Notice of Opportunity To Request a Hearing for License Amendment Request From AREVA NP, Inc., Richland, WA and Order Imposing Procedures for Access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards Information and Safeguards Information for Contention Preparation, 3110-3114 [E9-960]
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3110
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 11 / Friday, January 16, 2009 / Notices
emergencies. The NRC will provide the
State of Missouri, up to 10 digital
certificates for use by State designated
personnel in accessing ERDS data
during emergencies at nuclear power
plants which have implemented an
ERDS interface, and for which any
portion of the plant’s 10-mile EPZ lies
within the of State of Missouri. The
NRC reserves the right to revoke digital
certificates at any time.
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V. State of Missouri’s General
Responsibilities
A. The State of Missouri, through its
lead radiological agency, will, in
cooperation with the NRC, establish a
capability to receive ERDS data. To this
end, the State of Missouri will provide
the necessary computer hardware and
commercially licensed software
required for ERDS data transfer to users.
B. The State of Missouri will provide
the NRC with an initial, and
periodically updated, list of designated
persons serving as holders of ERDS
digital certificates.
C. The State of Missouri will use
ERDS only to access data, at the Alert
level or higher, from nuclear power
plants for which all or a portion of the
10-mile EPZ falls within its State
boundary.
D. For the purpose of minimizing the
impact on plant operators, the State of
Missouri will seek clarification of ERDS
data through the NRC.
VI. Implementation
A. The State of Missouri and the NRC
agree to work in concert to assure that
the following communications and
information exchange protocol
regarding ERDS are followed:
a. The State of Missouri and the NRC
agree in good faith to make available to
each other information within the intent
and scope of this MOU.
b. NRC and the State of Missouri agree
to meet as necessary to exchange
information on matters of common
concern pertinent to this MOU. Unless
otherwise agreed, such meetings will be
held in the NRC Headquarters
Operations Center. The affected utilities
will be kept informed of pertinent
information covered by this MOU.
c. To preclude the premature release
of sensitive information, NRC will
protect sensitive information to the
extent permitted by the Freedom of
Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, Title 10
of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part
2.790, and all other applicable
authority. The State of Missouri will
protect sensitive information to the
extent permitted by Chapter 610,
Missouri Revised Statutes, and all other
applicable authority.
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d. NRC will conduct periodic tests of
licensee ERDS data links. A copy of the
test schedule will be provided to the
Missouri Department of Health and
Senior Services, Section for Disease
Control and Environmental
Epidemiology by the NRC. The Missouri
Department of Health and Senior
Services, Section for Disease Control
and Environmental Epidemiology,
under the auspices of the State
Emergency Management Agency, may
test its ability to access ERDS data
during these scheduled tests, or may
schedule independent tests of the State
link with the NRC.
e. NRC will provide access to ERDS
for emergency exercises with reactor
units capable of transmitting exercise
data to ERDS. For exercises in which the
NRC is not participating, the Missouri
Department of Health and Senior
Services, Section for Disease Control
and Environmental Epidemiology,
under the auspices of the State
Emergency Management Agency, will
coordinate with the NRC in advance to
ensure ERDS availability. NRC reserves
the right to preempt ERDS use for any
exercise in progress in the event of an
actual event at any licensed nuclear
power plant.
VII. Contacts
A. The principal senior management
contacts for this MOU will be Director,
Division of Preparedness and Response,
Office of Nuclear Security and Incident
Response for the NRC, and the Director,
State Emergency Management Agency
for the State of Missouri. These
individuals may designate appropriate
staff representatives for the purpose of
administering this MOU.
B. Identification of these contacts is
not intended to restrict communication
between NRC and Missouri Department
of Health and Senior Services, Section
for Disease Control and Environmental
Epidemiology staff members on
technical and other day-to-day
activities.
VIII. Resolution of Disagreements
A. If disagreements arise about
matters within the scope of this MOU,
NRC and the State of Missouri will work
together to resolve these differences.
B. Differences between the State of
Missouri and NRC staff over issues
arising out of this MOU will, if they
cannot be resolved in accordance with
Section VIII.A, will be resolved by the
Director of the NRC Division of
Preparedness and Response, Office of
Nuclear Security and Incident
Response.
C. Differences which cannot be
resolved in accordance with Sections
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VIII.A and VIII.B will be reviewed and
resolved by the NRC’s Director, Office of
Nuclear Security and Incident
Response.
D. The NRC’s General Counsel has the
final authority to provide legal
interpretation of the Commission’s
regulations.
IX. Effective Date
This MOU will take effect after it has
been signed by both parties.
X. Duration
A formal review, not less than 1 year
after the effective date, will be
performed by the NRC to evaluate
implementation of the MOU and resolve
any problems identified. This MOU will
be subject to periodic reviews and may
be amended or modified upon written
agreement by both parties, and may be
terminated upon 30 days written notice
by either party.
XI. Separability
If any provision(s) of this MOU, or the
application of any provision(s) to any
person or circumstances is held invalid,
the remainder of this MOU and the
application of such provisions to other
persons or circumstances will not be
affected.
For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
Dated: November 26, 2008.
Martin Virgilio for R. William Borchardt,
Executive Director for Operations, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
For the State of Missouri.
Dated: July 10, 2008.
Ronald M. Reynolds,
Director, State Emergency Management
Agency.
[FR Doc. E9–980 Filed 1–15–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[NRC–2009–0028; Docket No. 70–1257]
Notice of Opportunity To Request a
Hearing for License Amendment
Request From AREVA NP, Inc.,
Richland, WA and Order Imposing
Procedures for Access to Sensitive
Unclassified Non-Safeguards
Information and Safeguards
Information for Contention Preparation
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Notice of license amendment
and opportunity to request a hearing.
DATES: A request for a hearing must be
filed by March 17, 2009.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Rafael L. Rodriguez, Project Manager,
Fuel Manufacturing Branch, Division of
Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office
of Nuclear Material Safety and
Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Mail Stop EBB–2–C40M,
Washington, DC 20555–0001,
Telephone: (301) 492–3111; Fax
number: (301) 492–3363; e-mail:
Rafael.Rodriguez@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) has received, by
letter dated August 22, 2008, a license
amendment application from AREVA,
requesting an amendment to its Special
Nuclear Materials License No. SNM–
1227 to install and operate a new
process at an existing building. License
No. SNM–1227 authorizes the licensee
to receive title to, own, acquire, deliver,
possess, use, and transfer uranium
enriched up to 5% wt. for the
production of nuclear fuel assemblies
for commercial light water reactors.
Specifically, the amendment would
allow AREVA to install and operate a
process that would recover uranium
from waste material that contains a
relatively low percentage of uranium
using supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2)
at the AREVA site located in Richland,
Washington.
An administrative review,
documented in a letter to AREVA dated
September 16, 2008, found the
application acceptable to begin a
detailed technical review. If the NRC
approves the amendment, the approval
will be documented in an amendment to
NRC License No. SNM–1227. However,
before approving the proposed
amendment, the NRC will need to make
the findings required by the Atomic
Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the
Act), and NRC’s regulations. These
findings will be documented in a Safety
Evaluation Report and an
Environmental Assessment or
Environmental Impact Statement.
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II. Opportunity To Request a Hearing
The NRC hereby provides notice that
this is a proceeding on an application
for a license amendment regarding a
proposed process to extract uranium
using supercritical CO2. Any person
whose interest may be affected by this
proceeding and who desires to
participate as a party, must file a request
for a hearing and a specification of the
contentions which the person seeks to
have litigated in the hearing, in
accordance with the NRC E-Filing rule,
10 CFR 2.302. The E-Filing rule requires
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participants to submit and serve
documents over the Internet or in some
cases, to mail copies on electronic
storage media. Participants may not
submit paper copies of their filings
unless they seek a waiver in accordance
with the procedures described below.
To comply with the procedural
requirements of E-Filing, at least ten
(10) days prior to the filing deadline, the
petitioner/requestor must contact the
Office of the Secretary by e-mail at
HEARING.DOCKET@nrc.gov, or by
calling (301) 415–1677, to request (1) a
digital ID certificate, which allows the
participant (or its counsel or
representative) to digitally sign
documents and access the E-Submittal
server for any proceeding in which it is
participating; and/or (2) creation of an
electronic docket for the proceeding
(even in instances in which the
petitioner/requestor (or its counsel or
representative) already holds an NRCissued digital ID certificate). Each
petitioner/requestor will need to
download the Workplace Forms
Viewer TM to access the Electronic
Information Exchange (EIE), a
component of the E-Filing system. The
Workplace Forms Viewer TM is free and
is available at https://www.nrc.gov/sitehelp/e-submittals/install-viewer.html.
Information about applying for a digital
ID certificate is available on NRC’s
public Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/
site-help/e-submittals/applycertificates.html.
Once a petitioner/requestor has
obtained a digital ID certificate, had a
docket created, and downloaded the EIE
viewer, it can then submit a request for
hearing or petition for leave to
intervene. Submissions should be in
Portable Document Format (PDF) in
accordance with NRC guidance
available on the NRC public Web site at
https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/esubmittals.html. A filing is considered
complete at the time the filer submits its
documents through EIE. To be timely,
an electronic filing must be submitted to
the EIE system no later than 11:59 p.m.,
Eastern Time on the due date. Upon
receipt of a transmission, the E-Filing
system time-stamps the document and
sends the submitter an e-mail notice
confirming receipt of the document. The
EIE system also distributes an e-mail
notice that provides access to the
document to the NRC Office of the
General Counsel and any others who
have advised the Office of the Secretary
that they wish to participate in the
proceeding, so that the filer need not
serve the documents on those
participants separately. Therefore,
applicants and other participants (or
their counsel or representative) must
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3111
apply for and receive a digital ID
certificate before a hearing request/
petition to intervene is filed so that they
can obtain access to the document via
the E-Filing system.
A person filing electronically may
seek assistance through the ‘‘Contact
Us’’ link located on the NRC Web site
at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/esubmittals.html or by calling the NRC
technical help line, which is available
between 8:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.,
Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
The help line number is (800) 397–4209
or locally, (301) 415–4737. Participants
who believe that they have a good cause
for not submitting documents
electronically must file a motion, in
accordance with 10 CFR 2.302(g), with
their initial paper filing requesting
authorization to continue to submit
documents in paper format. Such filings
must be submitted by: (1) First class
mail addressed to the Office of the
Secretary of the Commission, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555–0001, Attention:
Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; or
(2) courier, express mail, or expedited
delivery service to the Office of the
Secretary, Sixteenth Floor, One White
Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike,
Rockville, Maryland 20852, Attention:
Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff.
Participants filing a document in this
manner are responsible for serving the
document on all other participants.
Filing is considered complete by firstclass mail as of the time of deposit in
the mail, or by courier, express mail, or
expedited delivery service upon
depositing the document with the
provider of the service.
Non-timely requests and/or petitions
and contentions will not be entertained
absent a determination by the
Commission, the presiding officer, or
the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board
that the petition and/or request should
be granted and/or the contentions
should be admitted based on a
balancing of the factors specified in 10
CFR 2.309(c)(1)(i)–(viii). To be timely,
filings must be submitted no later than
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due
date.
Documents submitted in adjudicatory
proceedings will appear in NRC’s
electronic hearing docket which is
available to the public at https://
ehd.nrc.gov/EHD_Proceeding/home.asp,
unless excluded pursuant to an order of
the Commission, an Atomic Safety and
Licensing Board, or a Presiding Officer.
Participants are requested not to include
social security numbers in their filings.
With respect to copyrighted works,
except for limited excerpts that serve
the purpose of the adjudicatory filings
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and would constitute a Fair Use
application, participants are requested
not to include copyrighted materials in
their submission.
The formal requirements for
documents contained in 10 CFR
2.304(c)–(e) must be met. If the NRC
grants an electronic document
exemption in accordance with 10 CFR
2.302(g)(3), then the requirements for
paper documents, set forth in 10 CFR
2.304(b) must be met.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.309(b),
a request for a hearing must be filed by
March 17, 2009.
In addition to meeting other
applicable requirements of 10 CFR
2.309, a request for a hearing must state:
1. The name, address, and telephone
number of the requester;
2. The nature of the requester’s right
under the Act to be made a party to the
proceeding;
3. The nature and extent of the
requester’s property, financial or other
interest in the proceeding;
4. The possible effect of any decision
or order that may be issued in the
proceeding on the requester’s interest;
and
5. The circumstances establishing that
the request for a hearing is timely in
accordance with 10 CFR 2.309(b).
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.309(f)(1),
a request for hearing or petitions for
leave to intervene must set forth with
particularity the contentions sought to
be raised. For each contention, the
request or petition must:
1. Provide a specific statement of the
issue of law or fact to be raised or
controverted;
2. Provide a brief explanation of the
basis for the contention;
3. Demonstrate that the issue raised in
the contention is within the scope of the
proceeding;
4. Demonstrate that the issue raised in
the contention is material to the
findings that the NRC must make to
support the action that is involved in
the proceeding;
5. Provide a concise statement of the
alleged facts or expert opinions which
support the requester’s/petitioner’s
position on the issue and on which the
requester/petitioner intends to rely to
support its position on the issue; and
6. Provide sufficient information to
show that a genuine dispute exists with
the applicant on a material issue of law
or fact.
Requesters/petitioners should, when
possible, consult with each other in
preparing contentions and combine
similar subject matter concerns into a
joint contention, for which one of the
co-sponsoring requesters/petitioners is
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19:02 Jan 15, 2009
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designated the lead representative.
Further, in accordance with 10 CFR
2.309(f)(3), any requester/petitioner that
wishes to adopt a contention proposed
by another requester/petitioner must do
so, in accordance with the E-Filing rule,
within ten days of the date the
contention is filed, and designate a
representative who shall have the
authority to act for the requester/
petitioner.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.309(g),
a request for hearing and/or petition for
leave to intervene may also address the
selection of the hearing procedures,
taking into account the provisions of 10
CFR 2.310.
III. Further Information
Documents related to this action,
including the application for
amendment and supporting
documentation, are available
electronically at the NRC’s Electronic
Reading Room at https://www.nrc.gov/
reading-rm/adams.html. From this site,
you can access the NRC’s Agency wide
Document Access and Management
System (ADAMS), which provides text
and image files of NRC’s public
documents. The ADAMS accession
numbers for the documents related to
this notice are:
1. ML082420070: August 22, 2008,
letter from R.E. Link Regarding Revised
Application for Amendment to License
No. SNM–11227; Installation of
Supercritical CO2 Uranium Recovery
Process (Docket No. 70–1257).
2. ML082420071: Non-Proprietary
Revised Application for Amendment to
License No. SNM–11227; Installation of
Supercritical CO2 Uranium Recovery
Process (Docket No. 70–1257).
If you do not have access to ADAMS
or if there are problems in accessing the
documents located in ADAMS, contact
the NRC Public Document Room (PDR)
Reference staff at 1–800–397–4209, 301–
415–4737 or by e-mail to
PDR.RESOURCE@nrc.gov.
These documents may also be viewed
electronically on the public computers
located at the NRC’s Public Document
Room (PDR), O 1 F21, One White Flint
North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
MD 20852. The PDR reproduction
contractor will copy documents for a
fee.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 7th day
of January, 2009.
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For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Peter J. Habighorst,
Chief, Fuel Manufacturing Branch, Fuel
Facility Licensing Directorate, Division of Fuel
Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office of
Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards.
Order Imposing Procedures for Access
to Sensitive Unclassified NonSafeguards Information (SUNSI) and
Safeguards Information (SGI) for
Contention Preparation
1. This order contains instructions
regarding how potential parties to this
proceeding may request access to
documents containing sensitive
unclassified information (including
SUNSI and SGI).
2. Within ten (10) days after
publication of this notice of opportunity
for hearing, any potential party as
defined in 10 CFR 2.4 who believes
access to SUNSI or SGI is necessary for
a response to the notice may request
access to SUNSI or SGI. A ‘‘potential
party’’ is any person who intends or
may intend to participate as a party by
demonstrating standing and the filing of
an admissible contention under 10 CFR
2.309. Requests submitted later than ten
(10) days will not be considered absent
a showing of good cause for the late
filing, addressing why the request could
not have been filed earlier.
3. The requester shall submit a letter
requesting permission to access SUNSI
and/or SGI to the Office of the Secretary,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555–0001, Attention:
Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff,
and provide a copy to the Associate
General Counsel for Hearings,
Enforcement and Administration, Office
of the General Counsel, Washington, DC
20555–0001. The expedited delivery or
courier mail addresses for both offices is
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD
20852. The e-mail address for the Office
of the Secretary and the Office of the
General Counsel are HEARING.
DOCKET@NRC.GOV and
OGCMAILCENTER.RESOURCE@
NRC.GOV, respectively. The request
must include the following information:
a. A description of the licensing
action with a citation to this Federal
Register Notice of Opportunity for
Hearing;
b. The name and address of the
potential party and a description of the
potential party’s particularized interest
that could be harmed by the action
identified in (a);
c. If the request is for SUNSI, the
identity of the individual requesting
access to SUNSI and the requester’s
need for the information in order to
meaningfully participate in this
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adjudicatory proceeding, particularly
why publicly available versions of the
application would not be sufficient to
provide the basis and specificity for a
proffered contention;
d. If the request is for SGI, the identity
of the individual requesting access to
SGI and the identity of any expert,
consultant or assistant who will aid the
requester in evaluating the SGI, and
information that shows:
(i) Why the information is
indispensable to meaningful
participation in this licensing
proceeding; and
(ii) The technical competence
(demonstrable knowledge, skill,
experience, training or education) of the
requester to understand and use (or
evaluate) the requested information to
provide the basis and specificity for a
proffered contention. The technical
competence of a potential party or its
counsel may be shown by reliance on a
qualified expert, consultant or assistant
who demonstrates technical competence
as well as trustworthiness and
reliability, and who agrees to sign a nondisclosure affidavit and be bound by the
terms of a protective order; and
e. If the request is for SGI, Form SF–
85, ‘‘Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive
Positions,’’ Form FD–248 (fingerprint
card), and a credit check release form
completed by the individual who seeks
access to SGI and each individual who
will aid the requester in evaluating the
SGI. For security reasons, Form SF–85
can only be submitted electronically,
through a restricted-access database. To
obtain online access to the form, the
requester should contact the NRC’s
Office of Administration at 301–415–
0320. The other completed forms must
be signed in original ink, accompanied
by a check or money order payable in
the amount of $191.00 to the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission for
each individual, and mailed to the:
Office of Administration, Security
Processing Unit, Mail Stop TWB–05
B32M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555–
0012.
These forms will be used to initiate
the background check, which includes
fingerprinting as part of a criminal
history records check. Note: Copies of
these forms do not need to be included
with the request letter to the Office of
the Secretary, but the request letter
should state that the forms and fees
have been submitted as described above.
4. To avoid delays in processing
requests for access to SGI, all forms
should be reviewed for completeness
and accuracy (including legibility)
before submitting them to the NRC.
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19:02 Jan 15, 2009
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Incomplete packages will be returned to
the sender and will not be processed.
5. Based on an evaluation of the
information submitted under items 2
and 3.a through 3.d above, the NRC staff
will determine within ten days of
receipt of the written access request
whether (1) there is a reasonable basis
to believe the petitioner is likely to
establish standing to participate in this
NRC proceeding, and (2) there is a
legitimate need for access to SUNSI or
need to know the SGI requested. For
SGI, the need to know determination is
made based on whether the information
requested is necessary (i.e.,
indispensable) for the proposed
recipient to proffer and litigate a
specific contention in this NRC
proceeding and whether the proposed
recipient has the technical competence
(demonstrable knowledge, skill,
training, education, or experience) to
evaluate and use the specific SGI
requested in this proceeding.
6. If standing and need to know SGI
are shown, the NRC staff will further
determine, based upon completion of
the background check, whether the
proposed recipient is trustworthy and
reliable. The NRC staff will conduct (as
necessary) an inspection to confirm that
the recipient’s information protection
systems are sufficient to protect SGI
from inadvertent release or disclosure.
Recipients may opt to view SGI at the
NRC’s facility rather than establish their
own SGI protection program to meet SGI
protection requirements.
7. A request for access to SUNSI or
SGI will be granted if:
a. The request has demonstrated that
there is a reasonable basis to believe that
a potential party is likely to establish
standing to intervene or to otherwise
participate as a party in this proceeding;
b. The proposed recipient of the
information has demonstrated a need for
SUNSI or a need to know for SGI, and
that the proposed recipient of SGI is
trustworthy and reliable;
c. The proposed recipient of the
information has executed a NonDisclosure Agreement or Affidavit and
agrees to be bound by the terms of a
Protective Order setting forth terms and
conditions to prevent the unauthorized
or inadvertent disclosure of SUNSI and/
or SGI; and
d. The presiding officer has issued a
protective order concerning the
information or documents requested.
Any protective order issued shall
provide that the petitioner must file
SUNSI or SGI contentions 25 days after
receipt of (or access to) that information.
However, if more than 25 days remain
between the petitioner’s receipt of (or
access to) the information and the
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3113
deadline for filing all other contentions
(as established in the notice of hearing
or opportunity for hearing), the
petitioner may file its SUNSI or SGI
contentions by that later deadline.
8. If the request for access to SUNSI
or SGI is granted, the terms and
conditions for access to sensitive
unclassified information will be set
forth in a draft protective order and
affidavit of non-disclosure appended to
a joint motion by the NRC staff, any
other affected parties to this proceeding,
and the petitioner(s). If the diligent
efforts by the relevant parties or
petitioner(s) fail to result in an
agreement on the terms and conditions
for a draft protective order or nondisclosure affidavit, the relevant parties
to the proceeding or the petitioner(s)
should notify the presiding officer
within five (5) days, describing the
obstacles to the agreement.
9. If the request for access to SUNSI
is denied by the NRC staff or a request
for access to SGI is denied by NRC staff
either after a determination on standing
and need to know or, later, after a
determination on trustworthiness and
reliability, the NRC staff shall briefly
state the reasons for the denial. Before
the Office of Administration makes an
adverse determination regarding access,
the proposed recipient must be
provided an opportunity to correct or
explain information. The requester may
challenge the NRC staff’s adverse
determination with respect to access to
SUNSI or with respect to standing or
need to know for SGI, by filing a
challenge within five (5) days of receipt
of that determination with (a) the
presiding officer designated in this
proceeding; (b) if no presiding officer
has been appointed, the Chief
Administrative Judge, or if he or she is
unavailable, another administrative
judge, or an administrative law judge
with jurisdiction pursuant to § 2.318(a);
or (c) if another officer has been
designated to rule on information access
issues, with that officer. In the same
manner, an SGI requester may challenge
an adverse determination on
trustworthiness and reliability by filing
a challenge within fifteen (15) days of
receipt of that determination.
In the same manner, a party other
than the requester may challenge an
NRC staff determination granting access
to SUNSI whose release would harm
that party’s interest independent of the
proceeding. Such a challenge must be
filed within five (5) days of the
notification by the NRC staff of its grant
of such a request.
If challenges to the NRC staff
determinations are filed, these
procedures give way to the normal
E:\FR\FM\16JAN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 11 / Friday, January 16, 2009 / Notices
process for litigating disputes
concerning access to information. The
availability of interlocutory review by
the Commission of orders ruling on
such NRC staff determinations (whether
granting or denying access) is governed
by 10 CFR § 2.311.
10. The Commission expects that the
NRC staff and presiding officers (and
any other reviewing officers) will
consider and resolve requests for access
to SUNSI and/or SGI, and motions for
protective orders, in a timely fashion in
order to minimize any unnecessary
delays in identifying those petitioners
who have standing and who have
propounded contentions meeting the
specificity and basis requirements in 10
CFR Part 2.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 13th day
of January, 2009.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Annette L. Vietti-Cook,
Secretary of the Commission.
Attachment 1—General Target
Schedule for Processing and Resolving
Requests for Access to Sensitive
Unclassified Non-Safeguards
Information (SUNSI) and Safeguards
Information (SGI) in This Proceeding
Day
Event/activity
0 ....................
10 ..................
Publication of Federal Register, including order with instructions for access requests.
Deadline for submitting requests for access to SUNSI and/or SGI with information: Supporting the standing of a potential party
identified by name and address; describing the need for the information in order for the potential party to participate meaningfully in an adjudicatory proceeding; demonstrating that access should be granted (e.g., showing technical competence for access to SGI); and, for SGI, including application fee for fingerprint/background check.
NRC staff informs the requester of the staff’s determination whether the request for access provides a reasonable basis to believe standing can be established and shows (1) need for SUNSI or (2) need to know for SGI. (For SUNSI, NRC staff also informs any party to the proceeding whose interest independent of the proceeding would be harmed by the release of the information.) If NRC staff makes the finding of need for SUNSI and likelihood of standing, NRC staff begins document processing
(preparation of redactions or review of redacted documents). If NRC staff makes the finding of need to know for SGI and likelihood of standing, NRC staff begins background check (including fingerprinting for a criminal history records check), information processing (preparation of redactions or review of redacted documents), and readiness inspections.
If NRC staff finds no ‘‘need,’’ ‘‘need to know,’’ or likelihood of standing, the deadline for petitioner/requester to file a motion
seeking a ruling to reverse the NRC staff’s denial of access; NRC staff files copy of access determination with the presiding
officer (or Chief Administrative Judge or other designated officer, as appropriate). If NRC staff finds ‘‘need’’ for SUNSI, the
deadline for any party to the proceeding whose interest independent of the proceeding would be harmed by the release of the
information to file a motion seeking a ruling to reverse the NRC staff’s grant of access.
Deadline for NRC staff reply to motions to reverse NRC staff determination(s).
(Receipt +30) If NRC staff finds standing and need for SUNSI, deadline for NRC staff to complete information processing and
file motion for Protective Order and draft Non-Disclosure Affidavit. Deadline for applicant/licensee to file Non-Disclosure
Agreement for SUNSI.
Deadline for submitting petition for intervention containing: (i) Demonstration of standing; (ii) all contentions whose formulation
does not require access to SUNSI and/or SGI (+25 Answers to petition for intervention; +7 petitioner/requestor reply).
(Receipt +180) If NRC staff finds standing, need to know for SGI, and trustworthiness and reliability, deadline for NRC staff to
file motion for Protective Order and draft Non-disclosure Affidavit (or to make a determination that the proposed recipient of
SGI is not trustworthy or reliable). Note: Before the Office of Administration makes an adverse determination regarding access, the proposed recipient must be provided an opportunity to correct or explain information.
Deadline for petitioner to seek reversal of a final adverse NRC staff determination either before the presiding officer or another
designated officer.
If access granted: Issuance of presiding officer or other designated officer decision on motion for protective order for access to
sensitive information (including schedule for providing access and submission of contentions) or decision reversing a final adverse determination by the NRC staff.
Deadline for filing executed Non-Disclosure Affidavits. Access provided to SUNSI and/or SGI consistent with decision issuing
the protective order.
Deadline for submission of contentions whose development depends upon access to SUNSI and/or SGI. However, if more than
25 days remain between the petitioner’s receipt of (or access to) the information and the deadline for filing all other contentions (as established in the notice of hearing or opportunity for hearing), the petitioner may file its SUNSI or SGI contentions
by that later deadline.
(Contention receipt +25) Answers to contentions whose development depends upon access to SUNSI and/or SGI.
(Answer receipt +7) Petitioner/Intervener reply to answers.
Decision on contention admission.
20 ..................
25 ..................
30 ..................
40 ..................
60 ..................
190 ................
205 ................
A ....................
A + 3 .............
A + 28 ...........
A + 53 ...........
A + 60 ...........
B ....................
Thursday, February 12, 2009.
Thursday, March 19, 2009.
[FR Doc. E9–960 Filed 1–15–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL
MANAGEMENT
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory
Committee; Open Committee Meetings
According to the provisions of section
10 of the Federal Advisory Committee
Act (Pub. L. 92–463), notice is hereby
given that meetings of the Federal
Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee
will be held on—
VerDate Nov<24>2008
19:02 Jan 15, 2009
Jkt 217001
The meetings will start at 10 a.m. and
will be held in Room 5A06A, U.S.
Office of Personnel Management
Building, 1900 E Street, NW.,
Washington, DC.
The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory
Committee is composed of a Chair, five
representatives from labor unions
holding exclusive bargaining rights for
Federal blue-collar employees, and five
representatives from Federal agencies.
Entitlement to membership on the
PO 00000
Frm 00124
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Committee is provided for in 5 U.S.C.
5347.
The Committee’s primary
responsibility is to review the Prevailing
Rate System and other matters pertinent
to establishing prevailing rates under
subchapter IV, chapter 53, 5 U.S.C., as
amended, and from time to time advise
the U.S. Office of Personnel
Management.
These scheduled meetings will start
in open session with both labor and
management representatives attending.
During the meetings either the labor
members or the management members
E:\FR\FM\16JAN1.SGM
16JAN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 11 (Friday, January 16, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3110-3114]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-960]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2009-0028; Docket No. 70-1257]
Notice of Opportunity To Request a Hearing for License Amendment
Request From AREVA NP, Inc., Richland, WA and Order Imposing Procedures
for Access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards Information and
Safeguards Information for Contention Preparation
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of license amendment and opportunity to request a
hearing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DATES: A request for a hearing must be filed by March 17, 2009.
[[Page 3111]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rafael L. Rodriguez, Project Manager,
Fuel Manufacturing Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and
Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop EBB-2-C40M, Washington, DC
20555-0001, Telephone: (301) 492-3111; Fax number: (301) 492-3363; e-
mail: Rafael.Rodriguez@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received, by
letter dated August 22, 2008, a license amendment application from
AREVA, requesting an amendment to its Special Nuclear Materials License
No. SNM-1227 to install and operate a new process at an existing
building. License No. SNM-1227 authorizes the licensee to receive title
to, own, acquire, deliver, possess, use, and transfer uranium enriched
up to 5% wt. for the production of nuclear fuel assemblies for
commercial light water reactors. Specifically, the amendment would
allow AREVA to install and operate a process that would recover uranium
from waste material that contains a relatively low percentage of
uranium using supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) at the
AREVA site located in Richland, Washington.
An administrative review, documented in a letter to AREVA dated
September 16, 2008, found the application acceptable to begin a
detailed technical review. If the NRC approves the amendment, the
approval will be documented in an amendment to NRC License No. SNM-
1227. However, before approving the proposed amendment, the NRC will
need to make the findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as
amended (the Act), and NRC's regulations. These findings will be
documented in a Safety Evaluation Report and an Environmental
Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement.
II. Opportunity To Request a Hearing
The NRC hereby provides notice that this is a proceeding on an
application for a license amendment regarding a proposed process to
extract uranium using supercritical CO2. Any person whose
interest may be affected by this proceeding and who desires to
participate as a party, must file a request for a hearing and a
specification of the contentions which the person seeks to have
litigated in the hearing, in accordance with the NRC E-Filing rule, 10
CFR 2.302. The E-Filing rule requires participants to submit and serve
documents over the Internet or in some cases, to mail copies on
electronic storage media. Participants may not submit paper copies of
their filings unless they seek a waiver in accordance with the
procedures described below.
To comply with the procedural requirements of E-Filing, at least
ten (10) days prior to the filing deadline, the petitioner/requestor
must contact the Office of the Secretary by e-mail at
HEARING.DOCKET@nrc.gov, or by calling (301) 415-1677, to request (1) a
digital ID certificate, which allows the participant (or its counsel or
representative) to digitally sign documents and access the E-Submittal
server for any proceeding in which it is participating; and/or (2)
creation of an electronic docket for the proceeding (even in instances
in which the petitioner/requestor (or its counsel or representative)
already holds an NRC-issued digital ID certificate). Each petitioner/
requestor will need to download the Workplace Forms Viewer
TM to access the Electronic Information Exchange (EIE), a
component of the E-Filing system. The Workplace Forms Viewer
TM is free and is available at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/install-viewer.html. Information about applying for a
digital ID certificate is available on NRC's public Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/apply-certificates.html.
Once a petitioner/requestor has obtained a digital ID certificate,
had a docket created, and downloaded the EIE viewer, it can then submit
a request for hearing or petition for leave to intervene. Submissions
should be in Portable Document Format (PDF) in accordance with NRC
guidance available on the NRC public Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html. A filing is considered complete at the
time the filer submits its documents through EIE. To be timely, an
electronic filing must be submitted to the EIE system no later than
11:59 p.m., Eastern Time on the due date. Upon receipt of a
transmission, the E-Filing system time-stamps the document and sends
the submitter an e-mail notice confirming receipt of the document. The
EIE system also distributes an e-mail notice that provides access to
the document to the NRC Office of the General Counsel and any others
who have advised the Office of the Secretary that they wish to
participate in the proceeding, so that the filer need not serve the
documents on those participants separately. Therefore, applicants and
other participants (or their counsel or representative) must apply for
and receive a digital ID certificate before a hearing request/petition
to intervene is filed so that they can obtain access to the document
via the E-Filing system.
A person filing electronically may seek assistance through the
``Contact Us'' link located on the NRC Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html or by calling the NRC technical help line,
which is available between 8:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., Eastern Time,
Monday through Friday. The help line number is (800) 397-4209 or
locally, (301) 415-4737. Participants who believe that they have a good
cause for not submitting documents electronically must file a motion,
in accordance with 10 CFR 2.302(g), with their initial paper filing
requesting authorization to continue to submit documents in paper
format. Such filings must be submitted by: (1) First class mail
addressed to the Office of the Secretary of the Commission, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention:
Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; or (2) courier, express mail, or
expedited delivery service to the Office of the Secretary, Sixteenth
Floor, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland
20852, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff. Participants
filing a document in this manner are responsible for serving the
document on all other participants. Filing is considered complete by
first-class mail as of the time of deposit in the mail, or by courier,
express mail, or expedited delivery service upon depositing the
document with the provider of the service.
Non-timely requests and/or petitions and contentions will not be
entertained absent a determination by the Commission, the presiding
officer, or the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board that the petition
and/or request should be granted and/or the contentions should be
admitted based on a balancing of the factors specified in 10 CFR
2.309(c)(1)(i)-(viii). To be timely, filings must be submitted no later
than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date.
Documents submitted in adjudicatory proceedings will appear in
NRC's electronic hearing docket which is available to the public at
https://ehd.nrc.gov/EHD_Proceeding/home.asp, unless excluded pursuant
to an order of the Commission, an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, or
a Presiding Officer. Participants are requested not to include social
security numbers in their filings. With respect to copyrighted works,
except for limited excerpts that serve the purpose of the adjudicatory
filings
[[Page 3112]]
and would constitute a Fair Use application, participants are requested
not to include copyrighted materials in their submission.
The formal requirements for documents contained in 10 CFR 2.304(c)-
(e) must be met. If the NRC grants an electronic document exemption in
accordance with 10 CFR 2.302(g)(3), then the requirements for paper
documents, set forth in 10 CFR 2.304(b) must be met.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.309(b), a request for a hearing must be
filed by March 17, 2009.
In addition to meeting other applicable requirements of 10 CFR
2.309, a request for a hearing must state:
1. The name, address, and telephone number of the requester;
2. The nature of the requester's right under the Act to be made a
party to the proceeding;
3. The nature and extent of the requester's property, financial or
other interest in the proceeding;
4. The possible effect of any decision or order that may be issued
in the proceeding on the requester's interest; and
5. The circumstances establishing that the request for a hearing is
timely in accordance with 10 CFR 2.309(b).
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.309(f)(1), a request for hearing or
petitions for leave to intervene must set forth with particularity the
contentions sought to be raised. For each contention, the request or
petition must:
1. Provide a specific statement of the issue of law or fact to be
raised or controverted;
2. Provide a brief explanation of the basis for the contention;
3. Demonstrate that the issue raised in the contention is within
the scope of the proceeding;
4. Demonstrate that the issue raised in the contention is material
to the findings that the NRC must make to support the action that is
involved in the proceeding;
5. Provide a concise statement of the alleged facts or expert
opinions which support the requester's/petitioner's position on the
issue and on which the requester/petitioner intends to rely to support
its position on the issue; and
6. Provide sufficient information to show that a genuine dispute
exists with the applicant on a material issue of law or fact.
Requesters/petitioners should, when possible, consult with each
other in preparing contentions and combine similar subject matter
concerns into a joint contention, for which one of the co-sponsoring
requesters/petitioners is designated the lead representative. Further,
in accordance with 10 CFR 2.309(f)(3), any requester/petitioner that
wishes to adopt a contention proposed by another requester/petitioner
must do so, in accordance with the E-Filing rule, within ten days of
the date the contention is filed, and designate a representative who
shall have the authority to act for the requester/petitioner.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.309(g), a request for hearing and/or
petition for leave to intervene may also address the selection of the
hearing procedures, taking into account the provisions of 10 CFR 2.310.
III. Further Information
Documents related to this action, including the application for
amendment and supporting documentation, are available electronically at
the NRC's Electronic Reading Room at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. From this site, you can access the NRC's Agency wide
Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and
image files of NRC's public documents. The ADAMS accession numbers for
the documents related to this notice are:
1. ML082420070: August 22, 2008, letter from R.E. Link Regarding
Revised Application for Amendment to License No. SNM-11227;
Installation of Supercritical CO2 Uranium Recovery Process
(Docket No. 70-1257).
2. ML082420071: Non-Proprietary Revised Application for Amendment
to License No. SNM-11227; Installation of Supercritical CO2
Uranium Recovery Process (Docket No. 70-1257).
If you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in
accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC Public
Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737 or
by e-mail to PDR.RESOURCE@nrc.gov.
These documents may also be viewed electronically on the public
computers located at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), O 1 F21, One
White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR
reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 7th day of January, 2009.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Peter J. Habighorst,
Chief, Fuel Manufacturing Branch, Fuel Facility Licensing Directorate,
Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear
Materials Safety and Safeguards.
Order Imposing Procedures for Access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-
Safeguards Information (SUNSI) and Safeguards Information (SGI) for
Contention Preparation
1. This order contains instructions regarding how potential parties
to this proceeding may request access to documents containing sensitive
unclassified information (including SUNSI and SGI).
2. Within ten (10) days after publication of this notice of
opportunity for hearing, any potential party as defined in 10 CFR 2.4
who believes access to SUNSI or SGI is necessary for a response to the
notice may request access to SUNSI or SGI. A ``potential party'' is any
person who intends or may intend to participate as a party by
demonstrating standing and the filing of an admissible contention under
10 CFR 2.309. Requests submitted later than ten (10) days will not be
considered absent a showing of good cause for the late filing,
addressing why the request could not have been filed earlier.
3. The requester shall submit a letter requesting permission to
access SUNSI and/or SGI to the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention:
Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff, and provide a copy to the
Associate General Counsel for Hearings, Enforcement and Administration,
Office of the General Counsel, Washington, DC 20555-0001. The expedited
delivery or courier mail addresses for both offices is U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The
e-mail address for the Office of the Secretary and the Office of the
General Counsel are HEARING.DOCKET@NRC.GOV and
OGCMAILCENTER.RESOURCE@NRC.GOV, respectively. The request must include
the following information:
a. A description of the licensing action with a citation to this
Federal Register Notice of Opportunity for Hearing;
b. The name and address of the potential party and a description of
the potential party's particularized interest that could be harmed by
the action identified in (a);
c. If the request is for SUNSI, the identity of the individual
requesting access to SUNSI and the requester's need for the information
in order to meaningfully participate in this
[[Page 3113]]
adjudicatory proceeding, particularly why publicly available versions
of the application would not be sufficient to provide the basis and
specificity for a proffered contention;
d. If the request is for SGI, the identity of the individual
requesting access to SGI and the identity of any expert, consultant or
assistant who will aid the requester in evaluating the SGI, and
information that shows:
(i) Why the information is indispensable to meaningful
participation in this licensing proceeding; and
(ii) The technical competence (demonstrable knowledge, skill,
experience, training or education) of the requester to understand and
use (or evaluate) the requested information to provide the basis and
specificity for a proffered contention. The technical competence of a
potential party or its counsel may be shown by reliance on a qualified
expert, consultant or assistant who demonstrates technical competence
as well as trustworthiness and reliability, and who agrees to sign a
non-disclosure affidavit and be bound by the terms of a protective
order; and
e. If the request is for SGI, Form SF-85, ``Questionnaire for Non-
Sensitive Positions,'' Form FD-248 (fingerprint card), and a credit
check release form completed by the individual who seeks access to SGI
and each individual who will aid the requester in evaluating the SGI.
For security reasons, Form SF-85 can only be submitted electronically,
through a restricted-access database. To obtain online access to the
form, the requester should contact the NRC's Office of Administration
at 301-415-0320. The other completed forms must be signed in original
ink, accompanied by a check or money order payable in the amount of
$191.00 to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for each individual,
and mailed to the: Office of Administration, Security Processing Unit,
Mail Stop TWB-05 B32M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555-0012.
These forms will be used to initiate the background check, which
includes fingerprinting as part of a criminal history records check.
Note: Copies of these forms do not need to be included with the request
letter to the Office of the Secretary, but the request letter should
state that the forms and fees have been submitted as described above.
4. To avoid delays in processing requests for access to SGI, all
forms should be reviewed for completeness and accuracy (including
legibility) before submitting them to the NRC. Incomplete packages will
be returned to the sender and will not be processed.
5. Based on an evaluation of the information submitted under items
2 and 3.a through 3.d above, the NRC staff will determine within ten
days of receipt of the written access request whether (1) there is a
reasonable basis to believe the petitioner is likely to establish
standing to participate in this NRC proceeding, and (2) there is a
legitimate need for access to SUNSI or need to know the SGI requested.
For SGI, the need to know determination is made based on whether the
information requested is necessary (i.e., indispensable) for the
proposed recipient to proffer and litigate a specific contention in
this NRC proceeding and whether the proposed recipient has the
technical competence (demonstrable knowledge, skill, training,
education, or experience) to evaluate and use the specific SGI
requested in this proceeding.
6. If standing and need to know SGI are shown, the NRC staff will
further determine, based upon completion of the background check,
whether the proposed recipient is trustworthy and reliable. The NRC
staff will conduct (as necessary) an inspection to confirm that the
recipient's information protection systems are sufficient to protect
SGI from inadvertent release or disclosure. Recipients may opt to view
SGI at the NRC's facility rather than establish their own SGI
protection program to meet SGI protection requirements.
7. A request for access to SUNSI or SGI will be granted if:
a. The request has demonstrated that there is a reasonable basis to
believe that a potential party is likely to establish standing to
intervene or to otherwise participate as a party in this proceeding;
b. The proposed recipient of the information has demonstrated a
need for SUNSI or a need to know for SGI, and that the proposed
recipient of SGI is trustworthy and reliable;
c. The proposed recipient of the information has executed a Non-
Disclosure Agreement or Affidavit and agrees to be bound by the terms
of a Protective Order setting forth terms and conditions to prevent the
unauthorized or inadvertent disclosure of SUNSI and/or SGI; and
d. The presiding officer has issued a protective order concerning
the information or documents requested. Any protective order issued
shall provide that the petitioner must file SUNSI or SGI contentions 25
days after receipt of (or access to) that information. However, if more
than 25 days remain between the petitioner's receipt of (or access to)
the information and the deadline for filing all other contentions (as
established in the notice of hearing or opportunity for hearing), the
petitioner may file its SUNSI or SGI contentions by that later
deadline.
8. If the request for access to SUNSI or SGI is granted, the terms
and conditions for access to sensitive unclassified information will be
set forth in a draft protective order and affidavit of non-disclosure
appended to a joint motion by the NRC staff, any other affected parties
to this proceeding, and the petitioner(s). If the diligent efforts by
the relevant parties or petitioner(s) fail to result in an agreement on
the terms and conditions for a draft protective order or non-disclosure
affidavit, the relevant parties to the proceeding or the petitioner(s)
should notify the presiding officer within five (5) days, describing
the obstacles to the agreement.
9. If the request for access to SUNSI is denied by the NRC staff or
a request for access to SGI is denied by NRC staff either after a
determination on standing and need to know or, later, after a
determination on trustworthiness and reliability, the NRC staff shall
briefly state the reasons for the denial. Before the Office of
Administration makes an adverse determination regarding access, the
proposed recipient must be provided an opportunity to correct or
explain information. The requester may challenge the NRC staff's
adverse determination with respect to access to SUNSI or with respect
to standing or need to know for SGI, by filing a challenge within five
(5) days of receipt of that determination with (a) the presiding
officer designated in this proceeding; (b) if no presiding officer has
been appointed, the Chief Administrative Judge, or if he or she is
unavailable, another administrative judge, or an administrative law
judge with jurisdiction pursuant to Sec. 2.318(a); or (c) if another
officer has been designated to rule on information access issues, with
that officer. In the same manner, an SGI requester may challenge an
adverse determination on trustworthiness and reliability by filing a
challenge within fifteen (15) days of receipt of that determination.
In the same manner, a party other than the requester may challenge
an NRC staff determination granting access to SUNSI whose release would
harm that party's interest independent of the proceeding. Such a
challenge must be filed within five (5) days of the notification by the
NRC staff of its grant of such a request.
If challenges to the NRC staff determinations are filed, these
procedures give way to the normal
[[Page 3114]]
process for litigating disputes concerning access to information. The
availability of interlocutory review by the Commission of orders ruling
on such NRC staff determinations (whether granting or denying access)
is governed by 10 CFR Sec. 2.311.
10. The Commission expects that the NRC staff and presiding
officers (and any other reviewing officers) will consider and resolve
requests for access to SUNSI and/or SGI, and motions for protective
orders, in a timely fashion in order to minimize any unnecessary delays
in identifying those petitioners who have standing and who have
propounded contentions meeting the specificity and basis requirements
in 10 CFR Part 2.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 13th day of January, 2009.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Annette L. Vietti-Cook,
Secretary of the Commission.
Attachment 1--General Target Schedule for Processing and Resolving
Requests for Access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards
Information (SUNSI) and Safeguards Information (SGI) in This Proceeding
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Event/activity
------------------------------------------------------------------------
0...................... Publication of Federal Register, including
order with instructions for access requests.
10..................... Deadline for submitting requests for access to
SUNSI and/or SGI with information: Supporting
the standing of a potential party identified
by name and address; describing the need for
the information in order for the potential
party to participate meaningfully in an
adjudicatory proceeding; demonstrating that
access should be granted (e.g., showing
technical competence for access to SGI); and,
for SGI, including application fee for
fingerprint/background check.
20..................... NRC staff informs the requester of the staff's
determination whether the request for access
provides a reasonable basis to believe
standing can be established and shows (1) need
for SUNSI or (2) need to know for SGI. (For
SUNSI, NRC staff also informs any party to the
proceeding whose interest independent of the
proceeding would be harmed by the release of
the information.) If NRC staff makes the
finding of need for SUNSI and likelihood of
standing, NRC staff begins document processing
(preparation of redactions or review of
redacted documents). If NRC staff makes the
finding of need to know for SGI and likelihood
of standing, NRC staff begins background check
(including fingerprinting for a criminal
history records check), information processing
(preparation of redactions or review of
redacted documents), and readiness
inspections.
25..................... If NRC staff finds no ``need,'' ``need to
know,'' or likelihood of standing, the
deadline for petitioner/requester to file a
motion seeking a ruling to reverse the NRC
staff's denial of access; NRC staff files copy
of access determination with the presiding
officer (or Chief Administrative Judge or
other designated officer, as appropriate). If
NRC staff finds ``need'' for SUNSI, the
deadline for any party to the proceeding whose
interest independent of the proceeding would
be harmed by the release of the information to
file a motion seeking a ruling to reverse the
NRC staff's grant of access.
30..................... Deadline for NRC staff reply to motions to
reverse NRC staff determination(s).
40..................... (Receipt +30) If NRC staff finds standing and
need for SUNSI, deadline for NRC staff to
complete information processing and file
motion for Protective Order and draft Non-
Disclosure Affidavit. Deadline for applicant/
licensee to file Non-Disclosure Agreement for
SUNSI.
60..................... Deadline for submitting petition for
intervention containing: (i) Demonstration of
standing; (ii) all contentions whose
formulation does not require access to SUNSI
and/or SGI (+25 Answers to petition for
intervention; +7 petitioner/requestor reply).
190.................... (Receipt +180) If NRC staff finds standing,
need to know for SGI, and trustworthiness and
reliability, deadline for NRC staff to file
motion for Protective Order and draft Non-
disclosure Affidavit (or to make a
determination that the proposed recipient of
SGI is not trustworthy or reliable). Note:
Before the Office of Administration makes an
adverse determination regarding access, the
proposed recipient must be provided an
opportunity to correct or explain information.
205.................... Deadline for petitioner to seek reversal of a
final adverse NRC staff determination either
before the presiding officer or another
designated officer.
A...................... If access granted: Issuance of presiding
officer or other designated officer decision
on motion for protective order for access to
sensitive information (including schedule for
providing access and submission of
contentions) or decision reversing a final
adverse determination by the NRC staff.
A + 3.................. Deadline for filing executed Non-Disclosure
Affidavits. Access provided to SUNSI and/or
SGI consistent with decision issuing the
protective order.
A + 28................. Deadline for submission of contentions whose
development depends upon access to SUNSI and/
or SGI. However, if more than 25 days remain
between the petitioner's receipt of (or access
to) the information and the deadline for
filing all other contentions (as established
in the notice of hearing or opportunity for
hearing), the petitioner may file its SUNSI or
SGI contentions by that later deadline.
A + 53................. (Contention receipt +25) Answers to contentions
whose development depends upon access to SUNSI
and/or SGI.
A + 60................. (Answer receipt +7) Petitioner/Intervener reply
to answers.
B...................... Decision on contention admission.
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[FR Doc. E9-960 Filed 1-15-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P