They also provide recommendations on work that should be done. The NRC questions DOE's decisions, requests more information, and seeks to discover and understand all significant information about the Project. The NRC is especially interested in how the Project came to its conclusions. When NRC has evaluated a license application and approved it to go further in the process, NRC establishes an Administrative Safety Licensing Board. This board has one judge and two lawyers.
Intervenors ask for extensive additional information as part of the legal discovery process.
As such, the discovery process can become very long and difficult. To shorten the discovery process, the Project identifies controversial issues before licensing. The Project also makes documents available, via the Internet, so that anyone may examine them before the discovery process. Its 11 members are appointed by the U.S. president from a group of eminently qualified professionals, nominated by the National Academy of Sciences. The Board reviews drafts of Project documents and makes recommendations to DOE and Congress.