NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

 Office of Public Affairs, Region I

 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa.

www.nrc.gov

 

No. I-07-027 May 14, 2007

Contact: Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov

Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331

ORAL COMMENTS TO BE ACCEPTED IN TOMS RIVER, N.J., ON MAY 31

REGARDING PROCEEDING ON OYSTER CREEK LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION

Interested citizens will have an opportunity on Thursday, May 31, to comment on matters of

concern related to an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) proceeding regarding the license

renewal application for the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant. The remarks, which will be transcribed,

will be received by the three-member ASLB panel handling the proceeding.

Known as “limited appearance statements,” the comments will be accepted during two sessions

to be held in Room 119 of the Ocean County (N.J.) Administration Building, at 101 Hooper Ave.,

Toms River, N.J. (Directions are available at: http://www.co.ocean.nj.us/ComplexMapPage.aspx .) 

The first session is scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. and the second from 7 to 9 p.m.

ASLB Judge E. Roy Hawkens, who is chairing the Oyster Creek panel, said there will be an

effort to make the sessions as inclusive as possible. While certain parties to the proceeding may not

speak, such as an attorney for a party or an individual associated with a party who is acting as its

representative by expressing its views, the ASLB panel views the sessions as an opportunity for those

attending to speak in their capacity as citizens.

“Although these statements do not constitute testimony or evidence in the proceeding, they

nonetheless may assist the Board and/or the parties in their consideration of the issues. In particular,

these statements may serve to alert the Board and the parties to areas in which evidence may need to be

adduced,” a notice on the sessions issued by the ASLB states.

Persons wishing to make an oral statement who have submitted a timely written request and

who are present when their names are called 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 e-mail so as to be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 25, 2007. The request must specify the

requestor’s name and the session (afternoon or evening) during which he or she wishes to make an oral

statement. Written requests to make an oral statement should be mailed to: Office of the Secretary,

Rulemakings and Adjudication Staff, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-

0001; faxed to (301) 415-1101; or e-mailed to: hearingdocket@nrc.gov . Copies of requests should be

mailed to: Administrative Law Judge E. Roy Hawkens, c/o: Debra Wolf, Esq., Law Clerk, Atomic
Safety and Licensing Board Panel, Mail Stop T-3 F-23, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001; faxed to: (301) 415-5599; or e-mailed to: daw1@nrc.gov .

 In July 2005, AmerGen Energy Co., LLC, which owns and operates Oyster Creek, applied to

the NRC for a 20-year license extension. The current 40-year operating license for the plant, located in

Lacey Township (Ocean County), N.J., is due to expire on April 9, 2009. Subsequently, the State of

New Jersey and a coalition of environmental groups requested a hearing on the application. The

coalition includes the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS), Jersey Shore Nuclear Watch,

Inc., Grandmothers, Mothers and More for Energy Safety, the New Jersey Public Interest Research

Group, the New Jersey Sierra Club and the New Jersey Environmental Federation. The state’s request

was eventually turned down, but the coalition had a single contention admitted. That contention is

scheduled to be litigated before the three-judge ASLB panel at an evidentiary hearing in September. 

Additional information about the Oyster Creek application review is available at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/oystercreek.html .

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