Agenda - 01-19-1999 - 9b1 - Laserfiche WebLink

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ORANGECOUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: January 19, 1999 /,C /- /�Y- / 1 Action Agenda Item k9:b I SUBJECT: Funding for Process to Obtain Standing with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the Permitting Process for Expanded Storage of Waste Nuclear Fuel Rods at Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant DEPARTMENT: County Manager ATTACHMENT(S): County Engineer's memo WAIS Document Retrieval from Federal Register for 1/13/99 PUBLIC HEARING: Yes x No BUDGET AMENDMENT: Yes x No INFORMATION CONTACT: County Engineer Extension 2303 TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough - 732 -8181 Durham - 688 -7331 Mebane - 227 -2031 Chapel Hill - 967- 9251/968 -4501 PURPOSE: To present for BOCC review a report on: 1) the process required to obtain the standing required to "intervene" in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) proceedings for the review and approval of Carolina Power and Light's (CP &L) application to amend its operating permit to allow it to expand its high level nuclear waste storage operation for used nuclear fuel rods at its Shearon Harris nuclear power plant; and 2) the cost of funding the legal and engineering/technical consulting services necessary to review the CP& L waste storage expansion proposal and permit application and create and file the documents with the NRC as necessary to obtain standing. BACKGROUND: CP &L has proposed to use its existing operational and partially constructed temporary waste storage pools at its Shearon Harris facility to store spent nuclear fuel rods from the Harris facility as well as its own Brunswick and Robinson nuclear power plants. To carry out this strategy, two existing but incomplete pools at the plant must be completed. This, in turn, requires that CP &L submit an application to modify the Harris operating permit to the NRC. In accordance with standard NRC procedures, the permit modification application has been submitted; NRC staff have proposed to make a finding that CP &L's expansion plans represent no significant hazard; and the NRC has published the notice of the application and the proposed staff finding - as of January 13, 1999 - in the Federal Register. The public, again in accordance with standard NRC procedures, is accorded a thirty day period in which to make connnents to the NRC relative to the NRC staff finding, permit application and approval. For the Harris application, the comment deadline is February 12, 1999.