority over those who 
have not filed such a request. To be considered timely, a written 
request to make an oral statement must either be mailed, faxed, or sent 
by e-mail so as to be received by 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on 
Wednesday, February 22, 2006. The request must specify the session 
(Sunday or Monday) during which the requester wishes to make an oral 
statement. Based on its review of the requests received by February 22, 
2006, the Licensing Board may decide that the Sunday afternoon and/or 
Monday evening sessions will not be held due to a lack of adequate 
interest in those sessions.
    Written requests to make an oral statement should be submitted to:
    Mail: Office of the Secretary, Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
    Fax: (301) 415-1101 (verification (301) 415-1966).
    E-mail: [email protected].
    In addition, using the same method of service, a copy of the 
written request to make an oral statement should be sent to the 
Chairman of this Licensing Board as follows:
    Mail: Administrative Judge G. Paul Bollwerk, III, Atomic Safety and 
Licensing Board Panel, Mail Stop T-3 F23, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
    Fax: (301) 415-5599 (verification (301) 415-6094).
    E-mail: [email protected] and [email protected].

E. Submitted Written Limited Appearance Statements

    A written limited appearance statement may be submitted to the 
Board regarding this proceeding at any time. Such statements should be 
sent to the Office of the Secretary using the

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methods prescribed above, with a copy to the Licensing Board Chairman.

F. Availability of Documentary Information Regarding the Proceeding

    Documents relating to this proceeding are available for public 
inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room (PDR), located at 
One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, 
Maryland, or electronically from the publicly available records 
component of NRC's document system (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible from 
the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (the 
Public Electronic Reading Room).\3\ Persons who do not have access to 
ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in 
ADAMS should contact the NRC PDR reference staff by telephone at (800) 
397-4209 or (301) 415-4737, or by e-mail to [email protected].
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    \3\ Some documents determined by the staff to contain 
``sensitive'' information are publicly available only in redacted 
form; non-sensitive documents are publicly available in their 
complete form. In addition, some documents that may contain 
information proprietary to LES are publicly available only in 
redacted form.
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G. Scheduling Information Updates

    Any updated/revised scheduling information regarding the 
evidentiary hearing and limited appearance sessions can be found on the 
NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/index.cfm or by calling (800) 368-5642, extension 5036, or (301) 415-
5036.

    Dated: January 26, 2006; Rockville, Maryland.

    For the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board.\4\
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    \4\ Copies of this notice were sent this date by Internet e-mail 
transmission to counsel for (1) applicant LES; (2) intervenors 
Nuclear Information and Resource Service/Public Citizen; (3) the New 
Mexico Environment Department and the Attorney General of New 
Mexico; and (4) the staff.
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G. Paul Bollwerk, III,
Administrative Judge.
[FR Doc. E6-1324 Filed 1-31-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P