[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 95 (Thursday, May 17, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27857-27858]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-9524]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[ Docket No. 50-271-LR; ASLBP No. 06-849-03-LR]
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board; In the Matter of Entergy
Nuclear Vermont Yankee, L.L.C., and Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
(Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station); Notice of Hearing (Application
for License Renewal)
May 11, 2007.
Before Administrative Judges: Alex S. Karlin, Chairman, Dr. Richard
E. Wardwell, Dr. Thomas S. Elleman.
This proceeding concerns the January 25, 2006, application of
Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, L.L.C., and Entergy Nuclear Operations,
Inc. (collectively, Entergy), to renew the operating license for the
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station in Windham County, Vermont
(Operating License No. DPR-28). Entergy seeks to extend this license
for an additional twenty years beyond the current expiration date of
March 21, 2012. On March 27, 2006, the Commission published a notice of
acceptance for docketing of the Entergy renewal application and a
notice of opportunity to request a hearing on the application. 71 FR
15,220 (Mar. 27, 2006). Requests for hearings and petitions to
intervene were filed on or before May 26, 2006, by four entities: The
Vermont Department of Public Service (DPS), the Attorney General of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Town of Marlboro, Vermont, and the
New England Coalition (NEC). On June 14, 2006, this Atomic Safety and
Licensing Board was established to conduct this adjudication. 71 FR
34,397 (June 14, 2006).
On August 1 and 2, 2006, the Board heard oral argument from the
petitioners, Entergy, and the NRC Staff in Brattleboro, Vermont,
relating to the admissibility of the proposed contentions. The standing
of the petitioners to intervene was uncontested. On September 22, 2006,
the Board issued a Memorandum and Order admitting contentions submitted
by DPS and NEC, thereby granting two of the requests for a hearing and
admitting DPS and NEC as parties to the proceeding. LBP-06-20, 64 NRC
131, 143 (2006). At the same time, the Board also granted these two
organizations' requests to adopt one another's contentions under 10 CFR
2.309(f)(3). On November 17, 2006, the Board granted the request by the
State of New Hampshire to participate in this proceeding as an
interested state under 10 CFR 2.315(c).
In light of the foregoing, please take notice that an evidentiary
hearing will be conducted in this proceeding. Subject to a Board
determination regarding any request to employ formal hearing procedures
under 10 CFR part 2, subpart G or expedited hearing procedures under 10
CFR part 2, subpart N, see 10 CFR 2.310, the evidentiary hearing on all
admitted contentions will be governed by the informal hearing
procedures set forth in 10 CFR part 2, subpart L, 10 CFR 2.1200--
2.1213. During the course of the proceeding, the Board may also hear
oral arguments as provided in 10 CFR 2.331, may hold various prehearing
conferences pursuant to 10 CFR 2.329, and may conduct evidentiary
hearings in accordance with 10 CFR 2.1206-2.1208. These may be held via
teleconference, video-conference, and/or in person. The public may
attend any oral argument, prehearing conference, or evidentiary
hearing. Notices of these sessions will be published in the Federal
Register and/or made available to the public at the NRC Public Document
Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike
(first floor), Rockville, Maryland, and through the NRC Web site,
http://www.nrc.gov.
Additionally, as provided in 10 CFR 2.315(a), any ``person who is
not a party'' to the proceeding may submit a written limited appearance
statement. Limited appearance statements do not constitute evidence,
but they are placed in the docket for the hearing and provide members
of the public with an opportunity to make the Board and/or the parties
aware of their concerns about matters at issue in the proceeding. A
written limited appearance statement can be submitted at any time and
should be sent to the Office of the Secretary using one of the
following methods: (1) Mail to the Office of the Secretary, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention:
Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff, with a copy to the Chairman of
this Licensing Board at Mail Stop T-3F23, Atomic Safety and Licensing
Board Panel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001; (2) e-mail to the Office of the Secretary at
[email protected], with a copy to the Board Chairman (c/o Marcia
Carpentier, [email protected]); or (3) fax to the Office of the Secretary at
301-415-1101 (facsimile verification number: 301-415-1966), with a copy
to the Board Chairman at 301-415-5599 (facsimile verification number:
301-415-7550).
At a later date, the Board may, at its discretion, hear oral
limited appearance statements at a location in the vicinity of the
Vermont Yankee facility. Notice of any oral limited appearance sessions
will be published in the Federal Register and/or made available to the
public at the NRC PDR and on the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov.
The deadline for this Board's receipt of limited appearance
statements (written or oral) will be the day preceding the commencement
of the evidentiary hearing. The evidentiary hearing will occur after
the NRC Staff issues its final environmental report and final safety
evaluation report on this application. Thus, the evidentiary hearing
has not yet been specifically scheduled, but will probably commence in
early 2008.
Documents relating to this proceeding are available for public
inspection at the Commission's PDR 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). 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
[[Page 27858]]
telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail at
[email protected].
It is so ordered.
Dated: May 11, 2007.
For the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board.\1\
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\1\ Copies of this order were sent this date by Internet e-mail
transmission to counsel for (1) licensees Entergy Nuclear Vermont
Yankee, L.L.C., and Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.; (2)
intervenors Vermont Department of Public Service and New England
Coalition of Brattleboro, Vermont; (3) the Staff and (4) the State
of New Hampshire.
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Alex S. Karlin,
Chairman, Administrative Judge, Rockville, Maryland.
[FR Doc. E7-9524 Filed 5-16-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P