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10 C.F.R. § 2.104   Notice of hearing.

Title 10 - Energy

Title 10: Energy
PART 2—RULES OF PRACTICE FOR DOMESTIC LICENSING PROCEEDINGS AND ISSUANCE OF ORDERS
Subpart A—Procedure for Issuance, Amendment, Transfer, or Renewal of a License
Hearing on Application—How Initiated

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§ 2.104   Notice of hearing.

(a) In the case of an application on which a hearing is required by the Act or this chapter, or in which the Commission finds that a hearing is required in the public interest, the Secretary will issue a notice of hearing to be published in the Federal Register as required by law at least fifteen (15) days, and in the case of an application concerning a construction permit for a facility of the type described in §50.21(b) or §50.22 of this chapter or a testing facility, at least thirty (30) days, prior to the date set for hearing in the notice.¹ In addition, in the case of an application for a construction permit for a facility of the type described in §50.22 of this chapter, or a testing facility, the notice (other than a notice pursuant to paragraph (d) of this section) shall be issued as soon as practicable after the application has been docketed: Provided, That if the Commission, pursuant to §2.101(a)(2), decides to determine the acceptability of the application on the basis of its technical adequacy as well as completeness, the notice shall be issued as soon as practicable after the application has been tendered. The notice will state:

¹ If the notice of hearing concerning an application for a construction permit for a facility of the type described in §50.21(b) or §50.22 of this chapter or a testing facility does not specify the time and place of initial hearing, a subsequent notice will be published in the Federal Register which will provide at least thirty (30) days notice of the time and place of that hearing. After this notice is given the presiding officer may reschedule the commencement of the initial hearing for a later date or reconvene a recessed hearing without again providing thirty (30) days notice.

(1) The time, place, and nature of the hearing and/or prehearing conference, if any;

(2) The authority under which the hearing is to be held;

(3) The matters of fact and law to be considered; and

(4) The time within which answers to the notice shall be filed.

(b) In the case of an application for a construction permit for a facility on which the Act requires a hearing, the notice of hearing will, except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section and unless the Commission determines otherwise, state, in implementation of paragraph (a)(3) of this section:

(1) That, if the proceeding is a contested proceeding, the presiding officer will consider the following issues:²

² Issues (i) to (iv) are the issues pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended. Issue (v) is the issue pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.

(i) Whether in accordance with the provisions of §50.35(a) of this chapter:

(a) The applicant has described the proposed design of the facility, including, but not limited to, the principal architectural and engineering criteria for the design, and has identified the major features or components incorporated therein for the protection of the health and safety of the public;

(b) Such further technical or design information as may be required to complete the safety analysis, and which can reasonably be left for later consideration will be supplied in the final safety analysis report;

(c) Safety features or components, if any, which require research and development, have been described by the applicant and the applicant has identified, and there will be conducted, a research and development program reasonably designed to resolve any safety questions associated with such features or components; and

(d) On the basis of the foregoing, there is reasonable assurance that (1) such safety questions will be satisfactorily resolved at or before the latest date stated in the application for completion of the proposed facility; and (2) taking into consideration the site criteria contained in part 100 of this chapter, the proposed facility can be constructed and operated at the proposed location without undue risk to the health and safety of the public;

(ii) Whether the applicant is technically qualified to design and construct the proposed facility;

(iii) Whether the applicant is financially qualified to design and construct the proposed facility;

(iv) Whether the issuance of a permit for the construction of the facility will be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public;

(v) If the application is for a construction permit for a nuclear power reactor, a testing facility, a fuel reprocessing plant, or other facility whose construction or operation has been determined by the Commission to have a significant impact on the environment, whether, in accordance with the requirements of subpart A of part 51 of this chapter, the construction permit should be issued as proposed.

(2) That, if the proceeding is not a contested proceeding, the presiding officer will determine:

(i) Without conducting a de novo evaluation of the application, whether the application and the record of the proceeding contain sufficient information, and the review of the application by the Commission's staff has been adequate to support affirmative findings on (b)(1) (i) through (iii) specified in this section and a negative finding on (b)(1)(iv) specified in this section proposed to be made and the issuance of the construction permit proposed by the Director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation or Director of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, as appropriate, and

(ii) If the application is for a construction permit for a nuclear power reactor, a testing facility, a fuel processing plant, a uranium enrichment facility, or other facility whose construction or operation has been determined by the Commission to have a significant impact on the environment, whether the review conducted by the Commission pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has been adequate.

(3) That, regardless of whether the proceeding is contested or uncontested, the presiding officer will, in accordance with subpart A of part 51 of this chapter.

(i) Determine whether the requirements of section 102(2) (A), (C) and (E) of the National Environmental Policy Act and subpart A of part 51 of this chapter have been complied with in the proceeding;

(ii) Independently consider the final balance among conflicting factors contained in the record of the proceeding with a view to determining the appropriate action to be taken; and

(iii) Determine whether the construction permit should be issued, denied, or appropriately conditioned to protect environmental values.

(c) In the case of an application for an operating license in which a hearing will be held, the notice of hearing will, except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section and unless the Commission determines otherwise, state, in implementation of paragraph (a)(3) of this section, that the presiding officer will consider any matters in controversy among the parties and may, where he or she determines that a serious safety, environmental, or common defense and security matter has not been raised by the parties, consider such other matter within the purview of:

(1) Whether there is reasonable assurance that construction of the facility will be substantially completed on a timely basis, in conformity with the construction permit and the application as amended, the provisions of the Act, and the regulations in this chapter;

(2) Whether the facility will operate in conformity with the application as amended, the provisions of the Act, and the regulations in this chapter;

(3) Whether there is reasonable assurance: (i) That the activities to be authorized by the operating license can be conducted without endangering the health and safety of the public, and (ii) that such activities will be conducted in compliance with the regulations in this chapter;

(4) Whether the applicant is technically and financially qualified to engage in the activities to be authorized by the operating license in accordance with the regulations in this chapter, except that the issue of financial qualification shall not be considered by the presiding officer in an operating license hearing if the applicant is an electric utility seeking a license to operate a utilization facility of the type described in §50.21(b) or §50.22;

(5) Whether the applicable provisions of part 140 of this chapter have been satisfied;

(6) Whether issuance of the license will be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public; and

(7) If the application is for an operating license for a nuclear power reactor, a testing facility, or a fuel reprocessing plant, or other facility whose operation has been determined by the Commission to have a significant impact on the environment, whether, in accordance with the requirements of subpart A of part 51 of this chapter, the operating license should be issued as proposed.³

³ Issues (1) to (6) are the issues pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended. Issue (7) is the issue pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.

(d) In an application for a construction permit or an operating license for a facility on which a hearing is required by the Act or this chapter, the notice of hearing will, unless the Commission determines otherwise, state:

(1) A time of the hearing which will be as soon as practicable after compliance with section 189a of the Act and this part;

(2) The presiding officer for the hearing who shall be either an administrative law judge or an atomic safety and licensing board established by the Commission or by the Chief Administrative Judge of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel; and

(3) That matters of radiological health and safety and common defense and security, and matters raised under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, will be considered at another hearing if otherwise required or ordered to be held, for which a notice will be published pursuant to paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, unless otherwise authorized by the Commission.

(e) The Secretary will give timely notice of the hearing to all parties and to other persons, if any, entitled by law to notice. The Secretary will transmit a notice of hearing on an application for a license for a production or utilization facility, for a license for receipt of waste radioactive material from other persons for the purpose of commercial disposal by the waste disposal licensee, for a license under part 61 of this chapter, for a construction authorization for a HLW repository at a geologic repository operations area pursuant to parts 60 or 63 of this chapter, for a license to receive and possess high-level radioactive waste at a geologic repository operations area pursuant to parts 60 or 63 of this chapter, and for a license under part 72 of this chapter to acquire, receive or possess spent fuel for the purpose of storage in an independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) to the governor or other appropriate official of the State and to the chief executive of the municipality in which the facility is to be located or the activity is to be conducted or, if the facility is not to be located or the activity conducted within a municipality, to the chief executive of the county (or to the Tribal organization, if it is to be so located or conducted within an Indian reservation). The Secretary will transmit a notice of hearing on an application for a license under part 72 of this chapter to acquire, receive or possess spent fuel, high-level radioactive waste or radioactive material associated with high-level radioactive waste for the purpose of storage in a monitored retrievable storage installation (MRS) to the same persons who received the notice of docketing under §72.16(e) of this chapter.

[27 FR 377, Jan. 13, 1962]

Editorial Note:  For Federal Register citations affecting §2.104, see the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids section of the printed volume and on GPO Access.

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