NRC Atomic Safety and Licensing Board to Hold Oral Argument on Diablo Canyon Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation License Renewal

Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: 23-030 April 24, 2023
CONTACT: David McIntyre, 301-415-8200

NRC Atomic Safety and Licensing Board to Hold Oral Argument on Diablo Canyon
Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation License Renewal

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will hold an oral argument May 24 on whether a petitioner has standing and has proposed admissible contentions challenging Pacific Gas & Electric Co.’s application to renew its license for the Diablo Canyon independent spent fuel storage installation in California.

The oral argument will begin at 1 p.m. Eastern time in the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Hearing Room at NRC headquarters in Rockville, Maryland, and members of the public may attend. Members of the public who wish to listen to the oral argument on a listen- only telephone line should contact the Board’s law clerk, Noel Johnson, at noel.johnson@nrc.gov for the telephone number and passcode. The oral argument will be transcribed and the transcript posted in the Electronic Hearing Docket on the agency website.

PG&E has applied for a 40-year renewal of its license for the independent spent fuel storage facility. The current license expires March 22, 2024. San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace has petitioned for an adjudicatory hearing to challenge aspects of the application. The Board will hear arguments from the petitioner, PG&E, and the NRC staff.

The Board is composed of three administrative judges from the NRC’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel. Boards conduct adjudicatory hearings on NRC licensing and enforcement actions. Board members are independent of the NRC staff. A Board’s ruling may be appealed to the Commission, the five-member body that sets NRC policy.

23-030.pdf