NRC to hear oral arguments on Diablo Canyon power plant

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC)  Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will hold two sets of oral arguments on legal issues pertaining to the Diablo Canyon power plant near San Luis Obispo, California, on July 9.

The arguments will be held at the NRC’s Two White Flint North building, 11555 Rockville Pike, in Rockville, Maryland. Although they will be open to the public, the floor will only be open to the groups bringing the cases, the power plant management and Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, an independent body within the NRC that decides legal issues on licensing actions.

There will be two oral argument sessions corresponding to two legal issues being brought against the plant. The first comes from the San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, which filed four contentions related to the plant’s license renewal process. It will begin at 9 a.m.

Expected to begin at 1 p.m., the second session will focus on a petition brought by the Friends of the Earth, which states that the NRC issued Diablo Canyon a “de facto” license amendment.

The oral arguments will be available to the public through webstreaming or telephone audio upon request.