NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

 Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200

 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov 

 Web Site: www.nrc.gov

No. 02-096 August 26, 2002

NRC LICENSING BOARD SCHEDULES SESSION

ON PROPOSED FUEL STORAGE FACILITY AT DIABLO CANYON

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will hold a

prehearing conference Tuesday and Wednesday, September 10 and 11, in Shell Beach, California, on

the application by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) for a license to build an independent spent fuel

storage facility at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, located in San Luis Obispo County, Calif.

The conference will begin at 9:30 a.m. on September 10 in the Grand Ballroom of The Cliffs

Resort, 2757 Shell Beach Road, Shell Beach. 

During the conference, the Board will hear oral arguments on petitions to intervene in this

proceeding from (1) San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace (which is acting as lead intervenor), (2) Peg

Pinard, (3) Avila Valley Advisory Council, (4) Cambria Legal Defense Fund, (5), Central Coast Peace

and Environmental Council, (6) Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo, (7) Nuclear Age Peace

Foundation, (8) San Luis Obispo Chapter of Grandmothers for Peace International, (9) San Luis Obispo

Cancer Action Now, (10) Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club and (11) Ventura County Chapter of

the Surfrider Foundation, regarding their legal standing and the admissibility of the “contentions”

submitted by these petitioners. Contentions are issues that the petitioners seek to raise in the hearing. 

Under NRC rules, in order for such contentions to be admitted to a hearing, they must be framed by the

petitioners with sufficient detail and preciseness to define matters that are sufficiently concrete for

adjudication. 

Port San Luis Harbor District and San Luis Obispo County have been granted permission to

participate in the pre-hearing conference as interested governmental bodies, as allowed by NRC

regulations. Other parties eligible to participate are the applicant, PG&E, and the NRC staff.

Persons who have not filed petitions to intervene in the hearing may file a written statement

setting forth their position on the issues at any time by sending it by regular mail to the Office of the

Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001, Attention:

Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff, or by e-mail to hearingdocket@nrc.gov . A copy of the written
statement also should be sent to Judge Paul Bollwerk, Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel, Mail

Stop T-3F23, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001, or by e-mail to

gpb@nrc.gov .

 PG&E filed an application with the NRC on December 21 for a license to store spent fuel

(currently in pools of water) in a dry storage cask system at the Diablo Canyon site for up to 20 years. 

The petitions for a hearing/intervention requests were filed in response to a notice of opportunity for

hearing that the NRC published in the Federal Register on April 22. 

The Board that will conduct the hearing consists of G. Paul Bollwerk, Chairman; Dr. Jerry R.

Kline and Dr. Peter S. Lam.

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