Agenda - 02-16-1999 - 3 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

02i16i99 09:45 HARMON+CURRAN+SPI -~ 919 644 0246 N0.093 D12 -11- Commissioner Asselstine also pointer out language in the legislative history indicating that Congress did not intend the Sholly amendment to apply to the reracking of spent fuel pools. Id. at 16. Even assuming for purposes of argument that the No Significant Hazards criteria are met, the circumstances of this case raise a number of potentially significant safety issues that should be addressed in a public hearing before the license amendment is issued, including design modifications that would add a significant demand load to safety cooling and electrical backup systems, use of cooling pipe whose quality assurance documentation is missive, the lack of any previous assessment of the impacts of partial drainage of the spent fuel pools vn an extremely urge inventory of spent fuel. ,Moreover, there is no particular urgency to this license amendment. The pmposcd changes are to take place over an extended period of time. Even if the changes are perceived by CP&L as ur?ent, they could have been anticipated years before. Under the circumstances, there is no justification for issuing the license amendment before a hearing can be conducted. 1V. IF THE STAFF 1SSUES A FINAL DETERMINATION OF NO SIGNIFICANT IiA2ARDS CONSIDERATIONS, IT SHOULD STAY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE DETERMINATION FOR TEN DAYS PENDING ORANGE COUNTY'S APPEAL. in the event that the Staff rejects these comments and decides to finalize the proposed No Significant Hazards determination, Orange County requests the Staff to stay the effectiveness of the finding for ten days, in order to maintain the status quo while Orange County prepares an appeal of the determination. Orange County further requests that the Staff respond to this request at least ten days before issuing the license amendment, so that Orange County may be apprised of the aced to take appropriate alternative measures to preserve the status quo.