[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 239 (Tuesday, December 13, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77561-77563]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-31903]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 52-029-COL, 52-030-COL; ASLBP No. 09-879-04-COL-BD01]


Atomic Safety and Licensing Board; In the Matter of Progress 
Energy Florida, Inc.; (Levy County Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and 2)

 December 7, 2011.
Before Administrative Judges: Alex S. Karlin, Chairman, Dr. Anthony 
J. Baratta, Dr. William M. Murphy.

Notice

(Opportunity To Make Oral or Written Limited Appearance Statements)

    This Atomic Safety and Licensing Board hereby gives notice that it 
will accept oral or written limited appearance statements from members 
of the public regarding the application of Progress Energy Florida, 
Inc. (PEF) to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for 
a license to construct and operate two nuclear power plants in Levy 
County, Florida. Two sessions to hear oral limited appearance 
statements will be held on January 12, 2012, in Crystal River, Florida.

I. Background and Scope of Proceeding

    On December 8, 2008, the NRC published a notice in the Federal 
Register that any interested person could file a challenge to PEF's 
application to construct and operate two proposed nuclear power plants 
in Levy County, Florida and could request an adjudicatory hearing 
thereon. 73 FR 74,532 (Dec. 8, 2008) (ADAMS Accession No. ML083430114). 
On February 6, 2009, the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, the 
Ecology Party of Florida, and the Green Party of Florida (Intervenors) 
filed such a challenge and request.\1\ On February 23, 2009, this Board 
was established to handle the matter and to preside over any contested 
adjudicatory proceeding relating to the PEF application.\2\ On July 8, 
2009, this Board granted the Intervenors' request, ruling that they had 
shown standing and had raised at least one admissible contention. See 
LBP-09-10, 70 NRC 51, 147 (2009) (ADAMS Accession No. ML091890822).
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    \1\ Petition to Intervene and Request for Hearing by the Green 
Party of Florida, the Ecology Party of Florida and Nuclear 
Information and Resource Service (Feb. 6, 2009) (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML090371107).
    \2\ Progress Energy Florida, Inc.; Establishment of Atomic 
Safety and Licensing Board, 74 FR 9113 (Mar. 2, 2009) (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML090540936).
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    The scope of this contested adjudicatory proceeding, and thus the 
appropriate scope of any limited appearance statements, is defined by 
the contentions that have been raised by the Intervenors and that have 
been admitted, i.e., have been ruled to satisfy the requirements set 
forth in the relevant NRC regulation, 10 CFR 2.309(f)(1).\3\ The 
Intervenors have proffered several contentions, but at this point only 
one such admitted contention remains in litigation--Contention 4A.\4\ 
Contention 4A, therefore, defines the appropriate scope of any limited 
appearance statements.\5\ Contention 4A reads as follows:
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    \3\ In addition to the contested adjudicatory proceeding being 
conducted by this Board, there will be an uncontested adjudicatory 
proceeding concerning PEF's application to construct and operate the 
two proposed nuclear power plants in Levy County. See 42 U.S.C. 
2239(a)(i)(A). The content of the uncontested proceeding is not 
within the scope of this adjudication. See ``Conduct of Mandatory 
Hearings on Applications for Combined Licenses,'' Internal 
Commission Procedures at IV-12--IV-21 (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML11269A125).
    \4\ Licensing Board Memorandum and Order (Admitting Contention 
4A) (February 2, 2011) at 20 (unpublished) (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML110330394).
    \5\ If additional contentions are subsequently admitted, or if 
Contention 4A is subsequently settled, dismissed, or revised, then 
the scope of this proceeding will change accordingly.
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    Contention 4A: The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 
fails to comply with 10 CFR part 51 and the National Environmental 
Policy Act because it fails to specifically and adequately address, and 
inappropriately characterizes as SMALL, certain direct, indirect, and 
cumulative impacts, onsite and offsite, of constructing and operating 
the proposed LNP facility:
    A. Impacts to wetlands, floodplains, special aquatic sites, and 
other waters, associated with dewatering, specifically:
    1. Impacts resulting from active and passive dewatering;
    2. Impacts resulting from the connection of the site to the 
underlying Floridan aquifer system;
    3. Impacts on Outstanding Florida Waters such as the Withlacoochee 
and Waccasassa Rivers;
    4. Impacts on water quality and the aquatic environment due to 
alterations and increases in nutrient concentrations caused by the 
removal of water; and
    5. Impacts on water quality and the aquatic environment due to 
increased nutrients resulting from destructive wildfires resulting from 
dewatering.
    B. Impacts to wetlands, floodplains, special aquatic sites, and 
other waters, associated with salt drift and salt deposition resulting 
from cooling towers (that use salt water) being situated in an inland, 
freshwater wetland area of the LNP site.

[[Page 77562]]

    C. As a result of the omissions and inadequacies described above, 
the Draft Environmental Impact Statement also failed to adequately 
identify, and inappropriately characterizes as SMALL, the proposed 
project's zone of:
    1. Environmental impacts;
    2. Impact on Federally listed species;
    3. Irreversible and irretrievable environmental impacts; and
    4. Appropriate mitigation measures.
    As specified below, members of the public are invited to submit 
oral or written statements, referred to as ``limited appearance 
statements'' related to Contention 4A.

II. Notice of Oral Limited Appearance Statement Sessions

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

    The oral limited appearance statement sessions will be held on the 
following dates, at the specified location and times:
    Date: Thursday, January 12, 2012.
    Time: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
    Location: Plantation Inn Resort, 9301 West Fort Island Trail, 
Crystal River, Florida.

B. Participation Guidelines for Oral Limited Appearance Statements

    The purpose of the limited appearance statements is to allow 
members of the public who are not parties to the adjudication to 
provide the Board with statements setting forth their positions or 
concerns on matters relating to the admitted contentions.\6\ Such 
statements may be presented orally during the limited appearance 
sessions specified above or may be submitted in writing. Speakers 
should be aware, however, that the jurisdiction of this Board and the 
scope of this proceeding are limited to the PEF application, and, more 
particularly, to Contention 4A. Limited appearance statements enable 
members of the public to alert the Board to areas relating to the PEF 
application and the admitted contention where evidence may need to be 
adduced, and to assist the Board in its consideration of these issues. 
Oral limited appearance statements will be transcribed but are not 
under oath or affirmation and do not constitute formal testimony or 
evidence.
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    \6\ The parties to the adjudication (acting via their officers, 
directors, lawyers, pro-se representatives, experts, and other 
witnesses) have the opportunity to file formal motions and other 
pleadings, and to submit testimony and other evidence in the 
adjudication. Thus, the parties are not entitled to make limited 
appearance statements. 10 CFR 2.315(a). In contrast, limited 
appearance statements are the opportunity for the public to provide 
input.
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    Oral limited appearance statements will be entertained during the 
hours specified above, or such lesser time as may be sufficient to 
accommodate the speakers who are present. If all scheduled and 
unscheduled speakers present at a session have made a presentation, the 
Board reserves the right to terminate the session before the ending 
times listed above.
    In order to allow all interested persons an opportunity to address 
the Board, the time allotted for each oral limited appearance statement 
will be no more than five minutes, and may be further limited depending 
on the number of written requests to make an oral statement that are 
submitted in accordance with section C below and/or the number of 
persons present at the designated times. At the outset of each 
statement, the speaker should identify himself or herself.
    Members of the public who plan to attend the limited appearance 
sessions are advised that security measures may be employed at the 
entrance to the facility, including searches of hand-carried items such 
as briefcases or backpacks. Signs no larger than 18'' by 18'' will be 
permitted during the limited appearance sessions, but may not be 
attached to sticks, held up, or moved about in the room. Cf. Policy 
Statement on Enhancing Public Participation in NRC Meetings, 67 FR 
36,920, 36,923 (May 28, 2002).

C. 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 be mailed, faxed, or sent by 
email so as to be received by the Board by 5 p.m. EST on Thursday, 
January 5, 2011. The request should specify the session (afternoon or 
evening) during which the requester wishes to make an oral statement. 
Based on its review of the requests received by the deadline, the Board 
reserves the right to cancel or shorten either of the sessions due to a 
lack of public interest.
    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).
    Email: [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: Alex S. Karlin, Chairman, c/o: Matthew E. Flyntz, Law Clerk, 
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel, Mail Stop T-3 E2C, U.S. 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
    Fax: (301) 415-5599 (verification (301) 415-7405).
    Email: [email protected] and [email protected].

D. Written Limited Appearance Statements

    A written limited appearance statement may be submitted to the 
Board in addition to, or in lieu of, an oral limited appearance 
statement. The Board encourages early submissions, however, so that 
Board members will be able to consider them while addressing the issues 
in this proceeding. Such statements should be sent to the Office of the 
Secretary using the methods prescribed above, with a copy to the Board 
Chairman. A person who has already filed a written limited appearance 
statement in this matter is not required to resubmit it, but should 
notify the Board, as specified above, if he or she wishes to make an 
oral statement during the January sessions.

III. 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) or 
electronically from the publicly available records component of NRC's 
Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). ADAMS is 
accessible by clicking ``Begin Web-based ADAMS Search'' on the NRC Web 
site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. 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, (301) 415-4737, or by email to 
[email protected].

IV. Scheduling Information Updates

    Any updated/revised scheduling information regarding the 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.

     December 7, 2011.

    It is so ordered.


[[Page 77563]]


    For the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board.
Alex S. Karlin,
Chairman, Administrative Judge, Rockville, Maryland.
[FR Doc. 2011-31903 Filed 12-12-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P