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N0. 98-03

January 9, 1998

NRC LICENSING BOARD TO HOLD PREHEARING CONFERENCE
ON PROPOSED SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL STORAGE FACILITY IN UTAH

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety and Licensing Board has scheduled a prehearing conference beginning January 27 in Salt Lake City on the application of Private Fuel Storage Limited Liability Company (PFS) to possess and store spent nuclear reactor fuel in a facility located on the Skull Valley Goshute Indian Reservation in Skull Valley, Utah, about 85 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.

The prehearing conference, which is open to the public for observation, will begin at 10:00 a.m. MST in the Moot Courtroom of the University of Utah College of Law, 332 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City. It will continue, until completed, at the same location, subsequently beginning each day at 9:00 a.m., for several days if needed.

The NRC received petitions for a hearing or to be made a party to any hearing that is held from the following: the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians; Ohngo Gaudadeh Devia; Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation and David Pete; Castle Rock Land and Livestock, L.C., Skull Valley Company, LTD., and Ensign Ranches of Utah, L.C.; and the State of Utah.

During the prehearing conference, the Licensing Board will hear arguments on whether petitioners who are seeking a hearing have formal legal standing to be heard and whether the contentions various petitioners have submitted are admissible. In ruling on the petitions, the Licensing Board will consider the nature of each petitioner's right under the Atomic Energy Act to be made a party to the proceeding; the nature and extent of the petitioner's property, financial, or other interest in the proceeding; and the possible effect of any order that may be entered in the proceeding on the petitioner's interest.

If any of the petitioners subsequently is found to have standing and to have submitted one or more litigable contentions, the Board will conduct a hearing on those contentions at a later time. If a hearing is held, the Board will provide an opportunity for members of the public to submit written comments or, if appropriate, to make brief oral presentations (known as "oral limited appearance statements") on the issues.

Licensing Board members are G. Paul Bollwerk, III, Chairman; Dr. Jerry R. Kline; and Dr. Peter S. Lam.

(NOTE TO EDITORS: The use of tape recorders and cameras in the prehearing conference room is permitted, as long as their physical installation and presence does not interfere with the proceeding, subject to the following conditions: cameras must remain stationary in a designated area, no additional lighting is permitted, and no additional microphones will be permitted outside the designated camera area.)