Opinion ID: 4198308
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Evidence of Excessive Emissions

Text: Much of Plaintiffs’ evidence of excessive emissions indicates that emissions from the stacks or vents on the roof exceeded the maximum permissible concentration (“MPC”) for the facility. Plaintiffs do not contest that the relevant maximum permissible concentration is 8.8 disintegrations per minute per cubic meter (dpm/m3). See McMunn, 131 F. Supp. 3d at 373 n.24; Pls.’ Br. 10; cf. JA3642. As discussed below, under the applicable regulations, the maximum permissible concentration is determined at the boundary of the “unrestricted area.” Defendants argue that the boundary of the unrestricted area is the boundary of the roof, while Plaintiffs argue that any emissions from any part of the roof—including emission from any stack, vent, or fan—should be less than the maximum permissible concentration. Plaintiffs point to evidence that they believe supports their position. In a June 5, 1964 letter, the Director of the Division of State and Licensee Relations of the AEC implied that the NUMEC had not shown that the roof was a restricted area: “[T]he roof area of the NUMEC facility is an unrestricted area unless access to this area is controlled from the radiation safety standpoint.” JA5314. Consistent with the 1964 letter implying that the entire roof may be unrestricted, Plaintiffs argue that NUMEC and AEC’s course of conduct shows that they both thought that stack 10 emissions were a regulatory concern because NUMEC and AEC compared stack emissions to the maximum permissible concentration. For instance, in a 1967 report, a NUMEC employee wrote, “[T]he measured stack concentration frequently exceeds permissible levels.” JA5201. The AEC similarly expressed concern about releases from stacks, as though the regulations created limitations on the stacks. In a February 5, 1969 letter, the Director of the Division of Compliance of the AEC warned, “Based on your recorded data, the concentrations of radioactive material released from the facility through exhaust stacks to unrestricted areas exceed the limits specified in Appendix B, Table II of 10 CFR 20, contrary to 10 CFR 20.105(a), ‘Concentrations in effluents to unrestricted areas.’” JA4700. In addition to the evidence about emissions from the stacks or vents, Plaintiffs’ evidence of excessive emissions fits into one or more of the following three categories: (1) evidence that the monitoring of emissions was not completely comprehensive; (2) data that there was excessive radiation in the area surrounding the facility; and (3) data showing excessive radiation being released but seemingly only for specific, and short, 11 periods of time (such as when the facility’s incinerator was being used).6 Plaintiffs marshaled a large number of documents that they alleged created a genuine issue of material fact. The highlights of Plaintiffs’ documents are below:  In an April 20, 1964 letter, NUMEC Manager E.V. Barry wrote to Eber R. Price at the AEC that “average yearly concentrations at our property line” were being exceeded “when the winds are from the south quadrant” or in sections “when the winds are from the east quadrant.” JA5163. 6 Our summary of Plaintiffs’ evidence mirrors Plaintiffs’ own summary presented at the conclusion of oral argument. When asked about “discharges measured at the roof edge,” Plaintiffs’ counsel (1) asserted that Defendants’ “roof edge monitoring . . . is remarkably incomplete”; (2) pointed to an April 20, 1964 letter (discussed below) in which NUMEC admitted that it sometimes exceeded permissible concentrations at the boundary of the roof; (3) highlighted the airborne concentrations of effluent when the plant’s incinerator was operating; and (4) noted “environmental monitors in the community.” Oral Arg. Tr. at 39:10–40:20. 12  Data for part of the year 1966 shows a high of 41.5 dpm/m3 and an average of 13.0 dpm/m3. See JA5188. But, as Plaintiffs admit, the “high” refers to only one day. See Pls.’ Br. 47–48 (referring to “the same day” that the sampler gave its “highest reading”). Additionally, this data comes from a nearby building and not the roof of the Apollo facility. Compare JA5188, with JA5189.  An August 18, 1967 internal memorandum about the Apollo facility’s incinerator states, “Ever since the incinerator has been in operation it has been a consistent source of airborne contamination causing an over exposure [sic] to the operators and air levels above the M.P.C. in and out of the plant.” JA4428.  In a February 5, 1969 letter, the Director of the Division of Compliance of the AEC wrote, among other things, “Based on your recorded data, the concentrations of radioactive material released from the facility through exhaust stacks to unrestricted areas exceed the limits specified