The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) has ruled in the Waste Control Specialists/Interim Storage Partners (WCS/ISP) consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) licesning proceeding.
The ASLB has acknowledged legal standing for Beyond Nuclear, Fasken Oil, and Sierra Club. All other intervening parties' legal standing was rejected (namely, a seven-group, national grassroots environmental coalition, represented by Toledo, OH attorney, Terry Lodge).
However, only a single contention by Sierra Club was granted a hearing on the merits. Beyond Nuclear's and Fasken's (represented by Lawrence, KS attorney Robert Eye) contentions, despite acknowledgement of the groups' legal standing, were rejected as not meriting a hearing. Sierra Club is represented by legal counsel Wally Taylor of Cedar Rapids, IA.
See the ASLB ruling, here. See NRC's press release, here.
Most to all opponents to WCS/ISP's CISF -- Beyond Nuclear included -- plan to appeal their rejection by the ASLB within 25 days, to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissioners themselves, by the NRC's deadline.
Then, if ruled against by the Nuclear Regulatory Commissioners, Beyond Nuclear -- and perhaps other parties as well -- will appeal to the federal courts.
Similar appeals are already underway in the Holtec International/Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance CISF licensing proceeding in New Mexico, just 39 miles from WCS/ISP's Andrews County, West Texas location.
In both the WCS/ISP, TX and the Holtec/ELEA, NM CISF proceedings, Beyond Nuclear's legal counsel are Diane Curran of Harmon Curran in Washington, D.C., and Mindy Goldstein of Turner Environmental Law Clinic at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.
To learn more, visit our Centralized Storage website section.