NRC Considering Friends of the Earth's Petition About Diablo Canyon

FOE filed it Aug. 26, 2014, stating its concerns about the Diablo Canyon Power Plant's operational safety and its ability to safely shut down in the event of a nearby earthquake.

By way of a notice published in the April 20 Federal Register, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that it has decided to accept Friends of the Earth's Petition to Intervene and Request for Hearing for consideration. FOE filed it Aug. 26, 2014, stating its concerns about the Diablo Canyon Power Plant's operational safety and its ability to safely shut down in the event of a nearby earthquake. (Diablo Canyon has been a prominent concern of the environmental organization since its founding in 1969.)

NRC referred the concerns to its executive director for operations, which then referred them to NRC's Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation for consideration under 10 CFR 2.206, an NRC statute that allows anyone to request to institute a proceeding to modify, suspend, or revoke a license.

Stakeholders should refer to Docket ID NRC-2016-0080 when contacting the NRC about the matter and may access it by visiting http://www.regulations.gov and searching for that docket number.