[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 5 (Thursday, January 8, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 836-840]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-111]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[DOCKET NO. 52-033]
Detroit Edison Company; Notice of Hearing, and Opportunity To
Petition for Leave To Intervene and Order Imposing Procedures for
Access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards Information and
Safeguards Information for Contention Preparation on a Combined License
for Fermi 3
Pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and the
regulations in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR)
Part 2, ``Rules of Practice for Domestic Licensing Proceedings and
Issuance of Orders,'' 10 CFR Part 50, ``Domestic Licensing of
Production and Utilization Facilities,'' and 10 CFR Part 52,
``Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants,''
notice is hereby given that a hearing will be held, at a time and place
to be set in the future by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC,
the Commission) or designated by the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board
(Board). The hearing will consider the application dated September 18,
2008, filed by Detroit Edison Company, pursuant to Subpart C of 10 CFR
Part 52, for a combined license (COL). The application, which was
supplemented by letters dated October 27, 2008, November 11, 2008, and
November 20, 2008, requests approval of a COL for the Fermi Nuclear
Power Plant, Unit 3, to be located in Monroe County, Michigan. The
application was accepted for docketing on November 25, 2008. The docket
number established for this COL application is 52-033. The Fermi COL
application references the application for certification of the
Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) design, which was
initially submitted on August 24, 2005. The ESBWR design is the subject
of an ongoing rulemaking under Docket Number 52-010.
The hearing will be conducted by a Board that will be designated by
the Chairman of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel or will be
conducted by the Commission. Notice as to the membership of the Board
will be published in the Federal Register at a later date. The NRC
staff will complete a detailed technical review of the COL application
and will document its findings in a safety evaluation report. The
Commission will refer a copy of the application to the Advisory
Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) in accordance with 10 CFR 52.87,
``Referral to the ACRS,'' and the ACRS will report on those portions of
the application that concern safety. The NRC staff will also prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement, as required by 10 CFR 51.20(b)(2).
Any person whose interest may be affected by this proceeding and
who desires to participate as a party to this proceeding must file a
written petition for leave to intervene in accordance with 10 CFR
2.309. Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding,
subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to intervene,
and have the opportunity to participate fully in the conduct of the
hearing.
A petition for leave to intervene must be filed no later than 60
days from the
[[Page 837]]
date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register. Non-timely
filings will not be entertained absent a determination by the
Commission or presiding officer designated to rule on the petition,
pursuant to the requirements of 10 CFR 2.309(c)(1)(i)-(viii).
All documents filed in NRC adjudicatory proceedings, including
petitions to intervene and requests to participate as an interested
government entity under 10 CFR 2.315(c), must be filed in accordance
with the NRC E-Filing rule, which was promulgated by the NRC on August
28, 2007 (72 FR 49139). The E-Filing process requires participants to
submit and serve documents over the internet or in some cases to mail
copies on electronic storage media. Participants may not submit paper
copies of their filings unless they seek a waiver in accordance with
the procedures described below.
To comply with the procedural requirements of E-Filing, at least 10
days prior to the filing deadline, the petitioner must contact the
Office of the Secretary by e-mail at [email protected], or by
calling (301) 415-1677, to request (1) a digital ID certificate, which
allows the participant (or its counsel or representative) to digitally
sign documents and access the E-Submittal server for any proceeding in
which it is participating; and/or (2) creation of an electronic docket
for the proceeding (even in instances in which the petitioner (or its
counsel or representative) already holds an NRC-issued digital ID
certificate). Each participant will need to download the Workplace
Forms Viewer \TM\ to access the Electronic Information Exchange (EIE),
a component of the E-Filing system. The Workplace Forms Viewer \TM\ is
free and is available at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/install-viewer.html. Information about applying for a digital ID
certificate is available on NRC's public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/apply-certificates.html.
Once a participant has obtained a digital ID certificate, had a
docket created, and downloaded the EIE viewer, it can then submit a
petition for leave to intervene. Submissions should be in Portable
Document Format (PDF) in accordance with NRC guidance available on the
NRC public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html.
A filing is considered complete at the time the filer submits its
documents through EIE. To be timely, an electronic filing must be
submitted to the EIE system no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on
the due date. Upon receipt of a transmission, the E-Filing system time-
stamps the document and sends the submitter an e-mail notice confirming
receipt of the document. The EIE system also distributes an e-mail
notice that provides access to the document to the NRC Office of the
General Counsel and any others who have advised the Office of the
Secretary that they wish to participate in the proceeding, so that the
filer need not serve the documents on those participants separately.
Therefore, applicants and other participants (or their counsel or
representative) must apply for and receive a digital ID certificate
before a petition to intervene is filed so that they can obtain access
to the document via the E-Filing system.
A person filing electronically using the agency's adjudicatory E-
filing system may seek assistance through the ``Contact Us'' link
located on the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html or by calling the NRC Meta-System Help Desk, which is
available between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through
Friday, excluding government holidays. The toll-free help line number
is 1-866-672-7640. A person filing electronically may also seek
assistance by sending an e-mail to [email protected].
Participants who believe that they have a good cause for not
submitting documents electronically must file an exemption request, in
accordance with 10 CFR 2.302(g), with their initial paper filing
requesting authorization to continue to submit documents in paper
format. Such filings must be submitted by: (1) First class mail
addressed to the Office of the Secretary of the Commission, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention:
Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; or (2) courier, express mail, or
expedited delivery service to the Office of the Secretary, Sixteenth
Floor, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
Maryland, 20852, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff.
Participants filing a document in this manner are responsible for
serving the document on all other participants. Filing is considered
complete by first-class mail as of the time of deposit in the mail, or
by courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service upon depositing
the document with the provider of the service.
Non-timely requests and/or petitions and contentions will not be
entertained absent a determination by the Commission, the presiding
officer, or the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board that the petition
should be granted and/or the contentions should be admitted based on a
balancing of the factors specified in 10 CFR 2.309(c)(1)(i)-(viii). To
be timely, filings must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern
Standard Time on the due date.
Documents submitted in adjudicatory proceedings will appear in the
NRC's electronic hearing docket which is available to the public at
http://ehd.nrc.gov/EHD_Proceeding/home.asp, unless excluded pursuant
to an order of the Commission, an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, or
a Presiding Officer. Participants are requested not to include personal
privacy information, such as social security numbers, home addresses,
or home telephone numbers in their filings. With respect to copyrighted
works, except for limited excerpts that serve the purpose of the
adjudicatory filings and would constitute a Fair Use application,
participants are requested not to include copyrighted materials in
their submission.
Any person who files a motion pursuant to 10 CFR 2.323 must consult
with counsel for the applicant and counsel for the NRC staff who are
listed below. Counsel for the applicant is Bruce R. Maters, 313-235-
7481, [email protected]. Counsel for the NRC staff in this
proceeding is Marcia Carpentier, (301) 415-4126,
[email protected].
A person who is not a party may be permitted to make a limited
appearance by making an oral or written statement of his or her
position on the issues at any session of the hearing or any pre-hearing
conference within the limits and conditions fixed by the presiding
officer, but may not otherwise participate in the proceeding. These
limited appearance statements need not be submitted using the E-filing
process.
Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's
Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Public
File Area O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville,
Maryland, and will be accessible electronically through the Agencywide
Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic
Reading Room link at the NRC Web site http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter
problems in accessing documents located in ADAMS should contact the NRC
PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by
e-mail to [email protected]. The application is available at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/col/Fermi.html. The ADAMS accession
number for the
[[Page 838]]
application cover letter is ML081300460. The ADAMS accession numbers
for supplemental letters are ML0831203285, ML083190539, and
ML083530798. To search for documents in ADAMS using the Fermi COL
application docket numbers, 52-033, enter the term ``05200033'' in the
``Docket Number'' field when using either the web-based search
(advanced search) engine or the ADAMS find tool in Citrix. The ESBWR
design certification can be found by going to http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-licensing/design-cert/esbwr.html or by accessing our ADAMS
Advanced Web Search and entering ``05200010'' in the ``Docket Number''
field to search for documents linked to the ESBWR design certification
application.
Order Imposing Procedures for Access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-
Safeguards Information and Safeguards Information for Contention
Preparation
1. This order contains instructions regarding how potential parties
to this proceeding may request access to documents containing sensitive
unclassified information (including Sensitive Unclassified Non-
Safeguards Information (SUNSI) and Safeguards Information (SGI)).
2. Within 10 days after publication of this notice of hearing and
opportunity to petition for leave to intervene, any potential party as
defined in 10 CFR 2.4 who believes access to SUNSI or SGI is necessary
for a response to the notice may request access to SUNSI or SGI. A
``potential party'' is any person who intends or may intend to
participate as a party by demonstrating standing and the filing of an
admissible contention under 10 CFR 2.309. Requests submitted later than
10 days will not be considered absent a showing of good cause for the
late filing, addressing why the request could not have been filed
earlier.
3. The requester shall submit a letter requesting permission to
access SUNSI and/or SGI to the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention:
Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff, and provide a copy to the
Associate General Counsel for Hearings, Enforcement and Administration,
Office of the General Counsel, Washington, DC 20555-0001. The expedited
delivery or courier mail address for both offices is U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
The e-mail address for the Office of the Secretary and the Office of
the General Counsel are [email protected] and [email protected],
respectively.\1\ The request must include the following information:
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\1\ While a request for hearing or petition to intervene in this
proceeding must comply with the filing requirements of the NRC's
``E-Filing Rule,'' the initial request to access SUNSI and/or SGI
under these procedures should be submitted as described in this
paragraph.
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a. A description of the licensing action with a citation to this
Federal Register notice of hearing and opportunity to petition for
leave to intervene;
b. The name and address of the potential party and a description of
the potential party's particularized interest that could be harmed by
the action identified in (a);
c. If the request is for SUNSI, the identity of the individual
requesting access to SUNSI and the requester's need for the information
in order to meaningfully participate in this adjudicatory proceeding,
particularly why publicly available versions of the application would
not be sufficient to provide the basis and specificity for a proffered
contention;
d. If the request is for SGI, the identity of the individual
requesting access to SGI and the identity of any expert, consultant or
assistant who will aid the requester in evaluating the SGI, and
information that shows:
(i) Why the information is indispensable to meaningful
participation in this licensing proceeding; and
(ii) The technical competence (demonstrable knowledge, skill,
experience, training or education) of the requester to understand and
use (or evaluate) the requested information to provide the basis and
specificity for a proffered contention. The technical competence of a
potential party or its counsel may be shown by reliance on a qualified
expert, consultant or assistant who demonstrates technical competence
as well as trustworthiness and reliability, and who agrees to sign a
non-disclosure affidavit and be bound by the terms of a protective
order; and
e. If the request is for SGI, Form SF-85, ``Questionnaire for Non-
Sensitive Positions,'' Form FD-258 (fingerprint card), and a credit
check release form completed by the individual who seeks access to SGI
and each individual who will aid the requester in evaluating the SGI.
For security reasons, Form SF-85 can only be submitted electronically,
through a restricted-access database. To obtain online access to the
form, the requester should contact the NRC's Office of Administration
at 301-415-0320.\2\ The other completed forms must be signed in
original ink, accompanied by a check or money order payable in the
amount of $191.00 to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for each
individual, and mailed to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Office of Administration, Security Processing Unit, Mail Stop TWB-05
B32M, Washington, DC 20555-0012.
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\2\ The requester will be asked to provide his or her full name,
social security number, date and place of birth, telephone number,
and email address. After providing this information, the requester
usually should be able to obtain access to the online form within
one business day.
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These forms will be used to initiate the background check, which
includes fingerprinting as part of a criminal history records check.
Note: copies of these forms do not need to be included with the request
letter to the Office of the Secretary, but the request letter should
state that the forms and fees have been submitted as described above.
4. To avoid delays in processing requests for access to SGI, all
forms should be reviewed for completeness and accuracy (including
legibility) before submitting them to the NRC. Incomplete packages will
be returned to the sender and will not be processed.
5. Based on an evaluation of the information submitted under items
2 and 3.a through 3.d, above, the NRC staff will determine within 10
days of receipt of the written access request whether (1) there is a
reasonable basis to believe the petitioner is likely to establish
standing to participate in this NRC proceeding, and (2) there is a
legitimate need for access to SUNSI or need to know the SGI requested.
For SGI, the need to know determination is made based on whether the
information requested is necessary (i.e., indispensable) for the
proposed recipient to proffer and litigate a specific contention in
this NRC proceeding \3\ and whether the proposed recipient has the
technical competence (demonstrable knowledge, skill, training,
education, or experience) to evaluate and use the specific SGI
requested in this proceeding.
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\3\ Broad SGI requests under these procedures are thus highly
unlikely to meet the standard for need to know; furthermore, staff
redaction of information from requested documents before their
release may be appropriate to comport with this requirement. These
procedures do not authorize unrestricted disclosure or less scrutiny
of a requester's need to know than ordinarily would be applied in
connection with an already-admitted contention.
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6. If standing and need to know SGI are shown, the NRC staff will
further determine based upon completion of the background check whether
the proposed recipient is trustworthy and reliable. The NRC staff will
conduct (as
[[Page 839]]
necessary) an inspection to confirm that the recipient's information
protection systems are sufficient to protect SGI from inadvertent
release or disclosure. Recipients may opt to view SGI at the NRC's
facility rather than establish their own SGI protection program to meet
SGI protection requirements.
7. A request for access to SUNSI or SGI will be granted if:
a. The request has demonstrated that there is a reasonable basis to
believe that a potential party is likely to establish standing to
intervene or to otherwise participate as a party in this proceeding;
b. The proposed recipient of the information has demonstrated a
need for SUNSI or a need to know for SGI, and that the proposed
recipient of SGI is trustworthy and reliable;
c. The proposed recipient of the information has executed a Non-
Disclosure Agreement or Affidavit and agrees to be bound by the terms
of a Protective Order setting forth terms and conditions to prevent the
unauthorized or inadvertent disclosure of SUNSI and/or SGI; and
d. The presiding officer has issued a protective order concerning
the information or documents requested.\4\ Any protective order issued
shall provide that the petitioner must file SUNSI or SGI contentions 25
days after receipt of (or access to) that information. However, if more
than 25 days remain between the petitioner's receipt of (or access to)
the information and the deadline for filing all other contentions (as
established in the notice of hearing or opportunity for hearing), the
petitioner may file its SUNSI or SGI contentions by that later
deadline.
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\4\ If a presiding officer has not yet been designated, the
Chief Administrative Judge will issue such orders, or will appoint a
presiding officer to do so.
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8. If the request for access to SUNSI or SGI is granted, the terms
and conditions for access to sensitive unclassified information will be
set forth in a draft protective order and affidavit of non-disclosure
appended to a joint motion by the NRC staff, any other affected parties
to this proceeding,\5\ and the petitioner(s). If the diligent efforts
by the relevant parties or petitioner(s) fail to result in an agreement
on the terms and conditions for a draft protective order or non-
disclosure affidavit, the relevant parties to the proceeding or the
petitioner(s) should notify the presiding officer within 5 days,
describing the obstacles to the agreement.
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\5\ Parties/persons other than the requester and the NRC staff
will be notified by the NRC staff of a favorable access
determination (and may participate in the development of such a
motion and protective order) if it concerns SUNSI and if the party/
person's interest independent of the proceeding would be harmed by
the release of the information (e.g., as with proprietary
information).
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9. If the request for access to SUNSI is denied by the NRC staff or
a request for access to SGI is denied by NRC staff either after a
determination on standing and need to know or, later, after a
determination on trustworthiness and reliability, the NRC staff shall
briefly state the reasons for the denial. Before the Office of
Administration makes an adverse determination regarding access, the
proposed recipient must be provided an opportunity to correct or
explain information. The requester may challenge the NRC staff's
adverse determination with respect to access to SUNSI or with respect
to standing or need to know for SGI by filing a challenge within 5 days
of receipt of that determination with (a) the presiding officer
designated in this proceeding; (b) if no presiding officer has been
appointed, the Chief Administrative Judge, or if he or she is
unavailable, another administrative judge, or an administrative law
judge with jurisdiction pursuant to 10 CFR 2.318(a); or (c) if another
officer has been designated to rule on information access issues, with
that officer. In the same manner, an SGI requester may challenge an
adverse determination on trustworthiness and reliability by filing a
challenge within 15 days of receipt of that determination.
In the same manner, a party other than the requester may challenge
an NRC staff determination granting access to SUNSI whose release would
harm that party's interest independent of the proceeding. Such a
challenge must be filed within 5 days of the notification by the NRC
staff of its grant of such a request.
If challenges to the NRC staff determinations are filed, these
procedures give way to the normal process for litigating disputes
concerning access to information. The availability of interlocutory
review by the Commission of orders ruling on such NRC staff
determinations (whether granting or denying access) is governed by 10
CFR 2.311.\6\
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\6\ As of October 15, 2007, the NRC's final ``E-Filing Rule''
became effective. See Use of Electronic Submissions in Agency
Hearings (72 FR 49139; August 28, 2007). Requesters should note that
the filing requirements of that rule apply to appeals of NRC staff
determinations (because they must be served on a presiding officer
or the Commission, as applicable), but not to the initial SUNSI/SGI
requests submitted to the NRC staff under these procedures.
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10. The Commission expects that the NRC staff and presiding
officers (and any other reviewing officers) will consider and resolve
requests for access to SUNSI and/or SGI, and motions for protective
orders, in a timely fashion in order to minimize any unnecessary delays
in identifying those petitioners who have standing and who have
propounded contentions meeting the specificity and basis requirements
in 10 CFR Part 2. Attachment 1 to this Order summarizes the general
target schedule for processing and resolving requests under these
procedures.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 2nd day of January 2009.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
J. Samuel Walker,
Acting Secretary of the Commission.
Attachment 1--General Target Schedule for Processing and Resolving
Requests for Access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards
Information and Safeguards Information in This Proceeding
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Day Event/activity
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0................................. Publication of Federal Register
notice of hearing and opportunity
to petition for leave to intervene,
including order with instructions
for access requests.
10................................ Deadline for submitting requests for
access to Sensitive Unclassified
Non-Safeguards Information (SUNSI)
and/or Safeguards Information (SGI)
with information: supporting the
standing of a potential party
identified by name and address;
describing the need for the
information in order for the
potential party to participate
meaningfully in an adjudicatory
proceeding; demonstrating that
access should be granted (e.g.,
showing technical competence for
access to SGI); and, for SGI,
including application fee for
fingerprint/background check.
60................................ Deadline for submitting petition for
intervention containing: (i)
Demonstration of standing; (ii) all
contentions whose formulation does
not require access to SUNSI and/or
SGI (+25 Answers to petition for
intervention; +7 petitioner/
requestor reply).
[[Page 840]]
20................................ Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
staff informs the requester of the
staff's determination whether the
request for access provides a
reasonable basis to believe
standing can be established and
shows (1) need for SUNSI or (2)
need to know for SGI. (For SUNSI,
NRC staff also informs any party to
the proceeding whose interest
independent of the proceeding would
be harmed by the release of the
information.) If NRC staff makes
the finding of need for SUNSI and
likelihood of standing, NRC staff
begins document processing
(preparation of redactions or
review of redacted documents). If
NRC staff makes the finding of need
to know for SGI and likelihood of
standing, NRC staff begins
background check (including
fingerprinting for a criminal
history records check), information
processing (preparation of
redactions or review of redacted
documents), and readiness
inspections.
25................................ If NRC staff finds no ``need,''
``need to know,'' or likelihood of
standing, the deadline for
petitioner/requester to file a
motion seeking a ruling to reverse
the NRC staff's denial of access;
NRC staff files copy of access
determination with the presiding
officer (or Chief Administrative
Judge or other designated officer,
as appropriate). If NRC staff finds
``need'' for SUNSI, the deadline
for any party to the proceeding
whose interest independent of the
proceeding would be harmed by the
release of the information to file
a motion seeking a ruling to
reverse the NRC staff's grant of
access.
30................................ Deadline for NRC staff reply to
motions to reverse NRC staff
determination(s).
40................................ (Receipt +30) If NRC staff finds
standing and need for SUNSI,
deadline for NRC staff to complete
information processing and file
motion for Protective Order and
draft Non-Disclosure Affidavit.
Deadline for applicant/licensee to
file Non-Disclosure Agreement for
SUNSI.
190............................... (Receipt +180) If NRC staff finds
standing, need to know for SGI, and
trustworthiness and reliability,
deadline for NRC staff to file
motion for Protective Order and
draft Non-disclosure Affidavit (or
to make a determination that the
proposed recipient of SGI is not
trustworthy or reliable). Note:
Before the Office of Administration
makes an adverse determination
regarding access, the proposed
recipient must be provided an
opportunity to correct or explain
information.
205............................... Deadline for petitioner to seek
reversal of a final adverse NRC
staff determination either before
the presiding officer or another
designated officer.
A................................. If access granted: Issuance of
presiding officer or other
designated officer decision on
motion for protective order for
access to sensitive information
(including schedule for providing
access and submission of
contentions) or decision reversing
a final adverse determination by
the NRC staff.
A + 3............................. Deadline for filing executed Non-
Disclosure Affidavits. Access
provided to SUNSI and/or SGI
consistent with decision issuing
the protective order.
A + 28............................ Deadline for submission of
contentions whose development
depends upon access to SUNSI and/or
SGI. However, if more than 25 days
remain between the petitioner's
receipt of (or access to) the
information and the deadline for
filing all other contentions (as
established in the notice of
hearing or opportunity for
hearing), the petitioner may file
its SUNSI or SGI contentions by
that later deadline.
A + 53............................ (Contention receipt +25) Answers to
contentions whose development
depends upon access to SUNSI and/or
SGI.
A + 60............................ (Answer receipt +7) Petitioner/
Intervenor reply to answers.
B................................. Decision on contention admission.
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[FR Doc. E9-111 Filed 1-7-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P