NRC LICENSING BOARD TO HOLD HEARINGS IN APRIL IN UTAH
ON PRIVATE FUEL STORAGE PROPOSAL
Printable Version

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will hold formal evidentiary hearings in Salt Lake City beginning Monday, April 8, and continuing for over a month on the application of Private Fuel Storage, L.L.C. (PFS) to build and operate an independent spent fuel storage installation on the reservation of the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians, about 60 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. In addition, the Board is providing an opportunity for members of the public to make brief oral statements on April 8 in Salt Lake City and on April 26 in Tooele, Utah.

During the formal sessions of the hearings, the Licensing Board will receive testimony and exhibits from the parties and allow them to cross-examine witnesses. A schedule of the locations, times and issues to be covered for each hearing session is attached and is on the NRC web site at http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/index.cfm. The times are subject to change. These sessions are open to public observation, but participation will be limited to those organizations that have been admitted as formal parties to the proceeding. Those parties are the applicant, Private Fuel Storage; the NRC staff; the State of Utah; the Skull Valley Band; Ohngo Gaudadeh Devia; Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation; and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

1. A contention that hazards from military aircraft and other operations near the area have not been adequately considered.
2. Questions about the ability of the facility to withstand possible earthquakes.
3. Potential contamination of groundwater from non-radiological waste.
4. Questions about whether the Environmental Impact Statement adequately addresses alternatives to the placement of the proposed connection railway to the facility.

The April 8 sessions at which members of the public may make brief oral statements, called "limited appearances," will be at the Salt Palace Convention Center, 100 South West Temple, Room 251, from 2 to 5 p.m. and again from 7 to 9:30 p.m. The April 26 limited appearances sessions will be at the Tooele High School Auditorium, 240 West 100 South, Tooele, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and again from 7 to 9:30 p.m.

Anyone wishing to make such a statement on matters related to the hearing should submit a request to make an "Oral Limited Appearance Statement." The requests must be submitted so as to arrive at NRC Headquarters by 4:30 p.m. EST on Monday, April 1, 2002. Requests should be mailed to: Office of the Secretary, Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001; faxed to (301) 415-1101 (verification 301-415-1966); or sent by electronic mail to: hearing.docket@nrc.gov.

In addition, a copy of the request must be sent to the Licensing Board by mail to: PFS Limited Appearance Box, Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel, Mail Stop T-3F23, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001; by fax to: (301) 415-5599 (verification 301-415-7550); or by E-mail to: Matthew.Meyer@nrc.gov.

Speakers who submit written requests will be given priority at the meetings. If time permits, those who have not submitted requests in writing will be allowed to speak. In order to accommodate as many speakers as possible, time for each statement will be limited to three minutes.

A recorded message providing instructions for making a limited appearance is available at 301/415-5036. This phone line will contain an updated hearing schedule after the hearings begin.

Members of the Licensing Board who will preside over both the formal hearing and the limited appearance sessions are Michael C. Farrar, Chairman; Jerry R. Kline; and Peter S. Lam. Judge G. Paul Bollwerk, III, whose Board has retained jurisdiction over part of the proceeding, will be in attendance on the opening day to hear the limited appearance statements.

Security screening at all hearings and limited appearance sessions will be strict. Attendees are advised to arrive early so that all may pass through a security screening checkpoint before the hearings get underway.

PFS HEARING SCHEDULE

NRC news releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site.

Privacy Policy | Site Disclaimer
Monday, December 08, 2008