Another Hurdle Cleared for Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance Facility

NRC Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Denies Evidentiary Hearing on Holtec International’s Proposed Spent Fuel Storage Facility in New Mexico

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety and Licensing Board has denied requests by several petitioners to hold an evidentiary hearing challenging Holtec International’s license application to construct and operate a consolidated interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel in southeastern New Mexico.

The three-judge board held oral arguments in Albuquerque in January on the standing of the various petitioners and the admissibility of their proposed contentions under NRC regulations. While the judges agreed that some of the six petitioners met the qualifications for standing, they concluded the nearly 50 contentions raised were not admissible for an evidentiary hearing. The judges held that the contentions either were not relevant to the application or did not establish a genuine dispute with aspects of the application.

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